We arrived hot, tired and a litTle late to Los Jandalos after a journey from Ronda. Unfortunately, the guy on reception was not at all friendly or helpful and had a very condescending air as if we were a 'bad smell' under his nose.
I had planned our short road trip around Andalucia on route to a few days rest on reading reviews and have learned through much travel for work and leisure, that the way you are greeted and treated can really make a happy memory of a place, often over facilities and we had chosen this place for it's 'friendly' staff recommendations as well as the pool and spa.
This guy did the bare minimum, was not clear about the parking (a little complicated, especially when tired) and acted like I was stupid, answering impatiently if I so much as 'dared' to ask a question, reception was not busy at the time. Surely hotels are there to greet often weary travelers peasantly after their journey? We were rather too late that evening for the pool as we were so tired and needed food. Unfortunately, the weather was not good the following day and the pool way too cold to swim in (although a couple of brave souls braved it, the only two other people in the agrden area), there was a very bad smell coming from the garden servicios which we discovered were locked etc so the things that may have endeared us to Los Jandalos were rather lost on us.
We were traveling as a family with two teenage girls and were put in an apartment the furthest walk from reception and up steps with 4 heavy suitcases. The first time we tried to unlock the door, the card wouldn't work. Thinking we were a litle tired, we tried for some time, but it didn't work. I then had to trapse back tor eception and ask. The receptionist took the key from me with the usual charmless manner and after a couple of times run through the machine handed it back without any sort of explanation. This time it worked, so the error must have been the hotels. The apartment seemed like it hadn't been in use for a while, although equiped enough, the dining room table was 'extremely' stained and unpleasant, there was no view from the small balcony as foliage was in the way. We headed out to dinner in the puerto. The cab driver organised by the hotel ripped us off and took us the long way round. We knew this when we returned and it was a much quicker journey!
As we only had one night, we needed to check out by 12 the following morning - In the concern to get all our things down the stairs and hiked back up to reception, I had checked us out, so we could relax until we left. The morning receptionist was more pleasant and said we could use all facilities until we went. Unfortunately, you needed your key to the spa, which I had handed in! OK-not the hotels fault, but really, nothing at all was explained where it was or what the protocol was with keys etc and we had no inclination to ask at this stage. We hadn't even seen it and didn't discover the rather pleasant looking restaurant until then either as the former receptionists manner had put us off eating there.
I took the girls to this hotel for the pool, spa and beauty treatments before our longer spell further down the coast, but after the receptionists unpleasant demeanour, our enthusiasm was lost and the girls hated it. It's amazing how one sourly staff member can ruin your day! I should point out that subsequent receptionist (lady) was very pleasant, but we were off the next day to hit the road to another, hopefully more welcoming venue! It was our only less than perfect stay during our trip in which we stayed in three hotels in three different towns and a private house rental. We shall not return.
