California Palace

7 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a holiday in Salou and stayed at The california Palace Hotel(for the second time, we first stayed there two years ago).
The Hotel was to the same standard that we remembered from our last stay. It is clean, comfortable, spacious and grand. The staff are very friendly (there is a team of new staff in the restaurant, led by an English manager who has lived in spain since he was 14 years old, so can speak both languages very well)!The food was good with a varied buffet choice; even on the morning of our return to the UK the restaurant was opened early for us ,and a continental breakfast had been prepared and left for us, this was at 6.30am; how is that for service.
The resort of Salou is really lovely too. family friendly with a good beach, lots to do; very near to a theme park and water park and shops. Terragona is a bus ride away and well worth a visit. It is called Little Barcelona and has Roman ruins to look around, scenic tours, markets etc.
The California Palace Hotel is in the old part of Salou,which is residential and so very Spanish, but only a short walk away from new Salou which has lots of shops and bars and where you will find the beach and clubs and is more lively; so you can have the best of both worlds.
Ther is a lovely bar just a few yards down the road opposite the Hotel, which is run by a Scottish father asnd son and is very friendly, a lovely place to sit out at in the evenings; and you don't have far to walk back to the Hotel at the end of the evening either!!!
All in all, a fantastic holiday; we will be going back again with no hesitation.

3 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from calafornia palace. overall not a bad holiday, weather brilliant, love salou.
Now onto hotel,very clean and food okay.staff okay.
i was there was myself,wife and 16 year old daughter. as weather was hot after returning after night out we like to sit on balcony but as there was only 2 seats we couldn't sit out together, 1 of the seats were also broken. i asked at reception for another chair and to have damaged chair replaced. After my 3rd request i was told it was against hotel policy to allow more than 2 chairs on a balcony!!! there was a problem with getting cutlery in resturuant,after a couple of meals we realised keep hold of your cutlery it will save you having to keep asking for more. would of been better if they'd set the tables properly in the 1st place!
Overall we did enjoy the hotel despite the negative comments, however we won't be returning and won't be recommending this hotel to anyone!
Previously we stayed at calafornia garden hotel, this is only 3 star but is a far better hotel than the palace. the down side is the open air disco outside, but i'd still rather go back there than the palace hotel!!!!!

2 readers found this review helpful

I went to my travel agent looking to go to Cyprus and it was working out to expensive the travel agent suggested Salou and showed me this hotel and I booked there and then. When I arrived home I looked info up on the internet and I started to panic with the reviews that I was reading. On our transfer to our hotel it was even made worse as some of the hotels that our coach stopped at looked really bad and I started to get really nervous. My 1st impression on arrival at our hotel was amazing really clean staff very very friendly and helpful. Our room was lovely and the spa and indoor pool was beautiful. It only cost 19 euros for the safe for the week and the spa was only 4 euros each. The only problem with this was people came down from the pool outside and didnt pay and that annoyed me a bit. The food in the restaurant was ok it got a bit boring after the 1st few nights and it got cold very quick. Some of the waitresses in the restaurant were not very friendly but we coped with this. The cleaning staff were very efficent and the bar staff were really friendly. The two guys on reception were fantastic. The entertainment in the hotel was really bad need to have a good sing along to get the crowd going. Went on the trip to House of Illusions this has to be the best thing that we did when we were there.

Having read some of the reviews, I was having doubts about this Hotel, My wife and I stayed at this hotel for a week. The Hotel was fantastic, good spacious rooms. nice reception area and bar. I cannot fault the standard of the meals with a very good choice every night including fresh meat, salads, pasta and yes there were chips every night, but there was plenty of other options to choose from. Breakfast was also very good with good choice of hot options.
The only thing that let the Hotel down was the atttiude of the resturant staff, especially the manager who did not make any effort to speak to you either on the way in or out, also there was no urgency to clear your plates.
Apart from the staff, the hotel was excellant and would definatley go back again.

2 readers found this review helpful

With some of the comments I had read before going I had some reservations on what to expect. My wife and I found the staff pretty good on the whole and helpful, for example, phoning the transfer pick up company to confirm the pick up time to come home etc. The rooms were cleaned daily and the maids were flexibible about access and were polite.
The meals were plentifiul and had a wide choice but not of a tremendously high quality -although there should be something that everyone could have. A good choice at all meals with fish, chicken, beef etc available. starters were soup and salad - all freesh. Deserts looked attractive but not great tasting, although plenty of fresh fruit was available.
Bar prices were a bit steep compared to the local bars/cafes (3.5eu against 2.0eu for a pint of beer) but you would have to expect that when comparing them to a 4* hotel -the choice still remains with you where you want to spend !
The pool water temperature was very cold, but the water was crytsal clear with no debris in it al all. The pool was 25 m long, allowing for a good swim but the shallow end was about 3 ft with no baby pool available.
We have been to Salou before -it's a great resort with something for everyone and we will happily go there and to the California Palacae Hotel again.

First time visiting Salou. How on earth this hotal gained a 4 star is beyond me.
The bar staff are miserable, hardly speak English and arrogant. The glasses were absoloutley rotten. And the drinks, the drinks at the hotel are watered down and so over charged its unbelievable. The maids are ridiculous, changed the base sheet on the bed, thats it, everything else was threw on the sofa. The dining staff are arrogant and unpolite, they want you sat at a table and eaten within 20 minutes.
Overall this holiday for me was crap. The entertainment was pants.
There was one thing that made me smile, the weather wasnt too good when we arrived and i discovered they had a spa and jacuzzi. The smile soon vaished when i discovered to use these i had to pay 6 euros per person per day to use the facility! And when i did i wish i hadnt, it was so dirty and salty in there it made my partner ill.
The meals in the hotel were an outrage, breakfast was ok-ish. But dinner was awful, everything they lay out is based on the Spanish, i ate pasta and chips my whole stay.
This is one hotel i would never recommend anyone to stay in. I paid out 300 euros for day trips just so i didnt have to use their facilities.
Didnt enjoy it at all, and cost me a bloody fortune for everything.
The reception staff dont have a bloody clue, we were charged for our safety deposit box and fridge in room. Thinking it was a set price until we got chatting to another coupe who paid less than we did. They havnt a clue what their meant to be charging there. P*ss take all over.
Overall... Crap holiday. Thanks to the over rated hotel.

3 readers found this review helpful

This hotel is fantastic. It saved our lives as we transfered from the 'Hotel Villa Marina' which was the HOTEL FROM HELL!
My self, partner and 9 year old daughter loved the relaxed atmosphere that the Claifornia Palace offred. The food was excellent,great choice and lovely dining surrondings.
The hotel staff are lovely, helful and entertain the children all day and night.
Rooms are relaxing, nice big balconys and nice as you can see your children in full view from the comfort of the room.
I would go back and Id just like to thank the staff for a enjoyable stay....

2 readers found this review helpful

our worst holiday ever, first and last time going to salou. the staff in the california palace hotel are the most unfriendly and rude, on my second last nite i brought a bottle of water with me to the terrace (beside pool) the barman(heaviest of all bar staff) came running over to my table and raging at me to go, i could not sit there and not buy a drink, it was humiliating, had only be sitting there a couple of mins and was not drinking my water. last day of hols bought my two daughters non alcohol cocktails, which they drank on their sunbeds, 30 mins later we were all waiting outside hotel for our bus to airport, barman came running out saying give the glasses back, give the glasses back, humilated again, i got my daughter to bring him over to the sunbeds which they had been lying on and hey presto his stupid plastic glasses were right beside them. if you were accused like that in a shop, i believe you would have a case against that business. food was plentiful but only the salads are good, desserts look great,but all taste the same, bland as do all the main courses, breakfast is fine,, sausages are revolting. Maria the girl who is in charge of the kids and entertainment is a five star girl, she is the only employee in that hotel who has manners, if the rest of them worked in hotels in the uk or ireland, im sure they wouldnt be keep in their jobs. we spend a lot of money to go and stay in that hotel and continue to spend when we get there, 150 for a sml bag of crisps, 2.80 for a cappicino, 5 for a non alcohol cocktail, minus the glitz and umberella. as i said earlier i will personnally never go back there and will not recommend it to anymone.

1 reader found this review helpful

hotel was very nice and spotlessly clean
rooms were changed daily and well looked after.
breakfast was nice but dinner was just ok because there was too many chips
i would not recommend the lunch because theres nothing for children
the worst thing about the hotel was the staff.
the bar staff,the reception staff,and the dining room staff were all rude and very unhelpful.they werent friendly and couldnt or didnt want to speak english.
unlike other hotels the pools temperature was just right.
water polo is played for one hour in the pool for all people who can swim
overall i enjoyed my stay and would certainly go again if they got new staff!

3 readers found this review helpful

What are you people on about?? This hotel is fantastic! Food is excellent and staff are fantastic.. Check out Issac girls ;-)