Grupotel Los Príncipes & Spa

It was a pleasant and safe place for a holiday, whether long or short. The hotel is on a gorgeous stretch of beach, with long shallow water and beautiful Mediterranean Sea views. Lots of families with young children and seniors come here, and it feels comfortable and safe. There's a cafeteria by the pool for snacks or lunch, though plenty of beach restaurants are nearby. We chose the breakfast package and liked the variety and the fast, courteous service. The restaurant managers kept things running smoothly. The hotel is tucked away from the busy central street, with direct beach access. There's no assigned parking, but we found a spot nearby quickly. The renovated rooms are spacious, clean, and maintained daily. There were a lot of tourists from Germany, it felt like 95%, and I sometimes felt a bit isolated. Staff spoke reasonable English, though it was almost funny how little Spanish you heard around there. My friend and I didn't like that there were no bottles of drinking water or toiletries in the room. There were just two bottles of liquid soap with awkward lids and no proper pump, which felt very cheap. They could at least have installed a drinking fountain or reverse osmosis devices. The TV was set up mainly in German too, and it took work to find English-language programmes.

If you want a quiet holiday, this probably isn't the place. There was loud live music every night from 8 to 10:30 p.m., and the room walls were thin. The pool and garden also got overcrowded. The hotel feels geared towards mass tourism, functional rather than especially attractive or well designed. There were some small cleanliness issues, and a lack of care showed in details like no soap in the bath, no room amenities, and a pool shower that didn't work. The rooms were spacious and bright, the beds comfortable, and the beach and location were great. Overall, it felt more like a 3-star experience.

The daytime bar and restaurant staff were friendly, helpful, and professional, and I want to give them credit. But the night manager undid what could have been a pleasant stay. I asked him politely for water in the middle of the night and found him shouting at a TV. He said the bar was closed and refused. After some back and forth, he reluctantly sent me to the food hall, where he handed me water that seemed like suspicious tap water. The taste and source made me wonder if it was unsafe or contaminated. It didn't seem suitable for guests. Frustrated and dehydrated, I went to the hotel next door, Iberostar, at 1 a.m. They greeted me warmly and gave me filtered bottled water for free, without any fuss. The difference in service was staggering. I genuinely find it hard to believe how badly I was treated at Grupotel Los Príncipes & Spa. With that lack of basic hospitality from night management, I won't be returning.

The Spanish chef's food was delicious throughout our stay, and two pool bar staff were fantastic: Adrian and another person whose name I didn't get. Both were friendly, professional, and genuinely warm, a real breath of fresh air. Those were the bright spots. My partner had stayed here before and enjoyed it, but this time the standards felt like they had declined. The hotel seems to be cutting corners while charging premium prices. I think a 3-star rating is extremely generous, and we won't return. The problems started in the bathroom, which was in poor shape when we arrived. The shower was filthy and there was visible mould on the ceiling. We reported it right away; they changed the shower head and painted over the mould, but it came back by the end of the stay. The room also had a constant damp, mouldy smell. The air conditioning was frustrating too. It stayed uncomfortably hot, often feeling warmer than outside. We raised it four times. After the third complaint, the temperature dropped by just 0.5°C, but by night it was back to 24.5°C, so sleeping was difficult. One night we ran out of water around midnight and called reception three times, with no answer. I went down and found the night manager watching TV and screaming in the back. He refused water because the bar was closed, and kept saying “no” when I offered to have a bottle from the restaurant charged to our room. We crossed the road to Iberostar Waves Alcudia Park, where their night manager gladly gave us cold refillable bottled water. Reception and management, especially Pedro, were often cold, dismissive, and unhelpful. We felt like a nuisance for raising reasonable concerns. Breakfast was another uncomfortable experience. The hotel insists on seating guests even when plenty of tables are free. On our last morning, we waited at the entrance but no one came to seat us, so, like several other people, we found a table because we had a schedule. A staff member confronted me publicly while we ate, saying I shouldn't have sat there and should have waited. I explained, but his rude, dismissive tone made it embarrassing for no reason. The shower gel and toiletries smelled strongly of chemicals, like bleach, and we were hesitant to put them on our skin. It felt like another way the hotel had cut corners. With the night manager tucked away in his box behind the doors, the hotel also didn't feel very secure. Someone could walk in at any time, especially given its beach location. The hotel no longer seemed worth its 4-star rating or price, with maintenance, service, and basic amenities all falling short.