Make no mistake, the Hacienda Benazuza is a superb hotel. It has a very special feel about it. We stayed for two nights in a standard room which was very comfortable. We spent all day lounging by the pool which was very relaxing and the pool tempreture must have been ok as almost everybody took a dip at one point. There is a restaurant beside the pool where we had lunch on both days. The menu was interesting and varied and we were very happy with the standard of food and service.
The real let down was the evening meal. We had this in the Al Alqueria restaurant. I had read so much about the sister restaurant, the el bulli being the worlds second best restaurant. My expectations were high. We telephoned from our room around six o clock to ask them if we could take our table at 930 instead of the original booking of 830 because we had enjoyed quite a large lunch. This was met with a flat no. When we arrived at the table at 830 we seemed to be bombarded with orderves. This was most welcome at first but they just kept coming, even before we had finished the last lot, more and more seem to arrive. We asked for two glasses of champagne to kick the meal off but after two sips they brought over two brandy cocktails. The people on the next table were just as perplexed! I asked the waiter to stop. It was all good stuff but we felt so rushed. They also seem to be very fond of giving you crisps!? in a paper cone! When the waiter took our order we were told that we had to order our desert now as it took so long to prepare. I didn`t like this attitude at all. I like to decide if I`m having a desert after the meal. The food was very decorative if over elaborate for my taste. We left the restaurant dissapointed. I felt that the staff thought that we were lucky to be there and it was their agenda which was most important. In a nutshell the hotel was a hit but I would rather have dinner in seville than eat in the Alqueria. The problem is that seville is just that bit too far away.