Hospedium Hotel La Marina

I was there for one night on a business trip. My room on the 5th floor was comfortable and nicely done, with parquet flooring and new furniture. There was no minibar or coffee machine, though. The bathroom had both a bathtub and a bidet, which I appreciate since I can't understand how people manage without one. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere, with singles, couples, and families there. The waiters and bartenders were friendly and quick. Definitely a nice experience.

The noise was outrageous. We could hear every word from the room next door, every door closing, and every toilet flushing. On our last night, the hotel was very busy and we slept terribly. I wouldn't stay here again, or visit this part of Spain again. It felt as if you were only welcome if you were Spanish. At check-in we showed our passports, got a room key, and were told, "that's it." We had to say that we'd paid for breakfast and dinner, and were then told, "breakfast at 8, dinner at 8." There was no information in the rooms. For dinner, I used Google translate to ask the bar staff what we could order. They said anything from the menu and pointed to a QR code. We ordered two burgers, which were incredibly tasty. The staff were lovely, friendly, and smiley. After dinner I asked to pay for our drinks and got a receipt. Nobody told us anything else, so we went to bed. At breakfast we ordered from the menu again and left afterwards. Then, when we sat down for dinner, a staff member said we'd made a mistake: we weren't allowed to order from the main menu, and should have said we were hotel guests, even though we had. She read us a menu with only two choices per course. The food was vile. The pork was raw, and I was served a whole battered fish, head and all, with no suitable cutlery. We left the food. It felt as if we'd been naughty and were being punished with their worst food. Earlier, when I asked for wine, I got a very nice glass. This time I was given a bottle that costs €1 in the shop, like paint stripper. From then on we felt really uncomfortable and unwelcome. We ate from the restaurant menu at lunchtime the next day, knowing we'd have to pay, but people stared at us the whole time and the staff didn't engage with us. I think the language barrier was a big factor. We tried our best to speak the language and used Google translate for the rest. This hotel seems popular with locals but not very welcoming to tourists. They should have information in several languages explaining how half board works, so guests don't have to go through the embarrassment we did.

The 12€ menu del dia was excellent, and the staff were lovely. We’d happily eat here again next time we’re in Cee. Nothing to fault at Hotel La Marina.

The food was excellent, and lots of locals eat here, which says a lot. I slept wonderfully in a huge room with a bathroom as big as the accommodation I’d stayed in the day before. They also offer thoughtful extras, like letting you request pillows for allergies. The staff were wonderful too. Honestly, I can’t see why this is only a 2*. I can’t recommend it enough.