Port of Alghero

I came to The Pelican Beach Resort & Spa expecting a relaxing adults-only escape and instead got a multi-night lesson in incompetence and indifference. If you value sleep, working air conditioning, or basic customer service, look elsewhere. The centerpiece of the disaster was the air conditioning. On our first night it shut off at 11pm — in the middle of a heatwave, with temperatures in the 90s during the day and 80s overnight. When I reported it, reception told me they couldn’t do anything until a colleague arrived at midnight. I called back at 00:15 and that colleague had no idea a complaint had even been made. He eventually turned up, couldn’t fix the unit, and then informed me he couldn’t move us to another room without “manager approval” — at one in the morning. After an hour of waiting, we were finally relocated close to 1am. That would be bad enough as a one-off. It wasn’t. The AC failed repeatedly the next day as well, it kept happening and only would work after a day-time maintenance guy reset a switch on the main unit. Then it would turn off again. Mind you it was in the 90s all day and 80s at night. They wouldn’t put us in a new room or refund the stay. When push came to shove, they finally offered The only bright side? The nearby beach and the attached restaurant. The hotel staff reception people were generally awful.

Staff were friendly and polite. Pool area was ok - clean but looked tired and some areas needed weeding. Pool was nice. Breakfast was ok - there were pastries, fruit and some cereal. Bar was ok but we were there for 4 days and on one day it was closed until tea time. Artwork on the building was good. The room was ok - there was a fridge, but no tea/coffee making equipment. Air con worked fine. The shower was small. Beds were comfortable. Location wise, it was a bit of a walk to get into the town - would have been difficult for someone with minor mobility issues and very difficult for someone either more challenging mobility issues. There is a good supermarket right over the road. Didn’t use the gym, but there were a range of exercise machines and weights available. It was a pleasant stay but nearer 3 stars than 4. One big tip - if you want to go on the beach, you have to book and pay to go on in advance - we weren’t able to go on the beach until after 6pm as it was fully booked everyday of our stay - plan that in before you go and book well in advance. You must also take a baboo cover to put down under your towel if you’ll be moved on. The beach was €3.50 per person per day when we went and you could hire sunbeds separately but also in advance.