Ohtels Cabogata

First of all, I'd like to say we had a lovely time at OHtel, Cabogata last week. Upon arrival we were quickly allocated a room but when we got there we found it was immediately over an area where people were sitting and smoking. It was also very close to the outdoor entertainment area. We went back to reception and asked for a different room in a quieter spot. Olivia dealt with our request immediately and put us in a lovely rom overlooking the golf course to the rear of the hotel. She was very professional and understood our request perfectly. All the staff at the hotel were friendly, polite and worked very hard. I was happy to try out the little Spanish I know and there was no issue with the language. The room was clean and comfortable, and was cleaned every day. The pool area is the star of this hotel, a lovely pool and no shortage of sun beds when we were there. The evening entertainment seemed to consist if a kids disco, one evening there was a dance show, another bingo in English and Spanish and on Sunday an excellent singer. There was often a queue at the bar but not for too long. The surrounding area is very nice, we enjoyed flat walks along the long promenade and visited the shrine and Roman tower along the coast. We also took the local bus into Almeria city but it was Monday and many of the museums were closed. The buses are €1.5 per trip and run Monday to Friday. Unfortunately the hotel is let down by a couple of issues; firstly the food was not what we've come to expect from all inclusive hotels. It was often cold and unappealing but we enjoyed the large selection of salads on offer. There is a very strange system which operates in the hotel which seemed to catch the British customers off guard, upon entering for lunch or dinner you give you room number and are allocated a 'chit', the waiter writes down what drinks you've had on the chit which us handed back when you leave. Now I can assure you that all inclusive customers weren't charged, in fact they give you a full bottle of wine with your meal rather than a glass which was great. The chit must be for half board or B&B customers to pay as they leave but this was never explained. We didn't mind the token system at the pool bar, you exchange your token for a plastic cup to cut down on waste and litter. The pool area was always very tidy. Again there were sometimes queues at the pool bar, with only one member of staff that's to be expected, which was a bit annoying when all you wanted was your token back. All in all we had a nice rest, some lovely walks and enjoyed the wine.

Booked a junior suite room. Lovely size room overlooking the pool and fab sea views. Separate bedroom to lounge and big bathroom. Plenty of storage and we had a decent fridge. We stayed in October and the resort is very quiet, but perfect for us. We booked half board and we all found the food good quality and varied. The staff are all very welcoming. We used the hotel as a base for exploring the areas. It’s only 10 minutes drive (we hired a car) from the airport and the hotel offers plenty of parking for a small charge. There is no supermarket on site but if you turn left from the hotel entrance there is a local supermarket about 10 minute walk. Would highly recommend the hotel as a base or if you want a quiet hotel close to the beach.

The biggest downside to this hotel is the constant pool music and nightly entertainment which starts at 10pm. The first two days the pool music (non stop party music) was unbelievably loud, though it did quieten down as the week went on. It starts when the pool opens - 10.30 (no chance of an early morning swim) and goes on to about 7.30pm, with a break for siesta time for a couple of hours mid afternoon- pure bliss! Otherwise, the pool area is clean, tidy and loads of sunbeds always available. The pool itself is very clean and a perfect temperature. A useful pool bar for drinks/snacks, but be aware the snack menu is not part of all inclusive. We had a junior suite (overlooking the pool, so no escape from the music) which was a good size, clean and tidy, the bedroom had two big, hugely comfortable beds, a large bathroom and lovely big shower cubicle with a great shower. The restaurant was good, the food, whilst not a huge choice was very good and tasty, although like many buffets, did tend to suffer from not being hot enough. At busy times, it tended to be chaotic - go early, as the Spanish always eat late. If your English and tend to feed children early, dinner doesn't start until 8pm. Unfortunately, at breakfast the coffee machines didn't always work properly. Wi-fi can be a bit temperamental, slow and drop out quite a lot. Would we recommend this hotel? Yes, if you like music and entertainment. No, if you want a quiet time. This hotel is undoubtedly aimed at the Spanish market.

Hotel was lovely, clean and staff polite (although they don't speak barely any English) Food always seemed to be hot and quite a variation to choose from! Evening entertainment and day time activities all in Spanish! Not much consideration for English tourists unfortunately. When it comes to the location of this hotel, it is very very quiet, with not much on the seafront and a handful of restaurants (barely open in Sept). There is two close supermarkets about half a mile walk but these are quite pricy. Overall we had a good stay, and you can definitely relax.

Very nice 7 nights spent here, it’s very quiet and great for a relaxation holiday. We enjoyed our time here but if you’re looking for more. Things to do local then this is probably not the place. About 40min bus ride to nearest city.

I would have given 5 stars but the last day spoiled what was a lovely holiday. We were 14 nights all inclusive, arrived 11.45pm 12th Sept after a 2hour delay so no food, we asked for a late check out on leaving because flight was at 9.20pm, we paid €30, thought we would have a decent lunch to keep us going and we were turned away from the restaurant they said all inc finished at 12 noon, besides the humiliation we were upset the way we were spoken to really spoiled the day, have done all inc with two different hotels in the area with a late check out and lunch was readily available. Spoke to jet2 rep later that day, she spoke to a member of staff and told us it was a misunderstanding, that is not good enough, wanted to go back there in June but this episode has put me off.