Protur Alicia

The room was cleaned every day, and we were lucky enough to have a sea view and a big balcony with sunbeds. Staff looked smart and were attentive. There’s a large outdoor pool with plenty of sunbeds, plus a shallow rooftop pool with loungers and a lounge area. The food selection was exceptional for a buffet, and Sarah's, the à la carte restaurant, can be booked once for each week of your stay. It was lovely to have the food brought to us, and it was always beautifully presented. The hotel was extremely clean. Absolutely no complaints.

We were staying at another resort, but came over to have lunch with my mum and dad while they were here for a week. The hotel looked very modern and spotlessly clean, and the staff serving us were helpful. There was a great range of food. We also saw their room, which was spacious with a good-sized balcony. The guests seemed to be on the older side.

The hotel handled a small issue we had, and after that we had a fantastic stay. Most of the staff were so friendly and pleasant, nothing felt like too much trouble. The food was tasty with lots of choice, and the hotel was generally very clean. It’s also in a great spot, close to the beach and local bars. Thanks, and hopefully we’ll be back.

We went to Protur Alicia in Cala Bona after booking in person through a travel agent and spelling out what mattered to us as four adults. We wanted an adults-only hotel with a balanced mix of ages, an authentic Spanish setting and food, and a cultural holiday rather than a Benidorm-style trip or a resort aimed at British tourists. We specifically wanted to avoid English fry-ups. What we experienced was very different from what we had understood was promised. The resort atmosphere and entertainment seemed aimed almost entirely at British guests, with little Spanish influence or cultural immersion. It felt more like a budget British holiday abroad than a Mediterranean break. Cala Bona has pleasant parts, but gave us much the same impression and didn’t feel right for younger travellers looking for authenticity. The food was overwhelmingly British in style, despite this being a four-star hotel in Spain. Breakfast was routinely a full English, with little Mediterranean freshness. Dinner included shepherd’s pie and other British dishes. The squid seemed frozen and more like fast food than a restaurant meal, and the vegetarian lasagne one of our group ordered was so poor I’d rather not say more. On half board, we also had to pay for every drink at dinner, water included. That felt penny-pinching and below what we expected from a four-star place. TripAdvisor’s “couples” filter added to the disappointment by suggesting a romantic, culturally rich holiday. Instead, the guests were mostly older and the experience reflected that. More accurate categories might help people avoid the same misunderstanding. If you’re a younger couple or group hoping to experience Spanish culture, food and atmosphere, I wouldn’t choose this hotel. Save your money and look elsewhere. Cala Bona and Protur Alicia may suit people after a familiar British-style holiday abroad, but that should be made clear in how it’s advertised. A holiday should offer discovery and cultural experiences, and this one fell well short of what we expected.