Elba Palace Golf Boutique Hotel

“5 star overall”

Just returned following a fabulous stay in this fantastic hotel. The rooms were outstanding especially our room which over looked the 18th and above the 19th (room 111 ). The staff were extremely attentive and friendly, nothing was too much trouble, it was just sorted. The cafeteria for breakfast w… more

Just returned following a fabulous stay in this fantastic hotel. The rooms were outstanding especially our room which over looked the 18th and above the 19th (room 111 ). The staff were extremely attentive and friendly, nothing was too much trouble, it was just sorted. The cafeteria for breakfast was excellent and catered for all, from a full English to fresh honey dripping from the honeycomb tub. Lunch in the hotel was no more expensive than wandering to the local tourist area, drinks too were on a par, certainly not overpriced a large campocruz and large wine 10 euros. Evening meal was great, buffet starter with a great selection and a varied theme each evening, then you ordered from the al a carte menu which was great. The house keeping staff were so friendly and super efficient. There were so many touches that made our stay special, for example staff bringing fresh fruit around the pool area mid morning. The only area lacking was evening entertainment, very limited a violinist, harpist and a singer over our seven night stay (neither were to my taste) however there could be more and a little more varied especially considering the size of the hotel and the under utilised public areas that there were. Overall a fantastic relaxing stay, whether you play golf or not.

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“Almost a 5 star oasis”

We have stayed at the hotel a number of times and have rebooked for later this year. Only doing this review as snowed in at home and don’t do reviews in general. I really like the overall experience the hotel provides. However… although the plus points exceed the negatives there are some annoying i… more

We have stayed at the hotel a number of times and have rebooked for later this year. Only doing this review as snowed in at home and don’t do reviews in general. I really like the overall experience the hotel provides. However… although the plus points exceed the negatives there are some annoying issues. Location, building style and vibe are tremendous. Dinner is 8 out of 10, a few more veggie/ chicken dishes would raise it. The buffet starter is the best. On the other hand breakfast is 6 out of 10 at best. Egg station is great. The cooked food is cold and some non Spanish style bacon would improve it (I know this Spain). The orange juice machine is a messy experience and that’s when it works (even guests reviewing the hotel as 5 stars must agree). The pool has many missing tiles (been like that for years). Loungers around the pool are dated. The pool attendant is always cheery and love meeting up with Elba the cat when we stay. The staff in general are great but look over worked and always rushing about. It doesn’t give the best impression. Also the bar service is very slow in the cafe and next to the dining room at night. You can wait 10-15 minutes to be served. More staff are needed and perhaps that’s why a lot of the dining/ drink staff look harassed and unhappy. It’s not 5 star Dubai or American style service. I would also note that the rooms are stylish, the maid service every day is amazing and they are all very cheery! They do stand out. One main gripe on our last tip was we asked for a later checkout, normal is 12 noon and we asked for 2pm as our flight was at 6pm. I won’t mention the receptionist’s name but we had an unpleasant conversation, were lied to about the hotel being full to get us to go away and were told the only option was to book another night stay to extend the room by 2 hours! It was a sour end to our trip. I fully accept it’s not always possible to accommodate such requests but the manner we were spoken too was unacceptable. As I say we have booked again for this year and hopefully this person will have moved on to a career that suits them better than hospitality. Interestingly as many say in these reviews it’s the small things that count. It’s not far away from being perfect and it’s annoying it’s not but sorry it’s not 5 star at present. We are golfers and travel a bit. The restaurant is called St Andrews. A visit there by senior management/ owners and they would see what the difference is and what 5 star means in terms of staff attitude at least. The sun is always out in Fuerte though!

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“All about the Golf..”

Firstly, the hotel is a lovely size, not too many rooms, very well cared for and all of the staff are excellent, all have a smile and they can’t do enough for you, they are a real credit to the hotel.. Golf The hotel is all about the Golf, pretty much everyone is there to play golf and obviously… more

Firstly, the hotel is a lovely size, not too many rooms, very well cared for and all of the staff are excellent, all have a smile and they can’t do enough for you, they are a real credit to the hotel.. Golf The hotel is all about the Golf, pretty much everyone is there to play golf and obviously many come on a daily basis to play golf, so it’s all golf attire and golf banter around the place including on the terrace. The course is well kept, some nice holes and we both enjoyed it. It is achievable in comparison to some of the more challenging mainland Spain courses, quite flat and easily walkable.. The driving range and practice areas are also very good.. Food This is where it needs improvement in my eyes. Firstly, Breakfast is probably the poorest we’ve had at any comparable rated hotel. Very limited hot food selection and ‘hot’ is what it is not, mainly all the food in the warmers is cold which isn’t great…. Usually with a hot food selection you would expect standard additions like tomatoes & mushrooms but these additions are not on offer… There is an egg chef where you can get the only real hot option and the omelettes are lovely.. A strange set up is that the chilled yoghurt and fruit is right at the side of the egg chef which seems to contradict what I would expect to be normal food hygiene procedures (hot & cold) but I am no expert.. Lunch is basically sandwich, pizza or burger and quite limited, we would have preferred to see some small plate / tapas options to share as not everyone wants frozen food everyday. Lunch is on the terrace and a shared area with golfers who may / may not be staying at the hotel. Dinner is more of a let down as the concept and service is excellent, walk up buffet starter and then al a carte main course from a mixed menu. Sounded perfect to us, however some of the food really isn’t nice, I am not sure the chef tastes the food he serves as some of it is inedible.. An example, the risotto is so over powered with garlic one 1/2 of a spoon was all either of us could manage and it was returned.. We were also there for the Christmas gala dinner and most courses were not nice and some were inedible, a real shame as you could see the staff wanted to make it a special meal. I don’t think anyone in the room ate the meat course, all were returned from what we could see. Rooms The rooms are an excellent size, very large bed & bathroom, good quality furniture and our balcony overlooked the golf course and the sea, pretty perfect. Regular linen and room cleaning, very good… Pool The Pool is a nice area, well spaced out and good quality beds etc.. You have to access via the Golf pro shop / golf buggy collection area. The golf driving range is alongside so you’re never far away from the golf & if that’s why you are there it’s pretty perfect.. If not you may want to have a think about being surrounded by golf all day.. We are golfers but if not there isn’t a lot else to do.. Location It is a 30 minute walk to the nearest shops, restaurant so if you just want to escape the golf for an hour you need to take into account the walk or use the complimentary shuttle / take a taxi into town. We prefer to have somewhere to walk to close by for a change of scene. Overall It’s all about the Golf, the hotel is a lovely place to be if that’s your thing.. We are both golfers but it did feel a bit much at times, another area for non golfers for a nice lunch would be a good idea.. The staff are the real star of this hotel and are superb..

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“It’s the little things that make a difference”

Currently staying at the Elba Palace for a week golfing. The hotel is lovely, well situated for the golf course. The rooms are good, with everything you need. Housekeeping are very good too. The restaurant and breakfast staff are also excellent and nothing is too much trouble, including Yamilla’s w… more

Currently staying at the Elba Palace for a week golfing. The hotel is lovely, well situated for the golf course. The rooms are good, with everything you need. Housekeeping are very good too. The restaurant and breakfast staff are also excellent and nothing is too much trouble, including Yamilla’s wine recommendations. The things that could be improved: hot plates at breakfast. A more varied main course menu for dinner, in fact on a couple of occasions we’ve not had a main course at all. It’s small things that make a difference

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