Hotel Kaktus Playa

Really lovely staff, very friendly and helpful. But don't stay at this hotel if you want a nice spa, nice food, or an aesthetic area. Says it's a 5 star hotel, but feels like that might be on technicality rather than quality.

Spa: Cold Jacuzzi, tepid pool, no cold shower for after Sauna usage (bizarrely, the jacuzzi was the best thing to cool off in), no water tap, no timer or themometer in sauna, both of the showers were dysfunctional in some manner. Add to this that it costs an extra £10 per hour and it's just not worth it.

Food: Dinner on the first day was abysmal, lacked flavour, everything was wet and nothing had a crisp to it, and they seem to use all cheapest cuts of meat. It was somewhat better on the other two nights we stayed, but i also just think we knew what to avoid. Breakfast was... okay, again just stick to the stuff that you can't go too wrong with. For the cost of including breakfast and dinner though I'd say it's not worth it. We went out for a meal in Callela and it was 10x better.

Lovely rooftop area: Costs an extra £20 per day to access these areas, so don't expect the lovely picturesque photos on their photo reel unless you're willing to pay that. Add to this that the outdoor jacuzzi available to everyone (not in the spa) was ALSO COLD, and you're kind of forced to be extorted into spending more.

We really enjoyed our stay as it was mainly to switch off and do very very little, and the staff were really great, the room was really nice (only issue was slightly dusty), but we would recommend looking at a different hotel. This felt more like a 3 star than a 5 star, and if we cared more about it i feel like we would've been quite frustrated.

A couple of the reception staff were friendly. The area is beautiful, quiet & peaceful. Beach isn't busy & relaxed atmosphere. Cleaning is shockingly fast. Breakfast was good- smoothies were delicious.Room views of the hills were nice.

Downsides:
-It looks and feels more like a 4 star hotel
-First impressions of the room were it wasnt like a 5 star hotel room- more like 3.5/4 stars maybe
-It's 10 Euros extra per day to use the spa area for only an hour & 20 Euro more for the roof beach bar which was really ridiculous. Both should be free- this wasn't specified when we booked- very misleading. Especially the spa area should be free & not just for 1 hour when it's colder weather. Beach bar should be free as some people dont have ocean views from their rooms and it's only visible from the roof bar area
- You can hear the people in next room loudly even just talking- rooms need soundproofing
-Not enough water provided in room, no normal 5 star hotel extras like slippers, gowns, welcome biscuits/ snacks
- Lack of privacy on balcony from other rooms, screens don't cover enough
- 9 Euros extra for room service which is way too much- this was one of the biggest downsides for me- it should be free or much lower price as prices of food can also be high and if you want something small like water which isn't provided after the forst night- the service charge is more than the actual food which is ridiculous- especially after a long day of being a tourist and wanting to just relax in the room and eat/ drink something.
- The hotel is small. I don't think it looks like a 5 star hotel either, more like a 4 star.
-No instruction leaflet regarding room service, staff reception number or any other helpful information provided in the room

-the elderly large woman with short hair at the cafeteria reception is Super Rude- Super Insecure, unprofessional, completely Lacking in Healthy Boundaries, harrassing, overly loud and Primitive- she should be fired. She said very Jealous negative things about me to the other staff there (Clearly stemming from her own insecurities), I felt very harrassed. I'm a young pretty woman and a Model and this elderley woman seemed super Jelaous of and obsessed with me- she even knew my room number off by heart which was frankly Creepy. I would have made a formal complaint about her but didn't have the time. You don't expect that kind of weird and Harrassing behaviour from a 5 star hotel, please fire that woman- that person is the reason I'm rating the hotel 1 stars.

If these things were amended and updated, the hotel would be better.