Hostal Spa Empuries

The ocean is right outside, with lovely long walks along the shore. It’s such a relaxing place to come to. The food choices were all good to very good, so you can eat here for any meal and feel confident about it. This is an outstanding little hotel, and the team seems to really enjoy working together and giving guests a great experience. Whenever we visit, they’ve made some improvement or worked on an upgrade.

The location near a beautiful beach was why we came back every year, but this was definitely our last visit. During my 10-day holiday, work carried on near my room: cement pouring, sanding, painting and welding. None of this was announced before booking or before we arrived, as it should have been. When the door lock failed, I lost access to my room and it had to be replaced. We moved rooms, but the place still had old, outdated rooms and mould in the bathrooms. The shower door only opened from outside. The water smelled strongly of chlorine, supposedly because of the ongoing work at the hotel, and the sheets and towels smelled heavily of detergent or softener. I also have doubts about their eco certification. The worst part was how the hotel dealt with my complaint. I asked them to stop pouring cement directly outside my door and was threatened with the police. Staff were very disrespectful. They said the work would stop, then it started again ten minutes later. When I asked, the manager said the work had to be done, and, “yes I just said it will stop but it won't.” I asked for the director’s or owner’s contact details and was told that wasn’t possible. The treatment from the hotel staff was really awful. I came to rest and relax, but instead had constant disruption and stress. This is not a four-star hotel in any respect, apart from the prices.

The staff were really friendly, and the food was amazing. The hotel is nicely decorated, with a spectacular view over a beautiful little bay on the Costa Brava. There’s a great Cami decorated hotel and a Ronda walking path along the coast, where you can walk to some smaller villages.

The views were breathtaking, and breakfast was nice. I’m from the States, so I would’ve liked air conditioning, but sleeping with the doors open worked out fine.