Helena Park - Ultra All Inclusive Hotel

The property is in good shape overall. Yet it feels like overstaying one’s welcome at a party. Everything is winding down. Beach chairs being carted off. Nowhere to sit outside unless you can stand being cooked in the scorching sun. There are umbrellas in the seating area during the summer months but they’d already been cleared away.
The worst bit though: people smoke everywhere. Constantly. It’s disgusting- at the pool, on the balconies, during meals outside. Any outside area isn’t safe. One was already being greeted by a cloud of smoke.
It’s als not quiet - some groups of tourists (no - not the British) are very disrespectful. Loud, obnoxious and rude.
Most of the staff is bored and not very friendly. They’d much rather go outside for a smoke than attend to requests. If they don’t know the answer to a question they also wouldn’t make an effort to find out.
Some of them are very kind though- Special shout out to our waitress and the gentleman at the Lobby bar.
The food - while there’s plenty, is of low quality at best. Also - how can there be cilantro in literally everything? Most of everything is dry/ has been left out under a heat lamp for too long. It’s also not labelled - so if you have food allergies you’re on your own.
Tables are squeezed too closely together, there’s carpet in the dining area and the furniture is dated and not safe. A chair collapsed under me yesterday (and no - I don’t weigh 100kg+). Any older, more fragile person would have seriously hurt themselves. The staff didn’t care. They didn’t even acknowledge the fact I could have been hurt.
Overall - a mediocre experience and we won’t be back.
Some feedback on alltours (travel company): the Lady was not knowledgeable about the area, she didn’t share any information at all. The tours she offered can easily be booked via Tripadvisor for half the price. Disappointing.

The hotel is clean. The rooms are lovely but you are unable to control your own air conditioning. Three times we ran out of toilet roll. The food is reasonable. Choice is limited for a 4 star plus hotel. Does not cater for dietary requirements very well. Swimming pool is very small with limited sunbeds for the hotel size. It is totally impossible to get a sunbed unless you get up at 7am. You are not allowed to use the sister hotel next door despite the pool being much much larger and there being lots of free sunbeds. The guests from the sister hotel however are allowed to reserve sunbeds at our pool despite being reported to hotel staff. Concerns were not dealt with fairly. The entertainment team were young and enthusiastic. Keen to engage you around the pool during the day. Which was good. In the evening it was the same entertainment team. Poor standard of nighttime entertainment. The hotel did not outsource singers or bands apart from a trio on a Thurs eve. They were good however the following Thurs it was the same trio singing the same songs in the same set order. Not what I'd expect from a 4 star plus hotel. The weather was great and we did make the best of it and had a nice holiday. We would not not return.