Before choosing where we go away, I am very good at doing my homework. Lagos was recommended to me and my boyfriend by a number of friends and it really does tick a lot of boxes. In terms of researching accommodation – we are currently saving for a house so we had a relatively strict budget to consider. Marina Sao Roque seemed absolutely spot on. A small, family run hotel with all of the essentials nearby. I did not have any false pretences about the hotel being in any way spectacular – as all the reviews say “simple and basic” – so it is not as though my expectations were sitting at 4-5*s. However – there are certain expectations that I do have when holidaying at a hotel… the basics. First impressions – the hotel is on a busy main road with constant traffic, not necessarily a problem – just an observation. We walked in to the hotel full of the holiday spirit and super excited and were “greeted” by a young lady behind the desk, full of attitude who said “Ola, do you have a reservation?” We said yes – she then said “Well check in isn’t until 2pm. The hotel is full – you can leave you bags here and come back then”… Standard procedure in most hotels – (but usually with less hostility)…. Probably very naïve of me, but if I worked in a small hotel that...Before choosing where we go away, I am very good at doing my homework. Lagos was recommended to me and my boyfriend by a number of friends and it really does tick a lot of boxes. In terms of researching accommodation – we are currently saving for a house so we had a relatively strict budget to consider. Marina Sao Roque seemed absolutely spot on. A small, family run hotel with all of the essentials nearby. I did not have any false pretences about the hotel being in any way spectacular – as all the reviews say “simple and basic” – so it is not as though my expectations were sitting at 4-5*s. However – there are certain expectations that I do have when holidaying at a hotel… the basics.

First impressions – the hotel is on a busy main road with constant traffic, not necessarily a problem – just an observation. We walked in to the hotel full of the holiday spirit and super excited and were “greeted” by a young lady behind the desk, full of attitude who said “Ola, do you have a reservation?” We said yes – she then said “Well check in isn’t until 2pm. The hotel is full – you can leave you bags here and come back then”… Standard procedure in most hotels – (but usually with less hostility)…. Probably very naïve of me, but if I worked in a small hotel that is probably reliant of receiving good reviews to gain more business, I may show a little gratitude that two young professionals from England have chosen to spend their only hard-earned 10 days holiday at that particular hotel. We should have been greeted along these lines… “Ola, welcome to Marina Sao Roque, my name is …. How can I help you? Unfortunately the hotel is fully booked at the moment so I am unable to offer you an early check-in – however please feel free to leave your bags safely here and go and explore the surrounding area. The beach is this way – the town is that way, you can use our pool etc… we will see you back here when you return” ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Terribly customer service, and the other lady didn’t even look up from her very busy task at her computer. Manners cost nothing !!!

Baring in mind the hotel only offers B&B boarding – I would have expected a fridge/minibar in the room itself, so that we could keep water and a couple of beers in there for when we returned to the room, as it was we had to make a few trips to the supermarket every day – and couldn’t keep snacks (cheese, ham) in the room because of the heat.

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