Hotel ILUNION Golf Badajoz

The location was good, parking was easy, and it was dog friendly. Everything was clean, including the fresh room, and the staff were nice. There’s a nice bar too. I didn’t eat there, so can’t say anything about breakfast.

The breakfast was the biggest letdown. The food quality was so poor, worse than a hostel, though the space was clean and met the bare minimum. The price was cheap, around 140€ for a night in end of April, but this place no longer deserves to be called a 4 star hotel. This was my first and definitely last stay at a hotel from this chain. Finding parking was impossible when I arrived. Even spots far from the hotel were completely full. The staff weren’t welcoming, friendly, or kind. I had to ask whether dogs were allowed and if the pool was open. The pool only opens in mid June, which I don’t understand, since April/May is already a good season to enjoy it. Bringing a dog into the room costs 30€/day, which I found quite expensive and couldn’t see a reason for. The lift was outdated and seemed poorly maintained. My room was shockingly dusty, as if it had been cleaned a month earlier and left unused since. The beds looked like hospital beds, with wheels and a bad structure, though the mattress and pillows were quite comfortable. The outside window didn’t close properly, and the terrace floor was damaged and needed maintenance. There was no table or chair out there. The minibar had only water in cans, and there was no menu for room service or the minibar, so I couldn’t tell whether the water was complimentary. The bathroom was old but spacious, with no amenities beyond shower towels, hand towels, a bar of soap, and shampoo and shower gel combined in one. That’s a shame for a hotel claiming 4 stars. There was an advertising sign in the hotel parking lot covered in birds, so you can imagine what they leave on guests’ cars 😅.

We stayed in mid-December, when the hotel was particularly busy, perhaps because of two bus loads of guests. The buffet dinner and breakfast were good. Dogs could only be left in the room or car, which is normal for many hotels. There was a problem with one of the lifts, and the hotel said it would ask the lift company to look at it. The staff on hand and the maintenance team were very helpful, and hopefully it won’t happen again. We were travelling to Portugal with my sister and her two small dogs. The hotel was in a secure area with plenty of parking, including spaces for disabled badge holders. We’d booked a Pet Friendly room for my sister and her dogs, with a walk-in shower to suit her limited mobility. The hotel is very spacious inside, so she got around on her folding mobility scooter. There’s also a short circular walk from the hotel for anyone travelling with dogs. The decor in the rooms was a little tired, but the beds were very comfortable and the balconies had nice views.

The meal and service in the restaurant were excellent, and the pool was very welcome after a long drive. Check-in was quick and the room was OK for our one-night stop on the way south from Galicia to Mijas. Parking at the hotel and in the adjoining streets was full because of a wedding party and christening at the hotel. Unfortunately, the bathroom shower had no hot water. It was noisy in the evening and at night, with children and party guests in the pool area. The room had no double glazing to cut the noise, and oddly, no balcony furniture.