Altur Playa Islantilla

The room was disappointing. There were empty boxes where amenities should have been, and not even cups or a kettle. There wasn't a single bottle of water, so I had to drink from the glasses in the shower. The air conditioning was so loud we couldn't sleep. There's only one elevator for the whole huge building. Sad.

We booked partly because the kids' club advertised an inflatable jumping castle, but the club only opens from 10:30 to 12:30 and there was no jumping castle. That was disappointing. The covered pool was another reason we chose this hotel, since the outdoor pool is unusable in the extreme heat from noon to 4 PM. But the covered pool is closed in summer and only open in winter, which was a real letdown. Breakfast was disappointing too. The scrambled eggs were so bad I couldn't bring myself to take any. For a basic fried egg, you have to stand in a long queue with at least five people ahead. Fried eggs should be put out so people aren't lining up for them like they do for bread. Waiting for an omelet is understandable, but not for something this basic. The €20 daily parking charge is ridiculous. Worse, the spaces are so tiny that nobody can fit without parking over the lines.

The beach is beautiful, and the location is stunning. The layout works well, and our suite felt spacious. The building is older and showing wear, though. There wasn't much usable closet space or anywhere to set a suitcase at a convenient height, so we left ours on the floor. The buffet was fair, and the check-in staff were very helpful.

The indoor pool was lovely, though we only found out at the entrance that swimming hats were required. There weren't any signs beforehand. Most of the staff were friendly, but the woman in the gift shop was very rude and spoke no English, so she wasn't going to help us. We visited in early October, when most nearby shops were shut. The hotel itself was good.