I found it hard to rate this hotel as we had a really mixed experience. We have stayed in various places in Peníscola over the last 20 years but as this time was the first without our children, we thought we would give this hotel a try.
Positives-
* The staff (all but 1) were exceptionally accommodating, helpful and polite. Reception and the pool bar in particular.
* The rooftop pool is very well run with plenty of sun loungers, music, a pool bar and lovely views of the town. We loved spending time up there. The staff were very attentive and the fruit smoothies a nice touch. Suncream was available if you need a top up.
* The location is excellent, very central.
*The dining room is to congested but the food was very good and the chefs worked incredibly hard.
Other comments:
* The rooms are quite dated. We were lucky to have a higher room with a decent view but lots of rooms did looked to just have street views.
* The shower door was quite a strange design and water could easily escape onto the floor.
* The restaurant was very busy which is fine but the food area was quite small for the amount of people dining. It became very crowded and they kept running out of things. It got very congested.
* Because of the crowds, we preferred to sit in the outdoor courtyard. One evening, we walked in (towards the end of service) and asked for a table outside as on entering, I had seen a few free. The waitress refused and said they were all taken and led us to an indoor table. I walked out and showed her a table that had just been vacated and 2 empty tables. She said the two empty tables were for bar customers (there was not one person in the bar) and we would have to sit inside. Inside was noisy and busy so we left.
*We booked a session in the spa but there was no shade at all and it was very warm so we left. I had to go back to reception and explain this as there were no staff at all in the spa-apparently it was their day off.
*The hotel bar is more like a canteen with no atmosphere at all which is a shame, especially for people who don't want to venture out. I would have expected some basic entertainment or music and more subtle lighting. We went in once to get a drink in the evening but no member of staff appeared so we left.
Overall, a lovely holiday but I would not recommend this hotel to visitors who like to sit in the hotel during the evenings.