Nature provides the decor at the Gran Hotel de Coto, where windows and terraces overlook windswept sand dunes and the sea. The room hallways bring the outdoors in, with wall-size game photographs that evoke the spirit of the Donana National Park next door. The grounds are exquisitely landscaped, with healthy stretches of green lawn dotted with sunbeds and beach umbrellas.

The Gran Hotel is not new, and could use refurbishing to keep up with its gorgeous surroundings. The restaurant and public areas feel a bit like an airport: massive, with low ceilings and blocky columns everywhere, undistinguished seating, and a complete lack of visual interest. Beach umbrellas include Coca-Cola logos. The Restaurant Buffet is lit too brightly, the ubiquitous columns are mirrored, and juice is dispensed by machine. The lobby feels thrown together, with advertisements adjacent to sculptures, and polka-dotted chairs that don't seem to belong with anything. The bottom line is that nothing feels intimate or personal, but the glorious surroundings and family activities are not to be underestimated.

The Gran Hotel de Coto is located in a residential area of the Village of Matalscanas, surrounded by a staggeringly beautiful beachfront that stretches for miles, thanks to the Donana National Park next door. Golfers will enjoy the golf course. There is no commercial center in the immediate surroundings (although there is a beach restaurant next door), but for guests who want to relax and soak in the Costa de la Luz sun, the all-inclusive option should take care of everything.

Rooms at the Gran Hotel de Coto have private balconies or patios, although they are divided from adjacent rooms by smoked glass partitions so neighbors can be seen and heard. Hallways leading to the rooms are fun, with doors set into wall-size photographs of wildlife, but, once inside, the guestrooms are beyond minimalist, completely plain and undecorated. The sea and dune views are the stars here. The rooms are very clean, but the furniture feels as if it came from Ikea. TVs are not flat-screens. Mini-fridges and safes are provided. The junior suite has an enormous private rooftop terrace.

The pool at the Gran Hotel de Coto is surrounded by palm trees and tropical plants, with sunbeds and umbrellas strewn across the well-kept lawns. The pool is so large that it has a landscaped island in the center, and it still looks big. Kids are kept busy at the children's pool and entertained at the kids' club and playground. The Restaurant Buffet seats 800, but some guests have mentioned that the selection does not vary from night to night, and that the kids' menu is nothing but pizza and fries. There is a newsstand/convenience store, a fitness center, and a hair salon.