TUI MAGIC LIFE CandiaMaris

Overall I would give our stay a 4.5 star out of 5. The hotel is great, as a whole very clean and the staff are super friendly and helpful. The food is brilliant! We ate at the buffet restaurant, each day the lunches and dinners had main staples but changed up the rest of the dishes which meant we were never bored of the food. We couldn’t get over how much variety there was, huge selection and truly something for everyone. The breakfast was good too, a mix of healthy and treat foods. It would have been nice to be able to get a wider range of alcoholic drinks at dinner time but you are able to take drinks from the Wanderbar. The food was also very fresh and you can tell they take food hygiene very seriously. The only other issue is there were a few times when we couldn’t find a seat and had to ask for help. It might be an idea to somehow stagger how many people are able to get into the buffet restaurant. I can imagine at peak times in the summer, it’s difficult to find anywhere to eat. I’m not much of an entertainment person but the entertainment provided was good, the silent disco was the highlight. We also visited the disco which was fun, it’s great that they offer it. We didn’t participate in any activities but there was SO much on offer! If you’re someone who likes to be doing things during the day, this hotel is perfect. We had a pool view room and I really appreciated that the music didn’t start until 10am so if you had a lay in, you weren’t woken up early. The rooms were a great size and cleaned daily, the communal areas were also spotless. There is a large selection of pool areas however, only 1 had the pool bar, we were glad that our nearest pool had the bar. The main pool was fairly clean but I noticed there was a lot of sand sat at the bottom of the smaller pool areas within this section. After a few days, it still hadn’t been cleaned out which meant you couldn’t really have a dip in there. One thing that is great is you can always find a sunbed! The wanderbar is great, couldn’t believe it was open 24/7! We arrived late and were able to get a fresh sandwich in the bar which was great, nothing worse than going to bed hungry. The drinks are okay but I would have liked a wider selection which is one of the reasons I’ve marked down half a star. There is a premium package but it’s very expensive. I would have liked some frozen drinks by the pool bar and things like pina coladas, passion martinis etc. which I have had at other TUI hotels. The drinks offered though were tasty and a good selection of non alcoholic drinks as well as alcoholic. The main reason I’ve marked this down a bit is due to the additional restaurants. We had a reservation at the Tavern. We turned up and weren’t sure whether to sit down or be seated as there weren’t any signs. We were eventually seated and I noticed the atmosphere was a bit strange. Everyone looked a bit awkward and it wasn’t helped by a lack of music so it was quite silent. We were waiting around and after 40 minutes, we still hadn’t been offered a drink or had our orders taken. We decided to walk out and go to the buffet as by this point, we were very hungry and couldn’t deal with the awkwardness anymore. This is something that really needs improvement. It’s a real shame as the views by the beach are lovely. We had a massage at the hotel, I was very impressed with it. We were also able to negotiate a service in line with our budget which I thought was fantastic. It’s great that they cater for all budgets (within reason). The spa staff are friendly and professional. Overall we had a lovely weeks stay, I’ve come back feeling relaxed and think this hotel is well worth the money. Would definitely recommend.