ALEGRIA Colonial Mar Aquafun

Aceptable

Just back from a beautiful 7 days at this resort Our room was too perfect and cleaned everyday by the wonderful staff it! It had a kettle and safe which was both included and not extra Pool area was very nice and the kids loved it pool was cold as it was not heated but to be expected for October and when the sun came out it soon heated up Food was wonderful every day was different and easily 4/5 meals on offer kids were happy with what they could go up and choose I can see that this hotel could be a bit troublesome when at full capacity so be weary of this All in all a wonderful family hotel with memory’s we will treasure thanks to the hotel and staff!

Always travel with jet2 and can’t fault them. They have however made a big mistake with this hotel. It definitely isn’t a 4* hotel. I wouldn’t give it a 2*. The room was nice but that’s about it. The food was terrible. Everything was cold. I was going to have soup one day but it wasn’t even tepid. I was told to use the microwave, not something you should have to do on an all inclusive holiday. Me and my daughter ended up eating at McDonalds and KFC because the food was that bad. I love a salad bar but all that was on offer was lettuce, dried cucumber, warm tomato and soggy carrots. All other items just looked like slop. Once out of your room it looked like a prison. There was minimal cleaning done outside around the pool area. The pool was freezing. The floors around the pool are all cracked and not very well maintained. I will never return to this hotel. Just to add. 1-11-24 all I could hear were dogs barking on level 5. Who on earth allows dogs in a 4* hotel? So very disappointed.

We travelled as a family of 4 in August 2024. We booked through Jet2 and had excellent service - the flights and transfers were all on time and seamless. We were the first stop on the coach, around a 30-40min journey. At check-in we had to pay €40 cash for our all-inclusive wristbands. This was for the last day in case you want to carry on eating etc after 12 (if not, you get your deposit back). The timings were: Breakfast 8.00-10.30 / Lunch 13.30-15.30 / Dinner 19.30-22.00. We found this quite late as our kids are 5 & 7 so we were always first in, but this is obviously the norm in Spanish culture as they were often queuing for dinner at 9.30pm. In between the main mealtimes they serve snacks (hot dogs, burgers, nuggets, chips), slush, ice lollies, donuts, pancakes, etc. The food is decent. Varied but a bit repetitive. We’re all vegetarian (one pescatarian) and my son is quite a fussy eater, but we all managed fine. Kids loved the ice-cream station and chocolate fountain night. All the restaurant staff seemed to work really hard to keep it running. We paid extra for a sea view room which had the added bonus of a sunny balcony, and meant we could dry all our swimming stuff quickly each day. The WiFi didn’t work in room until the second-to-last day. We mentioned it at reception but they said there was nothing they could do. I guess it’s not an issue for most Spanish guests but it was for us. Room looked recently refurbished. Good shower and bathroom was spotless. The air con was quite poor which meant nights were a bit uncomfortable. The TV had Disney channel, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, etc. The algae round the pool is an issue and I ruined a bikini on the first day by sitting on the side. I saw them scrubbing it on a morning but it obviously doesn’t make much difference. Overall the pools were great though and my son loved the slides. We estimated a split of around 80% Spanish / 20% English guests (maybe the occasional French family). This was fine but did mean that the entertainment was mostly in Spanish, with the odd line in English to try and follow along. Having said that, the Animación team worked so hard and were always trying to get us involved. The Aqua aerobics class was brilliant and the guy in particular had so much energy. It was more like a show than an exercise class! There is a big shopping centre called the Gran Plaza about a 10-min walk away. It has a H&M, Primark, Toys R Us, McDonalds, Claire’s, JD, etc. We got the bus from the Gran Plaza into Almería (about a 25 min journey). Almería has a good castle (Game of Thrones was filmed there) but not a huge amount else. Worth a trip though to break up the holiday. The area in general is surprisingly humid to say it’s right by the sea. Our only real issue was on return at Almeria airport. They have a ridiculous system where you have to queue to get into your gate and it meant we nearly missed our flight and had to cut through the queue. So make sure you get in the queue early

The hotel is large with good facilities. It can get busy, so pay attention to the advice regarding meal times and activities. Room was spacious, spotless and easy to locate with several stair cases and lifts. It's worth taking your own shampoo/ conditioner etc but it can also be bought on site or over the road at a local shop. In room showe gel and shampoo is also provided. Beds are comfortable. Hairdryer, mini fridge, TV and plenty of plug sockets. The pools are spacious with plenty to do and plenty of loungers available. It's worth getting loungers early if a specific area is wanted. The hotel is basically on the beach, so should you fancy a change of scene or its too busy at the pools its a 1 minute walk away. There are continuous and varied activities for all ages that are managed by the superb entertainment team. There really is something for everyone from fitness to sports to aqua gym and family games. Shout out to Manuel who brought out so many smiles and fun with his aqua gym at 12pm. The good is great quality and varied. It's definitely worth chosing all inclusive. Plenty for fussy English children and snacks available throughout the day. The staff work tirelessly to ensure meal times run smoothly and are an asset to the brand. The highlight of our holiday has to be the entertainment staff. From AM to PM those guys and girls work so hard to make each day entertaining, fresh and fun. There are nightly discos for children and nightly evening entertainment. Shout out to Dennis who made the holiday for our girls, we can't thank him enough. I would recommend this hotel a thousand times over.