Cala Font Hotel

My wife and I stayed at the Cala Font for 2 weeks.
This is a very nice hotel, far better than some of the equivalent 3* hotels you find in the old part of the main Salou resort....BUT, be warned, the hotel is situated on a short but fairly steep hill, but was not a problem to us.
Public transport around the hotel is plentiful and reasonably priced, with some nice small towns around Salou that are worth a visit. There is a nice walk into Salou along the bay that takes around 20 min's, but again it’s a fairly steep hill at the end of it.
TIP - if you want to make your own way into Barcelona, check out the price of the train.
The hotel has a nice pool, but not too large, and a pleasant pool area that is cleaned daily and is well looked after. there is also a small bar that serves the pool area. There is a small cove right next to the hotel with a sandy beach, ideal for swimming and relaxing. Sunbeds and pedelo’s are also available for hire.
TIP - request a high floor facing the pool. Any floor poolside has a good view of the pool area and the beach, on the other side of the hotel the lower floors look onto a bank, the higher floors look through trees and over a bay.
The hotel is pleasant and kept very clean by a small army of maids. Rooms were cleaned and towels changed every day, bed linen was changed every 3rd day.
The reception staff were very pleasant and helpful, and spoke very good English.
There is a good clean dining room, with a good choice of food; we always found plenty to eat.
Entertainment was geared more to children, so may be a problem if you want to sit in the hotel all night.
Overall we had an excellent holiday and would definitely stay there again.

Location was great, most rooms have sea view and there is a private beach.
It is situated between Salou and La Pineda and there is a bus route between both.
Port Aventura is in La Pineda and is worth a visit, as is Barcelona although it takes about 1 and 1/2hrs by bus. Try and pick up a map before you go as there's so much to see.
There are also weekly markets nearby - the one at Taraggona is great so get there early.
It’s a 20 minute walk to Salou and about 15mins to La Pineda. I would think Salou is probably too far to walk everyday for the elderly and those with young children.
The food standard was quite mixed, some foods were cooked in front of you but it was mainly buffet style. Certain dishes were quite repetitive and a bit bland. No less than 3* though.
The "resort" of Cap Salou isn't very big - it is really just a group of hotels and a couple of pubs. There is not much choice for eating and drinking outside of the hotel so it is best to go wandering.
The only downfalls of the hotel are the entertainment which is solely for kids and the drink which is very expensive - it is not much cheaper in the local bars either.
Overall, a great hotel and great location to wander between the nearby towns.

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed at the Cala Font Hotel for two weeks from 18th August, two adults and two children aged 6 and 10.
The location of the Cala Font in Cap Salou is brilliant, probably one of the best we saw in the area with a fantastic view of the sea and a small beach literally on its doorstep but the hotel is set on a very steep slope which can be quite slippy.
There are a few bars and restaurants within walking distance as well as a play area for children with trampolines, mini go karts and arcade type games which cost 2€ a go.
There are two mini supermarkets within walking distance of the hotel. Don't use the one opposite the hotel though; use the one just around the corner; much more choice and much better prices!
First impressions count and the hotel does seem to be cleaned constantly throughout the day, ladies are forever sweeping and mopping the stairs, cleaning windows etc and a man cleans the pool area every night. Our beds were made daily but the floor in our room and on the balcony always had hair, dust and grit on, not nice at all.
They do let dogs stay in this hotel, something which Thomson 'forgets' to add into their brochure. During our two week stay we only heard dogs barking a few times but there was dog mess in the street.
We did e-mail the hotel a few weeks before our stay asking for a sea/pool view room, they replied almost immediately saying they would do their best. We ended up in room 302, a room which was at the side of the hotel with a view of the sea slightly obscured by trees. Nosey people walking past on the path outside could see right into our room being on the third floor so we always had to change/ get dressed with the curtains closed.
The rooms at the back of the hotel are much worse overlooking the road and level 1 and 2 seemed to be in complete darkness throughout the whole day.
Our room was spacious with four single beds. There was also a sofa bed chair, two bedside tables, telephone, TV, desk and chair, big mirror and a big double sliding mirrored wardrobe which is where the safe is located.
The bathroom was a decent size with bath, shower, toilet, bidet and a big sink unit with a huge mirror. The walls are thin and you can hear next door having a shower but you are in a hotel, the floors are tiled so noise is to be expected I suppose.
We found the food ok, breakfast was the same every day and consisted of coco pops, sugar puffs, corn flakes, scrambled and hard boiled eggs, sausages, bacon, croissants, jams, marmalade, bread and toast(as long as you didn't mind the wait for the toaster each morning!) There was also cold meats, cheese slices, crackers, biscuits, fruit and as much tea, coffee, water and fruit juices as you wanted.
Dinner was totally different altogether, part of the fun was guessing what kind of dishes you could throw together to make a set meal. The meat was very fatty but the salads and desserts were very nice. You also had to buy your drinks at dinner which I thought was odd because they were provided at breakfast.
Many times we found the glasses to be dirty, plates to be wet and a shortage of cutlery. Tables seemed to be left uncleared a lot and at busy times it became a little frustrating when trying to find a clean table to sit at.
The pool was fairly small and would no way be able to cope with all guests being there at the same time. You are not allowed inflatables in the main pool only the small one with the water fall but three lilos would fill this up!
You must be around the pool by at least 9.30am to be in one of the sunbed queues if you want to spend any time around the pool on a sunbed. The lifeguard unlocks the beds at 10am, leave it any later and you can forget getting a sunbed until at least 4-5pm when people start to leave. People do 'claim' their spot by leaving their towels on the patio chairs and replacing them with a sunbed.
We saw people queue for a sunbed, leave their towel on it and then head off to the beach or elsewhere for most of the day. I do wish the lifeguard would do more than sit on his chair, sunbathing and chatting on a mobile phone and get rid of the sunbed hoggers, it is unfair to others if you're not going to use your sunbed for most of the day.
There is a pool side bar selling drinks and snacks although this we found to be quite expensive for what it is - 1.85€ for a small coke! The chips were very greasy and the burgers were pink!
The beach closest to the hotel is very small and gets quite crowded quickly. The Spanish families seem intent on invading your space making you feel closed in. You can hire sunloungers for 4€ a day but most people seemed to buy beach mats from the hotel shop for 1.50€, a bargain especially if you go the beach often. There are better and bigger sandy coves just a short walk from the hotel.
I must warn you though that there may be a few ladies at the beach and hotel poolside who like to be topless however, when you spot them you wish they hadn't if you know what I mean! The hotel lifeguard doesn't tell them around the pool to put their tops on either, probably too busy chatting on his phone!
The hotel has 'entertainment' every night (I'm sure you would have a good case for the Trade's Description Act against the Cala Font!) The bad disco songs are repeated every night and I mean every night - Superman, Music man and other songs which are in Spanish. There wasn't many British around for the entertainment at night, probably sensibly choosing elsewhere just down the road.
The entertainment is definitely geared towards the Spanish guests, even the DJ talks in Spanish. Drinks are expensive and happy hour is far too late compared to other bars close by. You would think the hotel would make their prices a lot cheaper to compete with nearby bars which always seem busier and livelier.
This was our first holiday abroad so we didn't really have any expectations or anything to compare to, we found the hotel ok but it sadly seems to lack any atmosphere; the pool area after the aerobics for half an hour in the morning is dead, there is nothing so a good book or an MP3 player is a must!
The staff were the most miserable and unfriendly people I have ever seen/met whilst on holiday. They hardly ever smiled and there was no attempt at any friendly interaction with you unless you were Spanish, even the Receptionist was hostile on arrival.
The restaurant staff, bar staff and even cleaners did their best to ignore you and make you feel unwelcome. If it wasn't for the other British guests we chatted to we would have found it quite isolating at the Cala Font.
Overall the Cala Font looks decent compared to others in the area but only its closeness to the beaches and Salou's attractions makes the hotel a bearable holiday experience. I wouldn't go back because the staff made me feel unwelcome right from the start.

Hi, I stayed in Cap Salou, the hotel is called Hotel Cala Font I went with my mother, sister and her two children ages 3 and 5.
This Hotel was alright if you had no kids and wanted a quiet holiday. The food at this hotel was the same all the time. The weather was really bad it rained for 3 days and they had a flood you couldn’t see the streets for water it soon cleared up but it did get cold on a night.
The view we had from the hotel balcony was fantastic we had a view of the pool and the sea so I advise you e-mail the hotel and ask for one unless they might just put you anywhere.
The staff are very friendly, to go to the beach you had to go down a big hill the beach gets crowded so if you wanted a sunbed you had to be quick same goes for the pool the sunbeds by the pool are locked up till 10.00am then the lifeguard comes round and unlocks them.
They is no entertainment that’s why I went into Salou itself. Watch out for the taxis as they put on 3 Euros before they take you anywhere the bus is much cheaper for 2 adults it was 3.30 euros.

My wife and I and my 2 sons are just back from staying at the cala-font, I must say the hotel its self was of very high standards it was definitely like a 4 star hotel.
The maids did a very good job keeping the place clean and tidy, changed beds every day and where very polite to talk to. The food was ok but there was too much Spanish and European food, they need to think of more British food as our choice was limited to chips and sausages or whatever was on the kids menu. So they need to think about that.
The hotel bar was very expensive unless you stayed for the happy hour which was at 11.00pm. Also if you go to cap-Salou and you are looking for cigarettes you won’t get any, I had to go into Salou to get cigarettes and you can only get cigarettes from a tobacco shop, supermarkets and shops do not sell them anymore. A taxi fare is about 6 or 7 euro to go to salou.
The biggest let down of the Cala-Font was the entertainment.
There was 1 thing on in the main bar every night which was usually crap, outside there was a small stage, but it was never used the only outdoor entertainment if you can call it entertainment was some pool exercises, during the day was ok because the pool was in use and you could go into Salou, but the night time was so boring my wife and I sat in the outside bar for a few drinks and then went back to our room as there was nothing else on.
There was a games room downstairs which consists of 3 pool tables which cost 2 euro a game, 1 air hockey machine, a few arcade machines and 4 computers which cost 6 euro for 1 hour on the pc.
We will not be returning to the cala-font as the entertainment ruined it for us, I must say though the reception staff where very friendly and helpful. . Great Hotel but crap entertainment and too expensive. That is as much as i can say about the cala-font hotel.

I have just returned from a week at the Cala Font in Salou (although in fact it is actually Cap Salou) and a long way out of Salou itself. My party included my 8 year old son and 16 year old nephew along with my ex-husband.
The hotel was clean, well maintained and the pool area was spotless and cleaned every evening whilst the guests had dinner. The beach was just a stroll away and was clean and well looked after with plenty of sun beds and umbrellas.
The food was typical buffet style with lots of salads, rice pasta etc and there was a resident chef cooking on a grill each evening. The food for children was a little unexciting ie the usual chicken nuggets, sausages and chips so if your little ones (or my case the older one) are fussy eaters then there's not a great deal of choice for them.
My main gripe is that although this was sold to us through Thomsons I can find any trace of it in a Thomsons brochure. So other than looking at the hotel on the internet it was difficult to see what facilities, if any, there were for the kids. I have to say that these were very limited. There was a hotel run mini club held daily indoors but apart from that there was nothing else to really occupy the kids during the day.
Evenings were more difficult as whilst the hotel offered entertainment this was again the usual stuff - flamenco dancing and adult games (ie Mr & Mrs etc). Entertainment was usually on around 10.30 and the happy hour at the bar was 11.00 until midnight. For the kids - nothing - pool tables and bike racing machines at 2 euros a go (so there was no such thing as a cheap night in the hotel).
My view is that this is more of a hotel for couples who don't particularly want to do a great deal other than lie on a bed and catch the sun. I would certainly recommend it to my friends but not to friends with kids.

Excellent!! Location was great, most rooms have sea view and only a stones throw from the beach, nearby nightlife, buses to Barcelona, salou, La Pineda etc plus the train that covers from La Pineda to Port Aventura.
Also only a 20 minutes seaside walk to Salou itself with little bars to stop at on the way there. Also short walk to La Pineda.
The food was of a much higher standard than a three star grading. A chef would cook your steak to your liking right in front of you. So much choice which varied every night and a great choice for fussy children and toddlers alike.
Cant imagine trying a different hotel/ location in Salou area.

The location of the hotel was not bad, views were very good. The food was fair, need to cater for the English more.
Rooms were kept tidy. As for the staff they need to remember that people come along way and the last thing they need to see is a bunch of sad faced rude Spanish, who are there to make your stay that bit more enjoyable.
And on this basis I would not go back there. 3 out 10.

We stayed at the Cala Font in Sept 2006, the price was reasonable, and on the whole the hotel was nice.
The location made it for me, it was right on the beach and the beach was very secluded and safe for children.
The pool was very impressive and very clean and the children’s pool and playground kept the children happy. The hotel foyer was very nice and clean but I thought the cleanliness in the corridors was not upto standard, and the rooms were pretty basic.
Our view was over the rubbish bins, so I would advise a sea view if you can get one as the view from there was amazing.
The food was of a high standard for a 3 star hotel but was sometimes repetitive, so we ate out a few times. Cap Salou is quiet and we became quite bored after the 1st week, although there are a few nice bars in the square, with live music.
The happy hour in the hotel was good as drinks in normal hours were very expensive, but the worst thing about the hotel was the entertainment, which was totally geared towards Spanish and Russian guests (not many English people in the hotel).
It was absolutely awful and the kids disco started at 10 which was very strange, and another thing which let the hotel down badly was the staff, I have never met such miserable set of people in my life.
Previously when we have visited hotels throughout the world they can’t do enough for you, but here they were ignorant and they all looked like it was a chore to come to work, with a few exceptions.
But overall a good holiday and worth the money. Although I do advise if you like a bit of variation go to Salou. Not Cap Salou.

My family and I stayed at the Cala Font for 1 week in July and I can certainly say that we had no complaints at all.
The rooms were very spacious and cleaned every day while we were there.
The food was lovely with a wide variety every day and always nice and hot.
The resort of Cap Salou was everything we hoped it would be plenty to do on an evening. Lots of places to eat and drink.
We will definitely be going back