Apolo Suites Rentalmar

The hotel itself was really nice, and I’d stay again despite the awful start. Our bedroom was lovely and large, with huge patio doors opening onto a good-sized balcony. There was a spacious wardrobe, and we managed to cook using the hob and combi microwave. There’s no kettle, but there is a coffee pod machine. We arrived at 21.36, but reception was unmanned and we had to call the out-of-hours number. The man who answered was the rudest person I’ve spoken to. He swore at me at least three times, shouted that I should calm down, and hung up on me twice. I work in customer service and didn’t raise my voice once. We didn’t get the room key until 00.30. It was out of season, so the pool wasn’t open and quite a few shops were shut, but there was still enough to keep us occupied, fed, and entertained. The coach from Barcelona airport dropped us within a two-minute walk of the hotel for €18, which was a fantastic deal. We also took the bus to Tarragona for the day, which was absolutely beautiful, and Salou was beautiful too. I’d stayed there a few years ago.

The hotel is well kept, but I personally wouldn’t stay again. When my son and I came back from the pool around 7.30pm, he got the lobby floor wet. The sun had gone in, so it couldn’t be expected to be bone dry. A maintenance staff member was extremely rude and threatened to take €50 from our deposit. We knew it was self-catering, but at 9.30pm I asked for extra toilet paper and was told we had to buy our own. I’d never encountered that before, and hadn’t seen it mentioned anywhere. The photos also show rooms with cookers. When we asked to move to one with a cooker instead of just hobs, we were told none of the rooms had hobs.

We had an amazing week with the family, and the apartment was lovely and clean. I was a bit worried after reading the reviews, but the air con was like ice, and the staff were very helpful. The only letdown was having no oven in a self-catering place. Our deposit came back within 24 hours of getting home.

The beach is around the corner, but it felt lonely and abandoned. There are only a few shops nearby, and going to Salou or Tarragona means taking a bus. Back at the property, the pool was ice cold, there’s no drinking around it, no music or entertainment, and no restaurant or food. The apartments don’t have ovens, even the upgraded ones, and there’s no shower gel. Towels have to last, or you pay for extras. This place is strictly a no-fun zone. We’ve just come back from a four-night holiday here, and it was absolutely terrible. Everything costs extra: toilet rolls after the two they provide, using an iron or kettle, and leaving bags after checkout for one last wander. Hospitality, welcome, and help were all non-existent. Check-in is at FIVE PM, and they don’t care if you’re tired or have kids. You can pay to check in earlier even when your room is ready. I asked the receptionist for a map or quick layout of the area, and she didn’t have a clue, just scrambled around for something that wasn’t a map. It seemed like an inconvenience to her. We had two little girls with us, playful and sometimes noisy, but well behaved. We were on tenterhooks the whole stay because we worried about losing our €200 deposit. The reception team might as well have been holograms, the least helpful hotel staff I’ve ever come across, and I’ve travelled a bit. Money seemed to be all they cared about. I’ve been to Morocco, Tunisia, America, France, Germany, and Italy. Please take my word for it and don’t stay here, not even for one night passing through. I’ve seen cemeteries with more entertainment.