Just got back from Sun Tropical Apartments this morning and felt the truth needed to be told about this resort especially if you are looking to take up the All Inclusive package.

Firstly, the Sun Tropical apartments and the complex were kept very clean. During the day, there was always cleaners and gardeners working around the complex.

All apartments were made up of a large living area with Satellite TV, bed settee, and a small kitchen discreetly placed behind a shutter door with a microwave, fridge, sink and cupboards filled with kettle, toaster, glasses, and dishes so that we could prepare food if we wanted. There was also a separate double bedroom and good size bathroom with bath and shower.

Maid service was excellent and towels were changed every other day in the room.

The food was average in the main buffet restaurant because it was a canteen mentality of mass produced food left under "warmers" so you had to time it right when new dishes were put out otherwise the food could be left out for a while before it was being replaced.

Starters were limited to 2 types of soup and sometimes the description did not resemble what was being served.

Main Courses for adults and children were mainly a selection of different dishes which never really went together and was left to choose between a pasta dish, a fish dish, a "veal" dish, a chicken dish, but with not much to go with them other than salad, cold meats or a type of potato.

Desserts were very poor and some days there was only rum and raison ice cream to choose from which not many children like. Also, the fruits were a mixture of fresh melon, watermelon, but sadly let down by tinned mixed fruits, tinned peaches and tinned pineapple rings. Every day there would be a banana mousse also.

The food in the Tex-Mex and Pizzeria was average and was all prepared in the "Chicken Shack" kitchens and seemed to be reheated as and when ordered. Also, as part of the All Inclusive package, you were only allowed to eat in these restaurants once a week but the "Chicken Shack" restaurant is not included as part of the package which is not clearly shown in the First Choice brochure. Therefore, you have the choice of 3 restaurants and not the 4 as stated in the brochure.

Also, be very careful that you do not fall into the trap which we did when we eat at the Mexican restaurant.

This involves the staff telling you that you are only allowed certain things off the menu as you are "all inclusive". This is rubbish and if it does happen, ask to speak to the manager of the hotel as our Rep was also unawares of this happening until we pointed it out. This was also the case at the Italian restaurant which when we were told we could have a choice of pizzas and not the pasta dishes. You can have anything off the menu in both the Italian and the Mexican restaurants as part of the All inclusive deal!!

The food at the pool bar was very good for a snack where you could have a hot-dog, burger, toasted sandwich, ice cream or alcoholic / non-alcoholic beverages. The staff there were very friendly especially Josep who was always smiling and very courteous.

Also, the brochure states that the All Inclusive package includes "unlimited" ice-cream for children. This is not actually true as there is a small selection of ice creams and lollies which are free but the majority are chargeable. This is quite distressing when your child wants a different ice-cream only to be asked for 2 Euros for the pleasure !! Therefore, there is a question mark over the loose term "All inclusive" at this complex which I will come back to later.

The complex location was about a 15 minutes walk into Playa Blanca or a 2.70 Euro taxi ride each way. If the weather is hot, I would advise you to take a taxi.

Also, there is a new development of apartments being built behind the complex which can be very noisy during the day especially if you are staying in the blocks in front of reception. The development is in it's early stages but First Choice failed to inform us of this happening.

Hotel staff were 99.9% very friendly and helpful, although we did have an incident at the "Chicken Shack" restaurant when the pool bar was closed due to high winds. This resulted in a complaint being made by a number of "all inclusive" holidaymakers to the F/Choice Representatives, who had been blatantly ignored by 1 member of the bar-staff in favour of the "euro paying" self catering holidaymakers. He would ignore any persons wearing the "all Inclusive" wrist bands and serve those without, as there would be a better chance of tips.

Entertainment during the day involved lunch-time quizzes by the pool, games in and around the pool as well as excellent "kids clubs" which were available every day. They had clubs for all ages of children from 15 months to 15 years old. The Kids Club for
3-8 years is highly recommended and they are all free. All the entertainment staff are British.

The evening entertainment in the "Dome" involved a "mini Disco" from 8-9pm followed by a short quiz, bingo and a show. This was mainly performed by the Entertainment staff who tried their best with the terrible acoustics they had to contend with. Apparently, the owners of the Hotel, Sun Group, paid

We have just arrived back from the Sun Troipcal, and must say we have all really enjoyed our stay there and would recommend it to anyone. The only small gripe would have been if I was going on an All Inclusive holiday. Even though we were Self Catering we used all three of the four on site restarants. The main one as far as we were concerend was really over priced for what you got given and there was not really that much choice either. But I must say what food there was was really nice. The holiday complex was always being get clean and tidy.and most of the staff were very friendly. The complex itself was a good 15 minutes walk to the beach come harbour, and it was a very hard walk in the middle of the day, due to the sun. But Taxis were always at hand. The First Choice entertainment team were fantastic and kept everyone informed on all day activities, the shows in the evening, of which some were done by the entertainment team were really good. I would sometime in the future visit this resort again, but to be honest I have a lot more places that I want to go to first.

hello all we just got back from a 2 week all inc hol at the sun tropical i have to say i was a bit worried when i read the other comments but i should'nt have the food was a bit hit and miss but we never went hungry, it was very clean,some and only some of the staff were helpful.the towels on sunbeds however was a pain this should be sorted as we were involved in a minor row one morning with a man who was not happy as we moved his towel after 2 hrs as he had not even botherd to turn up.all the kids reps were great and there was allways something for them to do, the pools are great but very very slippy for adults and children alike so be warned. this realy is a great complex as far as i'm concerned and would visit again. nights out, go to rancho texas by the end of the night i was standing on the seat shouting ye haa for beer with no shame.

The accommodation was fine, very clean. I have never seen so many people cleaning all the time, even the gardens were lovely.

There was always a lifeguard round the pool too, which is great when you have young children.

The food in the hotel was also fine plenty to choose from every day and plenty choice for kids.

The hotel was quite a way from everything but is was only a twenty minute walk to the beach so not too bad, or taxi was cheap.

Hotel staff were helpful and spoke good English which helps.

The entertainment well what can I say - outstanding. It was great kids loved it. Mini disco every night. The staff were fab especially Nick Kid and Lucy Goss my kids still talk about them quite a lot.

I would definitely go back to this resort we didn't want to leave.

Guaranteed a fab time if you go here.

The complex, as everyone else has said is very, very clean and the staff are more than helpful and very firendly towards the children. We were in pineapple block which was ideal as it was right next to the food centre and village tavern. All apartments are in blocks with either a small swimming pool, play area or jacuzzi in the front. We requested a jacuzzi when we booked and although first choice said they couldn't guarantee, we did get one!! We found this a little more private than having a pool.

The whole complex is very quiet as most peole do go self catering and therefore do not stay in the complex at all times. The pool area would comfortably hold hunderds of people but there were never more than around 40 there on any day. This means no fighting for loungers!! The main pool only has one small area that is shallow which is a downside. The whole main pool is 1.5 metres deep. The other pools that are situated in other blocks are almost as deep. The shallow area in the main pool is about 5 metres square and is ankle deep. The main pool is also saltwater and freeeeeezing.

My daughter joined the swim kids group which i would highly recommend.

The food was exactly what was expected from a 4 star all inc. It was all cooked properly, with a good selection of meat, fish, pasta and salad dishes with a similar selection for children. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausage etc, together with cold meats, fruit, cerals and toast. A real plus about this restaurant was that all drinks are on tap next to the food. You do not have to wait for waiter service even in the evenings for any soft drinks, lager and wine.

The first choice staff do a good job with the activities and entertainment. Again, it is just what is expected from an english holiday company - kids disco, amateur caberet shows, bingo and daily and nightly quizzes. They also do daytime entertainment such as volleyball, football etc. They have a welcome meeting to explain where everything is but we arrived at 9pm and the welcome meeting was not until the next day and by that time we had worked everything out for ourselves!

This is the first all inclusive i have been to that is not in the middle of nowhere! it has an excellent location 10 minutes walk form the centre of playa blanca.

Sun Tropical was very clean and tidy. The swimmingpools were great for the children,the food was ok but not great, The hotel was about a 15 minute walk to the beachs and bars.

The hotel staff were very friendly but we were let down by the entertainment. We were very disapointed that the entertainment didnt envolve children or adults!
I would highly recommend to change the entertainers and to add something a little more exciting and entertaining!

Travelled last week in June first week in July. Had a fantastic holiday at ST. Would echo all the good reviews about this complex. A couple of thinks need tweeking though to keep this place a good 4 star. The food in the buffet restaurant is sometimes poor. Breakfast is usually good though. The Tex Mex and Pizza place are ok for a change of scenery but these need to improve too.
The complex is now full to capacity for the first time since it opened, and during the second week people resorted to reserving sunbeds then not occupying them till the afternoon. But that said there are usually enough to go round.
The 4 blocks that have pools outside the apartments are brilliant, the kids love it, but be careful as these pools and the main pool are all 5 foot deep.
The large pool is an amazing size, about 45 metres by 35 metres at its longest and widest in a sort of mushroom shape. A six inch shelf in the pool drops suddenly to 5 foot, so get the non swimmers in arm-bands.
The entertainment team try hard, with activities during the day and mini-disco and shows at night.
The Five-a-side pitch has many good battles for all you budding roonies!! So get your trainers on!!

Would definately return here.
Mick.

Very clean rooms and bedding / towels etc. Rooms were a good size, as well as the beds / balconies. A little thin on cooking utensils.
Place was good - loads of kids enjoying themselves, with lots of pools to choose from.
On-site restaurants were ok - my wife was sick one night after they got her order wrong and remade the correct one very quickly. The chicken was the best of the 3 but the big restaurant under reception was very good. Lots of people went all inclusive and could eat in any.

The entertainment at night was ok - most shows appeared very amateurist. Some were very good but the dome acoustics need improving.

Complex very clean and tidy, accomodation quite spacious, balcony too. Check-in not particularly smooth when we arrived, as reception staff couldn't find our name on list, but still provided a room. The beach apparently became 500m further away which we were notified of 2 weeks before departure, apparently something to do with having to be measured from reception rather than the back gate. Wavelength club for 9-15yrs quite good, took them on trip and to beach, some entertainment good, but resident duo a bit monotonous, also acoustics in dome not too good on occasions, difficult to make out what was being said.
Hotel staff courteous, and reps on the whole good, although not kept informed when air traffic control problem in Britain and flights delayed. Also quite alot of building work going on in surrounding areas, although not affecting noise levels in certain parts of the complex. We were not notified of this in advance.

this was the best holiday i had ever had and i would love to go back again. the rooms were lovely and were always kept clean our rep was lovely. but what made the holiday was the great entertainment staff they were excellent, the best ever 5 stars