Ponient Vila Centric by PortAventura World

Check-in was handled very professionally, and I have no complaints about those staff. Most other hotel services, including the indoor pool and spa, were closed. Breakfast was a mess. We arrived at 9am and no one was there to welcome us, so after five minutes we seated ourselves. For the 45 minutes we were there, we didn’t see any breakfast staff. Most tables hadn’t been set, most of the food was gone, and nothing was replenished. The hotel felt like what I’d expect from a 3-star place, and breakfast was worse than at a hostel. I was very disappointed and wouldn’t have booked if I’d known the quality would be this poor.

The hotel is really close to PortAvantura park and offers a free shuttle, so the location worked perfectly for that. Getting to and from Salou was less easy, since the buses weren’t completely reliable. The room was comfortable and very clean. The website says standard double rooms have kettle and tea facilities, but there weren’t any. When I asked reception for a kettle, they said they didn’t have one.

We were glad to be staying outside Salou’s crowds, while still being able to get into town easily by taxi or bus. Vila Seca is a lovely town, with plenty of restaurants and bars serving delicious food. The hotel’s spacious rooms were clean and modern, the reception team were very helpful, and the pool was quiet, saltwater, and always had a lifeguard on call. The restaurant and bar seemed short-staffed, though the servers themselves were pleasant and helpful. We booked room only and were glad we did: we paid for breakfast once and weren’t impressed, so it could use some improvement. It would have been nice to have a kettle in the room for tea and coffee, unless that’s just not common in Spain. We also wished people would stop slamming their doors. Still, we’d stay again for the location and comfortable rooms.

We picked this hotel for its location near PortAventura and the beach, and we’re glad we did. Everything was clean, breakfast was excellent, and the staff were genuinely welcoming and nice. I’ll definitely come back. Thanks for helping me with my lost voice during breakfast!