| | Saladar S/n - Jandia, Jandia, 35626, Spain
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Overall Community Rating: |   6.6 (based on 4 user reviews) |
 Dunas Paradise: the title of the hotel cant be wronger by Rachael Kelly |
| Posted 12 February 2008 about a visit in July 2007 | Overall rating: 7.0 |
we arrived at dunas paradise on 23rd july 2007 . when we arrived we found out that me and my brother in laws family was split up and dispite us asking for are rooms close to each other we was on the other side of the hotel .then we was told to take are bags to our room witch took about 2 hours with no sign posts to help and no english speaking staff to help when we finaly got there we discovered that we had a villa that the staircase was outside! we spotted a number of cockroaches in the villa and we wasnt happy so the next day we went to the recepion and the manager was there dispite he spoke little english he was very helpfull and was abale to fit us into a a suite witch had jacuzzi as a bath after that little insident we had a good holiday except the telvisons witch only had the news that was english
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 Dunas Paradise Reservations |
| Dunas Paradise: Paradise lost?! by J&N |
| Posted 17 July 2005 about a visit in June 2005 | Overall rating: 6.8 |
Having read previous reviews we were somewhat worried what we were letting our selves into!. Even so, my Husband and I spent a week at the Dunas Paradise resort in early July 2005.
Generally the hotel was okay, though for a number of reasons I felt that it was more a 3 - 4 * rather than its rating of 4*.
First impressions were good, we entered the main reception on the stella resort (situated on the edge of the main shopping area) and were told we were at the correct complex, though needed to either drive up to, or walk through the complex to the Paradise resort.
As we had hired a car we chose to drive, the road leading up to the Paradise leaves a lot to be desired! - it has huge pot-holes, several abandoned and vandalised cars and you pass by a number of other smaller apartments which are badly in need of a facelift!.
Car entry to the Paradise is strictly overseen by security (they have to see your AI wrist band or room key to let you through). There is plently of car parking.
At paradise reception, we were given our wristbands (as we were all inclusive) - we both chose to attatch them to our watches in order to avoid the 'escaped convict' look when out and about in town, and the white line on your wrist when you get home to admire your tan!.
We were told we had to take our own cases to our room as there were no porters. It was then that we discovered that the severe lack of signposts meant that we were left wandering for some time (with a heavy suitcase each!). 2 different lifts, and three floors later we managed to find our room.
The room was larger than expected, with a huge balcony. It was pleasantly decorated, with twin beds and thankfully the air conditioning worked well.
The TV is no better, with the only English channel being CNN news.
A small minibar fridge (which is not stocked) is useful however to keep water cool in.
There is a safe in the room, at a charge of 2 Euros per day (and a returnable deposit of around E 30).
The bathroom was also large with a bath and a seperate shower cubicle (though the shower curtain was not long enough, meaning that the bathroom tiled floor became quite hazardous!).
There is a hairdryer supplied, though the cable is barely long enough to allow you to look in the mirror at the same time.
After a couple of days it became evident that we were supposed to be placing our used toilet paper into the bin at the side of the loo, (as is the case in many greek resorts) - the maid pointed out to us!. I would argue that this hotal badly needs a client friendly 'welcome pack', detailing such information regarding waste disposal etc.
The balcony overlooked the main pool, tennis courts and surrounding area and also had a sea view (though the sea is a long way away!!). The pools are pleasant, with plentlful sunbeds and parasols -(most of which were 'reserved' by towels).
We stumbled upon the restaurant and bar by accident - again no signposts to tell you where to go!.
The bar adjacent to the restaurant was very poorly manged - only one bar tender at any time (this was also the case in the restaurant!) and he was in no rush to serve!. The area looked like the childrens play area, it was garishly decorated with loud music and a very smokey atmosphere.
Between the bar and restaurant there is an open area with sofas to enjoy a pre and after dinner drink.
The restaurant itself is vast. Thankfully they seem to have fixed the problems with the airconditioning now.
All meals are buffet style, table service for drinks is reserved for the 'pay as you go' guests.
Breakfast was the usual continental and various range of hot and cold meats and cheeses. (8am - 10.30am)
We never ate lunch at the hotel, so I cannot comment on that. (1pm - 2.30pm)
Evening meal (6pm - 9pm) we both felt it should be served until 10pm, as the bulk of people seemed to want to eat later, arriving (as we did) at around 8 - 8.30pm. At these times the restaurant was full to capacity. On numerous occaisions our table was cleared and reallocated to other guests (we had only go up to choose a sweet!). We decided to leave full wine glasses on the table to indicate we had not finished using the table - but still these were taken, and the table reset for other diners.
In a last ditch attempt to ensure we didnt have to play musical tables every night we resorted to going to the buffet one at a time, so the other could guard the table and its contents!. In practice this worked well but meant that we never 'enjoyed a meal' together.
The food available for evening meal was varied, with 2 or 3 different meat dishes (and yes, one of which was usually veal!) and a fish and pasta dish to choose from.
The meats that were cooked by chefs there and then were generally of good quality and were piping hot, the remaining 'hot food' was however closer to luke warm - (which has a tendancy to get colder as you search for the table you 'thought!' you were sitting at!).
The bar in the resaurant (which was also manned by just the one bar tender) had huge queues, and so the red, white and rose wine on tap on the end of the bar seemed the most popular drink! (if you ask nicely they will give you a jug - saves the endless up and down to the bar!).
Entertainment was provided each evening, though we chose to walk into town each evening instead - so I cannot comment on the entertainment, except to say it was loud!.
Being built on a hill, there are plently of steps to contend with (though lifts are available). Taking a walk through the complex and into the town of Morro Hable proved a sorry sight - much of the rest of the complex is either in need of, or being refurbished. Although this is not part of the Paradise resort, it does let the general area down. Im sure it will be nice when it is finished, but for the moment, its like walking through a building site.
The childrens play area, down in the main stella resort was mainly filled with an array of local cats and peacocks - needless to say, the excrement of the two were evident.
The beach opposite the complex is flat, and prone to be very windy - if you have a car, head back to Jandia - (towards the airport!), less than a five minute drive there is access (off a traffic roundabout down the side of a hotel with a high white wall with its name painted in green letters) to an excellent beach, with small coves and volcanic rock built wind shelters (referred to by my Hubby as igloos - wrong continent I fear!).
The main shopping area is full of the usual 'seaside' shopping, and also 3 supermarkets which sell an inexpensive variety of goods.
The Market, (held on a Thursday) is situated at the very end of the shopping area, well worth a browse.
Stall holders sell a range of morrocan arts and crafts, not to mention the fake designer goods - barter is the word, and Im sure I do not need to tell you not to pay more than a 3rd of what they originally ask for! - walk away, they will soon run after you!.
Women offering hair braiding is very popular - but beware those with fair skin - I saw far too may badly burnt scalps to be tempted to undergo the torture myself!.
This resort is ideal for families, and German ones at that!
I would not choose to go back - not because its for families, or because it is monopolised by our European friends, but because I do not feel that it is worthy of its 4* title at the present moment.
We will return to Jandia, but will use a hotel we have used previously, slightly out of town (unfortunately Im not permitted to name the establishment! - but it would be fit for a king and queen!?).
The main points from this review would be:
~ There is a need for clear signposting (in ALL languages)
~ An in-room welcome pack would clear up any queries, re waste disposal, bar and restaurant times availability of internet access etc.
~ Bar service to be increased - especially at peak times.
~ A porter service should be available at all times
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
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| Dunas Paradise Reservations |
| Dunas Paradise: review of dunas paradise..... by Donna Tombs |
| Posted 29 June 2005 about a visit in May 2005 | Overall rating: 7.8 |
I have just returned from Dunas Paradise and what a great time I had.
I must admit I was very worried about going to this hotel as the reviews I read were very off putting I hope this will help anyone who is due to visit shortly.
The flight was on time which is always a great start to any holiday and the landing was perfect, We stepped off the plane and felt the humid air hit our faces and knew we had arrived.
We had to get a taxi as transfers were not included, this is expensive around 75. Euros to Jandia and takes aprox one hour.As we approached the hotel the horror stories were very much in my mind but I have to say I was impressed.The gardens leading up to the reception area are very colourful , well maintained and make you feel you are entering a four star property.
The reception area is very welcoming and the staff are very helpful.We checked in very smoothly and was shown to our room, this was larger than expected and had a nice decor. It was very clean and smelt fresh.
The hotal has two main entertainment areas africano bar and Paradise bar, both offer nightly shows.The main feature is at africano and not to be missed. The dancers and actors are very proffessional and there is a very good mix of drama, dancing and comedy which all age groups will enjoy.
The beach is located aprox 10 minutes walk and is worth the walk the sand is white and the water is clear blue, snorkling is fantastic as is windsurfing.
The only downside to this hotel is the food, although the presentation is stunning the food is not hot, and after 14 days it does become a problem so much so We ended up eating dinner at local bistros and bars so that we could have a bit of variety. The choice of fruit and salad is good but the main dishes and repeated every other day and there is always veal. I have to say i was suprised just how many dishes you can make with it ...... I will never see it in the same light again.
The complex is large and therefore you never have to worry about getting a place by the pool or feeling to crowded.The pool bars are fully staffed and you never have a que for the drinks. The beer is good and the drinks are not watered down.
To sum up Dunas Paradise is easy
The weather is wonderful
Location is perfect
Staff are great
Cleaniness 10 out of 10
Entertainment is proffessional
Food is warm and not enough varitey
So would I visit again? you bet but I would not go for the all inclusive deal.
I hope this review has helped, if anyone has any questions I am happy to answer.
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| Dunas Paradise Reservations |
| Dunas Paradise: Dunas Paradise Hotel by David Fishwick |
| Posted 18 September 2004 about a visit in June 2004 | Overall rating: 5.0 |
My wife & I were seduced by the idea of 14 days A/I in a 4* hotel in Fuerteventura - we finished up in the Stella Canaris Resort Complex in Jandia where we were staying at the latest addition to the resort - Dunas Paradise Hotel. The DP is situated at the very top of the resort but is not well signposted and I had to be convinced that we had arrived at the correct place. The DP only opened at the end of May and in my opinion they have opened it too soon as not all the facilities are even remotely available. The Reception area is a vast non air-conditioned waste of good space. From there you are looking directly onto the pool area (see photo below), which is bordered on two sides by the 3 level bedroom blocks. The rooms at DP do live up to claims that they are spacious, the bathrooms are large and well equipped and each room has a large terrace. The air-conditioning is not good and in fact failed us after 10 days, which was very uncomfortable. We had booked a sea view room and it certainly had a sea view (see photo below) but there was an awful lot of Stella Canaris resort in between. Breakfast & Dinner are both taken in the communal self-service dining hall and this is where the DP really does let you down. The vast dining hall is totally without any air-conditioning and is likely to remain so until the beginning of September. This is horrendous and your meals there are a little rushed to actually get back out into the air before you find yourself sitting in a puddle. Lunches are taken in a semi-open area just off the pool and are quite pleasant though it can get quite steamy there too. The food itself varied from excellent to quite mundane but at no time did the food match the 4* rating on a consistent basis. The staff at DP are very helpful but are obviously very stressed as there are just not enough of them to cope with the client needs, possibly the worst example of this is the actual pool bar - which incidentally is the ONLY operational bar at DP - this is supposed to close at 6.30pm but because there are no other bar facilities at DP remains open until 23.00pm staffed by 1 person serving the A/I drinks. This is a busy bar and is usually chaotic as the one bar tender struggles to cope.
At Dunas Paradise there is very little concession to the UK client because the whole complex is geared to the German & Dutch markets. There is nothing to do of an evening at the DP at all except cope with trying to get drinks at the Pool Bar or you can walk to another part of the complex where you can sit and watch a very professional show in a very poor non air-conditioned environment. We lasted for about 4/5 numbers in the show before the temperature just got too much for us to manage. There are TVs in the rooms showing Spanish, German, French, Italian & Dutch channels with the only English speaking concession being the ubiquitous CNN, news from an American perspective - boring & repetitive!
The beach at Jandia is superb and is about 8 minutes walk from DP, there are wonderful sea breezes and quite powerful waves. It costs €9.00 to hire 2 beds and an umbrella for the day and is a welcome change from sitting around the pool at DP.
Did we enjoy the holiday? - well we came back looking far healthier than when we went, the sunshine is almost guaranteed to be quite fierce, the famous Fuerteventura winds are definitely needed . Yes we enjoyed the holiday but mainly because my wife & I are quite resourceful in coping rather than being spoilt for choice by what the DP had on offer. It is billed as a 4* hotel - it isn’t! At best it is currently a good 2* with the potential to become a good 3* - but Dunas Hotels need to get their act together before it should even be given that accolade. There is money needed to be spent on the whole complex, most of which is looking very tired and run down; and unfortunately the DP even after just a matter of weeks is starting to look a little tired around it’s edges. The general problem appearance wise is that no-one seems to clean up around you - an example of how wrong they are getting it is demonstrated by the fact that for 12 of our 14 days there none of the cat s**t around the place was ever cleaned up. This was in tiled walking areas and the cleaning staff just seemed to go blind as they walked around or past it. It is worth saying that the rooms are well serviced by the bedroom staff though again in an alleged 4* environment I would have expected the bedding to be changed more frequently.
To summarise the main problems with Dunas Paradise:
- Incomplete areas within the DP itself
- Not enough staff, not enough consideration given to those working there
- Public area cleaning is not adequate
- The lack of Air conditioning in the dining room is appalling
- More concessions to UK visitors
- No entertainment
- Only one very busy pool bar
- Inconsistent food quality
I have tried to be objective about Dunas Paradise and I hope that it helps potential clients make up their minds as to whether to give it a go. If you do go I am certain that you’ll have a good time in Fuerteventura but I am equally certain that at some point during your holiday you will be bored rigid by the total lack of facilities at Dunas Paradise. I only hope now that someone at Dunashoteles actually reads this and does something about it quickly.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
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| Dunas Paradise Reservations |
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