XO Cape Arna: A pool-focused holiday with a 10-month-old
Nurdan spent 6 nights at XO Cape Arna in July with her 10-month-old. The resort and its pools are excellent — but the sea fell short of expectations, and the evenings were rather noisy.
✓ Great if you're going with
- Families who prefer the pool over the sea
- Those looking for an aquapark and a kids club
- Anyone who wants a new, spacious resort
★ Its strongest point
A new, spacious, high-quality resort; truly excellent pools, an aquapark and a kids club. Genuinely good à la carte restaurants for those who aren't fans of the open buffet.
! Watch out for
- Noisy in the evenings — night shows + noise from the hotel next door
- The sea may not live up to expectations (windy / murky)
- It draws a crowded clientele
Nurdan went to XO Cape Arna in July with her 10-month-old. Back home, she gave it a 7 out of 10; asked "would you recommend it again?", her answer was an honest "I'm not sure." This is a hotel whose strengths and weaknesses split very cleanly.
"For families who love an all-inclusive holiday, prefer the pool over the sea, and care about aquapark and kids club facilities, XO Cape is a good spot that stands out for its quality."
The resort and the pools: the strongest side
"XO Cape is a new, spacious resort. In terms of quality and pools, it's excellent," says Nurdan. There's a separate children's pool, an aquapark and a kids club; the grounds are easy to get around with a stroller. The room came with a bassinet, too. For a pool-focused family holiday, the infrastructure is all there.
The sea: below expectations
She found the sea shallow and safe — but the enjoyment side is weak: "The main beach is wide but very windy; the small cove is a bit murky and small." In her own words, "the sea didn't satisfy us." That's also why she kept the Sea & pool score low. If the sea is your priority, this may not be the right address.
Food: buffet average, restaurants good
She sums up the open buffet and the drink quality as "I can't call it very, very good" — but they genuinely liked the à la carte restaurants. A baby/kids buffet and a high chair were available.
The real caveat: evening noise
What Nurdan calls "the thing I liked least" is the noise: "It was very loud every evening — both the hotel's night shows and the sounds from the hotel next door were really exhausting." For a family with a young baby on an early bedtime routine, this is something that directly affects the comfort of the holiday. She also found the price/quality balance merely "passable."
Photos
Photos: Nurdan — published with her permission.
Baby Proof Travel's assessment
Scoring note: Nurdan had given "Sleep & room" 5/5; but since her feedback that "it was very loud every evening, really exhausting" speaks to exactly what this category measures (quietness), we independently assessed it at 16/20. The 12/20 for "Sea & pool" is her own score, and it is consistent with her criticisms of the sea.
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