Elba Carlota Beach

Not a hotel I would ever go to again! Staff were rude, forever shouting and disrespectful, always felt as if me and my family were an inconvenience even though we were all inclusive! The cleanliness was appalling glasses always has stains and orange marks plates were filthy we seen cockroaches near the breakfast buffet and outside, there were stray cats all over the hotel on reception desk, sitting in hotel lobby’s cleaning them selves ones that looked like they needed medical attention, they drank out of the pools and did there business in the gardens. The pool sides were never cleaned properly bird matter all over the floor they wouldn’t clean unless asked people’s drinking cups left for days. Our room never got cleaned the full 7 days she just made beds and changed towels but never give us the same amount as first day just two big bath towels even though we paid for a suit. Air con in bedroom didn’t work at 35 degree heat with baby’s and ganitor doesn’t speak a word of English so we just got ignored by him also rude! Entertainment was abysmal never get told what’s going on staff are only selective of family’s they invite or tell basically have to go on a man hunt to find anything out and it was poor when you did find it they would blast music for 10 minutes for the kids then that was that for the full night, not a family hotel in the slightest wouldn’t recommend for any family’s to go if you have small children they will spend the full evening in a tablet to entertain themselves. They only have one bar open for the entire hotel at nighttime it’s the one next to reception and because it’s so over run the staff are so rude ringing bells in your face screaming at you to hurry up then move on. All inclusive isn’t a thing either only selective things you can get doesn’t include everything you basically get the worst drinks on the menus and have to pay for everything else.

This is my honest review of the hotel: 2 adults 10 night stay.

Before i came i read the reviews and was a bit worried as i read some very negative input, but this holiday has been amazing!

Hotel room: Clean, very comfortable bed and always had fresh towels. Air-conditioning was good, it was that good i got chilly at times but my husband loved it. The cleaners kept our room lovely and during our 10 night stay our sheets and towels were changed multiple times.

Dining room: There was always plenty of food and different options to try. Best times to go is either 7pm or 815pm. In between these times it could get very busy, we didnt mind eating later as we spent most days by the pool or beach till late.

Bars: The staff who work behind the bars are amazing! Always quick to serve drinks, yes at times there may be a que but we didnt mind waiting for 5 minutes to be served and when we did get served the bar staff were very generous with the amount of alcohol in each drink.

Staff: Always friendly and smiling. We got to know their names and always had mini chats with them. They all work so hard. New staff were also being trained whilst we were there.

Pool areas: The pool areas are clean, tidy, relaxing and very spacious. Staff would be walking around emptying bins, picking up glasses and keeping everywhere clean and tidy. There are loads of sunloungers available. We are early risers but putting towels down at 8/830am we always had a choice. We preferred the cooler pool. Maintenance was being carried out around the pool during our stay but didnt cause any disturbance to anyone.

Activities and entertainment: The entertainment staff worked very hard. We personally didnt join in evening entertainment but there was a variety of different things on and the live music was good.

Reception: We always found Reception to be very helpful with any questions that we had, check in was super easy and straight forward. Always said hello when passing. Our keycard needed to be reset a couple of times during our stay but we later realised if you put the card near your phone it could cause this to not work. We just went to reception who sorted it out in seconds.

Wifi: Wifi can be hit and miss, some areas of the hotel you can connect but this can drop and be left with no signal. This didnt affect us as my Husband had roaming network. But we checked in with family when we had wifi and when we didnt it allowed us to properly switch off and just enjoy our holiday.

Overall we never had any concerns or complaints. Everything from statt to finish was perfect. Obviously this review is based on how we found it and everyone's experience would be different but my advice is never let the bad reviews put you off coming to Elba Carlota Hotel. The big question is would we return?? It would be an absolute yes! 100% we would come back to this hotel and fuerteventura.

My honest overall opinion of this hotel is not very positive, especially as the hotel claims 4 stars, it most definitely was not 4 star standard. The hotel is on the beach and the beach is beautiful. Soft sand and a lovely little bay which is shallow and warm, however it does not belong to the hotel and 2 sunbeds and a parasol cost 12€ per day. There is no bar or anything on the beach for refreshments. There is a cafe further down on the jetty but it was expensive, and not part of the hotel. The hotel Entertainment team were good and did provide some afternoon fun round the warm pool, including a foam party and an inflatable afternoon and water aerobics each day, but the music was loud, which wasn’t a problem for us, but many did complain about it. On arrival at 10 pm, there was no welcome, the reception staff were rude, and as we asked for water, they told us to go to the nearby 24 hour garage to purchase a water bottle. There was no water in the fridge in the room ever. Our room was cleaned on the 8th day of our 11 day stay only once, and that was after complaining to the Manager. The whole hotel was dirty, dull and shabby, with cheap plastic furniture and sunbeds, which always felt sticky and grimy. We often had to ask for the dirty glasses to be removed from tables in the lounge are. There were 3 bars but only one was ever open at any one time, with one bar man, so a 20 minute queue for drink was usual. Cocktail choice was out of 3 and they were awful and like a slush puppy drink. I have never known an all-inclusive hotel that only opens the main lobby bar at 5 pm and closes at 11 pm unless you pay. The food was always cold, salads had fish mixed in, fish was the main source at lunch and dinner. It was unappetizing and flavorless, and usually overcooked or burnt. We had to eat out most days or buy food in the local Supermarket. If you wanted an ice cream in the snack bar, you had to pay. The snack bar was just leftover food from the restaurant and uncovered or chilled. We saw several accidents, one lady tripped over the rotten decking by the pool bar and smashed her face, as the wood lifted when you walked on it was not held down with screws as it was rotten. The steps by the Jacuzzi, were loose and lifting off the wood and just an accident waiting to happen. The air con was non existent in the main parts of the hotel. The gym had no air con and our bedroom air con was minimal. The bigger cold pool was never cleaned the whole time we stayed as we could see from our room. The whole hotel needs a complete renovation and update, and a complete deep clean. They need more staff in all areas, housekeeping, bar staff, restaurant and waiter staff as they all work so hard and try their best, but there is not enough to cope with a full hotel. We will definitely not go back, I was actually happy to come home, which is unheard of for me.