Slum council estate meets Butlins 30 years ago (tripadvisor.co.uk)

Member Name: Kevin K of Plymouth

Product:	tripadvisor.co.uk
Date:	19/08/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Staying at Home

Disadvantages: Not listening to experienced reviews

On Sunday the 2nd August 2009 as a surprise treat for our 24th wedding anniversary, I booked a last minute holiday with Sunmaster for my wife, teenage daughter and myself. Initially it was going to be a 5* All Inclusive to Turkey, whilst on the phone to Sunmaster we realised that our passports expired at the end of January 2010 therefore didn't have the six months required. The pleasant lady we spoke to on the phone Sylvia at Sunmaster (direct line 01274 422188) told us we could still travel to France, Spain or anywhere like the Balaerics as we only required three months from our return date.

I explained that we required a 5* All Inclusive Hotel with Air Conditioning and a nice pool anywhere in the sun preferably flying from either Exeter or Bristol for 7 nights either departing on the 3rd or the 04th August (within the next day or two). Sunmaster Sylvia said there was one 5* All Inclusive hotel complex in Alcudia, Majorca still available but we would have to be quick to confirm our booking as the last few seats on short notice flights tend to go quickly.

Based on the information provided by Sunmaster Sylvia, that being the afore mentioned 5* AI package we agreed to book the alleged 5* Hotetur Bellevue in Alcudia, flying from Bristol on Tuesday 04th August and returning on Tuesday 11th August. We made the immediate payment of £1,599.00 with my RBS Mastercard, went through a recorded verbal agreement and were told we would be called back in a few minutes with booking reference numbers for our holiday.

Approximately 10 minutes later Sunmaster Sylvia phoned back to say the flights had gone up by another £75.00 but we would have to hurry as these were the last three seats on that flight, I expressed my concern at the time and questioned if I thought I smelt a rat but was assured that it was the airline who had increased the flight charges so agreed and made further payment of £75.00 again on my RBS Mastercard and was told we would receive an Email of our flight vouchers and hotel voucher.

Sunmaster Sylvia called back shortly after to say this didn't include transfers between Airport and Resort so I could either get a taxi or on arrival at the airport speak to any of the duty airport reps who always have room on transfer coaches as she used to be a resort rep and it was common practice.

We decided not to go through the un-knowing transfer availability and decided to book prior to departure with Resorthoppa for peace of mind.

We received an Email of our flight vouchers for our Easyjet (starting to smell another rat as to the legitimacy of the 5* holiday to come) return flight from Bristol to Majorca.

We also received an Email from vouchers@tritonrooms.com headed accommodation Voucher (should have smelt rat number three when on the voucher after Remarks: was written *trim(description)* (see enclosed), What has been trimmed from the description & why?

We then had time to look at the Sunmaster website to see the 5* hotel resort we had booked they actually classed as a 4* but when you read on the Hotetur Bellevue Club has an official rating of 3 keys equivalent to 3*.

On the Monday 3rd August between packing, currency exchanging and trying to enjoy our wedding anniversary tried to phone Sunmaster several times to question the afore mentioned three rats, all to no avail.

The Easyjet experience can be only likened to a no frills flying coach with no reserved seating plan but we dealt with and lived through that experience and thought excitedly about the following seven nights ahead of blissful relaxation.

On arrival we found the experience of transfer with Resort Hoppa excellent but that was the only thing that wasn't booked through Sunmaster.

Eventually and tentatively cautious we arrived at what I can only describe as across between a slum council housing estate which had been painted over and a 1980s style Butlins in the sun.

After an hour standing in a queue with my wife and daughter waiting to check in with a bunch of 12 Geordie lager louts already drinking cans of lager and approximately 30 others being checked in by two members of the reception team whilst the other three reception staff (all unoccupied) just stood around yapping as they weren't there to check guests in they were only there for checking out and information, we were given a small map and pointed in the general direction of our Cell block H looking apartment with about a half of a mile to walk with bags and cases, no sign of the 5* porters or bell boys associated with other 5* hotels, not even a concierge.

I have enclosed some photos of what we found on arrival these were taken in the time I would normally spend setting the temperature of the air conditioning and checking fire evacuation routes. These show the state of the electrical installations in our apartment, the crumbling and collapsing wall beside the steps of the main fire exit from our building, the bin store outside the front entrance to our building seeping with what can only be described as rotting and rancid liquid from the bottom of the bins and pooling on the (what Sunmaster described as extensive and well maintained grounds). There are a few additional photos taken when my daughter discovered she would have to sleep on the mattress on the floor and of the state of the pontoon access to the lake.

I thought to myself this doesn't seem quite right and stupidly picked up the phone in the room to call reception expecting it to work. What another unexpected surprise, I must walk the half of a mile back past the rancid stink, through the slums back to the tent marked reception still full of the new influx of unsuspecting but cautiously exited new arrivals queuing to the right whilst there were now the new holiday makers previously checking in, in front of me were all waiting to complain about encountering the same standards found in our apartment / the entire complex.

The receptionist said the complex was only rated three keys and not a five star as described on the phone at the time of booking or even a four star as rated on Sunmasters website see attached. However she would get maintenance to look at the other issues raised but none of their rooms had air conditioning but we could hire a fan for 18 euros a week. We should contact our tour operator if we had been mis-sold our holiday accommodation as 4 or even 5* and they would have to arrange alternative accommodation.

What a good suggestion, hadn't thought of that one! Must go back through the ghetto past the rancid lake and into the vertical quarry marked Minerva II (our building). Phoned the contact number given on the accommodation voucher and spoke to Triton rooms Kayliegh explaining the Beirout dumping ground we had landed in wasn't sufficient to meet our expected standards and we would need to be moved to alternative accommodation namely the 5* AI standard we expected, booked and paid for, she said she would look for an alternative but she was very busy with other cases more urgent than ours as our booking was for three star and there was no guarantee of air conditioning. If we had a dispute with our booking we should contact Sunmaster Ashliegh.

I spent the next 4 hours and twenty euros on the internet and mobile phone between Sunmaster Ashliegh, Triton rooms Kayliegh and various other tour operators and hotel booking agents causing stress levels to build and turning my normal polite character into an angry overstressed tourist contemplating flying home the same day if flights were available.

Eventually at 16.50 (10 minutes before she was due to go home) we got through to Triton rooms Kayliegh who said she had spoken to Sunmaster Ashliegh and said the only 5*AI hotel available would cost another £2,500.00 on top of what we had already paid. She couldn't give me the name of the hotel available for me to check details on the internet but said I would need to phone Sunmaster Ashliegh within the next few minutes to make payment before she goes home for the day. I refused to pay out another £2,500.00 without being given any details of where or what was next, Triton rooms Kayliegh simply said Bye then and hung up.

No one else would answer the phone despite numerous attempts, leaving us abandoned to just accept and get on with it. So thank you to both Sunmaster Ashliegh and Triton rooms Kayliegh, thier professionalism and dedication to customer services is to be commended.

Now starts the holiday experience.

Off we go on a half hour adventure to navigate the complex avoiding various trip hazards, even more rancid rivers from other bin stores and unsafe, crumbling and unprotected river bank edges and what do you know we came across an on site pizzeria, that will do for tonight, or so we thought. On seeing our All Inclusive wrist bands we are told "Sorry sir this restaurant isn't for All Inclusive so you will have to pay". We will just try the next eatery along and came the same response "Sorry sir this restaurant isn't for All Inclusive so you will have to pay". Eventually we came across this long queue and asked someone if this was All Inclusive, Yes came the reply and it's the only All Inclusive restaurant on the complex to feed up to 6000 holidaymakers but only seated around 400. There was a bar next door where we could get a drink served in a small disposable plastic cup. Wow we've hit the jackpot, a dental mouthwash cup with our very first All Inclusive drink however we hadn't anticipated the browny coloured funny tasting fizzy drink to come out of the genuine pump marked Coca Cola Light.

Lets just queue up and get something to eat and go to bed its been a long tiring disappointing day. Forty five minutes to the door that's not bad let's just relax and enjoy the twenty minute wait inside for the enjoyable food being presented before us by the two executive chefs Sam & Ella. That was the last time we had an evening meal there the other six nights were spent paying again for alternative service and quality food away from the complex.

At bed time our daughter said her bed very uncomfortable and seemed to dip in the middle, on lifting the mattress we found why, see photo's we took the photo the next day as the lights in that end of the room didn't work see another photo of exposed live wiring to ceiling light. We were unable to leave the difficult to open sliding door to the balcony open for fresh cool night air as our balcony overlooked a busy main road with late bars with music trying to out do each other and eateries where the waiters and bar staff would be leaving on their noisy scooters between 3 and 5 am and then at 5.30 started the street cleaners with their ever revving petrol blowers.

On night four when our building was evacuated at around midnight apart for the top two floors as their evacuation bells didn't work, we came across the crumbling fire escape route which has just been partially painted over with the crumbling masonry still left in a heap beside the fire escape.

We were advised by other disappointed holiday makers that if we wanted to ensure we had some of the available broken or ripped sun beds around or near the pool we would have to be there by 06.30 every morning as there was only 300 beds between up to 6000 guests, failing that between 06.30 and 07.00 we would only find the crappy plastic stacking chairs to fight for and after 07.00 when they were all gone you could pick a spot on the floor as long as you firstly cleared away the rubbish and avoided the previously mentioned rancid rivers and overspill from bin stores. The pool cleaner took 5 or 6 minutes to so called clean the pool each morning consisting of him emptying the skimmer baskets at the side of the pool and people like myself to remove clumps of hair, plasters, leaves and other debris lying on the bottom of the pool to make it useable. I have a heated pool at home which is only 10% of the size but still takes at least half an hour a day with an hour once a week when the filters are backwashed. None of that here, just empty the baskets. No wonder the pumps and filters are ineffective.

Only two of the pool snack bars out of the seventeen accommodation blocks served All Inclusive guests and then it was only with drinks, at all the others you had to pay again or walk what could be about a third of a mile to carry your flimsy plastic cups half filled with ice rather than the drink of your choice (in our case we only drank soft drinks so by day two we were having to go to the off site supermarkets to stock up on drinks to take to the pool for the day). Again paying twice for refreshments.

Breakfast was again served in the only All Inclusive restaurant on the complex again with queues both inside and out with some breakfast items that were recognisable and other breakfast dishes such as peas and sweet corn mixed and cold tinned tomatoes and raw onion mixed leaving everyone wondering where the hell they get their choices from as these dishes were never touched. The fruit was always squishy and scabby looking when it was available. Again by day three we were going to eateries off complex & paying again.

Lunch was as described in both paragraphs above detailing Breakfast and Dinner. Unless you liked chips every day with the occasional left over peas and sweet corn from breakfast after queuing for half an hour and then jostling with other tense and stressed holidaymakers for the meagre offerings we found just wasn't worth it.

Now for the evenings. The outdoor entertainment arena seated probably in the region of two thousand of the complex six thousand capacity, the rest had to either make do with standing around just outside and listening or go somewhere else and pay additional costs for their evening's entertainment. There were three bars around the arena, the three sided central bar at the main entrance where All Inclusive customers weren't included was manned by six bar staff and a steady stream of glass collectors all being very efficient at their jobs to ensure there were never any paying customers kept waiting for service, (here you were served your drinks in proper glasses for beer you had a pint glass and a variety of real glasses for all other drinks). The other two B & Q style wooden sheds at either side of the arena were staffed by two bar men once again serving watered down drinks in small disposable plastic cups (I saw at least 20 full bottles of clear spirits ready for use behind the bar all with the paper seals broken). For the privilege of being served your drinks here you would have to wait between 45 and 60 minutes so you were lucky if you had two small drinks a night.

We were told about another bar on the complex that served All Inclusive drinks, not too far from the arena, only about 400 metres away once you managed to fight your way out of the arena through the crowds of disgruntled punters this is the one we found on our first exploratory tour.

There it was the Morocco Bar in all it's glory again with a staff of two and a queue of 20 people at each bar tender still serving drinks in the infamous flimsy plastic dental mouthwash cups, when the man in front of me was eventually served with his six drinks of lord only knows what, he politely asked the barman if he could borrow a tray to carry the drinks away from the bar. The barman just said "No" turned to me and grunted waiting for my drink order. The man in front of me was blocking the way still trying to work out how to carry his six drinks, again he asked the barman for a tray offering to leave a deposit for security. The barman still just said no and told him rather abruptly to move out the way, The customer asked what sort of service were they providing, followed by the barman telling him, if he wanted tourists service he would have to pay tourists prices, if he wanted sh t service then he would have to wait in line like a sh t customer, at which point the customer threw one of the soft drinks at the barman and the barman retaliated by throwing a drink of beer over the customer hitting several other people including myself and other holiday makers with children waiting in the queue. All the customers fled the bar leaving behind the disturbance that ensued. That ended that night prematurely and put us off going out in the complex again.

Back in our room whilst soaking my nice new white linen shirt to prevent the barman's spillage from permanently staining, thought we would put the TV on for a bit, Oh joy, another thing not working but wait a minute it's just because it's not plugged in there is a double socket down there, one being used for the fan we were forced to hire and the other outlet broken exposing dangerous live wiring 12 inches above floor level. Big decision TV or Fan, lets move the fan and stretch the lead from the bathroom socket outlet (again that's a safe place to have a live socket) we can then plug in the TV and what do you know, that's right you guessed during the suspense, it didn't work.

Another big decision do we go to reception through the ghetto in the dark, past the rancid stink emanating from the sodden grass by the bin store encountering the trailer park trash both working in the complex and wandering in off the streets due to the total absence of security to the complex at a time when there are bombings on the Island are becoming more frequent, fights caused by barmen and a high population of angry tourists all on edge because of unprofessional tour scam operators like sunmaster ripping them off.

Summary: If this was the epicentre of an earthquake it would cause £5m worth of improvement