Bankya Palace

The rooms were cleaned very well, and people generally behaved respectfully. Restaurant staff were amazing and very well mannered, with great service. My only issue was reception, where service was very poor and there seemed to be no common sense about simple things. Be ready to be made to leave your room at 12.01 at noon, even with your child, because they urgently need to clean for the next customer, even when it's extremely cold outside. The hotel itself is fine.

We won't be coming back. The pool was filthy, with dirt, leaves, bugs, and other stuff covering the bottom, as if nobody cleaned it. About 90 percent of the dishes were stained and poorly washed, and the room towels had holes. Our whole group was shocked to see a woman dressed like a cook smoking cigarettes inside the kitchen where food was being taken from and served. This is no more than a two-star hotel.

The food could be better, but this is otherwise a great place to relax. It's on a quiet, nice street near a park, about a 10-minute walk from the city center. The rooms are luxurious, spacious, and spotless, with big comfortable beds, nice balconies with tables and chairs for smokers :D, large bathtubs, and extra mirrors for makeup. Everything was well maintained. Staff across reception, security, housekeeping, the restaurant, and the SPA center were friendly, polite, professional, and helpful. They really made us feel welcome and among friends.

Reception staff were very polite and helpful, and the hotel was quiet and clean. The pool bar was another story: the older barman was very rude, even with fewer than five people to serve, and seemed to find it a huge chore. Apart from a couple of exceptions, the waiting staff need better training. In a four-star hotel, politeness and courtesy should be the rule, not the exception.