Hotel President

The rooms were very clean, and the staff were incredible and clearly worked hard to keep everything in order. The location was great too. But the beds really let the hotel down: old, lumpy and rock-hard. I woke up sore every day, like I was sleeping on a cell bunk. Noise was a constant problem. The hotel is on a very noisy street, with bin trucks late at night, and our room faced the back of a supermarket where staff emptied glass bins throughout the day. You could hear other guests' phones, alarms and conversations through the thin walls and ceilings. To cover the sound of the vents or water system, we had to leave the air conditioning on all night. The smart TVs couldn't connect to Wi-Fi, so logging into Netflix or Disney+ wasn't possible. Reception said nothing could be changed, and the locked settings meant subtitles were only available in Spanish.

We were in town for the Barcelona-Calella Ironman, and the hotel worked out perfectly: everything was within walking distance. Breakfast was included each morning, with lunch and dinner available to buy at the hotel. The service was good, and there was entertainment every night. It was clean, and as two women we felt very safe. I'd recommend it if you want to stay in the heart of Calella.

The staff were lovely, and we'd return one day. We enjoyed Calella and its closeness to Barcelona. We came back from five nights full board very happy with the food for a 3-star hotel: lots of choice, and everything fresh and tasty. Some guests had terrible manners in the dining room. We saw someone dip a finger into the dessert yoghurt, people sneeze into their hands and then touch the clean cutlery, and others handle the fruit roughly. It was disgusting, though it wasn't the hotel's fault. We started going down early for each sitting to reduce the chance of food contamination. The beds were very comfortable, and the rooms themselves were comfortable too, but noise carried through the walls. We could hear the people next door using the toilet and singing in the shower. Our room was opposite the lifts, so there was extra noise, especially when people came back after drinking. Light sleepers should bring earplugs. Even with no-smoking signs, the stairwell and corridors smelled of stale cigarette smoke, perhaps blown in from outside or from balconies. As a non-smoker, I found that off-putting.

We were really impressed with the value for money. Our room overlooked the pool and was spacious, comfortable and clean. Housekeeping came every day without us having to ask, and the public areas, including around the pool, were spotless. We booked half board. Breakfast had plenty of variety, and the dinner choices changed each evening. The staff were helpful and professional. There were several pools, lots of loungers, umbrellas and outdoor seating, which we enjoyed. Nightly entertainment was included, a nice surprise. The hotel is about a five-minute walk from the main area and ten minutes from the seafront. The train station is within walking distance for a Barcelona day trip. They also let us store our luggage and use shower facilities after checkout, handy with our later flight.