You can tell from the spotless and well-maintained exterior of the Green Garden that this is a very pleasant hotel. Once inside from the palm-lined streets you will be welcomed by both smiling faces from behind the reception desk and, if there is an arrival of kids, an all dancing, all singing oversize teddy bear. Both of these things get your holiday off to a great start and set a standard below which the rest of your holiday is unlikely to dip. The small lobby comprises a seating area to the left and then stairs leading up to the main core of the hotel. The pool area is an extremely agreable place to be, the main pool being divided in two by a footbridge at the centre of which is a greenery-covered gazebo and seating. It's true to say that there isn't heaps of space around the pool for sunbathing but it is clean and due to the low-rise buildings you can cram in hours and hours of bronzing looking up at the alms and the sun drenched terracotta apartments. Also at the pool is a small jacuzzi, a kids pool and a massage cabin. Just opposite the pool is the restaurant at which at night there is some form of entertainment including a minidisco followed by either bingo, song and dance or a professional show brought in from outside. The setting is perhaps not the best we saw, but it certainly pleased the crowd. The animators who organise the entertainment put on activities during the day for everyone such as shuffle board, aqua gym and ping pong tournaments. While the hotel doesn't have its own sports and wellness centre, guests do have access to the Aqua centre, about a 15-minute drive away on the free shuttle bus. One of the best facilities in the south of the island it has several pools, a gym and a host of wellness treatments. Admission is 27? for two people or 40? for a family of four. (Note that guests have to make their own way back from the centre, there not being a shuttle bus for the return journey). The kids club only operates during the summer holidays for Thomas Cook guests. Other amenities at the hotel include a mini market, an arcade room, complimentary wifi in public spaces, coin-operated PCs and free scuba diving lessons in the pool several times per week. Guests can also take advantage of a 10% discount on the green fees at the surrounding golf course. The public areas of the hotel are very well maintained and are decorated tastefully. The hotel is quite compact too so getting around is a piece of cake.
Amy Adejokun
Section editor
