Evenia Zoraida Garden

I would not recommend this hotel for English people! Not once have I ever left a bad hotel review or looked forward to coming home from holiday however this time I could not wait to return home. The hotels (Park&Garden) cater mainly for Spanish guests, all entertainment is done in Spanish and not repeated in English and they also get access to more restaurants than English. The staff really struggled with speaking English too, it was very difficult to order drinks. Food - Was edible most of the time, not the best selection. We lived off Pizza, hot dogs, chips and Pasta. We managed to eat every meal but it was the same old everyday with the odd occasional nice thing like chicken skewers or chicken drumsticks. The food at lunch was often cold, especially El Olivio. It was handy being right by the pool but we had burgers and chips and they were freezing. Chocolate fountain every night in the main buffet which the kids loved but no other cake selection. Breakfast was mainly pancakes and nutella or Omelettes for us. The last few days there was very limited food, half the restaurant food counters were empty and they had no nutella, kids yoghurts or strawberry jelly (as its end of season I assume they dont bother to restock) There are al a carte restaurants which seem alot better for food however you have to be spanish or all inclusive plus which was an extra £1000 with Jet2 or you can only use them before 6pm when they are buffet style lunch. When it comes to the nice evening food comes available its only for the Spanish unless they are quiet and you can ask if you’re allowed in but this seems very rare as even in Oct they were queuing to get in. Main buffet evening meal it is impossible to find cutlery so ended up having to take them off clean tables. Also found alot of dirty plates. It is so busy in the restaurant everyone is on top of everyone, you cant walk, hear the people your sat with and I even saw a hot drink spilt over a child as its hectic in there. Alot of foods were also unlabelled so didnt know what you were eating or what it contained. Drinks - Cocktails dont taste like they should (Pina Colada and sex on the beach definitely didn’t taste like what it should but again it was drinkable) until last few days we asked for cocktails and when they come (there made up in the back out of sight) they were covered in insects, looked like ants, this happened on a number of days. The queues at pool bar were sometimes 20 mins long for drinks - ridiculous never experienced this before. Snacks - Ice cream choices were good (Magnum Almond, Caramel cornetto, Mini milk, Twisters, etc however not sure if its because its the end of season but most bars had limited ice cream’s available most days. Towards the end of our stay only 1 type of ice cream was available. Plain crisps also always available throughout the day with a few cake to choose from. Also some days pork scratchings and tortilla chips were available. Entertainment - The entertainment was great if your Spanish. The Disney shows for kids were amazing and lucky the kids weren’t fazed by all the Disney characters being Spanish but it was a shame nothing was in English. The quizzes and games were all Spanish so we didn’t have a clue what was going on. They would even say about photo opportunities but only in Spanish so by the time we realised we were back of the queue and then missed out of individual photos and were forced in with other people to speed it up. Rooms - Were small, just about big enough for 2 adults and 2 small children to just sleep in and getting ready in but if we had 2 older children it would definitely be too tight. 2 double beds pushed together all sleeping near enough ontop of each other. Only 1 plug socket in room also. Pools - The slides are brilliant best part of the hotel however the salt water is disgusting, it really put my daughters off going down the slides. It also caused my daughter’s legs to go all sore and I had to get some cream for them. The best pool is the nemo one as its not salty, we spent most our time there. Lifeguards are hit and miss. Lots of Spanish kids messing about walking up slides and noone to tell them different, annoying when babies are in the pools. WIFI - Available for free but very hit and miss whether it works Towels - 10euro refundable deposit to hire and 1euro charge per change for clean ones We stayed the end of Sept into Oct. The first week was mental, so busy everywhere, entertainment was packed nowhere to sit, couldn’t see the kids watching the show, queues for food into the buffet restaurants, half way through it was like a ghost town, noone around, pools were empty, outdoor area shut on night and only a few at evening entertainment, only half the buffet food open. Then last few days went hectic again. If your looking for a child friendly hotel in Almeria I strongly recommend Alua Gold Trindad great hotel and staff and food! We visited Mini Hollywood strongly recommend this trip we booked via Pepe tours, great day out.

We booked this as part of the all inclusive package holiday offered from Jet2. After booking we came onto Trip Advisor and were a bit apprehensive having read some of the reviews. We should not have worried because these negative reviews on here are completely unwarranted! WE HAD A BRILLIANT TIME! We would go back in a heartbeat and am only disappointed that we were only there for a week. Let’s address the negatives from other posters first. 1. ROOM SIZE - Yes, the rooms are a little cramped, but the two beds are huge so they take a lot of space. We managed just fine with 2 adults, a 7 year old and a 2 year old. It’s a base at the end of the day and you won’t spend much time here. We still had a bath and shower and a mini fridge and balcony. The air conditioning and fan were also a godsend in 35 degree heat. 2. FOOD - Complete nonsense from other posters. Food choice was expansive and there was always something on the menu that we could all enjoy. Yes, if you want to eat ‘British food’ the choices are the same every day (pasta, pizza, chips, burgers etc) but on the buffet and the grill there are plenty of tasty choices to choose from. The paella offered at lunch each day was always lovely and you must try the ‘spicy sauce’ near to the grill it’s excellent and not very spicy so don’t be put off. The queues to the buffet can get big but if you stick to British times for meals then you won’t be affected. 3. TOO MANY SPANISH - You are going on holiday to SPAIN you made this choice, if you don’t want to embrace the local culture then maybe go on holiday to Butlins (other UK holiday destinations are available) We had NO issues with any of the Spanish or other nationalities at the hotel. We even made some Spanish friends which we intend to stay in touch with as we really enjoyed their company. We probably noticed about 4 other English families there at the same time we were there. 4. ITS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - Again this is nonsense. We found it the perfect mix, not too lively but plenty of amenities nearby. There is a small supermarket with the essentials next door. A pharmacy less than 10 minutes walk away. A row of shops opposite with gifts, toys, beach equipment and clothing. It’s on the beach which has play areas and inflatables and some bars and restaurants and it’s about a 20 minute walk down the front the Roquetas and the castle. There is a wristband system. Kids wear orange, Spanish speaking adults wear blue, non Spanish speaking adults wear yellow. This is just so the staff know how to speak to you. We wore yellow, we still tried to speak Spanish (badly) when we could and staff clearly appreciated the effort but still answered in English. The pools are BRILLIANT. Most are saltwater but the kids pool with the ‘Nemo’ and tipping water bucket is chlorine if you prefer. As mentioned before the beer is Estrella on draught and they offer a 0% on draught in some of the bars too. All the soft drinks are branded as are the ice creams. Magnums, Cornetto etc. The evening entertainment is great, our kids enjoyed the mini disco each night which is mostly in Spanish but they do explain in English too. The Animacion team are usually dressed as some sort of super hero or mascot for this. The entertainment after the mini disco was a great mix, the Disney show and magic show were a big hit with our kids and the adults can enjoy it too. There is a QR code on the noticeboard in reception which gives you access to the schedule of entertainment each day. There’s an arcade in each of the hotels with a good selection of machines for kids and adults alike. Mini club for the kids aged 4+ seems good, our eldest went in a few times, it was air conditioned and gave him a break from the heat during the day. This is where the soft play area is. The staff work tirelessly to keep the hotel clean, it’s like a military operation each morning seeing the cleaners going out to the pool area to hose and mop the floor. Bedrooms are serviced each day and the staff were polite. We lost a plush toy belonging to our eldest one day, he ended up in the wash with the bedding. Spoke to room service and the front desk and they found and returned it the same day which was really impressive. You must get up early to secure a sun lounger if you want it by a specific pool. I usually went down for 8am and was able to get a bed by our pool of choice but many beds had already been reserved by this time. On the last day we had to check out if the room by 12 noon but weren’t due to be collected by transfer until 6pm. We were able to put our luggage in the store room and continue to use the all inclusive until we left. There are communal showers available to freshen up before leaving if you ask for the key at the reception desk. Again maintained to a high standard with even miniature toiletries available if preferred. I only have two improvement suggestions based on our circumstances alone. 1. The mini club isn’t available to under 4. This is a shame because it’s where the soft play was situated which would be suitable for some of the younger guests and would get them out of the midday sun. 2. The outdoor play area is a little basic and could do with refurbishment/ possibly with shade so it’s not too hot to touch in peak season. These did not affect our experience or our holiday and we would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone thinking of booking it. Thanks to everyone at the Evenia Zoraida for a memorable and enjoyable holiday and we hope to see you again in the future.

Just enjoyed 5 days here with family. The hotel is 4* although I have stayed at much better 3*s. I think the pools give it the extra star. Pros Plenty of pools, good sizes and lots of different ones for different ages Very clean all around Slides are good Right on the beach Plenty of sunbeds each day Food and drinks at poolside bars are good - ice lollies & crisps are included too Cons Queues outside restaurants for food (never experienced this before). & I don’t mean a little queue; more a queue of 50+ people Rooms are small - we had 1 plug socket in the entire room & 1 in the bathroom. More for spanish families - entertainment is all in Spanish and a lot of staff don’t speak English either Food isn’t great in main restaurant No menus for what you can have on all inclusive so it’s just guess work Overall, we enjoyed the stay but wouldn’t return. Much better for Spanish people which is fair enough since it’s in Spain but they are definitely better catered to even though all guests are paying the same price so does seem slightly unfair.

Just returned from a 9 night all inclusive holiday at the Evenia Zoriado Garden, 6 adults, grandparents, mums and dads and 3 grandchildren, 2 girls aged 4 &5 and a boy aged 8 and what a wonderful time we had. This is our second visit, we stayed here last July and were only two days back when everyone wanted to book up again for this year and we were not disappointed, firstly the hotel has made huge additions in water facilities with a lazy river full of flumes, waterfalls and bubble baths galore, both the kids and us adults were never out of the place. A huge thanks must go to the animation team who work tirelessly to make everyone enjoy their stay from water aerobics ‘Vamos Antonio’ to the high level energy routines in the evenings for all the children, as an early riser tasked with putting out the towels I got to witness the cleaning staff within the hotel busy every morning while other outside staff were busy cleaning the pool and grounds, this was a daily occurrence. I have seen comments made regarding food choice but our party always found plenty of choice and as someone who likes seafood, the plenty full supply available everyday was so enjoyable. The bar staff and and reception were also very helpful and allowed me to stutter through my bad Spanish, The hotel has mainly Spanish holiday makers and that is one of the reasons our family liked it, everyone was out to enjoy their holiday and I never witnessed any agro throughout, my thanks to everyone who made our holiday so memorable ‘ Amamos Espana, La gente es muy agredable y simpatica ‘ John Ross

Went with my husband and son (4) and had a good time. I've been to a lot of all inclusive hotels and I think this is one of the best for what you get. Branded ice creams/ icelollies, Estrella on tap and branded soft drinks and spirits. You can go to snack bars at the different cusine restaurants in the day but only until 6pm for silver package customers (seems Jet 2 customers) you cannot go in them at night. We weren't offered an upgrade to the gold package that we saw a lot of other guests had but it was fine. The resort itself is massive; a huge pool, multiple water slides, lazy river and 2 themed splash parks for little ones, my son absolutely loved it. Rooms were basic, very well cleaned every day. Our view was of the street but that didn't bother us, only thing that worried me was how low the balcony was (we were on the 3rd floor) and it seemed little over a metre high. We kept our son off it most of the time. I've seen some reviews saying the food isn't good which confused me. I'm a fussy eater and so is my son and we always found something to eat so no qualms about the food other than some of the breakfast items being cold. The queues can get massive for getting into the main buffet restaurant, so aim to get there before 9:30am for breakfast. Also saw reviews saying there is nothing around. If you're used to really bustling places and plenty of lively bars I get it but it's not dead by any stretch. The front of the hotel has some souvenir shops and a supermarket, the side of the hotel has a popular cafe/ ice cream parlour. If you go out the back gate of the hotel you are straight on the beach, you can walk down the promenade and there's some bars, restaurants and shops dotted around. Straight outside there are also bouncy castles at night on the beach, €5 for 20 minutes which my son went on a few nights. There's also a castle about a 20 minute walk down and there was what looked like a funfair next to it. We ventured out 2 nights for food for change of scenery and it was really decently priced. Everyone has different preferences on holiday but I recommend for couples or families with young children.

We travelled with Jet2 to this hotel as a family of four. This hotel is primarily Spanish guests, not a problem at all but they were entitled to more areas of the Hotel than the British Jet 2 package allows. For instance, the British Jet 2 package did not allow entry into one of 3 el carte restaurants past a certain time. The room is small and cramped for four people. It comprises a small fridge, desk/tv stand, a sliding wardrobe and a safe. It seems that the English people were put facing the road and none had a sea or pool view. The room had two double beds which were ok and generally firm. The bathroom had a shower and sink. On one evening there was no water at all to the shower or sink which made for an uncomfortable hour. No gesture of goodwill was granted by the Hotel or Jet2 despite asking. The room was kept very tidy by the cleaning staff. The pool area is fantastic, one large pool, a lazy river and water slides. The water is salt not chlorinated. Unfortunately children are not allowed inflatables. This is one area the hotel could improve as it is a family hotel and I would recommend they allow just an hour in the morning and afternoon for children to have fun on inflatables. The area around the sun beds is artificial turf and this does get very very hot to walk on. Lifeguards are on hand at the pool area for safety. The Bars around the pool serve a large selection of drinks, snacks and ice cream. The beer is Estralla Damm. The service is quick. The food at the hotel is generally very good. Sometimes a bit hit and miss. The most annoying thing in the main buffet bar is finding what you need. For instance, cutlery is all over the place, tea spoons in one area, separate from desert spoons which are again separate from the knives and forks. Drinks are served in the bottle by staff. I found lost of plates and glasses especially which were not properly clean so best to check these. The hotel is kept very clean and tidy throughout. The evening entertainment caters for children and then adults and is of a good standard. Lots of seating but this get taken up by about 8:30pm. Evening drinks are served in glasses which is nice and daytime understandably in plastic cups. The Hotel is about a 25 minute walk to the port of Roquetas. This currently has a decent fair on worth visiting with Children. A taxi to the port costs about €6 and staff will arrange a taxi for guests. All in all a good trip away. To get to 4* I would expect more space in the room, better layout in the restaurant and more food choices for British guests.