Dorada Palace Hotel

Last year, my husband and I decide to take our granddaughter on holiday with us even though she was only 2 1/2 years old.
Dorada Palace was really nice all the staff where really friendly and the hotel was spotless, rooms where cleaned everyday, towels changed everyday.
The food was excellent a wide variety including children’s menu and indoor barbecue, also special nights with foods from around the world. Our granddaughter loved the night time entertainment of a mini disco and shows for the adults.
The theme park is a must with shows and really fantastic rides for all ages; it is only about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.
I would say if you have young children, I would advise you to take a pushchair.
Only the hotel have limited amount of buggies and for small children you do tend to do a lot of walking in Salou because there is a lot to see and do, you can even swim with the dolphins at the local Aqua Park, which is only a bus ride away.

We visited the Club Dorada palace in May 2006, which we booked as a late deal 2 weeks before paying £570 for 2 adults 2 children and an infant on a self catering basis.
We thought we had a bargain as the hotel was 4*. You get what you pay for.
On arrival we were told that the rooms would not be available until 2.00pm (it was 11.00am when we got there). The hotel offers a luggage storage facility which we paid several euros for.
Be warned! Our room was at the rear of the accommodation and our balcony overlooked a building site with construction vehicles making a noise all day; the local bus depot for all the local buses ands coaches was directly opposite and right next to a busy petrol station.
What made it worse was the fact that we also had the view of the Spanish version of the M4 motorway with cars racing up and down all day! I think even if we had been moved to the front of the hotel with the pool view then you would still have the view and noise of the motorway.
The accommodation itself was ok, nothing special considering it was a 4*. Our microwave broke down after only using it twice and it took a day and a half to get fixed (not ideal when you have a baby).
The reps were not really helpful and just referred us to the miserable reception staff that never seemed to have a break (honestly they work day and night!).
The hotel itself was very clean inside. The reception area leads through to the pool and we witnessed several children and adults who had been in the pool walking through the reception with towels round them dripping wet trying to get back to their apartments, but being yelled at by the miserable reception staff.
You are also not allowed to walk through the reception without a t-shirt on which is ridiculous as there was no other way to get into the hotel that we could see.
The pool was lovely and large with small children's pool, the only problem was that it was not heated so the water was freezing (I thought this was a 4*), despite this we still found it difficult to get a sun bed by the pool.
The children's play area was quite large and the children loved it but as it had a sandy/dirty/pebbly floor so the kids were always stinking (so was the kid’s pool).
We took the kids to the kids club, which seemed really boring, they seemed to stay in the kids club hut and draw and colour (what children want to go on holiday to do that).
you had to get their 15 mins early to queue to make sure your kids could get in as they only had space for 15 (out of the whole hotel).
The self catering facilities were fine. We paid to go full board for the last few days of our holiday and I must say that the food was fab (especially the omelettes).
The hotel is positioned at the back of the resort and we had a few bars and restaurants near to us. We had to be very careful crossing the 'M4' everyday as even though they have crossings the Spanish seem to take no notice of them.
It is a fair walk to the beach, about 15 mins stroll through the 'strip' which is lined full of your usual trashy souvenir shops, supermarket and leather handbag shops and shoe shops. All the shops sell the same souvenir junk at prices similar to what you might spend back home.
The resort isn't cheap, whatever you would pay at home for a meal or a drink you are looking at only a few pence cheaper.
The beach was lovely and water very clean. Lovely promenade and visits to nearby Tarragonna on the local bus are a must. Local markets filled with the same stuff as in the souvenir shops and the same people sell in the different markets on the different days.
Port Aventura was good fun but costly (book before you go - online is cheapest) as we paid on the gate and found it a lot more expensive. Its worth paying the extra for the fast pass which allows you to queue jump as otherwise you will end up waiting around 30 mins on each ride (remember we went in may, August must be horrendous).
Also, if you are a smoker as some people that were in our group were, you are not allowed to smoke in the hotel at all (not even on the balcony), and when they had a sneaky one on the balcony they had a nasty note put under their door by the staff telling them off!
The resort is described as being great for kids, but most of the bars cater for adults and clubbers. We managed to find one bar with a play station in and another with a few slot rides.
A few days before we left we found a bar with bungees/ trampolines etc but very expensive. Not one restaurant has made an impression on us to write about but you must try the chicken on a spit from the shop by the seafront main crossroads - absolutely delicious.
All in all, if you like Blackpool without all the amenities and are happy to spend time with your bored children playing you up then Salou is the place for you. There are many people who think Salou is a fabulous place but it wasn't for us! You have been warned!

Our 1 week holiday was great because of the hotel we stayed in.
The entertainment was brilliant and on every night. The food was gorgeous and our room we stayed in was so tidy and clean. The maids came in every day.
The kids club was on for 6 hours a day, brilliant!
I recommend this hotel to families.

I would just like to say to anyone considering going to this hotel in my opinion it was faultless we went self catering and found all the amenities we required there.
The room were spotless and the staff right through from the reception staff to reps and cleaners were always helpful. In fact a great holiday started the minute we arrived at Stanstead we had premier bookings so no queuing and first class seats and good food on the flight to Reus. And back my 4yr old son enjoyed the bugs bunny club, pool swings and loved the beach.
I will certainly be going back to this hotel very soon with my wife and son. The only down side to a wonderful holiday was the treatment in Reus airport where the organisation leaves a lot to be desired and the security guards there are ignorant.

Just returned from 2 weeks at the Dorada Palace - Salou. 2 adults + 2 children (12 + 4) staying in a self-catering apartment. Overall we were very impressed with this Hotel, room was good and big enough (note: if you are half-board you probably get a smaller room !) Rooms were cleaned daily and towels changed if you needed them.
After a few days we decided to upgrade to half-board. At 15 euros for Breakfast & Lunch we felt this was a pretty good deal and doubt we could get breakfast + dinner locally for that price. The food was pretty good (buffet of course) and as long as your not too fussy there was enough variety.
The pool area was good, we did find necessary to be up early to reserve sun beds if you were planning on staying in the day. Drinks prices were OK - my only quibble would be the cost of kids drinks (eg. 3 Euros for a small slush, 4 euros for a non-alcoholic cocktail).
The only thing that slightly lets this hotel down is its location. To get to Salou (and the beach) there was a very dreary walk along tatty backstreets followed by trying to get our children past the souvenir shops. That said, once you were at the beach it was lovely.
Our preference was to have a day by the beach rather than stay at the hotel. We had heard previously that Port Aventura was within walking distance but decided to get the bus (which is an excellent service). The park itself is massive and if you do decide to go, consider going to difference zones on different days (the Wild West was our favourite).
Evening entertainment at the hotel was OK - bit cheesy at times (but what do you expect), all taken with humour. All in all we very much enjoyed our stay at this hotel and would probably return if it not for Salou (bit too 'towny' for us), we'll probably look for a quieter resort next time.

I read some reviews about Salou and the hotel that we stayed in before we went but here are my thoughts. Salou itself is a very lively place and never stops which we liked as we live in the town and are used to the noise.
The main streets are cleaned and well kept but some back streets are in a bad state of repair but I didn’t see any rubbish which is good but you have to be careful crossing the road as the Spanish are crazy drivers.
Portaventura is great but you need more than one day there. It is best to buy your tickets before you go as the lines are very very long and with people with only toddler age children there is not much there for them.
Dorada palace was good but the kitchen equipment was not great the pool was on the small side but my main problem was reception the ladies on the desk are not child friendly. Anything that my 23 month old daughter said was met with complaint and she was well behaved. She had a squeaky hammer and we where waiting for the lift.
She was lightly banging it on the floor and they came over saying no no. Well that’s my thoughts. I have already booked again for next year just at a different hotel.

We visited the Dorada Palace the 3rd week in June with our 20 month old daughter and had an excellent time - highly recommended!!!
We stayed self catering in a one bedroom apartment overlooking the pool. The apartment was very spacious and spotlessly clean on arrival. We requested a cot for our daughter and were pleasantly surprised to find it was a wooden one (like we have at home) instead of the usual metal prison cage type! Balcony was very big with table and chairs & a clothes airer, which you have to use for drying your towels as you’re not allowed to hang them over the balcony! Maid service was every day, with towel change when you want it - just hang the sign on the door handle - and linen change twice per week. Cooking facilities were ample although the kettle did take forever as you had to boil it on the hob. If eating in at all would recommend the take away chicken from the spit - mmmm! The only downside was that you couldn’t keep your room on your final day. We checked out of our room at 10am and didn’t get picked up to travel to the airport until 1am the following morning. Reception staff said the hotel was full so they had no other rooms to offer us. When you check out the hotel provides a luggage room to store your cases on the basement floor. There is no courtesy room to use for a shower before your departure either. Instead they offer 2 rooms on the basement floor - one male and one female - with two showers, a toilet cubicle and 2 wash basins in each. The rooms have no locks on the doors so people are free to come and go while you're showering! As you can imagine, with no windows the rooms turn very quickly into saunas - best avoided if at all possible.
Pool area was large and very clean although you'll be hard pushed to get a sun lounger after 9am. There’s a mad rush on in the morning - we couldn't believe our eyes! Good sized pool with a children’s splash pool to the side. There's also a further pool through the other side of the indoor sitting area. This pool is used for the watersport activities, but tends to be less crowded and rowdy than the main pool area, when not in use for activities.
Salou itself is a lovely family orientated resort with plenty to keep all amused. Lots of bars, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, etc. The beach is about a 15 walk from the apartments and is very long and very clean, but does become very crowded with rows and rows of sun loungers. A further 15-20 min walk along the promenade is the marina where you can take the 30 min ferry ride to Cambrils - approx 9euros each with children half price. There are other trips available. The local bus service is excellent - very regular and cheap (Salou - La Pineda was 1.70 euros). From Salou you can take the air conditioned bus to Cambrils, Cap Salou, La Pineda, Tarragona, Port Aventura and Barcelona.
Port Aventura is about a 20 min walk from the Dorada Palace or 5 mins by bus. Pre book tickets before visiting as prices at the gate are around 35 euros. Next to the theme park is Caribe Park waterpark, more reasonably priced at 19euros. There is also another waterpark in La Pineda - Aquapolis - at around the same price.
All in all we found Salou a great resort for a family holiday and the Dorada Palace was top class. If it wasn’t for the palaver on the final day we would have rated it as 10/10!!!

Great hotel. Absolutely fabulous for families. Rooms pretty big with 4 full size beds. Rooms very clean daily. Hotel restaurant excellent selection and something for everyone, even separate selection of kids meals. Staff very friendly and helpful.
Location very good for theme park (15 mins walk) and about 10 mins walk to beach. Hotel is based on dual carriageway, but our room faced the road, but there was hardly any road noise.
Hotel entertainment was excellent daytime and evening with a good junior disco at 9pm and a very good quality cabaret show at 19pm. We would highly recommend this hotel and are possible looking at booking again next year.

I have just returned from the Dorada Palace and it was excellent. Yes to get a sun bed, you did have to get down early (every hotels the same) and the hobs in the apartments took a little time to heat up, (not exactly holiday spoilers!)
The bar service around the pool was good and the staff were always friendly.
There were a few rules, no bare feet and gents to wear long(ish) trousers and shirt for the restaurant. This is one of the reasons it is 4star. One of the best hotels in Salou and I will definitely return.

Have just arrived back from Dorada Palace with hubby and two teenage sons. We had a lovely time and would go back again. On arrival we were given a welcome pack. The apartment was quite adequate, it was cleaned and a towel change everyday. We took a travel kettle and so didn’t have to wait 10 minutes for the water to boil. I also took extra coat hangers just in case. A must is an extra key-card to keep in the slot so that the air-con and fridge don’t go off. The hotel was very clean and I have to say that I liked the no smoking ban. I had no objections to the ‘rules’ especially when some of them concerned health and safety.
We didn’t cook at all in the apartment, most mornings we went to the Titanic for breakfast, it’s all freshly cooked, (don’t let the appearance of the place put you off). We normally had a snack at lunchtime and then went to the town for an evening meal. This wasn’t always successful, lots of chips with everything. The best place that we found was Uncle Sam’s American Diner. The staff were great and the food was good value for money. The food in the Spaghetti House was good but it was a little expensive. For drinks, the best place by far was The Butler, (if only they did food). Really friendly people and they have the soaps and Sky sports on. Towards the end of our two weeks we decided to eat at the hotel, which was great, wish we’d done it before. The Chef that cooks the eggs/omlettes in the morning and the steaks in the evening is great, he cooks to order.
Salou was a little disappointing it’s very commercialised and geared up for the Brit’s on holiday, (lots of ‘tat’). There are loads of supermarkets, the best one that we found was Suma, although they’re all very similar.
I know that many people have said to go to Barcelona under your own steam, i.e. not to go through the reps. However, we went on the day/evening trip to Barcelona with First Choice and it was fabulous. We spent a couple of hours in Barcelona Football Stadium, stopped briefly to see the 1992 Olympic Stadium and toured around the Olympic Village. We also went up the mountain to a view point overlooking the city, then onto the Aquarium for another couple of hours. We had over 2 hours in shops/La Ramblas and then went to see the ‘Dancing Fountains’ at 9.30pm. There were 2 shows and should not to be missed. We got back to the hotel at midnight.
Just to top this holiday off was the weather, it was hot all of the time, the sea/pool was warm and both clean.
I hope that this review is of some help, I read GJ Mandora, (July ’05) review before going to Dorada Palace and found it very useful.