Magic Natura Animal, Waterpark & Polynesian Resort

Excellent place to stay ,very homely excellent breakfast first rate owner couldn’t do enough for you,won’t hesitate to stay here again.

This is no way a 4 star hotel and I have no idea how it’s got such a high Tripadvisor score. We stayed for 4 nights and we had amazing weather which was the main reason we went away. The location is good with a free shuttle bus into Benidorm old town and new town regularly throughout the day. The pools were freezing cold and we couldn’t use them which was a massive let down. It would have been nice to sit in the infinity pool overlooking the elephants but it was like an ice bucket. The kids did brave the pool on a couple of occasions but couldn’t stop shivering. The pools in the water park are also freezing cold. Some slides were out of action and no wave pool as advertised? I was so disappointed that you have to pay for sun beds at the water park. We spent a huge amount of money on a 5 day stay here and then to have someone come around with a card machine asking for €8.00 per bed was a joke! There are a few beds allocated for hotel guests but the were all old broken ones or, round at the back by the toilets! Food was good, but quite often cold. We had all inclusive and there is a good selection at meal times and the drinks selection was also very good. The accommodation was a big let down. The cabin was tired and in need of updating and refurbishing. The bathrooms smelt so bad and the cabin was so tiny for a family. We had a 3 bedroom for 5 of us and it was too small. We had a giant cockroach visit us on our third night which was no surprise considering the smelly sewage bathrooms, leaking showers, stained walls and general filth throughout. Another negative is the lack of quiet spaces. If you’re after a loud party atmosphere with lots of shouting and family’s playing Bluetooth speakers then this is a good choice. If you’re after something more relaxed, go somewhere else. Even for a family holiday with the kids I found the resort too rowdy for us. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just not what we look for in a holiday. The Zoo was great and we enjoyed wondering around there. I’d recommend taking some time to go around and see the animals. Entertainment was quite poor at night. The shows are basically all the same with people performing the same tricks swinging in poles and ropes just to different songs. The Animation team are lovely though and my kids really enjoyed spending time with them in the afternoons. Overall, I would suggest going elsewhere if you want value for money, don’t waist thousands on this resort.

We’ve just come back from a family holiday of nine of us staying here we had two one bedroom lodges and one one bedroom lodge and I would not recommend staying here Cons: one bedroom lodge the telly didn’t work both two bedroom lodges the Aircon didn’t work and we kept having hot and cold water. The Wi-Fi around the complex is awful, it only worked for two days out of seven that we were there. The walls are paper thin and you can hear everything. It took three days of us putting the sign out for them to come and clean our rooms and then they still didn’t do it properly. The food is okay but needs to be a lot hotter and Saturdays if you don’t like fish there is nothing to eat and if you’re gluten-free, I would not go to the hotel. There is no food allergy labels on any of the food and it was very difficult to get gluten-free food. You have to order it 24 hours before you want it and no one in the restaurant speaks English which isn’t helpful and the staff are very rude. And the water in the swimming pool is freezing. Don’t bother going to the spa it’s a waste of time and the Jacuzzi is cold. Pros: the beds are very comfortable. They give you a lot of bedding and towels and the cocktails are very nice.

Cons: The concept of the hotel is good, but it is not executed well. The rooms are very outdated and not particularly clean. Our bathroom made a loud whistling noise throughout the night, and the air conditioning unit was very noisy and would turn on randomly. Although we had premium all-inclusive access, we only ate there twice because the food was poor - often not hot and sometimes mislabeled. The ice cream truck was nice, but I was asked for a tip every time I went for a very small scoop, which became frustrating. I was also disappointed that so many things came with extra costs. You couldn’t get a drink without paying a deposit for a cup, the safe cost €5 per day, and I couldn’t have an iron in my room - I had to go to the laundry room and rent one. Customer service was also very disappointing; the reception staff were rude and dismissive. When I raised that we had booked a “pool view” room but did not actually have a view of the pool, I was told that the area of my room was called “pool view,” and that this didn’t mean you would actually see the pool. The way I was questioned to get my €3 cup deposit back was almost comical. You also have to pay for beds in the water park, which felt unacceptable given that we had paid for “premium” access. In addition, the all-inclusive bar and snack bar are located quite far from the water park, while the paid food stalls are conveniently placed near the pools and slides. Additionally, I was told I couldn’t fill my Stanley flask with Pepsi, but if it was a branded flask I had purchased in the water park or zoo that is okay… None of the pools in the hotel or the water park are heated, so the water was freezing cold. Pros: The setting of the hotel is lovely, and the views from the pool overlooking the zoo are really nice. Access to the zoo and water park was the main perk for us, and it was something we genuinely enjoyed. It was also nice that it was out of Benidorm in a much quieter area, but the town was easily accessible. Overall I would say the hotel has good potential but some customer service training would be helpful and some money spent on the rooms. We only stayed for 4 nights and that was more than enough!