Hotel Serhs Montemar, Pineda De Mar, Spain
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £62
Hotel Description:
Montemar Hotel is situated in a quiet and relaxing zone, at 300 m from the beach of Pineda de Mar and the train station. Just 300m away from the village centre and the shopping area. loading...
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Hotel Serhs Montemar Reviews
" The Good, the Bad and the Bizarre "
Submitted By: RoChambeaux
This is a hotel with pros, con and, frankly, some bizarre peculiarities.
First the good bits. The room was small (for 2 adults and 2 children) but very clean and functional and maids did a thorough job daily. Reception staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is close to the beach and all amenities.
The resort itself, Pineda de Mar, is an ideal family holiday location. No gangs of drunken youths or any loutishness at all – go to Lloret de Mar for that if you must. Not much nightlife but laid-back family friendly bars and it feels very safe at night. Train station is nearby and useful for trips to Barcelona and Gerona. Fares, at less than 7 Euros, are reasonable but children pay full price. Calella, the next train stop down from Pineda, is livelier with good shopping - lots of bull-emblazed tourist tat but also higher end shops and especially good for shoes (don’t know why) and the delicatessens offer some fascinating stuff. Eating out, despite the dire exchange rate, is still reasonable (5 to 7 Euros gets a good main course). Alcohol in bars is similar to English prices but supermarkets are much cheaper. Cigarettes, even American brands, are half what they cost in the UK. Lots of Spanish holiday-makers and very few English; we didn’t mind that but it meant it was difficult for the children to find friends they could converse with. The beach is busy but there is a calm and quiet atmosphere and again it is very family friendly. Beware of passing pleasure boats discharging effluent into the water. Sometimes it hadn’t even been properly processed and lumps of what was unmistakeably human excrement were spotted. The sea emptied for this reason one afternoon and we felt somewhat put off visiting it after that.
Now the bad bits. The food in the hotel is dire. In fairness, one can always find something to eat. There’s lots of fresh fruit, salad stuff, bread (though sometimes a little past its sell-by date especially the ‘croissants’), chips and bland stuff like processed cheese and those square pieces of ‘ham’ that you only ever seem to see in cheap hotels. However, all the main dishes are made with the cheapest quality and cuts of fatty meat you can imagine and the fish is no better. The bacon is revolting. There is a risible attempt at a Chinese night once a week when the staff don oriental style tunics. If they did not, one would never guess it was an attempt at Chinese food. That they use spaghetti instead of noodles sums up the general feel of it. Mexican night is marginally better but even the most pampered fresher away at university for the first time could probably knock up a better chilli con carne. The soup is made from a packet. The ‘fruit juice’ tasted like it was reconstituted from one of those artificial tasting powder mixes. One particularly annoying thing was that in the evenings you had to pay for even non-alcohol drinks from the serve-yourself machine if you were only on half board as we were. This was a rule that the staff were only too keen to impose, unlike the hotel’s ‘towels on sun-beds’ rule (see below). The desserts were so ghastly that even our sugar-craving 12 and 10 daughters eschewed most of them, the principle exception being some strange pre-packed cold desserts which we never managed to decide were mousse or ice-cream.
If you’re not on the all-inclusive package – and virtually everybody was it seemed apart from us – it was irritating to be expected to pay standard bar prices for drinks served in a plastic glass. Hence, we probably bought no more than three or four drinks in the entire fortnight from the hotel bar. For those on the all-inclusive deal, they had to endure the ordeal of having to eat a further daily meal at lunchtime in addition to being ‘tagged’ for the duration of their stay with a rock festival style armband. We’ve not been on a package holiday for over 20 years so this may be accepted practice on the Costa Brava but, if so, it’s not a very appealing one.
I’m all for saving the planet but this hotel takes its energy saving policies rather too far. If you’re sharing your room with children and want to read then the only option is to sit out on the balcony. It’s plenty warm enough thoroughout the night. Alas, on the first night we couldn’t locate the light switch for the balcony and gave up. We were relieved then when, at about 9:30, the balcony lights came on automatically. We were rather less chuffed when our light, along with every other balcony light in the hotel, went off at midnight prompt. Cue collective groan from all patrons left stranded visionless on their balconies. It felt rather like being at boot camp at lights out time.
A further point of criticism concerns the space. This hotel is far too small for the number of guests. The dining room is so cramped that it is barely possible to eat without elbowing diners at the surrounding tables. The pool gets so busy it is off-putting and there aren’t nearly enough sun-beds for guests. We were impressed on arrival when we saw a notice at the pool saying that it was forbidden to reserve sun-beds by placing a towel on them. Unfortunately, this rule was not only not enforced but the hotel, in effect, facilitated breaches of its own rules since at 7 am they opened up the sun-bed area to a waiting queue who then reserved their pitch with a towel and promptly left the area to go for breakfast. By 8am every sun-bed was reserved but not a soul was to be seen. I complained about this to the lifeguard who wasn’t interested and asked to see the manager. I am prepared to put down his initial brusque response – ‘So what?’ – down to language issues. When he suggested that I take any sun-beds I like and remove the towels and he would deal with any fallout arising from this, I knew I was wasting my time. He was expecting his guests to police and impose the hotel’s rules on other guests. A most peculiar way of carrying on. If you want to meet the few English people at this hotel, I’d advise you to go to the back of the sun-bed area where most of them are sat on chairs – they either couldn’t be bothered to get up in the middle of the night queuing with their towel or, like us for the first week, had foolishly chosen to abide by the hotel’s rules.
And finally the bizarre. Those with a sense of humour might enjoy the hotel’s evening entertainment which, to put it mildly, is outrageously dated in style and very amateurish. Frankly, it makes the ‘turns’ on Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights look like high culture. It repeats on a seven day cycle as do the meals. The magician, a professional hired in on the Sunday night, is worth watching for the right reasons. Also, the singer/guitarist performing to backing tracks from Leeds is passable but, if he’s reading this, his guitar is not loud enough in the mix (though as a guitar maniac myself, maybe that’s just me). The rest of the entertainment provided by the in-house entertainment staff is, to use the cliché, so bad it’s good. The staff themselves are charming, friendly, enthusiastic, very good humoured and absolutely wonderful with young children. They work during the day providing children’s activities suitable for ages up to around 8. By night they transmogrify into multi-lingual bingo-callers and the cast of High School Musical and Moulin Rouge. The bingo takes forever and is hilarious as they read out each number in Spanish, English, German, Italian and French using a child’s toy bingo kit. One night the caller didn’t appear to know her German numbers and the next week we spotted at least three occasions when the numbers shouted in English were different to those shouted in French, German and Spanish. Neither of us speak Italian so who knows what was being said to the nationals of that fair country. Needless to say, a lot of false calls were shouted. On our second week there were not enough pens to go round. But it was free to play and an unforgettable experience.
Even if, like me, you detest musicals, it’s worth going to at least one at this hotel. The plots bear no relation to the originals, there is next to no stage scenery and the props and stage clothes are such as would embarrass even the most cash-strapped sixth form production. The best bit is that the cast are not actually singing and speaking the dialogue but miming out of synch to a tape. It could only have been funnier if they had attempted to speak every line in five languages like the bingo. Before the evening’s grand production, the staff organise a disco for the young ones resembles which some chaotically insane crèche. The staff do an excellent job at this. The whole entertainment experience in this hotel was akin to what one might have expected from the ‘redcoats’ and ‘bluecoats’ at Butlins or Pontins in the 1960s and 70s but nowhere near as classy!
One last oddity. The hotel rejoices in its possession of the uncraziest crazy golf course you might come across along with a very strange pricing policy. To play table tennis or badminton, there is a fully refundable deposit required for the bats/ balls/ shuttlecock etc but no actual charge. Fair enough. Not so the crazy golf which is nine holes of tubular steel with wacky variations such as a curve or a shape in the middle of the ‘fairway’. The course is on a concrete floor so there is no maintenance required. Yet for some reason known only to the hotel’s management a charge of 1 Euro per person is levied in addition to a deposit. Given my previous encounter with the manager, I judged it best not to bother asking!
We had a good time in Pineda and the shortcomings of the hotel by no means spoiled our holiday. But for little under £2,000 (circa 10% of the average UK wage) for a family of four, the poor food and cramped conditions means we wouldn’t go again to this hotel. Next time we’ll rent an apartment and use the money saved on the initial outlay to eat out.
First the good bits. The room was small (for 2 adults and 2 children) but very clean and functional and maids did a thorough job daily. Reception staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is close to the beach and all amenities.
The resort itself, Pineda de Mar, is an ideal family holiday location. No gangs of drunken youths or any loutishness at all – go to Lloret de Mar for that if you must. Not much nightlife but laid-back family friendly bars and it feels very safe at night. Train station is nearby and useful for trips to Barcelona and Gerona. Fares, at less than 7 Euros, are reasonable but children pay full price. Calella, the next train stop down from Pineda, is livelier with good shopping - lots of bull-emblazed tourist tat but also higher end shops and especially good for shoes (don’t know why) and the delicatessens offer some fascinating stuff. Eating out, despite the dire exchange rate, is still reasonable (5 to 7 Euros gets a good main course). Alcohol in bars is similar to English prices but supermarkets are much cheaper. Cigarettes, even American brands, are half what they cost in the UK. Lots of Spanish holiday-makers and very few English; we didn’t mind that but it meant it was difficult for the children to find friends they could converse with. The beach is busy but there is a calm and quiet atmosphere and again it is very family friendly. Beware of passing pleasure boats discharging effluent into the water. Sometimes it hadn’t even been properly processed and lumps of what was unmistakeably human excrement were spotted. The sea emptied for this reason one afternoon and we felt somewhat put off visiting it after that.
Now the bad bits. The food in the hotel is dire. In fairness, one can always find something to eat. There’s lots of fresh fruit, salad stuff, bread (though sometimes a little past its sell-by date especially the ‘croissants’), chips and bland stuff like processed cheese and those square pieces of ‘ham’ that you only ever seem to see in cheap hotels. However, all the main dishes are made with the cheapest quality and cuts of fatty meat you can imagine and the fish is no better. The bacon is revolting. There is a risible attempt at a Chinese night once a week when the staff don oriental style tunics. If they did not, one would never guess it was an attempt at Chinese food. That they use spaghetti instead of noodles sums up the general feel of it. Mexican night is marginally better but even the most pampered fresher away at university for the first time could probably knock up a better chilli con carne. The soup is made from a packet. The ‘fruit juice’ tasted like it was reconstituted from one of those artificial tasting powder mixes. One particularly annoying thing was that in the evenings you had to pay for even non-alcohol drinks from the serve-yourself machine if you were only on half board as we were. This was a rule that the staff were only too keen to impose, unlike the hotel’s ‘towels on sun-beds’ rule (see below). The desserts were so ghastly that even our sugar-craving 12 and 10 daughters eschewed most of them, the principle exception being some strange pre-packed cold desserts which we never managed to decide were mousse or ice-cream.
If you’re not on the all-inclusive package – and virtually everybody was it seemed apart from us – it was irritating to be expected to pay standard bar prices for drinks served in a plastic glass. Hence, we probably bought no more than three or four drinks in the entire fortnight from the hotel bar. For those on the all-inclusive deal, they had to endure the ordeal of having to eat a further daily meal at lunchtime in addition to being ‘tagged’ for the duration of their stay with a rock festival style armband. We’ve not been on a package holiday for over 20 years so this may be accepted practice on the Costa Brava but, if so, it’s not a very appealing one.
I’m all for saving the planet but this hotel takes its energy saving policies rather too far. If you’re sharing your room with children and want to read then the only option is to sit out on the balcony. It’s plenty warm enough thoroughout the night. Alas, on the first night we couldn’t locate the light switch for the balcony and gave up. We were relieved then when, at about 9:30, the balcony lights came on automatically. We were rather less chuffed when our light, along with every other balcony light in the hotel, went off at midnight prompt. Cue collective groan from all patrons left stranded visionless on their balconies. It felt rather like being at boot camp at lights out time.
A further point of criticism concerns the space. This hotel is far too small for the number of guests. The dining room is so cramped that it is barely possible to eat without elbowing diners at the surrounding tables. The pool gets so busy it is off-putting and there aren’t nearly enough sun-beds for guests. We were impressed on arrival when we saw a notice at the pool saying that it was forbidden to reserve sun-beds by placing a towel on them. Unfortunately, this rule was not only not enforced but the hotel, in effect, facilitated breaches of its own rules since at 7 am they opened up the sun-bed area to a waiting queue who then reserved their pitch with a towel and promptly left the area to go for breakfast. By 8am every sun-bed was reserved but not a soul was to be seen. I complained about this to the lifeguard who wasn’t interested and asked to see the manager. I am prepared to put down his initial brusque response – ‘So what?’ – down to language issues. When he suggested that I take any sun-beds I like and remove the towels and he would deal with any fallout arising from this, I knew I was wasting my time. He was expecting his guests to police and impose the hotel’s rules on other guests. A most peculiar way of carrying on. If you want to meet the few English people at this hotel, I’d advise you to go to the back of the sun-bed area where most of them are sat on chairs – they either couldn’t be bothered to get up in the middle of the night queuing with their towel or, like us for the first week, had foolishly chosen to abide by the hotel’s rules.
And finally the bizarre. Those with a sense of humour might enjoy the hotel’s evening entertainment which, to put it mildly, is outrageously dated in style and very amateurish. Frankly, it makes the ‘turns’ on Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights look like high culture. It repeats on a seven day cycle as do the meals. The magician, a professional hired in on the Sunday night, is worth watching for the right reasons. Also, the singer/guitarist performing to backing tracks from Leeds is passable but, if he’s reading this, his guitar is not loud enough in the mix (though as a guitar maniac myself, maybe that’s just me). The rest of the entertainment provided by the in-house entertainment staff is, to use the cliché, so bad it’s good. The staff themselves are charming, friendly, enthusiastic, very good humoured and absolutely wonderful with young children. They work during the day providing children’s activities suitable for ages up to around 8. By night they transmogrify into multi-lingual bingo-callers and the cast of High School Musical and Moulin Rouge. The bingo takes forever and is hilarious as they read out each number in Spanish, English, German, Italian and French using a child’s toy bingo kit. One night the caller didn’t appear to know her German numbers and the next week we spotted at least three occasions when the numbers shouted in English were different to those shouted in French, German and Spanish. Neither of us speak Italian so who knows what was being said to the nationals of that fair country. Needless to say, a lot of false calls were shouted. On our second week there were not enough pens to go round. But it was free to play and an unforgettable experience.
Even if, like me, you detest musicals, it’s worth going to at least one at this hotel. The plots bear no relation to the originals, there is next to no stage scenery and the props and stage clothes are such as would embarrass even the most cash-strapped sixth form production. The best bit is that the cast are not actually singing and speaking the dialogue but miming out of synch to a tape. It could only have been funnier if they had attempted to speak every line in five languages like the bingo. Before the evening’s grand production, the staff organise a disco for the young ones resembles which some chaotically insane crèche. The staff do an excellent job at this. The whole entertainment experience in this hotel was akin to what one might have expected from the ‘redcoats’ and ‘bluecoats’ at Butlins or Pontins in the 1960s and 70s but nowhere near as classy!
One last oddity. The hotel rejoices in its possession of the uncraziest crazy golf course you might come across along with a very strange pricing policy. To play table tennis or badminton, there is a fully refundable deposit required for the bats/ balls/ shuttlecock etc but no actual charge. Fair enough. Not so the crazy golf which is nine holes of tubular steel with wacky variations such as a curve or a shape in the middle of the ‘fairway’. The course is on a concrete floor so there is no maintenance required. Yet for some reason known only to the hotel’s management a charge of 1 Euro per person is levied in addition to a deposit. Given my previous encounter with the manager, I judged it best not to bother asking!
We had a good time in Pineda and the shortcomings of the hotel by no means spoiled our holiday. But for little under £2,000 (circa 10% of the average UK wage) for a family of four, the poor food and cramped conditions means we wouldn’t go again to this hotel. Next time we’ll rent an apartment and use the money saved on the initial outlay to eat out.
Advice: Family friendly resort; quiet with no marauding groups of drunken youths
Activities:
Good for: Beach
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Low Cost
" The costa Brava is one of those... "
Submitted By: Mr D Hannah
The costa Brava is one of those resorts you either love or hate....we loved it.
Yet looking at the reviews on this site that give such low scores, i have to admit we were worried before we left. I guess we must have went to the wrong hotel.
Reception staff were great, especially a girl who came from the canary islands, she had me laughing all week. Bar staff pleasant and did try to help, although the canteen staff could have looked less grumpy.
Cleaners came everyday and left the room spotless, even cleared our rubbish away for us without being asked. Food was a bit limited but was always warm, and all inclusive food was available from noon to 7pm each day...
As a guest in their country, myself and my family try and speak limited spanish, and for the most the staff helpfully tried to correct our spanish with a smile, and gave us a holiday to remember, although if the couple moaning their head off at reception are anything to go by, then no wonder some brits don't get the service they hope for.
The girl on the desk tried to sort out their room key problem and was given a whole load of abuse for her troubles, i was embarrassed to admit i was english after their performance. yet through all their abuse the girl still tried to smile and be helpful.
Maybe some holiday makers should try doing the job that these people do, and take the abuse, then they would know how it feels to be treated unreasonably.
Hotel Basic, but clean, hard to get a lounger, but that's the norm in most places....overall i would return to the hotel. great for family with small kids.
Also a worthy note for the bar on the main strip....le taverna del poble...run by dutch people....food great and really friendly staff.
i guess the hotel is standard for 3* but the staff made our holiday, even the kids left with a few spanish friends in the staff, the entertainment team for the kids were excellent, never met any like them, they were wonderful
Yet looking at the reviews on this site that give such low scores, i have to admit we were worried before we left. I guess we must have went to the wrong hotel.
Reception staff were great, especially a girl who came from the canary islands, she had me laughing all week. Bar staff pleasant and did try to help, although the canteen staff could have looked less grumpy.
Cleaners came everyday and left the room spotless, even cleared our rubbish away for us without being asked. Food was a bit limited but was always warm, and all inclusive food was available from noon to 7pm each day...
As a guest in their country, myself and my family try and speak limited spanish, and for the most the staff helpfully tried to correct our spanish with a smile, and gave us a holiday to remember, although if the couple moaning their head off at reception are anything to go by, then no wonder some brits don't get the service they hope for.
The girl on the desk tried to sort out their room key problem and was given a whole load of abuse for her troubles, i was embarrassed to admit i was english after their performance. yet through all their abuse the girl still tried to smile and be helpful.
Maybe some holiday makers should try doing the job that these people do, and take the abuse, then they would know how it feels to be treated unreasonably.
Hotel Basic, but clean, hard to get a lounger, but that's the norm in most places....overall i would return to the hotel. great for family with small kids.
Also a worthy note for the bar on the main strip....le taverna del poble...run by dutch people....food great and really friendly staff.
i guess the hotel is standard for 3* but the staff made our holiday, even the kids left with a few spanish friends in the staff, the entertainment team for the kids were excellent, never met any like them, they were wonderful
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Select
- Tour Operator:Freedom Direct
" We first arrived it was ok, we had a... "
Submitted By: Miss K Williams
We first arrived it was ok, we had a cold meal ready waiting for us as we arrived at 1am. The first night was really bad, the walls are paper thin you can hear everything, even in the room oposit us, the aircon makes a really loud noise all night so never put that on as couldnt sleep, the wind outside whistles all the way through the room, so only got about an hours sleep the first night. The food is diabolical, everything had no label so didnt know what it was, all we ate was chips as this was all we could reconize and bread rolls which were stale all week and butter that tasted of nothing. There are snacks during the day which were ok burgers, hotdogs and chips which we ate most of the hoilday as everything else was horrible but got fed up with burger, hotdogs and chips everyday. The drinks were ok during the day you help yourself to VALUE cola, lemonade, orangeade etc you have to pay more for 'coke a cola', the drinks at night were really bad. there was 1 beer on the tap ''estrella damm'' which was in a plastic cup about 1/2 pint. there were all there own brand spirits and you have to pay more for the real brands, and tasted rubbish. The staff are really rude, one of the bar men snatched a drink out of my brother hand as he was just about to drink it as he was clearing the tables, the restaurant staff need to learn customer service skills they are really rude. Also the place is full of German people there were about 2 groups of English people there. The entertainment was awfull, it took about an hour to play Bingo as they had to read it out in 6 different launguages, there is no entertainment during the day and at night its just not worth staying in the hotel. The Beach is just up the road witch was nice but sand was like gravel, the town is really nice there are loads of shops,m but overall we were all very dissapionted in the hotel as we pay ''all inclusive'' and ate out most nights as it was really bad and very boring. I wouldnt recommend this hotel to anyone as it was just awfull. Oh and if you book with Freedom direct at the end of the holiday you have to walk with all your suitcases into town to meet the coach at the train station!!!!!! what a joke, i will never book with Freedom Direct ever again and with never go back to the Montamar Hotel, but would go back to Costa Brava but not Pineda De Mar!
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:freedom direct
" if i could give awards to staff for... "
Submitted By: Mrs N J Goldstraw Was Wilson
if i could give awards to staff for the best customer services skills, none of the staff would receive a nomination never mind an award, they were extremely rude at times, e.g. when literally pushing chairs around the floor to tidy up at the end of the night (erm 23.30) one bar staff accidently (I hope) pushed a chair into my back and it hurt, when i told him he muttered something to me in Spanish and waved his hands at me. my partner and was never spoken to or even given a smile while passing staff.
Breakfast was the same every morning apart from what was cooked, however it entailed various ways of cooking sausages, egg and bacon.
OMG the walls were very very thin, we could here when people in our neighbouring rooms had way too much to drink!!!!!. and every morning I was woken up at 8am without fail by the cleaning staff moving furniture (well that’s what it sounded like), its that noisy my ear plugs (that I had to buy there) did not work.
Pineda is a very small area with lots of residential area therefore law says that no noise after 1am, and even the lights on the balcony went out at 12.30 ( it was like been on a school trip) its not an area for young people. However the buccaneer and the tavern have a friendly environment, staff are so friendly.
its such a good job that the train fairs are so cheap as we would have gone mad in Pineda. It was only 6.40 Euros to Barcelona which is 75 mins away.
Breakfast was the same every morning apart from what was cooked, however it entailed various ways of cooking sausages, egg and bacon.
OMG the walls were very very thin, we could here when people in our neighbouring rooms had way too much to drink!!!!!. and every morning I was woken up at 8am without fail by the cleaning staff moving furniture (well that’s what it sounded like), its that noisy my ear plugs (that I had to buy there) did not work.
Pineda is a very small area with lots of residential area therefore law says that no noise after 1am, and even the lights on the balcony went out at 12.30 ( it was like been on a school trip) its not an area for young people. However the buccaneer and the tavern have a friendly environment, staff are so friendly.
its such a good job that the train fairs are so cheap as we would have gone mad in Pineda. It was only 6.40 Euros to Barcelona which is 75 mins away.
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Just home from a weeks stay at... "
Submitted By: Miss S Shaw
Just home from a weeks stay at montemar hotel. Staff at reception were friendly and helpful. Room was well maintained but very basic. Lifts were always available, hotel just a five minute walk from the beach. Good variety of food, restuarant staff not so helpful. Nightlife not for the younger generation however a five minute journey on the train which is a five minute walk from the hotel takes you to santa sussana where there are some british bars and nightclubs. Ideal holiday for those wanting to totally relax, also plenty of places to grab a bite to eat that line the beach.
Beach was well maintained. Overall our holiday was very good but seeking a more lively nightllife we would not recommend this resort. For those looking for a peaceful place to relax then pineda is ideal.
Beach was well maintained. Overall our holiday was very good but seeking a more lively nightllife we would not recommend this resort. For those looking for a peaceful place to relax then pineda is ideal.
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:uk travel shop
" the hotels walls are thin, the... "
Submitted By: Ms E.j Parish
the hotels walls are thin, the cleaning very bad,especially the one i had on my first 3 day patio doors left open by cleaning staffthe last 2 days he cleaner was execellt .the food not eatable only alternative to potatoes is chips everyday or salad chicken was still red in the middle, there egges in the morning fried eggs put on a fish & tomatoe base ,entertainment passable reception, good pool ok not a lot of shops once you been up to the main street once thats it really i would not go back to this hotel
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:southern holidays
" Paid just over two grand for 8 people... "
Submitted By: Mr B Wallace
Paid just over two grand for 8 people for a week all inclusive.....what a bargain!
The best way to sum up the hotel is, all knickers and no fur coat.
everything about the hotel is basic, but in most hotels that is par for the course, yet the real beauty about this hotel is the staff.
most of the staff in this hotel could easily work in a four star hotel or above, they treat you like an old friend, unlike other hotels.
if there was one down side, it was the limited choice at meal times, but that being said the food was always warm and nice.
if you´re looking for the Ritz this isn´t it.... if you want a good reliable base for a holiday then you won´t have to look any further.
The best way to sum up the hotel is, all knickers and no fur coat.
everything about the hotel is basic, but in most hotels that is par for the course, yet the real beauty about this hotel is the staff.
most of the staff in this hotel could easily work in a four star hotel or above, they treat you like an old friend, unlike other hotels.
if there was one down side, it was the limited choice at meal times, but that being said the food was always warm and nice.
if you´re looking for the Ritz this isn´t it.... if you want a good reliable base for a holiday then you won´t have to look any further.
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Fleetway Travel
" We went to the montemar as a family... "
Submitted By: Miss C HALL
We went to the montemar as a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children aged 10 and 7. When we arrived it was 1am in the morning and the hotel reception staff invited us to the restaurant for a cold plated meal and a drink, which I thought was very polite.The hotel is multi national and I have to admit there were only a handful of english people, most were spanish, french and german. The entertainment is very poor, but if you like seeing entertainers dancing to songs then it will be right up your street. Other than that the hotel was ok. Food was good, salads, cold meats, hot meals (although not labelled) chips, soup, fresh fruit and puddings. We stayed for 2 weeks and the menu was repeated every week which is quite usual with an all inclusive. We went on a trip to barcelona twice and it was great, although the train is a nightmare (packed out and having to stand for an hour). I have rated the montemar a 7 because I think it could improve its entertainment (although there was the odd night that was good - game show and typical english games). Overall the hotel was a good quality and the rooms were cleaned everyday. Pineda de Mar is a typical spanish resort with only 2 english pub but if thats what you go on holiday for then I say go for it.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:on the beach
" we went to the montemar beginning of... "
Submitted By: Miss N Keeley
we went to the montemar beginning of june. when we first arrived at the hotel i couldnt believe it was the same hotel as the pics! they are extremely deceiving! the pool area is the smallest ive ever seen. though it was adequate for that time of year. they have a jacuzzi which looked fun (i didnt go in the pool!!!) was very clean and tidy. only bother was they dont have a poolside bar so you have to go inside for ur drinks! the food on some nights was a bit crap to be honest but there was always chips and pasta and salad! the breakfasts were the best! bacon eggs n sausages! snacks on all day, chips, pasta and burgers. drinks arent branded so you have to pay if u want smirnoff or coca cola. didnt really bother us, my boyfriend got drunk every night without the smirnoff!! the entertainment are amazing especially Carl!! he is great with the kids and works such long hours!!! even entertaining kids when he was on his breaks! we have kept in touch with him as hes such a lovely bloke. the rest of the entertainment were wonderful too, mini disco every night for the kids well adults too! we bought a mini disco cd which the entertainment signed with lovely msgs for us! and the nightly adult shows lasted a fair while and was really worth seeing. especially when they got my boyfriend up to have a lapdance from the two blokes! verrry funny!!! the staff at the hotel are always happy, as long as u show them respect and have manners you wont have a problem. remember they work long hours for very little money, so if ur rude dont expect them to be nice to you!!! the train station is a 5 minute walk and barcelona is definitely worth a visit. also the market on a friday is definitely worth going to. this is along the front again only 5 minutes walk. the hotel is down a side street so the area immediately around the hotel looks a bit dingy but at the end of the road is a strip of bars restaurants and shops. also go down to the square where there is more shops and bars. we hired a bike one day and rode up and down the strip which was very enjoyable!!!!! we didnt have the best weather as it rained 4 days out the 7 but the entertainment staff pulled out the board games and we all got stuck in!! rooms are quite nice, bit of a crap view at the back of the hotel but who stays in there room all day??? if u want a view go to the beach! overall the hotel is really nice and we really enjoyed it. no major faults or complaints at all and im a very fussy person!!! its a three star hotel so dont go expecting a 5!!!
oh and a good tip, if u take a hairdryer keep it on a low setting otherwise u will trip the electric and u have to flip the switch by the door!
oh and a good tip, if u take a hairdryer keep it on a low setting otherwise u will trip the electric and u have to flip the switch by the door!
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:sunmaster
" Just got back. Most of the staff get... "
Submitted By: Mr A Millington
Just got back. Most of the staff get 10/10 for friendliness and effort (though more than one get 0/10), the waitress named IRENE thinks she is the 'All Inclusive Band' Gestapo and literally pounced on my son and dragged him by his sunburned arms to the reception desk. The reason for this is that the night staff had fitted the wrong colour band on his arm when we arrived (unbeknown to us).
The food is reasonable but repeatative and the rooms that we had were the noiseiest that I have ever stayed in, however they were kept clean and tidy. The hotel is located a short walk from the beach and shops but there were always dodgy looking people roaming around outside on pushbikes and you got the impression that you were staying on an inner city council estate.
In the resort the locals treated you like dirt if you are English though I would recommend the Buccaneer Pub where the staff are friendly.
I would not go back.
The food is reasonable but repeatative and the rooms that we had were the noiseiest that I have ever stayed in, however they were kept clean and tidy. The hotel is located a short walk from the beach and shops but there were always dodgy looking people roaming around outside on pushbikes and you got the impression that you were staying on an inner city council estate.
In the resort the locals treated you like dirt if you are English though I would recommend the Buccaneer Pub where the staff are friendly.
I would not go back.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:sunmaster.co.uk
" This hotel is fab, lovely pool tho... "
Submitted By: Miss L Smith
This hotel is fab, lovely pool tho its a bit cold and gets busy during the day. It had a jacuzzi too which was unexpected and nice to sit and relax on. The food was edible, got a bit monotonous tho. And cos im a bit of a fussy eater, I ate mostly from the snakc bar, which had pasta, burgers, chips etc. They had a mexican and chinese theme night too while i was there but i didn't particularly enjoy it.
The rooms were a tidy size, with a lovely balcony. We had a view of the back of the hotel, wich was a mini golf course and a giant chessboard. The walls were a bit thin tho and you could always hear people coming in late at night being loud and slamming doors.
The entertainment staff were brilliant, there was 6 in the day and 8 in the night. They made an effort to include people and did random activities e.g. water polo or minigolf. In the ngiths they put on shows, while we were there they did Grease and a "Showtime" night which included them pulling out random members of the audience (including the guy I went there with). They actually surprised him by having drag queens give him a lap dance on stage! Overall each member of staff was polite and always helpful, particularly the Entertainment staff Carl and Anne.
The actual area of Pineda de Mar could be better, as there's nothing actually there. We were close to the train station so we went to Calella and Santa Susanna which had a lot more places such as shops and bars and just generally more lively, which suited my age (im 17 and the guy i went with is 18).
Booking with Traavel City had its ups and downs, as we had to make our own way to the hotel. We booked with Resort Hoppa. We landed at 3.15pm and by the time we got off the plane and had our cases it was around 3.40pm. we got to the desk for resort hoppa and found out (along with around 20 others from the flight) to fund that our bus had left at 3.30 without anyone, and the next one was 7pm. SO we had to take a minibus costing us 20 euros each before we started.
But overall the hotel was good and plenty to do in the areas surrounding pineda eg calella. I would go back again as it was definately value for money and the hotel and weather was very nice.
The rooms were a tidy size, with a lovely balcony. We had a view of the back of the hotel, wich was a mini golf course and a giant chessboard. The walls were a bit thin tho and you could always hear people coming in late at night being loud and slamming doors.
The entertainment staff were brilliant, there was 6 in the day and 8 in the night. They made an effort to include people and did random activities e.g. water polo or minigolf. In the ngiths they put on shows, while we were there they did Grease and a "Showtime" night which included them pulling out random members of the audience (including the guy I went there with). They actually surprised him by having drag queens give him a lap dance on stage! Overall each member of staff was polite and always helpful, particularly the Entertainment staff Carl and Anne.
The actual area of Pineda de Mar could be better, as there's nothing actually there. We were close to the train station so we went to Calella and Santa Susanna which had a lot more places such as shops and bars and just generally more lively, which suited my age (im 17 and the guy i went with is 18).
Booking with Traavel City had its ups and downs, as we had to make our own way to the hotel. We booked with Resort Hoppa. We landed at 3.15pm and by the time we got off the plane and had our cases it was around 3.40pm. we got to the desk for resort hoppa and found out (along with around 20 others from the flight) to fund that our bus had left at 3.30 without anyone, and the next one was 7pm. SO we had to take a minibus costing us 20 euros each before we started.
But overall the hotel was good and plenty to do in the areas surrounding pineda eg calella. I would go back again as it was definately value for money and the hotel and weather was very nice.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Holiday City
" We have just returned from Montemar... "
Submitted By: Mrs N H Fogel
We have just returned from Montemar and had such a fantasic time, it was 1 of our best holidays ever!
There is 6 of us in our family 1 of them being a 19 month old, we found the hotel absolutely brilliant, the staff were great and very friendly, we all loved the entertainment team they were brilliant and work very hard!
The weather wasnt that good at times but the entertainment always got us doing something!
The pool is 1 of the best ive been in, our appartment was very spacious and you could see the mountains which was nice to wake up to.
The food in the dining room was very nice, at the end of the day we are a family with 4 small children and for what we paid it exceeded our expectations, the entertainment programme was good, there was a magician 1 night and he was the best ive ever seen, the show that the entertainers put on is very energetic and alot of hard work goes into it, all the staff, bar, reception, waitresses, chefs and entertainers were so friendly and made our holiday fantastic.
If you are looking for a chance to get away with your family on a small budget to a hot place then go to the Montemar.
Our children always seem to be hungry so all inclusive was great as there is always food somewhere, it would have cost us a fortune to feed everyone if we hadnt gone all inclusive.
We went to Santa Susanna quite alot for there beach as it was a nice walk to burn off all that food and it is quite pretty there.
A must is to do the water park (marine world) absolutely brilliant show and the water slides arent too crazy if you dont like all that!
We did go to Barcelona which we are glad to have done but it was very pricey to get there with 4 children in tow, we did the bus tour which was very expensive in total with the train as well, the catherdral is beautiful, and we stopped off at the football ground but it was closed!
We went to Montemar at a good time it wasnt too busy but enough for kids to make friends, wouldnt want to go in peak time as it was neally full when we were there, so getting a seat would be difficult in peak time.
We went for 2 weeks and loved every minute of it, a week wouldnt have been enough!
Overall we had a brilliant holiday and would definately go back, you get what you pay for but this hotel was great!
There is 6 of us in our family 1 of them being a 19 month old, we found the hotel absolutely brilliant, the staff were great and very friendly, we all loved the entertainment team they were brilliant and work very hard!
The weather wasnt that good at times but the entertainment always got us doing something!
The pool is 1 of the best ive been in, our appartment was very spacious and you could see the mountains which was nice to wake up to.
The food in the dining room was very nice, at the end of the day we are a family with 4 small children and for what we paid it exceeded our expectations, the entertainment programme was good, there was a magician 1 night and he was the best ive ever seen, the show that the entertainers put on is very energetic and alot of hard work goes into it, all the staff, bar, reception, waitresses, chefs and entertainers were so friendly and made our holiday fantastic.
If you are looking for a chance to get away with your family on a small budget to a hot place then go to the Montemar.
Our children always seem to be hungry so all inclusive was great as there is always food somewhere, it would have cost us a fortune to feed everyone if we hadnt gone all inclusive.
We went to Santa Susanna quite alot for there beach as it was a nice walk to burn off all that food and it is quite pretty there.
A must is to do the water park (marine world) absolutely brilliant show and the water slides arent too crazy if you dont like all that!
We did go to Barcelona which we are glad to have done but it was very pricey to get there with 4 children in tow, we did the bus tour which was very expensive in total with the train as well, the catherdral is beautiful, and we stopped off at the football ground but it was closed!
We went to Montemar at a good time it wasnt too busy but enough for kids to make friends, wouldnt want to go in peak time as it was neally full when we were there, so getting a seat would be difficult in peak time.
We went for 2 weeks and loved every minute of it, a week wouldnt have been enough!
Overall we had a brilliant holiday and would definately go back, you get what you pay for but this hotel was great!
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- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:ON THE BEACH
" Just come back from a holiday in... "
Submitted By: Mrs L Keilaus
Just come back from a holiday in pineda de mar booked through freedom direct. Don't book with them. It took me numerous phone calls to get my paperwork from them. When we arrived at barcelona airport we had to wait two and half hours for the transfer to our hotel. When I booked I told them there was a party of five disabled people and a 2 yr old in the group. I rang them from Barcelona airport and they just said write a letter of complaint when you get home. When we arrived at the hotel even though they knew we had disabled and learning difficulties with us they put us up on the third floor two corridors away from the nearest lift. When I complained they said I would have to pay a supplement to be moved. The hotel itself is terrible, the walls are paper thin and the noise is flippin terrrible you can hear the people in the next room snoring. The hotel would do nothing about it except they offered me a disabled room on the first floor and they said they would put 6 beds in it. I refused. On the day of our departure we where supposed to get picked up at 10 to 7 in the morning from the railway station yes thats right the station cos they dont pick up or drop off at your hotel. The coach never came for us so in order to get our flight which was at 11 o clock we had to get two trains to the airport. 11 people five who are disabled one wheelchair one pram and 11 suitcases it was a nightmare. When I rang them when we arrived home they just said put it in writing. Our whole holiday was a trauma.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:freedom direct
" We had the best holiday EVER here,... "
Submitted By: Miss LSP Pallister
We had the best holiday EVER here,
Holiday reps are lovely and all the staff are too.
We would definatley recommend it here !
Holiday reps are lovely and all the staff are too.
We would definatley recommend it here !
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
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Advice: value for money
Activities: barcelona
Good for: Beach