SBH Costa Calma Beach

I’ve been back to this hotel many times for its fabulous location. The 8th-floor suites are roomy, with huge terraces and incredible sea views. We’d just finished a week there and had generally enjoyed it, but the pool bar incident left a sour note. We ordered a light lunch and drinks. The waiter said that because we were “all inclusive” we could only eat at the bar if we paid cash, although our hotel card clearly showed we weren’t all inclusive. I signed for the meal, then asked for the bill. After several requests and about half an hour, the waiter told us the amount. I paid cash and thought that was settled. At checkout, we found the lunch had also been charged to our room. When I raised it, reception flatly said there was nothing they could do, because the pool bar staff aren’t always the same. I felt treated like I was stupid and lying. So be careful about paying cash at the pool bar, and don’t expect reception to sort it out at checkout. Such a shame after a good week.

The food was the one thing we enjoyed. Our room was huge, spotlessly clean, and had a lovely sea view. It was also very quiet, so anyone wanting lots to do probably won’t find this place suitable. They advertise aqua fit and bike hire, but neither was available. The hotel was full of Germans, and reception staff could do with smiling more. The blonde woman who welcomed us at dinner was the only staff member we found nice.

The setting and facilities were great: cleanliness 8, view 10, beach beside the hotel 10, pools 10, staff 9. But the food was a total disaster, and if food matters to you, I wouldn’t recommend staying here on a meal plan. We paid for breakfast and dinner and regretted it. After three days we were already fed up with the repetitive, tasteless buffet, and ended up buying food nearby. If we came back, we’d want everything the hotel offers except the food. Breakfast barely changed from day to day, and sometimes even the two good Spanish cheeses we’d gotten used to weren’t there. There were only two types of cheese in the first place, which felt like very little for a four-star hotel. Dinner was repetitive too. Some meats were cooked on just one side, so they were still raw, and lots of other dishes were nearly uncooked. Everything seemed prepared quickly and simply, there were few vegetables for making a decent salad, and most of the food had no flavor. With so many guests, too little food and too few staff, the trays and serving plates could be emptied within the first ten minutes. Then there were queues while staff prepared more. In the last few days we went 30 minutes after the dining period opened, and many dishes were already gone. We couldn’t even tell what had been served. There were often no plates, so we had to wait for clean ones, and the dishes had no labels to say what they contained. The glasses and cups weren’t washed properly either. It was chaos around the food. We like sweets, but the only things we could enjoy were nuts with honey, pancakes, and ice cream. The rest was full of sugar and totally unhealthy. I’d read all the comments I could find before booking through the agency, and hadn’t seen other downsides besides the food. We initially thought there’d be something we could eat among all the dishes, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

The rooms were clean, spacious, quiet, and fine in every other way. Sea views are great from the 5th floor up; on the 4th it depends where your room is. I found reception helpful most of the time, and staff speak Spanish as well as English and/or German. The kitchen team were great, and the food and service were excellent, with thanks to Ibra & Mostapha. It’s international food aimed more at Central European tastes, with only a few local dishes. There are two pools plus a kids’ pool, all clean and fine. A lifeguard is there until 17.30, and you can swim at your own risk until 19.30. From 19.30 until 8 in the morning, swimming is forbidden. That’s a shame if, like some of us, you prefer an evening swim to cool off in the heat. There’s also a very relaxed, calm, clean “hotel cat” wandering around, clearly well looked after. Everyone loved that little fella. I’d tell guests to go, it’s worth the price. But two things really bothered me. At check-in, the blonde German lady took everyone’s official IDs and kept them overnight to copy and send to local authorities. The hotel manager smiled but didn’t support me. A small paper bag with items I’d bought disappeared from my room. I figure it was mistaken for trash, but it was worth about 40 Euros. I told reception that day, then the manager, who promised to look into it and get back to me. Nothing happened. I didn’t even expect the bag to be found, but some information and a small apology would’ve been nice. We kept anything expensive in the hotel safe. These were capsules for my e-cigarette, and I hadn’t expected them to get “lost.” I said my room was 457, but the manager kept saying she’d contact room 459. I corrected her at least twice, and she didn’t take notes. A manager who doesn’t know the hotel’s rooms isn’t what you’d expect. I give the hotel 5 stars mainly because of this. SBH should assess its management. Empty promises are bad for the image, and check-in procedures need to follow what’s legally allowed. Training staff on the correct procedures might help avoid trouble.