I stayed at the Hesperia Isla Margarita hotel between 30 Aug and 13 Sept 2006. I booked through First Choice and thankfully they err on the side of caution when grading hotels!
This hotel gives itself a 5 star so you would expect sumptuous luxury because after all it is five star. However, either I was dropped off at th wrong hotel or someone added the two extra stars for a joke!.
The hotel location is secluded and looks fantastic if you take a trip along the coast and see it nestled in the country side. The beach is small but has some lovely coves within walking distance and rocks just off the coast creating lovely wavy areas to play in. The beach is at times over run by locals, but since this is their country who can blame them. You do not get hassled by them they are there to have a good time too.
The adult pool is lovely, it is large as is the kids pool. The pool bar does not open til 11 and if you have had breakfast at 8, you could well die of thirst waiting for the three hours to go by in the heat. Though you were given a bottle of water in your room each day, sometimes you want a bit more than water by the pool.
I think the management could sort out the lack of drinks til this time for the all inclusive guests. You should not have to buy drinks from the hotel shop to tide you over til the all inclusive pool bar opens. I have stayed in enough hotels to know that this is a dying practise.
The pool cleaners are meticulous. They spend early hours and spot check the pool for cleanliness throughout the day. It is nice to know that the pool was clean. The surrounding gardens were also to a good standard, but I think smokers should be aware that there filthy butts left lying around is making hard work for the cleaners and gardeners around the pool area. It is not fair on those who do not smoke or have to clean them up, because at present this is a task they are losing. Please put them in the bin.
The pool snack bar serves sushi and fresh fruit amongst other things! How very different from stale burgers and minging chips. Oh if you do get a burger it is cooked to order so it is lovely.
There are more than adequate sun loungers and it is spacious enough not to be sat on top of total strangers. Though beware that on a few occasions when I left my lounger with my kit on it to get some drinks, only moments later had I returned to locals also staying at the hotel deciding that the wanted that spot and would effectively move their lounger next to your lounger and not even bat an eyelid when you returned and looked at them strangely! I would not get offended, they appear to do this to each other!
Sadly this same tradition occurs in the restaurant. If you leave your table to collect your next course, then expect to have a family sat where you were.
The food was brilliant. In the main buffet restaurant, there was a different theme night each evening. The staff dressed accordingly and the entire hall was made into the appropriate place therefore making you become totally emerged in that theme night. This great idea by the management meant that unlike most all inclusive buffets, you did not get bored of the food.
The smaller all inclusive buffet room located elsewhere in the hotel was dedicated italian where you chose your ingredients to add to you pasta and spaghetti etc and had a lovely chef cook it before your eyes. Warning if you expect to diet, then this hotel is not for you. The food is too good to be skrimping on the portions.
Even breakfast and lunch were up to the same standard. The staff are very clean and wear hygiene gloves when dealing with your food at the grill etc... They were also very quick to clear up spills and dropped crockery or cutlery with fresh replacements. The food certainly is between 4 and 5 star.
Oh yes you are probably confused by my opening comment about it being a 3 star. Keep reading, you will understand why?
The beach bar was ok. The portions were small and very limited, but what they did serve was perfectly adequate for a beach snack.
My favourite food was in the a la carte. Oh my gosh, the hall where you eat is reminiscent of an elegant captain's diner on a early twentieth century ship. The tables are set to the same high standard as the other eateries. The food is very elegantly arranged on your plate and looks too good to eat. They really were works of art and taste wise could rival any good celebrity chef meal. All meals were served with good table wine that was quickly topped up and drank just as promptly.
The downside to the main restaurant. You could wait all meal for a waiter/ess to serve you drinks. It became apparent that the locals were served always before foreign travellers. Oh and this was not paranoia. On more than five occasions, having sat down as one of the first tables before being joined by several locals. Our drinks came well after theirs did. This occured whether the order was in spanish or english.
The downside to the lobby is there is only one bar. It is about 6 metres long and though the lobby is full of very comfortable seats, the bar area is limited and it seems to smokers and therefore again you could die of thirst waiting for a drink at the bar of an evening. The bar staff are friendly and have worked out that people on holiday are more likely to tip than those not on holiday, so guess what they are very friendly and will sort you out with lots drinks if you chose to sit somewhere else in the lobby away from the bar. They do not expect tips, but by god do their little faces light up if you do tip. They work silly hours and get paid a palry wage. It is worth remembering this.
The hotel shop selling groceries is not worth visiting unless you are desperate. The person behind the counter was nothing short of rude. Despte greeting him in english and spanish and being courteous he would chuck your money on the counter was still reading his newspaper and would not even give you the decency of repaying the compliment or giving eye contact. Oh guess what that shop was almost always empty!
The other shops sell your usual swimwear and knicknacks, they were pleasant but it is better to go out of the hotel to buy good for obvious reasons. There is tourist information in the hotel which is invaluable as you can book all your trips without being ripped off. It is worth visiting and booking the horse riding on the blue leaflet. Its a lovely ranch with gorgeous, well cared for mounts that will provide you with hours of fun. The dolphin trip and cruises are fantastic also.
The hotel security are lovely and appear professional so you can sleep safely in your rooms. I read other reviews of thefts in the hotel. We used a safe and did not experience any thefts or maids using out products.
However, I am not sure what the maids did in the room, They certainly did not do any cleaning. Upon arrival I had some manky old soap in the shower, the mirror had some one elses bodily fluid spray on it, the toilet was not clean, the bathroom floor was so dirty that when I walked on it bare foot my soles were grimy. And this was my first impression.
The drawers were so dusty that I could not unpack my clothes into them I had to hang every thing up. The floor in the bedroom area was so dusty that again I chose to wear shoes all the time as each day passed the dust just mounted. Underneath my bed was a local newspaper dated June 2006. I stayed in September!
The room was large and had the potential to be really comfy,but the air con smelled of old mould, the dust was unbearable, the floors were disgusting, there was evidence of the previous occupier and the windows had never seen a cloth in goodness knows when. The furniture has seen better decades and you could not wait to get out of the bathroom quick enough. If the maid had cleaned, then I would never have seen the problems that age causes with furniture in this room. This is why I have graded the hotel a 3 star. I have stayed in three stars that have been the same standard as this room. It was a shame that the hotel management do not think that your room is an important part of the stay. This was my let down of an otherwise enjoyable stay.
I would say by venturing out, the hotel is certainly well above the standard of anything else on the island, however, do not expect a 4 or 5 star by european standards. Go with an open mind.
