Aqua Hotel Promenade

We flew from Bournemouth to Gerona with Ryanair - flight was good and on time and, having booked early, under £50 each return. I had booked car hire from Gerona with Auriga Crown and we had a new Fiesta with A/C - essential in July! Again, very reasonable although I chose the supplementary insurance for 20 euros in case of damage to screen or tyres. Found the hotel and were able to park right outside, free of charge although the car had to be moved from Thursday evening due to local market on Friday. Room was clean, modern and reasonably spacious but all the sea view rooms seemed to have been reserved for the Dutch! It didn't matter that much as we overlooked the shopping street and there was plenty going on. The cafeteria was good with free entertainment every night. Noisy but hey - we're on holiday! Staff were great in all departments. We were on B & B terms and the buffet selection was very good, if a little oily. Avoid the restaurant at opening times if you don't want to queue as the Dutch seem to eat early. There's also a mini rush just before closing time as well but we never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a table.The resort is wonderfully clean with plenty of room on the beach, plenty of sunbeds for 4 euros a day. The sea is warm but gets deep very near to the shore so watch out! Local trains run along the front between the hotel and the beach but are barely noticeable and there are subways to use to reach the beach safely. There's a land train connecting a few resorts and a boat also connects to various resorts although it's a bit more expensive at 23 euros return between Pineda and Lloret. There are a few restaurants in the town although they do tend to close a bit early for my taste but again, our continental cousins seem to prefer this. I would definitely use this hotel again and would recommend it for people liking a beach holiday. The pool was a bit small though and I was told it was a bit cool! With a beach like Pineda's, the pool is by no means an essential.

We (my wife, two year old son, and me) have spent 13 days in this hotel in Pineda de Mar. Although it has just 3 stars, the actual accomodation, quality of food and hospitality of the staff is way above it. The room we have been staying in has the backyard view (on the swiming pool) and that was the only thing I wasn't quite happy with. The room itself was quite spacious, beds were perfect, giving you an opportunity for great relaxation during sleep. The bathroom was modern, and very importantly there was plenty of hot water at any time of day. Cleaning of the room was perfect. The restaurant is a jewel in the crown of this hotel. All meals are buffet style. The food was excellent - plenty of choice for any taste. And no two days in a row was there completely same selection for dinner (although the selection was rotated on a weekly basis). The selection of food for breakfast was also great, although the similar food was on the offer more often. The hotel is perfectly located, the beach is just across the street and the railway. Railway station is 100 meters away, with trains running to Barcelona every 30 mins. In the opposite direction Blanes with bus connection to Lloret de Mar is just 8 mins (of train ride) away. So you can get there in approx. 20-25 mins from leaving the room. HTe main shopping street is just around the corner nad local Xinu-Xanu (tourist trains) that runs to neighbouring Calella has a stop at the hotel doorstep. Just one thing for couples with little kids - room doors can't be blocked (locked) from the inside, so we had to put something heavy in front of them to be sure our son isn't opening it.