Hotel Santa Monica

I thought this holiday was satisfactory. The food in the restaurant was ok, but there wasn't much of a selection. The staff in the bars were ok, but horrible sometimes though. The pool became very busy at times so you have to go and put your towels down on sun beds at about 8 but you aren't allowed to sit on them until half 8/9 because the maintenance man tells you off!
We were overlooking the pool but the site wasn't very nice. There was a building site opposite but if you looked further out you could see the lovely sea.
Just a bit down from the hotel there is an amazing cocktail bar! You can have a litre of cocktail for just 10 euros and they are really nice! The staff here are brilliant too!

This is the second year in a row I have been to The Santa Monica hotel I have enjoyed it both times on going. I found there to be a wide variety of food choices for everyone from kids to adults.
The resort does have a number of bars and clubs in the evening and although the resort seemed a little on the quiet side if you are after a relaxing holiday then its great. I found the entertainment to be of a good quality and all the staff to be friendly. There were things to do for the children and adults during the day as well as in the evening.
This holiday I shared with my friends who all also enjoyed their 2 weeks and after speaking to others around by the pool or in the bar of an evening so did they.

Ok where do I start! This was the worst holiday I have ever experienced (if you can call it a holiday).
1. Our view from the balcony was a busy main road with lots of big smelly dust bins as a view and an electric box which was constantly buzzing throughout the night
2. The room and balcony was crawling with ants.
3. Paid a deposit of 10 euros for the remote control for the TV and every time we started to watch something, somebody in the lounge downstairs in the hotel would turn the TV over
4. They played a DVD on one channel and their DVD player broke so we only got to see an hour of the movie we watching
5. The slats in my bed were broken
6. Entertainment was awful
7. The food was Awful - The meat was all gristly and cold with evening meals
8. Breakfast was OK but I wouldn’t go for the eggs which must have been fried for about 5 seconds.
9. Calella is the worst resort I have ever experienced, all the alcohol in the bars was watered down (Alcatraz bar was the worst) I had 5 Jack Daniels (Very Big Measures) and went home completely sober!
10. I was very disappointed in my holiday - I have taken pictures of the room and view from our balcony, A waste of time and money - Hopefully I can post these pictures on the internet somewhere to save other people wasting their time going to this dump!

We had a group booking and we all was in rooms next to each other.
We enjoyed the entertainment especially when us holiday makers was involved in doing a cabaret. Bea and Suzie were great children entertainers and our children loved them.
The reception staff was especially helpful when our daughter broken her arm falling over. The hospital visit took in total one and half hours, from leaving the hotel to arriving back at the hotel. And they kept our other children entertained till we arrived back to the hotel.
The children enjoyed the kids clubs a great deal and entered many of the competitions and come home with lots of certificates and medals. Including myself being champion of champions in killer darts.
We found the shops were never ending and also enjoyed a great day out in Barcelona.
We spent a great amount of time on the beach, which we found was quite pebbly and had a sudden drop, but the children, myself and husband really enjoyed the snorkelling.

Our holiday at Santa Monica hotel in may 2005 was great, it was that good we are going back again June 2006.
It was great food, good entertainment for kids and adults. Pool was great we was there every day they got kids and adults to join in everything.
Staff were helpful and kind towards us, I after say reading back what other people said before we went, about the lifts they do have a mind of there own but that’s what holidays are all about, a bit of fun, they were ok when we really needed them, when we arrived and when we left with the suitcases.
I really can't say anything wrong about the holiday all together it was fantastic

A good family hotel with nice facilities, if somewhat repetitive. Good facilities for kids as a kids rep is on site with daily activities. clean and friendly atmosphere and lovely bar area.
The overall area of Calella is close to Barcelona and easily reachable in 40 minutes by train...... nightlife is ok in some areas although if you want a busy night then maybe nightclubs are the better option or Barcelona. ... lots of quiet romantic looking bars and restaurants though.
Worthwhile and quite a cheap resort although sunbed hire at beach a bit pricey.

Very good. Third time we have been and rooms are better for having air conditioning installed.
Food very good and rooms clean and cleaned daily. Hotel Staff and Entertainment staff very friendly and there are quiet areas for adults to escape from the children.
As the children are now older we became more adventurous and caught the train to Barcelona and Tordera market rather than the (costly) organised trips.
The only slight down point was that the evening entertainment was patchy, very good some nights and dire others. However the other qualities far outweigh this minor blip.

I loved it at the Santa Monica hotel. I thought the food was lush and there was so good things to entertain you.
If any body is thinking to stay them they should it is so good it is a big room but do not stay in a high room because when I was there the lift did not work and you would wait for ages for a lift to come up I would come and then it would go back down it was a pain. But bar from that it was a wicked hotel to stay in and I would stay there again next time I go back to Cella.

This holiday was an absolute bargain! Portland direct gave us a free child place, which kept the cost for 1 week for 3 of us under £850. The hotel was quite basic but spotless. The staff were fantastic they couldn’t have been better and all English speaking. Unfortunately there is a hotel being built across the road, which was a bit of an eyesore however with no building work going on in Aug this didn’t cause any prob. The location is great, just 2 minutes from a beautiful sandyish beach and 5 minutes walk to loads of great shops.
For people who like to see things Costa Brava is only 45 minutes from Barcelona. This was the highlight of our holiday. We did 2 trips to Barcelona with the organised tour one day trip and one evening trip both were worth every penny, we saw so much, we even visited the new camp football stadium a tour worth doing if your a footie fan. Loads to do Loads to see and a great place to stay. I have never been half board before and if I could always be guaranteed food up to the standard at the Santa Monica I would always go half board.
The dining room is efficiently run and again spotless, the food was well presented and something for everyone. The entertainment is really catered towards the children however enjoyable to watch. The pool is not that big but with the beach so close this is not a problem. A great holiday!

The hotel was very clean your towels were changed every day, the pool was lovely and clean and so was the surrounding area. The thing I did not like about it was the entertainment at night it was the biggest load of rubbish I have ever seen, the hotel will have to really think seriously about getting better entertainment. I also did not like the food much in the hotel as I am fussy but I always did find something to eat ,but I would stay clear of their meat(no healthy looking) a great family hotel children are well catered for Calella really did not have much to do in it apart from the pubs and restaurants 6 out of 10 for me