Sofitel La Reserva Cardales 5성

We arrived at Sofitel La Reserva Cardales expecting a five-star experience. What we got was a string of disappointments that left us comparing it to budget roadside hotels like Holiday Inn or Travelodge. After only 17 years in operation, the hotel already feels tired and poorly managed, staffed by mostly untrained and disinterested personnel—though we must credit the restaurant and pool bar staff, who were a rare bright spot. From the start, the service was lackluster. Security staff were indifferent and borderline rude. No one welcomed us as we parked or helped with bags. At check-in, disinterested reception staff gave us a tattered A4 printout of spa prices (more expensive than UK standards), a flyer, a paper wristband, and four cards—two for the room (which didn’t work), one for towels, and one for spa robes. Then we were left to find our way. The room was large but felt cold, worn and had no coffee or tea facilities (we were given some instant coffee and tea after we got fed up and complained after day 3) The “king bed” was two beds pushed together, and the topper was plasticky and noisy. The marble bath was dirty, the water lukewarm, and the shower stuck between scalding settings. The only redeeming feature was the lovely view and well-kept outdoor area. Our visit to the games room—a major selling point—was equally frustrating. We waited 20 minutes at an unattended desk before learning the bar wasn’t operating, and that there was a 25-minute wait for bowling. After finally getting drinks from the bar upstairs (with confusion over being allowed with drinks downstairs or not), we were given a lane out of three (one was broken) with only 8 balls total to share between all lanes—all too heavy or too light, both sizes with child-sized finger holes. The system then glitched and wiped our scores after our second go each. No staff were around to help, so we gave up. Dining involved scanning QR codes that led to an app with menus hosted on Google Drive. These changed often, and drink menus were confusing. Food was decent, and most of the waiting staff were pleasant, but a few looked like they didn’t want to be there. It was a rainy week, so the tennis courts were swamped. The maintenance person at the tennis club that belongs to the private neighbourhood next door was promptly at 8am every morning looking after those courts, making sure they would be usable by the afternoon. The hotel's courts, however, no one looked after them for a second in the 5 days we were there. We raised this several times to the reception staff who every time said "we'll look into it". After two days of receiving no response, I personally drained, swept, and put clay on one of the courts, which made it available for guests to enjoy the last two days of our stay. Yes, I spent two hours of my own time looking after the tennis court at a 5 star hotel... if that's not an embarrassment to the establishment, then that shows how little the management cares about their customers.  After complaining about all this, we got given free access to the "water circuit", which was yet another disappointment. Malfunctioning saunas, with broken seats and nails hanging dangerously, stinky dirty steam room, cold showers that aren't cold, and cold plunge that is meant to be at 10 degrees but it's more like 20.  In short, the hotel is beautiful on the outside but badly let down by poor service, dated infrastructure, and a total lack of polish. This could have been a dream stay. Instead, it was a lesson in how not to run a luxury hotel.

Worst nightmare. This used to be a 5 star top rated hotel. It went near bankrupt. New shareholders now offer huge discounts. The place gets full of all kind of people you would NOT expect in a 5 star. We booked the most expensive room. Cold, lacking decor, empty walls, no paintings/pictures, the mega super balcony had only two sofa chairs, soiled, old. Impossible to follow shower instructions. And we are Argies with British background. Travel a lot. Manager too young. We did get a 20% discount. Breakfast was a zoo. Full of screaming children, undesrstaffed. A dreadful experience. Getting in through security is a 15" ordeal. We shall never return. And it is a great pity. It has a lot to offer... They have lost their mission. Janine & Danny Bell

One of the poorest experiences in a so-called Luxury Property I’ve ever had. And I have had plenty, I hold status with various Hotel Chains, Titanium Elite with Marriott amongst others. We were returning to Uruguay From Buenos Aires and were needing a 1 night stay in the Campana Area to have a good Night Rest and maybe some Spa Time. Since none of our preferred Hotel Chains had a local presence I decided to explore one of my minor Loyalty Programs, Accor. That’s how we came to know this Sofitel Property. Once arrived at the locations my wife and I were a bit confused. The Setting was not very Hotel like. At the gate we found out that we were entering a gated community. This was not mentioned on the Accor website. If I had known that I would not have stayed there. I’ve nothing against it but I’m familiar with the urban and natural design of these areas and It’s not my cup of tea if on Holiday. Anyway, once at the gate we had to wait for several minutes to get access even after providing ou ID’s to the security guards. They would not let us through until the property confirmed that we were on the reservation list. Once the Hotel finally confirmed we were asked to open our trunk for inspection before accessing the community. This was a very hostile situation. I’ve had better experiences with TSA. At check-in I expressed my discontent with the front desk employee who did not address the issue nor offered any kind of apology. I’m just starting to assume things are done this way at this hotel, a little less Hospitality and little more rudeness. After the check-in process was fulfilled credit card swiped forms filled out we were “reminded” that check-out was at Noon sharp and that we would not be welcome to stay at the premises afterwards. WTF, really? No lunch?, No visit to the garden? No possibility to leave luggage until the afternoon for a quick visit to the city nearby? No, you are requested to LEAVE at noon. Well, that was it for us. We no longer felt welcome there. We decided to get some work done and have dinner before going to bed and leave the next morning right after Breakfast. The room was good. Although, I had requested and paid for a King Size bed, we were given two twin beds instead. It’s spacious with a modern design. The TV is rather small considering the size of the room. The Bath Room is comfortable, it has a separate walk in shower and bath tub. There’s also a nice and spacious balcony without comfortable furniture. That is not a big issue as you don’t want to stay there too long. There’s a highway nearby and after a few minutes the sound off traffic gets on your nerves. We ordered Simple room service dishes. Steak with mashed potatoes and a Burger with fries. Steak was acceptable served a bit cold though. Burger was not very good. Bun was to dry and patty overcooked. No sauce hence Superdry experience. What caught my eye was that the room service Menu did not include any clear options for Vegetarians/Vegans and/or persons with Allergies or Intolerances. Breakfast was not a very good experience either. It’s not clear whether it’s a buffet or assisted service. You can serve yourself some cereal but you can’t pour milk on it yourself. C’mon. We waited more than 15 minutes for coffee, had to ask several times before the waitress served us some. Again there were no “clear” options available for Vegetarians/Vegans and or persons with Allergies or Intolerances. Right after breakfast we left did not look back. Needless to say, Do not stay here!

We stayed there for 3 days, during the school winter holidays. The hotel is nice and quiet, sorrounded by a very beautiful natural environment. Our room was spacious, with a comfortable balcony overlooking the lagoon and a very comfortable bed. There was a fridge, but it was completely empty. The artificial lighting in the room is poor, in general there is a lack of maintenance. Going on to the gastronomic theme, I found it expensive and poor. although the offer is interesting, the preparation and the flavors are poor. As for the activities, there are options, but the guides are late and with little interest in the client. The final price was excessive in relation to what was obtained.

Trying to escape from Gallery One by Hilton experience at US. I have move to the South of America, perhaps not the best qualification for some people, but try to take a look at this place, really superior to past days at "well consider" places, full of dirt and without a human treatment. Here you have the best and the best people, from manager to housekeeping. Sorry at the front are argentine flag and french flag !!