Apartamentos Atenea Playa Romana

The beach is right in front of the apartment, and it’s lovely and sandy, though dogs aren’t allowed there. We stayed in a nice apartment overlooking the pool on the second floor of block 6A, and the place is much improved since our last visit in 2022. Dogs are allowed for a daily charge, €40 for the week. In October both onsite restaurants were closed, as was the laundry. The nearby Mirador restaurant wasn’t dog friendly even on the terrace, but luckily it was closed. There’s a nice boardwalk along the beach to the main town, with lots of restaurants and bars. Spar and Consum supermarkets are in town and within walking distance.

What you get here really depends on what you’re looking for. I’m a well-traveled American, and I thought a lot of little things could’ve been handled better. In the off season, which is most of the year since July and August are peak months, expect a beach, a pool, and a few restaurants. There were no pool chairs, which are only available in July and August, and no towels for the pool or beach. That might be fine if you drive, but it’s difficult if you fly, especially from the US. The kitchen had no salt or pepper and only enough tea and coffee for one day. If you’re driving, you can bring supplies or buy them and take leftovers home. If you fly, forget it. The apartment and grounds were very clean and well maintained. The staff were friendly, but none of the water features had water in them, which made things feel a bit depressing.

The location was amazing, just minutes from the beach, and the place was clean. The room was okay, but the bed was really hard. There was no silverware, though other cooking equipment was provided, except there was no oven. The nearby grocery store has good prices and pretty much everything you might need, from food and toiletries to beach supplies. Restaurant choices were limited and most didn’t taste very good. La Mirador was the exception, though I don’t think it’s associated with the property, and it’s very close. We signed up for a snorkeling excursion, then showed up on the day and were told it couldn’t go ahead because they needed at least five people. That was fine, but nobody explained the minimum when we signed up. The electric bikes weren’t working either. The amenities were just okay, but the location was great.

The restaurant onsite had friendly service and nice drinks, and they even gave us some complimentary treats. The apartment had everything we needed, and was better than we expected after reading the reviews. We were on the third floor and had a very private terrace. The kitchen was well equipped. The building itself needs renovation, but overall things were good. A few times the water stopped for an hour or two. When we called reception, they acknowledged it, but nothing came of it. No one came to check in on us or give us any information, and reception staff barely spoke English. When we ran into staff, they never greeted us.