Got back last week from hotel san miguel and had a brilliant time. A big thanks to zorro, ollie, chris and natasha for all their fun and hard work. the only rep worth mentioning is Clare for the fun and effort she puts in.

The other reps - jumping johnny and silly simon - well what can you say, only that if a thompsons manager saw them on stage it would be the sack. The food at the hotel is great, our son has a nut allergy and Alfredo, the restuarant manager was absolutelly brilliant in telling us what each dish contained.

If you like seafood, then Tuesday nights are awesome. The chinese restuarant is well worth a visit. The mexican hut is great for a mid day munch, then after a day at the pool, you relax in the tapas bar! The rooms are small, but cleaned daily.

There is so much going on each day and night with zorro and his team, but if you want a quiet time then there are so many bars in the complex to choose from. I was picked by Ollie to dress as a transvestite "Alana" (only because I beat him at a drinking game) that was a great laugh. Sun beds are a bit of a joke, with people putting towels out the night before.

The bar staff are brilliant, especially in the western saloon, thanks to Jose' i think I need to go into detox lol. I would just like to thank all the people we met who made our holiday what it was :- Ian, Laura, wee Ross. Big Des, Steve & family. and of course Ralph, Linda & Catherine "keep in touch" and all the guys / girls who risked their life each day at 3pm playing water polo. Would I go back :- look out Ollie, I owe you one. See you next year :-)

Just returned from our 6th visit and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute yet again.Zorro, Ollie, Chris and Natascha are the best entertainment team in the business and the hotels must be clapping their hands that they return each year which means that the hotels are full of guests who return year after year.Hotel cleanliness is excellent and all the staff are friendly and do a great job.
Food was not quite as good as in previous years but we all managed to find something that we liked each day as there is always soup, salad, meat, fish and vegetarian options available and plenty of fresh fruit in addition to other desserts.
Would we visit the hotel again - without doubt and I keep saying "we will try somewhere else next year" - but always end up booking to return as it is such a beautiful, peaceful location with entertainment within the hotel complex which is great fun and keeps the whole family entertained regardless of their age.
If you are thinking of giving San Miguel a try, I would highly recommend it only if you prefer quiet resorts but if you want to go in school holidays then book up quickly or you will be disappointed.

Fourth visit.....where do I start??

Each year I think that this holiday can't get any better but each year I am proved wrong.

As usual the maids did a fantastic job, making the room as comfortable and clean as possible, considering the size of the room.

The one thing this year was that the food wasn't as good as past years, but it was still eatable and a good choice. The themed nights were always the best.

Can't complain on location, everything you need, even a British pub. Hi to Toby in Happy Friars, my husband could rest knowing he would be able to watch his beloved gran prix there.

And the staff. The people who work here are the most dedicated staff I have ever met, and go out of their way to help you. As always Gervasio in the club bar, along with Pedro and others were fantastic. And then Jose, Tito, Pedro and the 2 girls were AMAZING! Everytime I went down Pedro would always put a smile on my face, and they are such friendly people.

And then there's the tip of the ice berg, the entertainment. Even though the shows are exactly the same, and the same jokes are used, Zorro, Ollie, Chris and Natasha are the best entertainers you will find. They work flat out to make sure everybody is involved, and they will have you in tears. Yet again Bananas won Boogie Nights (Goooo us and Natasha)

All in all a fantastic holiday, and I can't wait to go again!!!

The hotel was clean, but a little worn around the edges. I think it is definately time for a refurbishment. The food was ok, nothing startling and not much variety. This is my personal opinion and others in our party thought the food was great.

The Hotel San Miguel is set in a breathtakingly beautiful cove. It is in a very quiet location, with just a couple of bars and supermakets close by. However, if you are all inclusive as our party were this isn't really a problem.

The beach is literally just below the hotel and we spent everyday there, as it was much more relaxing than staying around the pools, which were rather full of children (as you would expect from a super family hotel. The beach was perfect as you could hire canoes free of charge if you were all inclusive. The banana bot was good and you could also hire pedeloes or learn to windsurf. There was also a daily boat that took you to Portinax and a glass botton boat.

The staff were helpful and pleasant. Beware of the slippery nipples - a pernod and baileys concoction that the staff in the Western Sallon bar insisted you drink at regular intervals!!

The entertainment was excellent. As mentioned in previous reviews Zorro and his team worked exceedingly hard and without fail got everyone up on their feet each night dancing to follow my leader.

This hotel, I feel would be a nightmare if you did not have children with you. I would not return if it was just my partner and myself holidaying alone, but I would definatley return with our friends and their children.



The children in our party joined the kids club and thought the Thomson kids reps were good.

the hotel was a great location, right on the beach.
beach club pool may have been small but we never used it we were on the beach everyday.
the staff were all amazing and helpful. always had a smile and did what they could to help.

Hotel:
We stayed in the Sam Miguel Hotel (formerly the Cartago)and so can't comment on the Beach Club.
Yes, the hotel is looking a little tired in places and a refurb is warranted. Having said that, we found the rooms comfortable and clean with great views over the beach and bay.There seemed to be an army of cleaning staff for the hotel and all were polite and smiling. Pool and pool area were clean and tidied daily - no thanks to the charmer who left their deposit in the pool on two different days!(Although the pool was closed and disinfected very quickly).Special mention of the bar staff in the Western Saloon should be made as they all worked very hard to minimise the queues for drinks (beware the pernod/baileys concoction!). Many thanks also to the restuarant Manager, Alfredo, for organising a reserved table and bottle of fizz for our wedding anniversary (we had asked Thomsons to do this on booking but nothing transpired, we also asked for adjoining rooms at the same time but this too didn't happen). Only things to mention on the downside were one room phone u/s, the pool edging gets very slippery,the corner of the pool by the ramp up to the bar level was very whiffy, and the lifts operate on a totally different system to what you're used to!
Food:
The hotel seems to operate on a 7 day cycle, but there's enough choice not to eat the same dish on the same day two weeks running. Restaurant staff were very quick to clear plates and tables and clean up.
We were very disappointed with both the quality and quantity available in the Chinese restaurant. General cleanliness of the restaurant was very good.
Entertainment:
Much has been said of Zorro, Ollie, Chris and Natasha including some not so complimentary comments. Some parents wouldn't keep youngsters off the stage despite numerous repeated pleas from the team, no wonder the team get hacked off (though you'd be hard pushed to notice it). These four certainly earn their money, but don't expect UK style political correctness! To get upwards of 400 people up singing and dancing is no mean achievement. Boogie Nights was definately the highlight! The only Thomson entertainer worthy of note was Claire for her sheer enthusiasm. On the whole the entertainment was thoroughly enjoyable.
General: this complex could be improved by the installation of an ATM machine.

I picked this hotel because I read lots of great reviews of the place and was I dissapointed one word 'NO'.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here very quiet resort with only a handful of shops and bars but plenty to do at the hotel to keep you busy if you want to.
Fabulous beach you do have to pay 4 euros for each of the sunbeds and also 4 euros for an umbrella but this just made a nice change from being around the pool.
Loved the all inclusive first time we have done this and certainly was nice not having to carry money around for everything,plenty of choice at mealtimes we are quite fussy and we always found something to have,some people commented that the food was not as good as in previous years but as I said we had no complaints,waitresses very efficient infact too much sometimes I went off to get a drink one time to find my plate had been cleared by the time I had got back.
Rooms are basic but clean ,maid service everyday and they did a very good job always smiling.
Entertainment from Zorro and the team was great they are so busy day and night and always make time for you they really know how to get the crowd going.
These people are the reason many people go back year after year and us included becuse we have booked for next year already.

We have visited this hotel 3 years running and it will be the last as the hotel is not what it used to be.

We went as usual all inclusive which is fine as you dont have to pay any money out except for the usual stuff you buy from the shops.

As we stayed in the Hotel, the rooms were kept clean, but and I say but, the Roof Top Restaurant was dirty we had on numerous times dirty plates and curtley,the staff were so quick in taking your plates away and could not smile, there was one particular member of this team who had a problem with her body odour and she was working in the food area no thanks, just remember they will not book your table, we sat down at a table one night for dinner and were told to move as this older lady had booked the table, she had put her curtley a certain way on the table and this was to tell whoever sat down at the table that this was booked.

Food just the same boring dishes every night for 2 weeks and the same for the 3 years we went, you would think that they would come up with some other dishes.

Entertainment : the same old boring routines nothing changes with this area, and the thomson reps show it was crap, god help you all if they take over the entertainment when Zorro leaves in 2 years time.

so all round we will not be going back to this hotel Ive enjoyed it in the years past but not now there is something that is not right and this came from other guests who had visited this hotel in the past.

We stayed here all inclusive the childrens buffet was very poor and our youngest child hardly ate the main buffet was a bit better it was very repetative and should of had more variety.

The cleaning staff work extremely hard from morning till night, very long shifts and they still manage to smile and say hello!

The rooms are very very basic and in much need of updating along with the rest of the complex, the lifts desperatley need replacing. There is not enough room to store everyones clothes and things especially when there is four people sharing!

The hotel is set in a beautiful cove but is very isolated but there is lots to do on site,and its very easy to hire a car which we did.

The beach was lovely and kept very clean. The hotel staff were helpful and friendly. The entertainment was brilliant the animation team were fantastic boogie nights must not be missed!

The temptations tribute band were also excellent.

We stayed on the all inclusive basis which is fine if you are staying for a week as they only cater for a 7 day arrivals. It would have been better to cater for people who were there for 14 days as the food did become boring after 8 days and you knew what was coming the next day.

The hotel cleanliness was great maid came everyday to clear up our mess she even folded our clothes for us bless her.

The location is not ideal but you would have been told this when booking but you have everything you need there I suppose.

Hotel staff work very hard being there around 16 hours a day even though we were all inclusive we did leave tips too as they do work hard and very very long hours.

ENTERTAINMENT - well what can I say they were amazing not only the hotel entertainment but also the Thomson reps who put on a show once a week too. Tthey also keep you and your kids enetrtained during the day too with lots of activities to keep you busy hi to Jumping Johnny and Clairey Fairy my daughters favorite reps.

I would vist this hotel again if only for the enetertainment .

I must mention do not miss out on boogie night it is FANTASTIC !