Velamar Boutique Hotel

We had an enjoyable stay overall and would stay here again, but there are definitely a few areas where this hotel could improve. What really makes the hotel, without a doubt, is its staff. With the exception of the housekeeping team on our floor, everyone we encountered was friendly, welcoming and incredibly helpful. The positives A special mention has to go to Anderson, Antonia and Philippa They were absolutely lovely and couldn’t have been more helpful in the breakfast room & bars along with Lucas & Susanna on reception . The reception, breakfast and bar teams were all fantastic and are a real credit to the hotel Our bedroom was a decent size with a large, very comfortable bed and plenty of wardrobe space. The wardrobe itself was a little clunky, with drawers that kept sticking and noisy roller doors, and I remain baffled by the hotel’s use of fixed clothes hangers! The bathroom had a fantastic shower and lovely toiletries, and the towels were large and excellent quality. Our room also had a lovely balcony, which was a real bonus. The breakfast was probably one of the highlights of our stay. The dining room is on the top floor, bright, spacious and spotlessly clean. There was an excellent choice of hot and cold food, everything was regularly replenished and the freshly squeezed orange juice was gorgeous. The pool area is small but lovely, and the nearby pool bar is fantastic. There is a great selection of good-quality, tasty food and drinks at very reasonable prices, with excellent service.

The Negatives :- Housekeeping was a big disappointment. The older members of the team on our floor seemed to do the absolute bare minimum and were not particularly friendly or helpful. There also didn’t appear to be any quality check of the rooms, as both the telephone and hairdryer didn’t work which we hadn't noticed for a couple of days. In fairness when we reported both the response from maintenance was prompt. The wall mounted hairdryer would work for less than a minute before cutting out, meaning we had to wait patiently and repeat the process. It was eventually replaced, but this really shouldn’t have happened in the first place had checks been undertaken The bathroom is also poorly laid out, so space is at a premium. Another small but surprisingly inconvenient issue was that there was no mirror in the bedroom at all — the only mirror was in the bathroom. This isn’t ideal when two people are getting ready at the same time. The tea and coffee facilities were provided on arrival, but we were disappointed that the two coffee pods weren’t replenished daily as we had expected. The balcony was lovely, but unfortunately the chairs were very uncomfortable and weren’t really suitable for sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. A couple of comfortable chairs would make such a difference. There was also some confusion over the pool towels. We understood they were supposed to be changed every three days, but there didn’t seem to be a clear system for doing this. Asking housekeeping resulted in us being sent us to reception, who kindly sorted it out but seemed rather bemused by the request. The exterior of the hotel badly needs some attention. It doesn’t create the best first impression and even a fresh coat of paint would make a huge difference. Our biggest disappointment, however, came on checkout day. We completely understood that a late checkout wasn’t possible because of demand, but unlike every other hotel we’ve stayed in, the only shower available to us after checkout was the outdoor pool shower. This meant having to pack wet clothes into our bags before travelling to the airport. Surely setting aside a room where departing guests can have a quick private shower wouldn’t be too difficult, and it’s something we would consider a basic expectation from a hotel of this standard. Alternatively the toilet areas in the lounge bar are huge especially the disability area and a quick alternative could be to revamp it into a wet room facility that would meet everyone's needs

In summary:- Despite the frustrations, we would stay here again. There is a lot to like about this hotel — comfortable beds, a great breakfast, a lovely pool area, a fantastic pool bar and, most importantly, a lot of hard working helpful & genuinely wonderful staff. With better housekeeping, a little more attention to maintenance and some improvements to the guest facilities, this hotel could be so much better and could attain a four star standard as it is so close and deserves the recognition. It has the potential to be a really excellent place to stay — it just needs a bit more attention to detail.

Possibly the best holiday hotel I’ve stayed in. From checking in to checking out everything was perfect. The room was spacious with a huge bed. Breakfast was taken on the roof terrace, and what a breakfast it was. High quality produce with something for everyone’s taste . The staff were a joy, so pleasant and helpful. It’s hard to fault this hotel. Thank you for everything