Dorada Palace Hotel

Oh dear. Where to start. I have just returned from Salou, where my wife and I and our 1yr old son stayed at the Costa Dorada Aparthotel, in one of their "4 star" apartments on self catering basis as this is the easier option with a baby. This was our first holiday with our first baby, so we purposefully chose Salou as it is only a couple of hours away, so no one had to endure too long travelling, and chose a family friendly hotel. We also chose to go in September for two reasons; firstly, it's half the price because the school holidays are over and secondly, we figured that since the kids were back at school, it would be reasonably quiet. We booked with First Choice over the internet and got a good deal; about £200 cheaper than visiting their high street branches. We also pre-booked some crèche sessions for the little one, and requested a cot and high chair for the apartment and were assured these at the time of booking. We also chose the Palace Apartments as it's rated 4 star and we wanted a bit of luxury to make up for the sleepless nights every new parent has to suffer.
We arrived at Reus Airport without a hitch and were directed to our coach by the rep and had to load our own cases. Fine. Then after 30 min coach ride we arrived at the hotel. We weren’t expecting such a built up area and weren’t aware of the on going building work in the immediate vicinity, although this proved unobtrusive throughout our stay. We then had to unload our own cases from the coach. As mentioned in other reviews, check in is at 2pm. We arrived at 10am. 4 hrs to kill with no help or advice from the rep as to where to go or what to do. She disappeared on the coach! I decided to ask the reception staff what we could do with our baby for 4 hrs only to find that English was only spoken by ourselves and the other guests in the hotel!! A problem throughout Salou. All the locals spoke very poor English. Take a phrase book. And to charge you for storing your cases until 2pm!!!! outrageous! As we discovered they charge extra for everything. I was scared to use the toilet for fear of being given a bill.
2pm arrived and it was a free for all at check in. We got our room key, paid the 100e deposit with my card and asked for a second key for the room. 12e charge for a second key. No thanks! I also discovered why England has a truancy problem; they are all in Salou!! Hundreds of them! But as mentioned earlier, it is half the price to go in September!
The apartment was small, basic and tidy. There was a cot but no high chair as promised. The hotel do not supply high chairs. We ended up "borrowing " one from the restaurant. The fridge was rusted. the handle on the kettle was missing and pubic hairs were found in the bathroom and under the beds. Just the sort of things we wanted our baby crawling around in.
The hotel restaurant is buffet. The food is ok. That’s it. But 12e for as much as you can eat is good value. The hotel also puts on entertainment every night which we passed on but can say sounded ok as it is very kindly held outside, poolside starting at 10pm and very loud. Just what we needed when getting the baby to sleep.
It is a 5 min walk to the beach which was lovely. Lots of very sandy beaches. But what I can't grasp is the bars and restaurants all clearly trying to cater for the English with burgers and chips everywhere but no one speaks English and they are all so ignorant and un friendly. And the football is TV every where!!! And I'm sorry, but I don’t go on holiday to go to an English pub. I go on holiday to get away from all that and experience local culture/cuisine.
The crèche facilities were good and a welcome relief for a couple of hours for the wife and I to relax, and it was cheap.£36 for 6 sessions
There is no way on earth that it is a 4 star hotel. At a push it is 3 star. Maybe we were naive. Maybe we expected to much.
If you have a baby, avoid this hotel. If your kids are a bit older, great. We should have gone to inland Spain. It was like going to Southend on sea for a week but with fabulous weather and beaches. Never again.

Davy, Lisa and Megan (6)
Dorada palace hotel
We visited this hotel mid august 2005 . We were in a party of 15 , some of whom had been here a number of times before. This is my families opinion of the hotel and resort.
Rooms:- the rooms are standard Spanish holiday fare , twin beds plus a bed for the child, which would have been a small couch had there been just 2 of us. A chair , a dressing table and fitted wardrobes (with 4 hangers)
There is an adjoining bathroom.
Sliding doors take you on to the balcony.
There is air con which works when the doors are shut (tip-get a spare key card and leave it in the power slot because all the power including the air con goes off 5 mins after you remove the card from the slot)
The rooms are cleaned every day and the overall cleanliness is excellent.
There is a TV ,small minibar fridge and a safe in the rooms - keys from reception.
There is a clothes airer on the balcony .no towels can be hung over the balcony rail- a visit from the towel police will ensue if you try it !
There are a few suites which are much better than the other rooms.
Food:- the food is ok. Standard Spanish hols issue -funny bacon ,comedy sausages for breakfast etc. Watch out for the Yorkshire puds on a Sunday night.....ha ha!
however every morning and every night there is a grill chef at the back of the restaurant and he does omelettes on a morning and steaks/chops on an evening and they are spot on. he is a top guy as well.
Saturday night is the big night for food with lobster/ crayfish etc ,in fact seafood of all kinds in addition to the usual fare.
Saturday night is the only night I would say the food lived up to it’s 4 star rating.
Hotel in general:-the hotel is ok . Nice and clean. However there is a book of rules that has to be seen to be believed. no towels on the balcony. No lilos in the pool . Shirts on in reception. etc.
Bar service :- now don’t get me started on this one- terrible ,horrendous, appalling are all words that spring to mind. 45 minutes I stood in a queue at the bar one night. Some of the staff can’t speak a single word of English- handy that in a hotel where the clientele are 90 per cent English! Personally!
Resort:- the resort is ok but very expensive. The people are awful -smelly ,ignorant and generally unfriendly . Some one should introduce the notion of soap and water to them.
The port Adventura Park is good but pricey. We got a two week pass before we went . It cost £130 for the 3 of us.
Unfortunately we hit Spanish factory fortnight and the queues for the rides were huge. 40 minutes standing beside what smells like a sweaty garlic turd Spaniard holds no attraction to me! Soap and water Pedro!
The firework display is magnificent and worth the wait.
Location:-10 / 15 mins walk from shops /bars etc.
Overall: hotel ok , but how it’s a 4 star beats me.
Resort is ok but it won’t see this pigeon again!
If your going here take plenty moolaah because you’ll need it!
Hope this has been some help.
Cheers
Davy robson

Dorada Palace Apartments
1) Even if your flight arrives early (i.e. 10.00am in our case) you can’t check in until 14.00pm! The queue starts forming in reception around 1.30pm! We recommend having a small bag with your beach/swimming stuff, store your suitcases in the basement (charge is e1) and make the most of the facilities!
2) Be aware there is an e100 deposit required on arrival to cover any potential breakages. This cash only!
3) Hotel beach towels can be hired for the week at reception for free.
4) There is a mad rush at 9.00am for sun beds and by 9.15am they are all gone! Either you wake up early or miss out!

5) Breakfast buffet for e6 is great and all you could possibly want (till lunchtime anyway!)
6) Dinner is a bit more formal (men to wear at least ¾ length trouser!) and costs e12. We found the Italian night the best.
SALOU RESTAURANTS/PUBS
There are plenty of restaurants around and we would recommend:
1) The Spaghetti House – Good for pizzas, pasta but we enjoyed the desserts even more. Service is slow but the food is great and quick!
2) Uncle Sams – Good for burgers, nachos etc and a great all round menu with very down-to-earth (friendly) staff. Very good value for money.
3) Taj Mahal - Next to Uncle Sam’s is a tasty Indian restaurant. Service is not great but the food hits the spot!
4) The Butler – next to the Spaghetti house is a good English pub with English TV is you’re a soap addict.
5) Shankleys – Opposite Uncle Sams is another English pub and a must for Liverpool fans.
6) The George & Dragon – Good for food and English TV.
7) The Old Brown Cow – Family business - great food and service.

DAY TRIPS
Do Barcelona first as your bus discount book gives you 2 for 1 tickets for Port Aventura!
Do not visit Barcelona on a Monday as all the museums are closed!
Do visit Barcelona on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, as on these days there is an evening fountain show.

1. Barcelona
Trip to Barca is a must! Forget the reps trip its massively overpriced e50! We got the train we no problems from Salou Station (7 euro from hotel in taxi). Buy return train tickets at e11 per adult and enjoy the 1 ½ hour train ride. Sit on the right is you want to see the best views/beaches. Get off at Sants (Barcelona) station its the first one in Barca. Step outside the station and look right for the open top bus stood at the bus top (called BusTuristic). If one is not there then one appears every ten minutes. Get on the bus and pay the guide/driver e17 per adult. There are three zones Red, Blue and Green, you can use them all and change at certain points, we started and finished on the Blue which took us back to the station to catch the train home. They will give a map and discount book. Remember you can hop on and off at all the main sights. Brilliant... don’t miss the dancing fountains in the evening. Also well worth a good look are the Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, the Olympic Stadium, Park Guell and best of all if you’re a footy fan the Nou Camp. Look out for the holographic photograph on the pitch at Nou Camp. Remember to use your discount book at most the sights. Tourist info is underground at Placa Catalunya and they are very helpful. Shopping in Barca fantastic also particularly around Las Ramblas! Only down side is that last train from Barcelona was at 9pm. NB Your return train ticket may not work in the automatic machine (ours didn’t), don’t panic, show the guard your ticket and he’ll let you through.
2. Port Aventura
Port Aventura was also excellent. I suggest though that you bring enough to cover food expenses as the food snacky rather than filling. Limited choice for vegetarians. Even so there is something for everyone; the queues were not long, longest 20mins. The park was very clean and tidy but smoking appears to be a national obsession! It is much cooler and the queues are even shorter and the atmosphere is more relaxed. The firework and laser show at 11.30pm is not to be missed although the crowds start gathering around the lake from around 10.30pm so you need to be in that area early to get a good viewing point. http://www.portaventura.com/
3. Sunday Market
Bonavista has a Sunday Market for cloths, shoes, fruit & veg, gifts etc. Don’t spend e13 on the Rep’s trip as the local bus will take you there (and back) for around e5! NB All buses/coaches drop you about 5/10mins walk from the market!
Supermarket
The supermarkets are plentiful, the best being the Michaelangelo chain.

Just got back from the best family holiday I have ever had this hotel is fantastic the kids club with first choice is excellent both my children went either two or three times a day depending on what we were doing, never had any trouble getting sunbeds round any of the three pools, the room was a bit small for four but then we were only sleeping in it so it didn’t matter to us.
The beach is a ten minute walk and is beautiful and port aventura theme park is a ten minute walk aswell so this hotel is in a good situation for either of these, went to theme park twice and still didn’t see everything as it is that big also done the water park next door one day all in all a great time was had by all of us and we have decided that we enjoyed it so much we are going to go back for our next holiday