My husband surprised me with a special afternoon - Thalassotherapy pools and lunch at the Hacienda (73euro per head), with stunning views.
Upon arrival at the Spa it took the receptionist 10minutes and several internal phone calls to get someone (a nice young attendant, who unfortunately had a hole in the front of his trainers with his toes showing, this subsequently turned out to be the 'shoddy look worn by most of the staff) to take us through the 5min walk to the 'cascade' area (we had changed into the rather worn out looking bath robes and were trudging through the hotel room corridors). We were met by a young lady who apologetically said she only spoke Spanish and French. Even though the area looked very run down, we enjoyed the pools and views.
No sooner had we showered (and were looking forward to a relaxing few minutes on a sun lounger), but immediately we were escorted through the labyrinth of corridors to the restaurant. We expected to be seated overlooking the amazing bay, however as we had booked the 'package' we had to sit in the restaurant (the only ones - there were only 8 other people on the terrace, plenty of space for us all with views).
As longtime non meat eaters we always make sure the chef knows our requirements in advance.
Unfortunately the head waiter seemed unaware (or uncaring) and proceeded to make us feel as though we were 'lesser mortals'. We asked what our choices were and he rudely said it was a set menu - but there was none for vegetarians?! Unhelpfully he returned from the kitchen to say the chef would 'knock something together for us' for us now (we had confirmed our meal needs at the time of booking).
After a reasonably long wait he brought us what can only be described as a plate of salad leftovers in an assortment of glasses on a fancy slate plate (ugh).
I decided to ask what was next in store for us with our 4 course meal.
His reply "vegetables!"
My answer "raw, sautéed, boiled, baked, stuffed, grilled, steamed, in a salad or a sandwich - which?"
At this point he seemed to get really put out and was so utterly awful we choose to leave and had lunch at a lovely place down the road, having foregone the effort of asking for a refund for the food we did not have.
Instead of which I am writing this review. The views are stunning, the hotel was obviously once great but is in desperate need of an overhaul, from structure to staff.
If your idea of relaxation and money well spent is out dated, worn out and sadly lacking in any knowledge of modern food trends then this is the place for you.
If you want a stunning view, this island has plenty. For day Spa try Atzaro Agroturismo. For excellent veggi options go to Como in Santa Gertrudis.