Reading the reviews here it seems most people expect one of the cheapest hotels in Cap Salou to also offer 5 star quality. Unsurprisingly, it does not. If you want that, then how about paying out for a better hotel, eh?
It's also worth bearing in mind that such places attract the kind of scummy holiday Brits Abroad that are an embarrassment to us all. This is made many times worse by the hotel catering for the 'all-inclusive' crowd. If you don't want to go all-inclusive, then do not stay here! If you actually have to PAY for your drinks in the hotel, they don't know what to do, and you get the same watered-down tiny measures as the all-inclusive people - case in point: 2 vodka & cokes (made with Panda cola and alleged 'vodka' which at best was 20% by vol) cost us over NINE EUROS! Bottles of Estrella cost 1.70 euros, which is an excellent price - but stopping here without being all-inclusive will cause you huge problems.
FOOD: The food is hit and miss. There is a large selection, and if you're prepared to brave new dishes then you won't be disappointed. If you're stopping here, though, you're most likely the kind of person who hates 'foreign muck' and will be eating nothing but chips. There are always chips to fill your plate up, and to be fair they are quite nice, but it really is
to see Brits eat nothing else! Breakfast is ok for Continental-style stuff, and there is always a fried breakfast available but you may not like the Spanish bacon. Luckily for the Brits there are even chips served at breakfast...STAFF: Most staff speak far better English than the guests, but sometimes strange requests will flummox them. A couple of them are a bit moody - but I'm entirely sure that's because of the way they are treated by the ignorant scummy guests. If you try smiling and being mildly nice to them, they are fine. How about even learning a few key Spanish phrases before you go to Spain? It works wonders.
LOCATION: We made a mistake. Being in Cap Salou, I thought the local bars would all be Spanish. They ALL cater for the English crowd - so expect egg and chips and Karaoke and miserable faces everywhere. Not quite as miserable as the faces sat around the hotel pool all day drinking, but close. There are several great beaches within a few minutes walk, and there are stunning views from the hotel and surrounding area which take in Salou, Cambrils, panoramic ocean, and the graceful mountains always in the background. The countryside around there is beautiful and well worth booking the Jeep ride to see. Salou centre is a 10 min bus ride (1.75 euros), or you can walk along the coastal path and be there in 15 minutes. You'll be wanting to do this as often as possible to get away from the Costa del Warrington.
Overall, the hotel would be fine apart from one really major let-down: The walls really are too thin. You can hear everything from people using the toilet to kids screaming and stomping around. I'm very tolerant because you're always going to get 'people noise', but this came close to ruining our holiday. The highlight was someone snoring loudly, but this was topped by the idiot next door running off crying to his Dad and spending 3 hours shouting so loudly that it literally woke half of the hotel up - who then started singing, shouting, and fighting about it.
I think the hotel should be two star at best, simply because of the walls.
Maid service is excellent for a cheap hotel, with towels changed daily and beds made. Being out of the way, there is an ant problem, but it's not too bad... but be warned if you leave sweets or glasses of coke lay around you WILL be infested by the little blighters! Take care and they're not a problem - they won't bite!
In short, this is a good hotel totally ruined by the thin walls and the cheap all-inclusive crowd which it attracts. I WOULD send my worst enemy there - but only because I'm a very mean and nasty person to my enemies.
Unless you expect your Spanish holiday to be exactly like Saturday night in Salford, you should steer well clear of this place - my advice is to stop closer to Salou in a place with walls that aren't made of cardboard. It will be worth the extra money.
