Sol Fuerteventura Jandia - All Suites — Hotel in Pájara

Returned to Sol Jandia after a few years; the first time the place had been recently been renovated with updated rooms restaurant pool etc, upon returning it seemed much the same, however the hotel is being let down by several things, which has tarnished our view of it.

The positives first- The location is great, close to the beach and Morro Jable, which is good for restaurants and beach strolls. Nearer the hotel are a range of shops and small supermarkets and pharmacies which is very useful. The beach is 5 mins across the road.

The hotel itself often has subtle improvements that are being made which don't interfere with your time there, however basic maintenance is being overlooked; broken locks on toilet doors by the pool, and broke basin in the Ladies bathroom.

The negatives- The list of negatives feel like a shame as the hotel was so much better few years back when we went after the renovation.

Staff don't appear to be terribly motivated or interested in the service they are providing. This was across all staff, who didn't seem as friendly as before with the exception of a few familiar faces.

I had lost my headphones, and no one seemed interested in being helpful or courteous, or passed the buck to another department. Luckily I found them myself, but was not a stress I wanted, when they were expensive.

Also mis communication and inconsistent communication was abysmal. We asked about a courtesy room in the week for when we leave and no one had a clue what we meant. We asked a day later with different staff and got abrupt answers as if we had asked for something they don't do, and to try and ask again on Saturday as we leave on Sunday; it seemed maybe they were fully booked and thought we were asking for an extra days stay which wasn't the case. We asked again on Saturday and someone different again, said 'did we want to book a courtesy room to change after checking out before we leave'. All seemed well, only to find on the Sunday morning that they had booked us in a courtesy room on the wrong day and we had to book again.

The water broken down in our room on numerous occasions, basin didn't work, shower, toilet wouldn't flush, this happened often in the morning on several days, and one day happened twice, in the afternoon as well. Apparently we were told it affected the whole hotel, and indeed the showers by the pool stopped working, however the bar and restaurant were not affected which was odd. Communication on this issue was bad, staff either kept saying the machinery was struggling, with no apology for the inconvenience, others shrugged their shoulders saying 'it happens'. If it was a one off I wouldn't complain, but it happened several times.

What happened to the restaurant? When we last went back in 2022, the food was always good on everyday, was tasty, there was good range where a lot of what was on offer went with one thing or the other or several things. During our week, we struggled to find something tasty, or to put a meal together with the different items. It was mostly stews, either meat or fish, or meat or fish on the grill, and pizza and some kind of pasta bake, there was little variation on this format. Stews on a summer vacation seemed really odd when there are a range of easy to make on scale and budget dishes that the kitchen staff could have put together. A lot of the dishes lacked labels or had incorrect labels, there was no effort made for attention to detail, variation or even themes for the food. Other budget hotels manage to do this, so was surprised to see a Sol Melia hotel fail in this regard. Themed food was there in 2022, why did this stop?

The restaurant had shifts of when guests could attend for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then inexplicably, this was abandoned as guests turned up whenever causing chaos. Dinner became too busy, too noisy, hard to get a table, plates and glasses not being replenished in a reasonable time frame, often we'd arrive and not find a glass for beer or wine, until a floor manager...

I went with a family for a Xmas break and while the research has been done prior and Sol was picked up we had absolutely no regrets for choosing this hotel. I've also been lucky to try the hotel during slightly quieter time, although it was still fairly busy once the school holidays started.

LOCATION: It's not directly by the ocean, but not far at all, there's a dual carriageway to cross to get to the ocean but drivers are kindly stopping to let people cross so not a big deal at all with no waiting for a gap in traffic. The coast is facing south though, so worth that extra travel time as the sunshine is available through all day.

HOTEL & ROOMS: The hotel is a series of small, self-contained flats. Each with a lounge, bathroom and a south-facing private terrace. Layout may be a bit confusing at the beginning, especially trying to find your own suite, but there's plenty of signs around. There's plenty of greenery and plants around to provide shade and some privacy too, all well maintained. And if you like cats - there's plenty of them working as pest control too ;) And they're keen to find some time for guests.

The entry doors to the rooms are from the outside, there are no corridors like in larger hotels and despite a fair amount of suites - it still feels very small and cosy. Rooms are cleaned daily and to a decent standard, including mopping the dust from the terraces (it's a rather dusty island!). The main bed is massive and very comfortable. The terrace features a small tea for two furniture set and a couple of sunloungers. If you're a smoker - it's possible to smoke on the terraces, meaning non-smokers are exposed to the smoke and stench of the cigarettes from neighbouring suites. It was the only disappointment from me as we had a terrace with the ocean view but couldn't use it as much as we wanted to. A section for non-smoking rooms would be a nice addition as it'll cater for both smokers and non-smokers well.

FOOD: There's plenty of it! The dining area is fairly big, however it may be a bit too small during the peak season. Food is marked appropriately when it contains gluten, dairy etc, covering most common allergies etc. There's enough to pick something that I liked and enjoyed. There's some repetition, but the variety is large enough to be able to pick something nice. There's also a bar with snacks (and drinks!) open pretty much all day long too.

ACTIVITIES: I've left best to cover last. I think this is the highlight of this hotel. The animations team is absolutely fantastic! There are different activities for kids and adults spread thorough the day so there's always something going on. Adult activities usually comprise of a relaxing in the morning (yoga, pilates, stretching), followed by an aqua-gym/aerobic in the middle of the day, and a more intensive exercises in the afternoon (squash, spin bikes, zumba, cardio-dance etc). It's great to check them out as while not all would suit everyone's personal preferences/needs there's something that may hit the right chord. The list of activities is displayed on the TV next to the entrance to the dining area so it's easy to know what's going on and when. Some activities have limited spaces so your name have to be on the list to participate, unless there are spaces available.

There were also Spanish language lessons, local area knowledge sharing or how the aloe plants are grown etc.

There's live music and performances run either by the poolside or in the main reception area. The selection is wide enough so while not every night there was something I fit my liking it fit somebody else's. Fair enough.

The team running those is very professional but also very easy friendly and easy to approach. We had tons of laughs and banter together and the entire team is just amazing. I'd like to thank Nazaret, Dani, Juan, Pedro and Victor - keep doing what you're doing as you're all fantastic!

SUMMARY: We had a great time there and if all stars align - we'll go there again. Thanks to all the staff for such a great...

We loved our stay, can't wait to return! The weather was amazing, everywhere in the hotel is spotless and the staff all work so hard to keep it that way. All of the staff here are fantastic, so hardworking, helpful and friendly. They really care about their customers and their experience here which makes all the difference! Especially Marina in Guest Relations, she is a star, she knows 5* service and care and she goes the extra mile to make your holiday extra special! I can't recommend their people highly enough! The entertainment team especially around the pool were great, and we loved the sax player by the pool too!

Our room was great, super clean, spacious, huge comfy bed, walk in shower, lovely eco friendly toiletries, stocked mini bar when requested and a bit of a sea view from our balcony which was lovely. We were celebrating a special birthday during our stay and they provided some really kind touches in our room for us too.

I recommend requesting block P2/3 in advance with the hotel for the most accessible and central rooms accessed by lift for any mobility issues. We were really pleased that there was air con in both living area and bedroom but it was not very cool, needed to be stronger and cooler, were glad we weren't there in hottest weather. Also chrome cast didn't work which was a shame as was great the hotel had the facility but staff explained they were awaiting it to be fixed.

We were all inclusive and really glad we were, 90% of customers are and the soft drink quality is fab, all big brands. Wasn't keen on the pre mixed cocktails though, very strong and strange tastes, would've loved freshly made cocktails. We are veggie and vegan and the food was good overall, always lots of veg and salad options at all meals, pasta, pizza, fries etc. Snack bar has limited options for veggies so would be good to include a vegan burger or hot dog, especially at snack bar as there were meat options but the veggie burger was payable on a separate menu.

Signage could be improved on all food and desserts with ingredients, allergens or V/Vg made clear, as chefs English is limited. Soft drinks, water, beer, sangria and wine are all self serve from machines at all meal times which is great. You do have to book time slots for each meal on arrival which wasn't ideal, however we found them flexible with this at the restaurant and only needed to show your wristband most times which was also your room key which was really handy!

The beach is really lovely, a long deep stretch of soft sand and clear water, just across the road and costing 13.50 for 2 sunbeds and a parasol and lovely views across to Morro Jable, well patrolled also.

The entertainment at night was nice, usually live singers and low key from about 9-10.30pm, nothing too lively but nice and chilled with people sitting playing cards and games provided by the hotel and it was well attended.

The pool was lovely, we very much enjoyed it! Great sunbeds and parasols, lovely Bali Bed option on the deck too with sea views! Would have loved to use the pool more, but there was no natural shaded area. It is open 10-6, closing at 7 would've been better. We would have loved some shade at the sunbeds near the main accessible steps to the pool. The aqua gym was great fun, 45 minutes every day at 12 o'clock, a great addition and recommend!

The location is lovely, so much more to see and do than we originally thought and the best we saw on our 2 hour drive across the island from the airport, its worth the journey! Hire an E-Scooter and head over the beach path to pretty Morro Jable for lovely views and get a photo with the sign or the opposite direction and visit the lovely shops of Jandia! Very few restaurant options in Jandia in particular and again not great for veggie/vegan so we were glad we were all inclusive.

Thank you to all at the Sol who made our holiday extra special, don't hesitate to book your holiday here, enjoy- you won't regret it!...