Overall I would describe this accommodation as average.

The rooms were like mini apartments. Whilst they were clean, and had tea/coffee making facilities and a microwave & fridge they were basic.

The food could not be faulted, with a large selection of choice for all.

The location was good, only a short distance from the town & beach. Quite a way to the beach if you have buggies, inflatables etc though.

The hotel staff were friendly, although issues are not always seen to immediately despite the best efforts of the First Choice Staff. Our TV was not working for the whole 2 weeks we were there. This did not please my hubby as England World cup matches were on!

The entertainment team by First Choice was excellent, however the stage / seating area was no where near big enough, so you were unable to get a seat or a table, unless you were there at 7pm or after 9.30pm. Most people did not bother. There is however nowhere to have a quiet drink, both the entertainment area and the Irish bar are noisy with lots of children running about.

The main thing that spoilt the holiday for us was NO AIR CONDITIONING. Maybe we should have picked up on that when we booked, but we did not. We booked a 1 bed apartment and were only allowed 1 fan. Despite the mother in law sleeping in the living room, having a 2 year old child, and me being 6 months pregnant. Impossible to leave the windows open, and the mosquitoes had a field day!

We have just returned from the caleta dorada complex which we booked on a self catering basis but upgraded to all inclusive on arrival. The food was very nice with plenty of choice for the whole family even with myself being a vegetarian. My 8 year old son and 9 year old niece loved the food and the freedom that the self service gave them, on the first day my son helped himself to 7 ice creams. There was a good choice of food in the restaurant and i would recomend a visit to the mediterranean restaurant.

We spent most of the days by the largest pool which had a seperate baby pool that my 3 year old son loved and spent most of the week. There were plenty of sun beds so you never had to get up early to get towels on them. The beach and the local town was just a 10 minute walk and there was also a free train there.

We had 3 bungalows all with sea views and a terrace, these were cleaned daily with fresh towels every other day. We didnt see a cockroch all week unlike other reports but we did have ants in all the bungalows.

With being only a ten minute transfer from the airport there were a lot of planes flying over but after the first day they didnt really bother us and stopped from about 10pm till 7.30am.

The entertainment was good for the kids but the club room was not very big and if you didnt get there by 8 o'clock then there was a good chance you would end up sitting on a sunbed.

We all really enjoyed our stay and would all go there again.

We have just returned from the caleta dorada complex which we booked on a self catering basis but upgraded to all inclusive on arrival. The food was very nice with plenty of choice for the whole family even with myself being a vegetarian. My 8 year old son and 9 year old niece loved the food and the freedom that the self service gave them, on the first day my son helped himself to 7 ice creams. There was a good choice of food in the restaurant and i would recomend a visit to the mediterranean restaurant.

We spent most of the days by the largest pool which had a seperate baby pool that my 3 year old son loved and spent most of the week. There were plenty of sun beds so you never had to get up early to get towels on them. The beach and the local town was just a 10 minute walk and there was also a free train there.

We had 3 bungalows all with sea views and a terrace, these were cleaned daily with fresh towels every other day. We didnt see a cockroch all week unlike other reports but we did have ants in all the bungalows.

With being only a ten minute transfer from the airport there were a lot of planes flying over but after the first day they didnt really bother us and stopped from about 10pm till 7.30am.

The entertainment was good for the kids but the club room was not very big and if you didnt get there by 8 o'clock then there was a good chance you would end up sitting on a sunbed.

We all really enjoyed our stay and would all go there again.

I can only speak for myself and my family but we loved it. The staff worked very hard cleaning and tidying all the time.

Our bungalow was right next to pool B and it was very clean. Never saw an ant or cockroach in our bungalow once. We did hear of a couple of burgalries, but we kept doors, windows & curtains closed and we didnt have a problem.

The food was fine although because the restaurant didnt have air conditioning it was very hot and the flies were a pain.

We visited the Mediterranean & Oriental restaurants. They are well worth a visit. All the reps worked extremely hard to put on entertainment which was in English. Never encountered any act I couldnt understand.

The kids reps were great. My 2 boys went to wavelenghth
and loved Shaun, Wez and Suzy.

All the staff pleasant and polite.

Would return again

We have just returned from 2 weeks all inclusive and were a bit worried about some of the reports we had heard.

I can honestly say this is the best holiday me and my family have had. The Children that travelled were 9, 5 and 2 one year olds. The kids thorougly enjoyed themselves and the entertainment staff were fantastic.

The entertainment catered for all age groups.

The food was very nice for all inclusive and there was plenty for the kids to chose from.

We would definatley go back again.

My wife and I and our two Children aged 5 and 3 went to this hotel for the second year in a row.

We enjoyed it and would visit again.

The staff are excellent and cant do enough for you.
The hotel has expanded since last year and is now called the Club Caleta Dorado.

Value for Money is good with plenty to do for the Kids
There is an on site Kids Club which is really well run and supervised,and you feel like the reps take and genuine interest in your children.

We had no problems with security or break ins in fact the place has a very friendly atmosphere, and no upset stomachs.

The hotel also now has an onsite Chinese and Mediteranian restaurant which is included if you are All Inclusive
We wouldnt go anything other than All Inclusive when you have children,as all Ice cream Drinks and Food are included
What more can I say!!!

You have maybe read mixed reviews previously on this website,but I can assure you that you will have a great Holiday and so will the kids

The one thing I would mention is that the Reception appears not not to like exchanging Scottish bank Notes,so make sure if you take cash that you have English bank notes with you.

The good news is that if you take scottish money with you then The Flower of Scotland pub in the town(10 Mins walk)will gladly exchange them for you and gives a better rate than the Banks or Burea De Change

Enjoy

Ian and Lorraine

Stayed in the kids den, which like the other reviews, is not as it is described in the brochure. TV did not work there was no Playstation as you had to hire it from reception and the beds were a bed with a pull out under it. Main bedroom was quite big and living/kitchen area was spacious. There was even a microwave in the room which I think would be really handy if you are Self Catering. Room was really clean and had no problems at all with ants or cockroaches. Used 2 out of the 3 pools and both those seemed really clean and there are now bins there so rubbish was kept under control. There were not many sun umbrellas available so I would suggest buying your own if you like a bit of shade.

After reading all of these reviews I was extremely worried about the breakins at the apartments but to be honest with you everything was fine and for the whole time we were there we didnt hear of one so hopefully this problem has now been resolved. However I would recommend you get a safety deposit box and keep your windows shut just for peace of mind as there are no high floors and all apartments are easily accessible.

Only ate in the International restaurant which could do with air conditioning so I advise you to try and get a table close to the back where they keep the patio doors open. Food was nice. Plenty of choice, something different every night and there was always something for the kids (and my kids are fussy eaters). The snacks served at the snack bars were not great but edible and kept you going until your main meals or if you didnt feel like eating at the restaurant.

The beach was only a 10 minute walk away. Unfortunately we went to the beach directly next to the harbour which was full of pebbles and not very enjoyable, but one day when we went for a walk we found a lovely sandy beach just another 10 minute walk along the sea front (much better and much quieter). Lots of shops, pubs and restaurants near the harbour for you to see. There is also a little complex next to the apartments with some pubs, arcade games and mini golf for you to enjoy if you fancy a change one night. The apartments are quite near the airport and there are a lot of planes going over all day long and they are low, it is not too bad though as the first one goes over about 7.30 am and the last about 11.00 pm, our 2 year old loved them.

To be honest did not have a lot to do with the hotel staff other than checking in and out and that was all fine. The First Choice Reps were always on hand and helpful and the maids always did a good job at cleaning the room.

Our kids did not use the kids club, but they loved the mini disco and games in the evening. All of the entertainers did a fab job and always seemed to be working extremley hard not only in the night but providing entertainment all day long at the poolsides.

I would definately go to this hotel again and we had a fab time!

We'd heard good and bad reports about the Ilyssion before we went, but we decided to take the plunge and stay there.

We have just returned from the Caleta Dorada bungalows. What can I say! this complex is a 3*so if you don

This place is utter Hell.

First they slap a sharp wrist tag on your arm, which is like a police tag. The first room fire alarms hanging down, mould round the bath, absolutely filthy, so we moved rooms. Second room had bare and live wires hanging out of walls, infested with cockroaches, smelly towels, no made beds for the kids, wardrobe doors missing, tables and chairs covered with paint splashes. Windows so dirty inside you could not see out of them.

Food raw, staff rude, pool was dangerous and full of human faeces, break-ins, robbery's, We had to move hotels after 1 night, at our own cost, our kids could of died at this death trap of a place. Go here if you have nothing and live in a squat, but if you have a hint of a nice or slightly luxurious life, you will not like this place as this is a slum, and most people don't want to pay to go into a hell hole like this, you would be better of sleeping in a British public toilet than go here.

One last thing when the planes go over your head every 15 minutes or so you can't hear a thing for about 15 seconds.

Stayed in June 2006 in A Block. Had a good time due to people we met rather than the hotel itself.

The room sizes are good just need a bit of TLC (bath had rust, cracked floor tiles)

The food is of a good quality (aimed for kids)only criticism is sometimes the lack of choice and it can get hot in the restaurant.

I was disappointed with the entertainment (unless you like bingo) Kids club was fine (you have to pay for a few things but generally not too bad.

Swimming pools are ok but absolutely freezing
staff were average and I felt that at times it was poorly organised.

I did get the feeling that it was the type of place asbo families go, as some seemed to let there kids run riot (throwing sunbeds in the pool, 12 year olds smoking)

What I would say is this holiday is one where you have to make the most of it. We enjoyed it despite the hotel itself