Cordial Sandy Golf Bungalows – A Review

I’ve been in two minds whether to publish this review for a while because I still cannot decide whether I enjoyed staying here or not. The aim of the trip was to relax in a quiet area and explore as much of Gran Canaria as I could, and both boxes were ticked during my stay at the Cordial Sandy Golf Bungalows. This holiday complex has so much potential and could be an incredible place to stay if there were a couple of small improvements.

Location

The location was great but it was also too far out. A really helpful statement, I know (warning – this review is full of contradictions). The bungalows are pretty much half way between the centre of Maspalomas and Playa de Ingles, which meant the noise from the bars and restaurants was far enough away to make the bungalow complex quiet. However, the downside is the bungalows are 3km away from the beach which is quite a long way, but the hotel pool was huge and great to use after a long day of walking. There were two supermarkets and three restaurants within short walking distance, great for stocking up the fridge if you are self catering. Holidayworld centre is one kilometre away, as is the peaceful Parque Botanico.

Visiting the Maspalomas sand dunes and nature reserve is a must when you visit Gran Canaria!

Transport

The hotel has a shuttle bus which goes to various locations throughout the day. I used it several times to go to the bus station as it was quite a walk in the heat of the sun. Taxi’s are also parked at the end of the street if you prefer a more private form of transport and I found these to be a really cheap way to get around the island. A one way trip to Puerto Rico was €25 for three humans and a dinosaur.

Walking or using a bicycle is an easy way to get around as the paths are all very flat and are pedestrianised in many places. The Canary Islands are a great place for walking as most of the areas are flat (do a little bit of research before travelling to your destination though).

The public bus stops on the main street outside of the hotel and has a really clear timetable with all of the prices. However, I chose to get on the bus at the bus station so I knew I had a seat because my photographer is unable to stand for long periods.

Bungalow

I had my own one bedroom bungalow with two outdoor spaces. This bungalow was everything I could have wanted and had recently been redecorated to a good standard. The bungalow had three rooms; a bedroom, a bathroom and kitchen/ living area which doubled as an extra bedroom. The only thing which was missing was a bath, but there was a decent shower which sometimes had hot water which was fine. It is the first place I have stayed where I was able to make up the spare bed as I wished so I didn’t lose a seating area throughout the day. The kitchen was sully stocked and even had a coffee machine (which once again I couldn’t work out how to use). In hindsight I should have self catered for this trip because the restaurant food wasn’t great but more on that later.

The whole complex had bungalows separated into small groups of four, which weren’t crowded close together but the garden areas did overlook each other. There were many small paths between the clusters of bungalows which went around in a circle. I found it to be a nice area and didn’t feel like anyone was imposing on my space. The garden was a great space to enjoy the nice weather and also for stargazing on an evening. I loved having both a table and chairs for the outdoor space, as well as sun loungers. Drinking my morning coffee outside is something I love doing and the terrace was a great space to do this. Although the four gardens were close together the outside space was really quiet, all you could hear was the birds singing and the occasional meow from the resident cats. To the back of the bungalow was a small enclosed outdoor space which could be used for sitting or as a place to hang laundry. The bungalow complex also had a laundrette on site for people to use throughout their stay. Many people stay in this complex for extended periods of time and I could have happily stayed here for a long time because it was like having a home away from home.

Food

I’m torn with what to say about the food and if you look at the TripAdvisor reviews you may spot a recurring theme. The food was disgusting, well it didn’t taste bad but it was very close to microwave meals. Limited choices meant it was very hard to be vegan, vegetarian or intolerant to certain foods. However, that being said, the chefs were on point with keeping foods separated and ensuring there were no allergy risks to anyone. I have never stayed in a place where an entire plate of food was replaced from a buffet as a single nut fell into it, it was refreshing to see and something I would like to see happen in all hotels in the future. Free chilled water was available for guests to use whilst they were in the restaurant, something I thing all hotels should have.

There were some issues with staff during my stay and for the first three days the plates seemed to be in short supply. Cleaning of tables was something that did not occur very often either. Though on my last day, there were more than enough plates and waiting staff, with an improvement to the food. Improvements in the restaurant made my final breakfast quite enjoyable.

Facilities

In the centre of the bungalows is a large circular swimming pool that is heated in the winter. I loved using the pool in the centre of the curated exotic plants because it was like swimming in the jungle. Hardly any humans used the pool during my stay and I can’t work out why. There are a lot of sun loungers around the swimming pool alongside a small bar with a seating area. The hotel provides no entertainment, and personally I enjoyed the tranquil and calm feel of the pool area. However, for entertainment it would be best to go to Playa de Ingles.

The hotel reception was open from 10am until midnight with a range of multilingual staff who were more than happy to help with any requests. The safety deposit box had an extra charge, I found this to be a little bit outdated as all hotels I have stayed in have this included. The Wi-Fi was a pleasant surprise and I had a superfast connection everywhere within the hotel grounds.

I would return to the bungalows and stay self-catering because I don’t mind cooking when there is a fully stocked kitchen to use. The area is a little bit further from the attractions than I would usually stay but the tranquil setting and shuttle bus meant I could explore and relax as much as I wished. For a one star property, I had all of the amenities I needed for a comfortable break.