Almirall Apartaments

My sea-view apartment was a lovely place to spend three weeks in October. I spent hours on the balcony with a glass of wine, watching the world go by. The double glazing kept the street noise out, and the curtains blocked the light well, so I slept wonderfully even on the first floor above the street. The apartment was spotless and had everything I needed. The kitchen was especially well stocked, with pots, pans, cutlery, tea towels, washing-up liquid, cloths, scrubbing pads, and spare bin bags. The bathroom came with shampoo and soap, and the shower had excellent pressure. There were lots of really soft towels. The cleaner replaced them on the free cleaning day, and reception could change them if needed. Thanks to the staff at Almirall for a very relaxing three weeks. I booked through on the beach holidays.

We paid around £1300 for ten nights in June, and the sea view from this apartment was stunning. The location clearly comes at a price. It's a great place for a self-catering holiday, with everything you need, though you have to ask reception for a toaster. We had a studio with a sofa bed. It wasn't very comfortable, basically a pull-out camp bed underneath the sofa, with the seat pulling out about six inches further, but it was just about adequate. The road below gets busy, especially at weekends, like a busy high street back in the UK. You soon learn the schedule of the local boy racers cruising up and down the strip. After a week, we were ready to go home. The balcony doors blocked about 95% of the outside noise, which was brilliant, but the screaming of drunk young people on the beach could still wake you suddenly from around 0500hrs. That's outside the apartments' control, but it's what to expect.

The receptionist Gislaine was always friendly and welcoming, and handled our room change in a truly 5 star hotel manner. We stayed for a longer time and moved from 1BR (53) to Studio (52). Check-in is from 4pm and checkout is 10am, though staff may let you in earlier if your room is ready. The location is the main draw: there are 6 floors with 6 Apartments on each, and rooms x1-x3 face the beach. Step outside and you're right there. The rooms were very clean, with a 2-flame cooker, fridge, kettle, coffee machine, microwave&grill, and the essential kitchen utensils, pots, and tablewares. The bathrooms were clean too, with a large shower and good pressure. You can adjust the water from almost freezing to scorching. The air con was barely audible, and closing the balcony door shut out the noise from the busy street below.

The bedroom beds were very comfortable, and there was lots of wardrobe space along with a safe. The shower was great too. The couch was a bit basic and uncomfortable, and the kitchen utensils were basic. If you arrive at 1.30 in the morning, a few sachets of coffee, tea, or milk would have been handy. Get a front-facing apartment if you can, the sea views are wonderful.