Occidental Grand Hotel

The Occidental Grand Fuerteventura We spent 2 weeks at the Grand Occidental Fuerteventura form August 7th - 21st. The hotel is huge with 700 bedrooms and over 1500 guests. In our opinion it is too big and meant that standards weren't as high as they could be in certain areas. As most other reviewers have mentioned, the bedrooms are a good size and well equipped. We paid extra for a sea-view and it was well worth it - the view out to sea was spectacular! Room service could have been better - not always properly cleaned nor towels replaced. We had to wait 1 hour for new towels to arrive one evening. The service at Reception was poor with waits of at least 15 minutes each time we went there. When we arrived we had to wait over an hour for our luggage to arrive at our room. The main restaurant " El Buffet" reminded us of a cattle market especially at lunch time. The times to avoid were between 1.30 and 3 when the majority of guests went for lunch. Due to the huge volumes of people wanting food at this time, we often had to wait long periods for dishes on the buffet to be replenished. We were disappointed with the selection and quality of food, and given that we don't like eating pork or sea food every day, the choice of dishes available to us was limited. The standard of dress for Dinner was awful, with many guests dining in their beach wear!There was only one type of red, rose and white wine and the quality was poor - although the beer was light and drinkable. There was always plenty of bottle water in the fridges and this was most appreciated given that the weather was very hot whilst we were there. There were only a couple of cloudy days but these were a relief. We ate in all the speciality restaurants twice and enjoyed them very much. The standard of food was much higher than in the Buffet and the waiter service was excellent. The choice of food was limited but we enjoyed it. We had one major complaint whilst we were there and this was due to a man hole cover outside our balcony flowing over and spilling sewage over the ground. It took Reception 30 minutes to call someone to stop the water, and even then no-one came to clean up the waste. We asked to change rooms but due to the fact that the hotel was completely full, none were available. What really upset us was the fact that the sewage attracted a whole host of cockroaches!!!!! The one in the bedroom was the last straw! The people on reception were at a loss as to what to do, but in the morning we managed to speak to Client Services and were able to change rooms. On a positive note, the pools were great and regularly cleaned, the girls in the Mini Club were super as was the choice of toys available for everyone to play with. Overall we had a lovely holiday in a lovely setting. This hotel is not for people who do not enjoy children nor if you enjoy high standards of food in a formal setting. If you want a fun relaxing time in a very child-friendly hotel, then you will have a very good holiday!

I have read all the reviews and cant understand the people who have given this hotel a bad review. This hotel is not for the British Tourist looking to share accomadation with another 698 other british people. Yes not everyone speaks perfect english but guess what people your in spain so they don't have to. The rooms are a good size, cleaned every day and towels replaced every 2 days. Overall excellent The pools are beautiful and even with a fully booked hotel were not packed. The food in the main Buffet is exellent. One night there was Fish, Steak, chicken, mussels and prawns all of which were of a high quality. There is also a coffee shop and ice-cream parlour which is open from 3-6 were you could drink and eat as much s you liked. Brilliant. There was also a pub which was open from 3-7 were you could drink as much beer and Nachos as you liked.(they even served Guineess) If you want a chill out holiday this is the hotel for you. If its a lively holiday your after I would'nt book this accomadation.

We stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks at the beginning of June 04. We had a lovely time. The room was very nice, although the bed was a bit hard! Grounds very up together and clean. Pools very large but very cold. Food was mostly excellent, the only negative thing was that the brochure gives you the impression that all the restaurants are open all of the time, this is not the case. The buffet is open every night, but the grill and the mexican only open 2 nights a week, the chinese open 3 nights a week and the italian open 4 nights a week. Also as with most all inclusives you have to queue up to book the restaurants you want. They tell you that you can only book 2 days in advance - infact if you do this everything will be booked up, so make a fuss and they let you book further ahead. We found all the staff very friendly - but make sure you put your 'do not disturb' sign on the door in the mornings - the cleaners are quick off the mark!! The local town hasn't got a lot to do or see and we must admit that towards the end of the second week we were a bit bored - you can always hire a car if the fancy takes you - we always drink far too much for that kind of thing! It was quite windy for the first few days we were there, but still very hot and we found the wind quite refreshing. The beach is fine to get down to but getting up is a bit of a hike - nice to do first thing in the morning or last thing at night. In all a very nice holiday - we went to Sandals in Cuba last year - but the Grand Occidental was half the price and 98% better.

My husband and I have just returned from this hotel 2 days ago. It is a really nice hotel with excellent pools, though they are all freezing, including the heated one. Some of the staff are really friendly, but some not (same everywhere!). After reading a review on another site, we upgraded to the Royal Club which is the 5* part of the hotel, and then regretted doing so. In the normal part of the resort you can help yourself to wine, sangria and soft drinks. Cocktails and other drinks are well advertised. In the Royal Club there was no drinks service at the pool nor did they make it easy for you to order a drink as you had to wait for a waiter/waitress and they were always busy. It wasnt until our last day that we found that we had a choice of 32 cocktails - apparently the staff have a list but the guests are not allowed to see it????? Mmmmm...still a bit puzzled about that one. The impression we got in the Royal Club was that they wanted your money (£30 per night extra each) but then wanted to curb what you ate and drank - kinda defeats the object really! The other let down was that the brochures tell you that there are a number of restaurants - but in fact they are not open most of the time. In the week that we were there the grill wasnt open at all, the Mexican only twice and the Oriental (awful food!) when the Mexican was closed. The Italian was open 3 times. The main buffet restaurant was gigantic, but food very good. Tinfaya was exclusive for Royal Club guests who were only allowed to eat here once a week but the food was outstandingly good. All in all, for what we paid, a bit of a let down to be honest, but that was due also to the weather which was unbelievably windy and cloudy most days.

This hotel is absolutely fabulous. We couldnt fault anything with the service which we was provided. The staff are very friendly and helpfull they make you feel very welcome and at home. It is perfect if you are looking for a luxury holiday with a short flight. The food was lovely,and the views was breathtaking, not much more to say but it was one of the very best hotels i have stayed at, and i have been all over the world.

In answer to the English animal-hating xenophobes who have contributed a review to this site, let me say that we were pleasantly surprised by our visit. We went specifically for the naturist facilites, which were great - plenty of room round pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam-room (seemed a bit unfair that non-naturists seemed unable to access these without getting their kit off!), and a beauty area where I had a fabulous massage. The rooms I would say are 4* (I've never been to many holiday hotels with a mini-bar, but I have stayed in 4* accommodation all over the world), the cleaners were punctual every morning, but what was even better was that you could 'book' them any time before 4pm so you could have a lie-in if you wanted (HINT to bear in mind!). The rooms were large with lounge furniture and a balcony (but like most big hotels, beware that shiny floor!). The restaurants were fine with lovely salads, we tried them all except the Mexican which was booked up (HINT - you can book the restaurants two days in advance, they don't tell you that!) and the other facilities were fine, particularly the flamenco night in the entertainment theatre. We don't have kids but there seemed to be loads for them to do and we saw that baby-sitters were available. Yes there are cats about, but none were on tables, just wandering about in a friendly way - the only table nuisances were the birds and sparrows but they were easily shooed off (and only in the open areas). Yes, there were Germans, but also French, Italians, Dutch, Eastern Europeans, as well as lots of English - hello? This is Europe speaking?! We only visited the beach once as it was a bit of a job to get down there, but lying by the pool was quite good enough for us. The staff were really lovely, everyone said 'hola!' to us, even the poor devil whose job it was to sift the sand in the children's area! (The army of staff is huge, they are cleaning and preparing 24/7 - and it shows.) HINT - First Choice run holidays here but we booked ours through lastminute.com as it was a lot cheaper and also we were able to book a 10-day break, however we did book our flights through First Choice - this is a good way of doing it - check your options before going!

Just arrived back from this fabulous hotel, although can understand some of the critisism from other postings, the main part of the hotel is 4* with mainly 3* food, although more than satisfactory to most, but my 'Excellent' rating is based on the Royal Club part of this hotel.We upgraded to the Royal Club exclusive area after the 3rd day and found ourselves in heaven. The rooms have queen size beds, Hydro massage bath, DVD, Hi-fi etc etc. You have exclusive use of a huge outside spa bath and the most amazing swimming pool right on the cliffs edge. You can eat at any of the restaurants on site, one of which is exclusive to the Royal Club. The Royal Club a la carte restaurant serve the most fabulous lunches, quality that you would probably expect to pay around £20-£30 a head for in England. Lunches included, for example, were Filet Steak, Duck, Veal and many perfectly cooked fresh fish, all beautifully presented. You can have Champagne all day including breakfast with smoked salmon and many other luxury foods. There is proper fresh fruit juices available, the best in the world, this was lacking in the main part of the hotel, all watered down fruit juices. The brands of the drinks were far superior too and can be served to the pool side in proper glasses, we had cocktails most afternoons by the pool taking in the views and peace and tranquillity. Bath robes are in your room and as many beach/pool side towels as you require. There is free internet access. The room service is good and staff exceptional. Cannot fault at all! Note upgrade to Royal Club cost the two of us around £200 each for the week, well worth it.Some pictures from our holiday can be found at http://www.occidental.stefz.com

The grounds: They are absolutely fantastic. There are numerous green areas and flowerbeds, a total change compared to the landcape on the island. The pools: There are 5 pools. The main one, called "the laggon" is fantastic. Here, children as well as adults can swim and paddle. There is a little bridge over it and its serpentine like shape is very unusual. When we were there, noone dared to have a swim, too cold! The sports pool is brilliant for people who want to swim lengths. There's hardly anybody in it. The heated pool, situated next to the main snack bar allows splendid views over the ocean. We loved it although it did not appear to be properly heated... The kids' pool at the mini club is for infants and...very cold. The other pool, next to the kids club, we did not try but it looked like a nice resting place away from "the crowds". In all, there's a pool for everybody and if you dare to face the water, it's brilliant. We'd never seen a hotel with so many pools caring for everybody's needs. The beach: the ocean was cold (17o)and the beach was a bit of a let down. Having read the various comments on the forums, there seemed to be a nice sandy beach below the hotel. It must be said that the beach is indeed below the hotel. This allowed fantastic views over the ocean, from the pools or the rooms. Unfortunately, the beach is very rocky and it is very difficult to bathe. There are hubdreds of elderly people strolling up and down and not much space to lay your towel and sunbathe. There is , however, a fantastic sand dune between the beach and the hotel. There is a path leading to the beach from the main pool but it was closed as extremely steep and rocky. Definitely unsuitable for children. Strangely, there was a STOP sign at the beginning of the path but noone seemed to care and just walked down the steps to the strand. The other access to the beach is a fair way round the Royal club. The views: Absolutely brilliant. Best views we'd seen. Mountains on the one side, the ocean and blue skies ont he other. The best views are from the night club terrace or the heated pool and from our room, of course, block 14. The wind: What wind? I had read that it was unbearable, we did not have this problem. Sure, when it gets cloudy (and it does get cloudy), it can be cool but we found that the breeze was in fact a relief when the sun came out! The sauna: Very nice indeed. It was open all the time, very hot and there was hardly anybody using it. The turkish bath: See sauna. Just as nice! The gym: We did not use it as I got backache on the first day but it seemed nice an accessible to beginners. The staff at the sports centre were very friendly and helpful. For once, they did not look down on you if you are not Mr Muscle. And God bless the French fitness train er for being the only French speaking person on the staff. Quite nice really. The bars: The reception bar is very nice, good atmosphere and José is a jolly good fellow. The lagoon bar is next to the pool. We found that it was more like a snack bar, not the kind of place for a quiet evening or to sit down and relax sipping a nice cuppa. The small bar by the lagoon pool: it was closed. Not enough people about. The barley bar: Quite unbelievable! & diffrent ales on tap, all included of course. It was very empty though, not many beer drinkers about. But no "here we go crowds" either, thank god. The piano bar: probably your best bet for a nice evening. Lots of atmosphere, nice cocktails, live music and family friendly. The ice cream parlour: Quite unbelievable too! My kids loved it. Lots of choice, nice ice creams The sports bar: empty, not a soul in the evening. We had one cocktail with the bar tender and left. The coffee bar: No time to visit that one but it seemed popular with coffee drinkers. Overall: A perfect place for families with young children or retired folks.

If all of the Occidental Hotels are like this one, you will have a great time. Most of the restaurants had good food and wine, the only two restaurants which let it down was the Italian and the Steak House, the Mexican was excellent. We have never gone all inclusive before but would consider it again, and also returning to this particular hotel. The beaches are sandy and swimming friendly.

We stayed at the Grand Occidental at the end of March this year and would thoroughly recommend the resort. I can only think that some people are very hard to please. We found the accommodation well up to the standard we would expect. It was clean, the staff were all polite - even the gardeners greeted you, and nothing was too much trouble. It was my birthday while we were there (we didn't tell them), they noticed the cards in our room and left a bottle of bubbly two glasses etc. - a nice touch. Food was plentiful, there was a huge variety for all tastes, and only the salad and iced cream were cold! There were no more than 300 people in the resort so you could have a pool to yourself if you wanted. We booked this hotel because of the clothing optional pool and spa area, which is tucked discreetly away in the corner so as not to offend those of a nervous disposition. This pool was the most crowded with as many as 40 people around it but there were always enough sun lounges. The evening entertainment was varied, we preferred the conservatory type bar where a duet sang live most evenings although other events were organised in the main theatre. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting an excellent standard all-inclusive resort. We booked with Eclipse (First Choice) as they were the cheapest price we could find. I didn't have to take my wallet out until we got to the airport on the way home!