Alegria Caprici Verd

For what we paid, the stay didn’t feel worth it, and sadly I wouldn’t return to Hotel ALEGRIA Caprici Verd. The location is excellent, right by the beach, and the rooms are spacious with a good-sized bathroom. The entertainment team was wonderful with the children and really tried to keep everyone happy. There were problems with the pool area. Towels were left on most of the sunbeds to reserve them, against the hotel’s policy, and staff didn’t manage it. We often saw sand on the pool floor in the morning, and the lights showed dirt at night. The floor was very slippery and felt dangerous. We reported it to reception, but nothing changed, even though they said the pool should be cleaned daily. We never saw that happen. The bed was uncomfortable, with an old mattress that badly needs replacing, and our sheets weren’t changed during our stay. The food was a letdown too. There was variety at each meal, but we didn’t enjoy the taste. Breakfast coffee was particularly poor, while fresh fruit was the one consistently good choice.

Please, just get me home. This place was an utter shambles. The hotel was full of rude, loud, impatient, selfish Germans. There was no evening entertainment, and daytime activities were in another language, so I couldn’t join in. The receptionist was one of the rudest people. We asked for a later checkout because our flight was in the evening and were told to come back the next day. We did, and got the same answer. After three days of asking, we were fed up and just wanted to leave. They said that if we paid for a later checkout, we had to hand back our all-inclusive bands. Why would we, if we were paying to stay longer? They also charge a deposit for the bands. The restaurant experience was awful. Everyone has to be checked before going in, which makes for a huge queue, and there’s another huge queue for dinner. Forget salad unless lettuce and tomato are enough for you. The rolls were stale, the desserts were rubbish, and I’ve never been to a hotel without soup. The food was awful, with very little choice, and labels were wrong when there were any at all. One dish of lamb was labelled turkey. Dinner at 7:30 is a joke. I could never bring kids here. Pets are allowed too, so anyone allergic to cats or dogs should forget it. The bathrooms were small and badly designed. To use the spa pool, you have to pay for a swimming hat, and the water was cold and full of sand. The cups were cracked, and the towels had seen better days. All in all, get me home.

The room was clean when we arrived, but the daily service didn’t clean it properly. The heater worked, the AC didn’t, and the fast WiFi was the only thing that kept us sane when there was nothing else to do. Food was tasteless, with the same limited options every day. If you’re vegetarian, kosher, or halal, there’s basically nothing for you. For just under £800 with flights, it felt like daylight robbery. Stay somewhere that doesn’t shut down for half the year. Outside the hotel, the so-called Hotel Zone is almost a ghost town outside May to August. Nearly every shop and restaurant is closed, leaving you to rely on expensive UberEats or walk 15 minutes to Carrefour. Cabs are expensive too, and drivers may cancel because of the location. Being near the station is technically true, but the trains to Barcelona take two hours, and the return can take more than three because Renfe/Rodalies services are delayed or cancelled so often. We got stuck many times. Mataro felt dead; Pineda de Mar was okay and had food, but seemed much like the other Costa Barcelona towns. There was loud, bass-heavy music downstairs, and rude teenagers were shouting, screaming, and playing music in the halls at 2 AM. Staff did nothing, and our baby was repeatedly woken up. We’d requested a cot before arriving, but only got it after asking a second time. This isn’t relaxing for families. The “beachside” and “close to the station” descriptions may be technically accurate, but they feel like gimmicks. Unless you’re visiting from May through August, I wouldn’t bother. The chill atmosphere is just a way of saying the place is deserted. I didn’t see many guests smiling for long, and I can see why. Most receptionists didn’t know much about the hotel or the local area. Paula was the exception, she actually knew a thing or two about Costa Brava.

We had a great holiday here. Our half-board stay included breakfast and dinner, and the food was good with some variety each night. There was plenty of room around the pool for sun loungers. The train station is right across the road, less than a minute’s walk, which made getting to Barcelona handy. Malgrat de mar is also a short walk away and has plenty of bars if you want a night out away from the hotel.