Elba Sara Beach and Golf Resort

Arrival- We arrived as a group of 5 and had two rooms booked through EasyJet. When we checked in at 11am our rooms were not available until 3 which was fine as that policy but unfortunately we had some items stolen from the luggage room which the hotel does not take responsibility for. When we got our keys we were missing a bed in the room for my 5 year old which was not sorted until gone 8pm which was tough on travel day.

Food- the buffet was amazing and there were always tables available. The queue system for food is not effective though and could probably be fixed easily. We had our restaurant booking at the Italian which was lovely and the first time we had received outstanding service at the hotel (waitress with blonde spiked hair). The snack bar is VERY basic with hot food turned cold. The bar area was dirty and pigeons were flying around inside above the tables and food.

Pool area- unfortunately there were not enough umbrellas and therefore shade. Families (including us) purchased umbrellas from the local super markets to provide some shade. If you want a sun lounger with shade you need to be down by the pool by 7am! People were laying on sun loungers reading, asleep or with a coffee just to ensure their family had shade. All other sun loungers are gone by 9:30. There are signs stating no sun lounger reservations but they are not enforced. The pool area was also dirty with cups left out from the day before blowing around in the wind and also ice cream tubs. This meant there were a lot of flies and wasps (unfortunately my daughter was stung). It’s a shame as the pools themselves are actually nice, it just feels like there are too many people for the space. The pool side feels very enclosed and claustrophobic.

The lifeguards are not effective and a waste of resources. There’s one on from 10am (I think). ALL of the lifeguards we witnessed on different days sit on their phones in the corner (impossible to have a full view of the pool). One day, my child cut her knee by the pool and I had to go to the lifeguard who as eating her lunch in the snack bar watching TikTok’s (no one was on duty). She huffed and tutted when I asked for a plaster.

Room- the room was adequate with a nice view over the pool and ocean. However, house keeping is terrible. Our sheets were changed once over ten days. The bathroom was not wiped over or floors swept. The doors are extremely hard closing and you can hear everyone’s closing along the corridor. The card keys are also useless. You cannot put them anywhere near your phone or they disconnect from the lock. We had to get ours replaced 4 times. My mum and sister’s room did not having a locking door (however this was resolved quickly when reported).

Entertainment- theres a lot going on for the kids. Some of the team are a lot more enthusiastic than others. Pepe is a legend.

Location- fine for us, the port is lovely with lots to do. Nice shopping centre next door. The taxi service is fantastic in the local area and very cheap compared to the UK. We went to Oasis Wildlife Park which was lovely and booked through an excursion company at the port. We asked reception and they just gave us a leaflet and told us to book online (although it seems from other reviews they have booked trips through reception previously).

Overall, we had a lovely holiday with exceptional weather. We enjoyed the breeze whereas some did not. However, the hotel has too many visitors for the pool area. House keeping and cleaning needs improving. So much so, I do not think they would achieve 4* if assessed soon.

A couple items I wanted to know before I went & couldn’t find: FOOTBALL PITCH - free & open all day/evening. It is concrete but that seems the norm. PRE-TEEN - the entertainment team put on games morning & afternoon so they are entertained & socialise. Water polo, fun water games, pool parties (foam), etc. In the evening there is the football pitch (before it goes dark at 9pm) 20 MIN WALK TO TOWN - weekly market, bars & restaurants CHIPMUNKS - on the beach path are fun to spot.

We have just returned from Elba Sara, and while the hotel enjoys a lovely location and many of the staff work incredibly hard, our holiday was overshadowed by a series of serious safety, hygiene and maintenance failures that left us feeling completely let down.

The most distressing incident involved our young son, who suffered a significant head injury after a dangerous glass table with poorly fitted metal pins fell on his head whilst he slept. The injury was serious enough that he had to be rushed to A&E. At a time when we were understandably distressed, the hotel showed very little compassion and even refused to reimburse the taxi fare we incurred travelling to the hospital. No parent expects their family holiday to end in an emergency department because of a preventable hazard within a hotel.

As if that wasn't enough, just days later my son struck his head again after catching it on an exposed screw protruding from the floor in the dining area. We reported it immediately, yet it remained exposed for several hours with no warning signs or barriers to protect other guests, particularly young children. It was only repaired much later in the day. This demonstrated a worrying lack of urgency towards guest safety. Unfortunately, these were not isolated incidents. I also became trapped in one of the hotel lifts, there were loose floor tiles in our room, and neither the balcony door nor the main room door locked properly, creating further safety concerns for families with children.

To make matters worse, there were no qualified first aiders on site. We were simply told there was a visiting doctor once a day who may or may not accept our travel insurance. When your child has suffered a head injury, that is simply unacceptable. To add to the frustration, the phone in our room didn't work, making it even more difficult to contact reception in an emergency.

Food hygiene was another major concern. Mouldy grapes remained on display despite being reported, completly raw burgers being served, the scrambled eggs regularly tasted strongly of fish, and the langoustines being served were blue and grey in colour. These are basic food safety standards that should never be compromised.

Housekeeping also fell well below expectations. Bottled water was not replenished, coffee supplies were not topped up, and used glasses were often left in the room for long periods.

Service in the restaurants was disappointing, with very little table service at lunch or dinner, meaning guests were frequently left searching for drinks or assistance themselves.

We also witnessed staff pushing heavy service trolleys through crowded areas with little regard for children around them, creating yet another avoidable safety risk.

I genuinely wanted to enjoy this holiday and gave the hotel every opportunity to address these concerns before leaving this review. Sadly, many of the issues remained unresolved or were handled in a dismissive manner.

Elba Sara has the potential to be an excellent hotel, but guest safety must come before everything else. No family should experience two preventable head injuries to the same child during a single holiday, let alone one that resulted in a trip to A&E.

Until significant improvements are made to safety, maintenance, hygiene and customer care, I cannot recommend this hotel.