Rarely does one come across a resort property that ticks most or all of the boxes. Some hotels may be located right on the beach but consequently suffer from the noise generated by late night revelers. Or it might have all the facilities known to modern man but you’d need a kings ransom to settle the bill at the end of your holiday. Worse still are those properties (and believe me, there are many), where the rooms are lovely but the food stinks. It is therefore such a treat when one comes across a property that is practically faultless and such a property can be found in the guise of the Cordial Mogan Playa, located, as you might expect, in Mogan, Gran Canaria.
I blogged about Mogan not so long ago as I passed briefly through the small resort as part of a familiarization trip to the island, organised by the ever helpful Spanish Tourist Board and fell in love with the place at first sight. I happen to enjoy the good fortune of living in one of Ireland’s most pleasant and photogenic seaside villages — Dunmore East — so the best way I could describe Mogan is that it is Gran Canaria’s equivalent, only prettier! The Cordial Mogan Playa is one of two Cordial-owned properties located in the small fishing village, the other being the Cordial Puerto de Mogan which is located right on the quay front in the middle of the port. Although both are rated as four star properties, the Mogan Playa is clearly the far better of the two as it sits just two minutes walk from the beach on a huge self-contained site that is almost like a small town in it’s own right. The property offers a huge range of facilities including spa, tennis courts, bowling alley, nightly entertainment, poolside calisthenics, shops, life-size chess board, multiple bars, two performance stages, indoor pools and waterfalls, games room, kindergarten classes, waiter service at both of its large swimming pools (waiters are summoned by means of battery operated, wi-fi enabled gizmos that are left on your poolside table. The complex which also boasts family rooms (two adjoining self-contained bedrooms with own bathrooms that share a common hallway and single front door), junior suites, duplex suites (with front/back gardens) and large apartments is also home to an award-winning gourmet restaurant that boasts Michelin-quality food at Irish run-of-the-mill restaurant prices. All of the above is tastefully decorated in traditional Gran Canarian architectural style and in subtle shades of terracotta, ochre and blue amidst the most opulent and beautifully planted gardens that meander through several acres of manicured loveliness, right in the middle of Mogan itself. The self-contained complex even includes its own church — ideal for wedding parties and honeymooners.
I stayed there last week with my extended family on a half-board basis and they offer the most comprehensive buffet layout that I have yet seen in a hotel of any standard. Guests wishing to eat out at night (not that you would want to given the quality and range of food on offer) can do so by simply advising the front desk in the morning and substituting lunch for dinner later that day. Anyone wishing to dine at the onsite gourmet restaurant called Los Guayres and who is staying on a half-board basis at the hotel receives a €15 credit per person towards their bill. The standard tasting menu is €47 per person. . This glorious first-class restaurant is run by the renowned Canarian Chef Alexis Alvarez who is a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs.
Indeed, probably the most succinct way of describing the Cordial Mogan Playa is like a top four-star cruise ship on land. Self-catering or half-board options can be booked through any Travel Centres-affiliated agent in Ireland where the properties are represented by Globe Hotels.
