Hotel Hostmark Oriental Resort

The Oriental Resort is in the heart of Nabq Bay not far from the main shopping area, four miles from the airport.

Opened in 2001, this resort is one of our favourites with its green gardens and very friendly and willing staff, as well as its very good spa, the Oriental Resort is ideal for families as well as couples or groups of friends. The spa is one of the best we have seen in Nabq Bay; clean, well maintained, well organised and relaxing. The spa uses Dolmen products. The paths meandering within the complex tend to be quite rough so guests should use flip flops or shoes most of the time. Along with a new batch of rooms, the resort will also be building tennis courts which should be ready by the end of the year 2010. The resort has a fairly well-equipped kids' club.

The resort consists of 650 rooms. There will be another 138 rooms added by the end of 2010. The hotel lobby sets the scene for the rest of the resort; it is large, neat and clean with touches of oriental taste. The resort is fairly large but the gardens do help to break up the concrete making the stay enjoyable and relaxing. The resort has 5 pools in total. The U-shaped hotel is located on a vast plot of land, which touches the beach. The activities provided by the hotel are numerous and varied, including squash, scooter rentals and large fitness room. A long promenade links all the hotels on this beach. The garden is as sumptuous as it is large. Some small quiet areas have been fitted out with suspended seats on small wooden balconies.This place is perfect to take a short break between the main pool and the beach or to get stuck into a good novel.

The rooms are all decorated in the same way. All are spacious and an effort has been made so that all the furniture and soft furnishings match which gives an overall neat and tidy impression. The rooms have all the expect mod-cons including tea and coffee-making facilities. The bathrooms are of a good size, all with bathtubs and have a selection of the hotel's own-brand toiletries. The accommodation buildings are three floors high which can seem a little imposing when on holiday. All rooms have either a terrace or balcony.

The hotel has three restaurants. The first is a buffet serving international cuisine,with a theme three nights per week. The main restaurant offers a sublime view of the garden through the glass façade facing the garden and the sea. The end of the main pool extends inside the restaurant and gives the impression of eating on the water's edge. The second restaurant serves à la carte Italian cuisine. The room centres around the bar and the pizza oven. There are lots of choices and typical dishes (all kinds of pasta and pizza). The third restaurant, recently built, is located outside around a giant barbecue.

The hotel is on the beach. Like most beaches in Nabq Bay, it is wide, flat and sandy, although do not expect fine and golden Caribbean sand! The jetty is a short one (250m) giving good access to the coral for snorkelling fans. You can access the beach through a beautiful garden. Sunshades, deckchairs and mattresses are installed on the sand and there is also a bar and a diving centre. In the water, only a small area with sand lends itself to bathing without shoes. The coral reef is a little farther out. A private club offers some water sports.