H10 Mediterranean Village

The restaurant wasn’t recommended to us, but there are good places nearby. Google Maps can guide you to route 66 or mex & co. The on-site pizzeria and snack bar were excellent and good value, though they close at 4.30pm. Drinks by the pool were reasonably priced, and there are good pools and activities for children. Our one-bedroom apartment was large, very clean and well equipped. The little on-site supermarket was handy, with a bigger one nearby. Housekeeping was great: they cleaned the room and changed the towels daily, even though we’d been told towels were changed twice a week.

The pool was freezing, and the room walls are so thin you can hear the neighbours talking. Still, we had a great stay. The rooms were spacious, clean and pretty much perfect, and the staff were outstanding, always friendly and helpful. The food was good, with something different each day, and felt right for a four-star resort. The hotel is a little outside Salou, but the bus gets you into town in a few minutes. Remember to buy a pass, it costs 10,50 euro for 10 trips.

Salou itself is lovely, and I’d return there, but not to this hotel. The food was hit and miss, often cold, and the hash browns were frozen in the middle. Kids may struggle to find much they like. At dinner, water costs extra, though breakfast drinks like juice, coffee and tea are included. The glass-cleaning machine seemed broken or dirty, so I had to wash my glasses before using them. The pool areas didn’t feel much fun: no toys or jumping in, and staff tell you off. The indoor pool was so cold I never got used to it. There wasn’t much entertainment for kids, though the face painter did a great job getting my lively two-year-old grandson to sit still. The little Spanish fellas were rude, in my view, and should learn customer service. They made children and parents wait while they painted each other’s arms. When I asked if that was right with a queue waiting, I got a very rude reply. I also felt staff favoured their own customers at the bar. We were charged different amounts in pounds for the same order, so watch out. If you don’t have a coaster under your drink, they’ll pick up your half-drunk pint by the rim with their fingertips to put one under it. I didn’t like that, and the beer was average at best. We booked two rooms for seven nights, on the side near the main entrance. The view wasn’t good, and bin lorries drove up and down the road loudly between midnight and about 1am every night. They could wake a child with the patio door open, and were still loud with it closed. Across from us, two dogs that looked dangerous barked in their garden through the night. We also had cockroaches in both rooms on a couple of occasions during the week. The rooms felt grubby and weren’t cleaned properly. When we arrived, I found long hairs on the pillows and sheets, stains on the bathroom mirror where people had squeezed spots, and a big dribble stain on my pillowcase after a long day of travel. During the stay, cleaning seemed to mean a quick wipe round and fresh towels at best. Staff also came into the room while we were still asleep, despite the sign being on the door. Check-in was fine and the arrival seemed nice at first, but the rooms didn’t live up to that first impression.

We were glad to leave in the end. The whole place felt cramped and dated. We’d asked for a quiet room but ended up above the bar, where we could hear chairs and tables being moved until around 23.30-00.00. The rooms were old, though reasonably clean. The restaurant felt and smelled like an old cafeteria. The food was edible but tasteless, often deep-fried or burnt, and there were no vegetables at breakfast. The kids’ pool was packed, with too few umbrellas to be comfortable in July. Our children didn’t care for the mini disco and preferred other activities, although some evening shows were nice. At least the on-site Italian restaurant served good food, so lunch was okay.