Pineda

The one good point was the friendly bar staff. The hotel itself was a lesson learned, and I won't come back. The website photos were misleading: only the reception looked the same. The location wasn't good, and transport didn't pick up outside as we'd been told. In our room, we could hear everything inside and outside the hotel, including the neighbours. There was nothing at all for the kids aged 7, 12, and 16 to do. No games room or kids' club. Our room was tiny, the beds were awful, the linen was torn, the TV seemed to be from the 1960s and wasn't digital, the air conditioning was a problem, and the towels were rough. You have to ask for an iron, and there was no hair dryer. If you book dinner and breakfast without all-inclusive, dinner is buffet style and drinks, even water, cost extra. The whole stay was very disappointing.

The swimming pool was probably the best part of our stay. We paid €100 for one night at Chek In Pineda, with a twin room, private bathroom, balcony, and dinner, breakfast, and lunch included. For that price with three meals, the room was acceptable, but the food was simple, cheap-tasting, and not very good. Drinks at lunch and dinner cost extra unless you had an all-inclusive pass. The staff were acceptable, though not especially nice. At dinner, there were no desserts left. The staff had taken the watermelon and melon and kept them on their own table. When we asked, they just said dessert was gone and offered no solution. It looked pretty bad to see what remained sitting on their table.

It's a budget hotel, but a good one for the price. The place was comfortable and clean, and the staff were friendly. It's very close to the center of Pineda de Mar and not far from the beach. The main drawback was the internet. Free Wi-Fi in the lobby, bar, and restaurant was so slow it was unusable. You can pay for a connection in your room, but that was still slow. Late evenings may also be noisy if your room faces the yard where entertainment and after-parties happen.

I liked the clean hotel, good food, pleasant bar, indoor pool, and comfortable beds. But the beach was gritty rather than soft, so thick beach shoes are needed, and my balcony looked straight at other windows. TV channels were very limited, which was especially bad for an elderly English woman like me. Wi-Fi was free only in the shared areas; using it in your room costs about €3 a day. This was a budget holiday, and three stars feels about right. Also, there is no taxi service in the area after restaurants close, and nowhere is open if you've eaten out late.