Guest User
August 9, 2024
Twenty fours at this hotel made perfectly clear why the property is not listed as recommended by Forbes or any other luxury travel rating service. From arrival to departure, the property was severely lacking and the negligence and indifference of the staff prompted us to prepare a Spanish reclamation form against the hotel. Summary up front: unimpressive facilities, ambivalent staff, and the kicker being a near death experience on bikes rented from the hotel which didn´t have front and rear lighting for night travel. After almost a month of planning our Anniversary and emails with the hotel for a pickup service (quoted at 90 euro whereas taxi was 17 euros), we flew all the way over from Miami and arrived at the principal port of Formentera were we received an email that because we arrived 15 minutes late, the Hotel couldn’t pick us up and left us waiting in the Taxi Line for 2 hours with no alternative transportation offered by the Hotel. For example, waiting an additional 15 minutes for another car rather than the two hours for a taxi would have been preferable, but no such proactive communication assistance was offered. Fabulous start to an anniversary, right? A bit tired from the trip, we checked in with the front desk who made no effort to apologize or recognize the lack of assistance offered. Instead, we checked in, dropped out bags in the room and preceded with plans for a day on the island. More on this later, but the room itself was a joke. The mattress was rock hard, the sheets felt threadbare and cheap, the pillows were thiner than tissue paper, and the toiletries were some unbranded discount product. Since we had a lunch reservation in the opposite side of the Island and a Dinner Reservation in the 2nd largest town Es Pujol, we discussed with the hotel if they advised us to take Taxis or enjoy "a wonderful experience with Electric Bikes" from the hotel that turned into a Nightmare... NO ONE of the staff warned us the Island is completely dark at night, despite advising that the trip included a dinner reservation. After completing the contracting with the front desk, which they were very insistent on getting a signature for the 50 euro per bike costs, it then took four staff members to show how to turn on the electric bikes. At no point was any safety check or safety demonstration offered. Like you, reader, having rented bikes both electric and non'electric all of the world, you know theres always a safety check. Well, not at the Gecko. After lunch and dinner, we mounted the hotel´s bikes and realized after leaving Es Pujol, that the front and back lights for the bike were not working. We turned the battery on and off, checked the lights, pressed on the lights, nothing. Seeing as the journey back required travel through dark roads with with not a single light in the streets, we contemplated calling the hotel to ask for a pick up of the bikes. We thought otherwise after it took the hotel nearly twenty minutes to produce the wifi prop