Pierre & Vacances Residence Blanes Playa

Great views, but the fridge needs disinfecting. There are mold spots on most of its shelves. It would also be nice to have two pillows per person. The listing and confirmation emails say there's 24-hour reception, but it's actually at another hotel about 0.5 km away. We had already walked past it to get here, so had to go back.

The reception staff at the sister hotel were lovely and always tried to help, and the location was great. Still, there were a number of things that made the week less comfortable than it could have been. Our sofa bed was old and uncomfortable, so the first night was rough. They couldn't move us to another room, but an extra mattress helped a little. Several reviews mention the sofa beds, and they really should be more comfortable. There's no reception in the building either, so after a long day of travel it was inconvenient to walk to another hotel when we needed help. It felt deserted at times. The upfront €200 deposit is also very expensive. The apartment had dated furniture and kitchen utensils, and no kettle. We got just two bin bags for the whole week. The TV was old, which wasn't ideal during a couple of rainy mornings and evenings. A smart TV that we could connect to and stream from would have been welcome.

The sea views from every apartment are spectacular, and there are a little playground and a couple of nice restaurants about five minutes away. The block sits on the beach near the caravan parks, about a flat 15-20 minute walk from the main town. Nearby there's a very expensive small supermarket and a bar, but lots of the bars and restaurants were closed, so it felt like a ghost town. Maybe April was too early in the season. The €200 deposit was back in my account the day after we returned. Our first apartment was in rough shape. We arrived at 1 am and made the 10-minute walk to Hotel Horitzo, which we already knew about. A lovely receptionist sorted the keys, tax payment, and €200 card authorisation. Back at the apartments, the vending machine was nearly empty and everything else was shut. The sofa bed hadn't been made, and its mattress was so thin the bars pressed through. I was in pain and barely slept. In the morning the drains smelled awful, the spare pillows had no cases, and there were blood spatters on the curtains. I went back to reception to complain. Another lovely receptionist moved us to the 8th floor. That apartment was clean, had no smell, and a comfortable sofa bed. The manager came to see us, which was nice. I pointed out the cracked glass balcony divider, and he already knew about it. After shopping, we found a strip missing from the kitchen unit, no hot water, and only one bath towel. The kettle base was melted when I tried to plug it in, which seemed really dangerous, and the hob didn't work, so cooking for ourselves was a problem. Reception was only at the other hotel. The apartment block had an empty office, not a reception desk. They replaced the kettle, brought a towel, and fixed the hot water, but couldn't repair the hob or move us because there were no spare apartments. They were very apologetic. I asked in the online survey for a free meal since I couldn't cook anything, but got no response. The staff really were lovely, but it was painful having to keep trekking back every time I found another problem. I wouldn't return to these apartments, though I might consider the hotel because of how nice the staff were.

The beach is right there, with a fantastic view and a beautiful sunrise. I booked a well-equipped studio, but the bed wasn't comfortable and the shower was very narrow, though the bathroom itself was good. Be aware that late-evening check-in isn't available.