Ona Princesa Playa

The beach was a disappointment. It looked dreamy in the pictures and from our balcony, but the sand was gray and the water very dirty. If you’re looking for a good beach, you may want another location. We were also shocked that we couldn’t enter the hotel with sand on our feet. The sea view from our room was stunning, and the location was amazing, right by the water with lots of restaurants, bars, and clubs within walking distance. The airport shuttle was efficient both ways. On arrival, though, we weren’t given information unless we asked, and we waited half an hour for the room after being told it would be ready. It also hadn’t been cleaned properly. The pool was tiny, almost like a jacuzzi, so to us this felt more like a three-star than a four-star hotel. An hour after check-in, they messaged to ask for feedback. We explained the problems and a housekeeper came to check on us straight away, which we appreciated. The air conditioning worked well in the heat, the kitchen was perfect, and breakfast was fair, with a complete buffet.

The walls were paper thin, and you could hear every noise from the rooms next door. If a neighbour was smoking, smoke came into our room whenever we opened the door. The shared areas were dirty and dated.

The rooms and balconies were small, and the walls were so thin that we could hear everything from neighbouring rooms. The shower door kept coming off its hinges. Housekeepers came in the afternoon during siesta. There wasn’t much food to choose from, and the hot dishes were cold. The bar shut at 17:00. Around the pool there were no umbrellas, just a shaded area where you had to move your own chairs. For a daytime drink, you had to go down two flights of stairs, and the hotel wasn’t disabled-friendly. This definitely didn’t feel like a four-star hotel. The service was diabolical.

The staff were attentive, and I especially liked Francesco, such a radiant guy. We had a good holiday overall, though the noise from the terrace above our room really got on my nerves. Chairs being dragged around started at 7 AM and went on into the afternoon, until the restaurant and rooftop bar closed. I wasn’t particularly bothered by the construction site next door, but that scraping noise was hard to ignore. We mentioned it at reception; they acknowledged the issue and said they’d order rubber pads. We didn’t make a fuss and eventually got used to it. Still, it needs sorting somehow because it spoiled an otherwise positive stay. At one point I slept with the balcony door open so the sound of the sea would cover the early morning scraping. The location is strategic, very close to the seafront, old town, and main boulevard. If you’re lucky, you can get a breathtaking view. We were only half lucky: our room was on the top floor, with an impressive view, but directly below the breakfast terrace.