Hotel Caribe Resort

4 readers found this review helpful

Stayed in Caribe resort from 4th July 2011 to 11th July 2011, 2 adults and 2 kids aged 7 and 4. Check in was very bad, slowest I have ever experienced. There where 2 receptionist working on check in, and one on guest services. we arrived at 1pm, I already knew we
could not get into our room until 3pm, so I wanted to check in and get our theme park passes and other stuff. At the entrance to the hotel there is a desk outside with a porter type guy who will take your bags and lock them away and deliver them into your room when
he is told your room number by the receptionist, he must have been on a break when we arrived, no one was there. We went through the doors and I sent the misses and kids to sit on some seats with the luggage, so I could go and check in. There was 2 queue lines waiting with 5 or 6 Spanish families in each line waiting to check in, they all had luggage and kids in the queue with them. It took
an astonishing 25 MINUTES for EACH Spanish family to check in, they talked and talked and pointed and looked at paperwork, and everything the receptionist game them, they asked questions about and pointed to restaurants and pointed out the door in the direction of the theme park. The same routing happened for every family, making my wait in line ONE AND A HALF HOURS! When it came
to my turn, the receptionist was very nice and spoke great English, I done my check-in, in about 5 minutes, give passports, she scans them, get theme park passes, they double as room keys, simple, pick breakfast times, simple, can dine around at other hotels if want, simple, don't know why Spanish families take so long!
Went back to check if room is ready about 3.30pm, went to guest services receptionist and she told me room was ready, key card activated for room, she circled the map for me and pointed me in direction, we walked through the pool area and found room quite easily in the Barbados block. We were DISAPPOINTED with the size and
quality of the room. Room was small, quite dusty and the walls had a lot of scuff marks. We had a bottom floor room, 2 glass patio sliding doors leading onto a small terrace with plastic table and 2 chairs.
The swimming pools are good for kids and adults, both pools have walk in slopes for the little ones to walk in and out, or sit and play. No inflatables allowed in pool, balls and water guns are allowed, 3 lifeguards always watching pool.
There are 3 restaurants in hotel, the main one, the bohio is a very good buffet style one, plenty of choice of food and very good quality, you just pay for the drinks you order. We are fussy eaters, but enjoyed the choice of food, there is pizza slices and pasta every night, lots of meats, fish, hotdogs, burgers, 2 soups,
roast potatoes, wedges, chips, salads, continental meats, breads, fish shapes for kids, dressings, sauces, toppings, lots of deserts, ice creams, fresh fruit. Breakfast is just as good, full British type stuff, all fresh made, cereals, fruit, juice, cold meats, and
continental type food. We tried the Italian style restaurant, "la piazza" one night, again very nice, you have a 21Euro allowance for adults and 14Euros for kids in there, our total bill including drinks was only 58Euros, so we had no charge at all to pay, not even for drinks!
The only entertainment in the hotel is the mini disco every night at 9.15pm, and some woodpecker characters interacting with kids around the hotel.
The Portaventura theme park is 5 minutes away using the free bus train provided free, the train just circles from the hotel to the El Paso hotel, to the theme park and back, so the next train is only 10-12 minutes wait if you just miss one. Enter the theme park using you keyroom passcard, all guests get a card each, including
the kids, DON'T LOSE IT!
The theme park is really good, very busy from 10.30am till 4.30pm, around 1 hour queue for the rides, evenings are quieter, around 10 minute queues even for the big rides. I bought a single use express pass from hotel for 8Euros, this gets you right to front of queue, for each ride a single time. It is expensive for food and drinks in the park, you can take in any food or drink you like, so take in some cold drinks with you, very hot in the lines waiting to get on rides, make sure kids have hats and t-shirts. Make sure you get your little kids measured for the rides before you wait in line, we
waited in line for the "coco pilots" ride in the new sesame part of the park for 1 hour, when we got to our turn, the ride attendant turned away 2 kids the same size as ours, he came to measure my 4 year old, and I shouted at him and told him she had been measured and SHE WAS GOING ON! He still tried to measure her and I just shouted and waved my hands at him and told him, she WAS going on the ride, don't let them mess you around and they will back off.
There are some very arrogant foreign people walking around the hotel and theme park who will walk straight into you, even if you are pushing a kids pram, it's best to give a bit of it back to them, if you see them coming right at you don't yield to them, just go right into them, they soon get the message that you are not there to be walked over.
We stayed in the theme park to midnight one night and it was a great show, there is a parade through the park at 11.15pm, it heads down the harbour at the entrance, and at 11.30pm there is a great show in the water with lights and water and fireworks and music, you MUST stay till midnight at least one night to see it!
All in all it is a good holiday, just the quality of the rooms that lets it down, just space for the beds, tiny little fridge, hard to store cold drinks, no kettle, just a hair dryer, the maids come every day and change beds and any towels you leave in the bath, they give the floor a mopping, but no dusting or wiping
walls, or cabinets or cleaning patio. We would have liked to be a little closer to the town, to pop back and forward, there is nothing else around the hotel apart from the theme park, your nearest shop for bottles of juice and stuff is quite a distance, about 15 minute walk.

9 readers found this review helpful

I think the easiest way to review would be to bullet point so its quick for you guys to read :)
Bad points:
* Check in is at 3 so if you arrive before hand you can check in and store your lugguage but you cant get into your room until 3
* Kids club in mainly in Spanish
* Drinks/Snacks/Extras a bit pricey but what do expect when it was so lovely (WKDS 5 EURO, BAILEYS 4.60, COCKTAILS 7.00, COKE 2.90 etc..)
Good points:
* Very clean
* Gorgeous food and a large selection
* A mini disco on the night for the kids and a show with dancers although it is mainly in Spanish the guy who runs it makes sure you understand and its actually a right with the silly dances they have to do and hes really funny and enthusiatic
* Nice rooms - I had (for myself, partner and toddler) an extra large king size bed and a double, a balcony, free tv - alot in spanish but cbeebies was in english which was great for my little girl, free safe, waredrobe, 2 sinks, a jacuzzi bath, 2 showers, private wc.. this was a basic room!!!!
* Sheets and towels changed daily
* Helpful and friendly staff
* Flexible eating times for afternoon, set time for breakfast but you get to pick which one (this is for half boarder's)
* 3 outdoor pools, a beach pool, a smaller beach pool, and a babies pool with a park, all lovely with bars in the centre of them that you could swim too
* We had the unlimited access to the water and theme park included which was great value for money
* A bus/train thing free transport to and from the parks for hotel caribe guests
* 14 differernt apartment blocks with 20 or 30 rooms in each, both ground and balcony floors
* Has internet for 1 euro per 10 mins
* Has other resturants in the resort that you get a voucher for 21 euros to put money too but to be honest we never used it because the food was so good at the buffet, although the food was similar stuuf every night, there was that much that you could swap and change
I will leave it at there as I will go on forever.........

GOOD: good location near parks and near to Salou. Short coach trip from airport.
NOT GOOD: Rooms were not cleaned properly (we were not the only ones). Staff don't really care if you are there or not. Rooms are very standard with tiled floor. 'Beech pool' more like mini gravel and dirty with cigarette butts. Daytime food appalling, not prepared properly, badly presented and expensive. Parks are good if you have not been to Disney Parks (poor imitation). Night-time entertainment for children very poor and outdoor seating areas limited. Expect big Q's for coffee machines at breakfast times and what ever you do, do not Q for things as other European guests do not understand why the british stand in polite Q's! Salou is like Blackpool with sun, full of tacky lilo shops and the streets are in need of attention.
Best tip: Take enough bread and sandwich fillers from the breakfast buffet you can and make sandwiches for lunch (Maybe buy some crisps or chips aswell)- not eat the daytime food.
This is definately NOT a four star hotel, you may like it if you like well used hotels full of taxi-driver or truck-driver families. Our best recommendation is to go for 1 week max and whilst you are there you may or may not discover the best kept secret salou has to offer.

3 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a lovely holiday at the hotel caribe, spoilt only by the fact that for 2 nights we had rude, noisy spanish teenagers over our room, the useless reps did nothing to stop this for us, despite the noise continuing until 4am. The third night, a spanish couple moved into the room next door, and played music and TV until 1am, until I went to speak to them. WALLS PAPER THIN. Apart from that the resort is FAB, the food is good, and, in the main, the staff good (few speak English, but why should they...it's spain). Don't understand why kids entertainment starts at 9.30 pm. One of the Kid's Entertainers was really "in your face" and annoying. If your Kids don't know BETTY BOOP, POPEYE, PINK PANTHER, GROVER, ELMO and the COOKIE MONSTER, they will FREAK at Meal Times when they come around (as mine did). Believe it or not though, the good way outweighed the bad, and we will return, but hope for quieter neighbours.

2 readers found this review helpful

We went out as a family of 4, two children aged 5 and 3. Other family members came at different times and we could all say what a fantastic time we had. The children loved the hotel, especially the beach pool and had great fun with all the "characters" walking around
The resort itself was keep very clean as was the accommodation. The entertainment at night became a bit repetitive but the kids enjoyed watching "Peter Pan" so we didn't mind
The only down side was the food....the buffet service...the choice was fantastic but the food was cold,unless you were the first person there! The other restaurants were nice although my brother in law ordered chicken strips for his two year old son from the Mexican and they were not cooked properly.This little problem was dealt with very quickly and I am happy to say did not find this with any off the other food places within the resort.
This is a place that I would recommend and will come back again soon! The kids talk about it all the time, so no doubt it won't be long til we book it again.
We loved the resort but I don't think i would be so keen to stay in Salou town centre, the times that we did go...it was full of drunk yobs fighting, much preferred staying in Portaventura

2 readers found this review helpful

had a fab holiday. Took my children aged 1 and a half and 3 years. after reading reports prior to departure i was a little worried but need not have been. The worst part of the holiday was the check in proceedure. Luckily there were only 3 couples but it still took 25 minutes to check in as there is so much information to give. I appreciate that it is more personal to to speak in length on an individual basis but things have to change. (please note that this wait applies to all customers of all nationalities even the spanish!) The room its self is perfectly acceptable with twinbeds and a bed setee, the fride is empty so you fill it with your own drinks and in my case locally bought ham for sandwiches! The tv has cbeebies so can pass some time when trying to calm children and also bbc1 and 2 and sky news for adults as well. The swimming pools were fab although watch your feet it is very rough on the bottom and there is zero tollerance for balls in the pool regardless if it for a small child. The food was good a bit limited for childrens menu but we found something to eat evry night so can not complain. i thought the hotel was good but the park did not have enough ride for my children and the waterpark also is not suitable for their ages as they do allow adults to climb on the features there to prevent the water shoots knocking over children. I think i will leave it at least 3 years before I travel back to this hotel to get the full benefit of the facilities.
i work for a travel company and would have no worries about selling this hotel to families with slightly older children.

1 reader found this review helpful

hi just returned from hotel caribe totally exhausted following a week of no sleep. hotel caribe was beautiful ,food ok not the best of choices but not bad. The rooms were pot luck some people got the refurbished rooms we did not so therefore tired but clean although i must point out the tiles on the wall were all mouldy. the biggest problem was you could hear every noise even conversations held in the next room. we were very unfortunate that we had head board banging for the first two nights all the block complained the following morning to reception but they were less than helpfull. We had three more neighbour changes as this hotel lets you book in for just one night and when people stay for just one night we to our experience found out they live it up.Security did come out one night and sort the noise out but did not come out to further requests.The resort was otherwise great , theme park great and fireworks amazing.We would have loved to have returned because apart from the night times it was so peaceful, but cannot risk coming back of holiday feeling so ill from exhaustion.

3 readers found this review helpful

We have not long returned from what i can only describe as paradise. We had two rooms for myself my partner my 2 children aged 13 and 2. My parents were in the other room. The accommodation was fantastic, with the maid changing the beds and clean towels every day. There was a tv that had CBeebies so that kept my youngest entertained the short time we were in the room. The food again fantastic, with so much to choose from. By the time you had a little of everything your plate was full. And you could go up as many times as you liked. It ranged from cooked food to salads, pasta cold meats and canapes, along with a great selection of cakes, fresh fruit and ice cream. There are other restaurants that you can eat in too including a seafood and italian the latter being fantastic. All you had to do was let the hotel know that you wanted to eat there that night and they would transfer your vouchers over (22 euros) and you paid the difference. You can also eat in the sister hotels which have a chinese and mexican buffet night.
The swimming pools were lovely. The sandy bottom one especially. It was very safe as there were life guards all the time. It is situated just off the main road so is very peaceful. There are also little trains that run every ten minutes to take you to the sister hotels and the theme park and water park. I would also recommend the private beach club it was beautiful there, but the swimming pools were very cold there. The theme park was excellent if you like fast rides and with the fast passes you can skip the queues.
Salou town centre is about a 10 to 15 min walk away, which has lots of shops that stay open til late and if you dont fancy the walk back a taxi will cost you about 4 to 5 euros.
The only bad things i would say is that it was quite expensive ther so take plenty of money. And also be aware of pick pockets if you go to any markets or Barcelona.
I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone with children as it is a very clean safe hotel and i cant wait to return there at a later date.

6 readers found this review helpful

I had read the reviews on her before embarking on our holiday and was unsure what to expect as it seemed to either rate a 10 or 3. I must start by adding this is the first holiday abroad I have taken my children on. They are aged 19yrs, 14yrs and 10yrs. Up until now being a single parent I could not afford it. I wanted a holiday that would suit them all and I did not want to hear "I am bored..."
This is a superb resort and what a fantastic holiday we had. We were given adjoining rooms after I requested them on arrival at reception. They were immacualtely clean and one room had a bath with shower over and the other had a jacuzzi bath with seperate power shower. We were half board which I fully recomend. The choice was just way beyond anything I have ever witnessed before, all ages and tastes catered for and allof it freshly prepared and cooked and the restaurant is open 6.30 to 10.30pm in the evening and you do not have to book so you can do what you want with your evening and not be tied to times. There were no queues at bars or at mealtimes.
Many people at breakfast, again the choice being huge were also preparing rolls and taking them away for their lunch, so if you wanted to you need not spend a penny on food whilst there. We did eat out at lunchtimes in the theme park and water park, it is all fast food and not that expensive, not like they charge you in the theme parks in this country or Disney!!
Hotel pool was superb with never more than 10 people in it and all the facilities are as described and seen in all the brochures. The staff are extremely pleasant, welcoming and will do their best to meet your requests. I have noted on these reviews people moan about the lack of english spoken by them... come on guys you are in Spain, how about learn their lingo to get you by before you go, why should they speak fluent english!!! We never had any problems, a bit of pigeon spanish and hand signals always got us by.
Them park and water park fab fab fab... and the express tickets they give you at the hotel for the theme park really do work, straight to the front, what a blessing. My only advice would be to visit the theme park during the week as at weekends obviously the week working spanish come to use it and it gets very busy.
Salou beach not my idea of heaven but my eldest boy got to have a go at jet sking and we got a pedlo out for the rest of us. All in all a fab holiday, that we all enjoyed and ant to go back again next year. It leaves me to wonder how they do it for the money.....

Brilliant holiday. It was the first time we have taken our sons abroad. The transfer time is very short - so no long coach journey with moody kids! The hotel is fantastic. Staff were friendly. Food was gorgeous and lots of variety. The pool with sand, made to look like a beach is gorgeous, the boys loved it. Entertainers were great with the kids and the mini disco is worth a visit if you have little ones. The indoor kids centre which runs everyday was a godsend when we had a day of rain. The women in there are amazing and will do anything in their power to bring a smile to your childs face. A little tram runs every 15 mins outside the hotel to take you to Port Aventura park which is great cos it is quite a walk if you have little ones and a buggy. If you stay in the Caribe you enter the park free. Once inside you can hire buggies from 5 euros. The boys loved it that much that we are about to book again to go next year. Will definately stay in the same hotel. Well recommended.