Holiday Inn Express Gibraltar by IHG

The staff were some of the friendliest and most helpful I’ve met. The rooms are great, and breakfast is a standard English cooked spread with sausages, hash browns, English bacon, and baked beans. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the airport and Spanish border, then another 10 minutes to town centre and the bus terminal. The number 8 bus also stops a little way down the road and goes there. I’d ask for an airport view next time. We had a nice view of the Rock, but I’d rather watch the planes.

Bety checked us in with a friendly, professional manner and gave us plenty of useful local information. The rooms are spacious and clean, the WiFi was very good, and being in a UK territory meant the usual UK TV stations were available. There’s no fridge, but breakfast is included and the hotel has a bar. A restaurant next door and a small convenience store are handy. It’s a short walk to the Spanish side bus station, and the city centre is either a nearby bus ride or about 15 minutes on foot. We chose it because it’s also close to the airport and border. A great stay all round.

The only slightly awkward part was the view, which looked onto the cemetery, though we found that more funny than bothersome. Everything else made this the best Holiday Inn I’ve stayed in. The building was nice, the room spotless, and the staff especially friendly and helpful. The bathroom had a good range of quality toiletries. Breakfast deserved its own mention: a delicious, well-cooked buffet with plenty of choices, at the level of a 4-5 star hotel, and included in the stay price. They used proper plates and forks, and the dining area was spotless and kept clean throughout the meal.

We had a confirmed booking, but at check-in we were told there were no rooms. They first put us on the 13th floor in a room with one queen bed and a folding bed, which was completely unacceptable for two adults. We had asked well in advance for a good view because we were celebrating a birthday, and mentioned that even a simple decoration or small birthday gesture would be appreciated. Nothing had been prepared, not even an acknowledgement. When we asked for the room type we had booked, they moved us to a so-called seaview twin room on the 4th floor, where the view was basically nonexistent. After telling us to wait over an hour, they later said a seaview twin was available on the 17th floor. It seemed clear that room had been there all along. The staff were rude and impatient, and the whole process felt like they were toying with us. I genuinely felt looked down on and discriminated against as a Chinese guest. This ruined what should have been a relaxing holiday and birthday celebration. One of the worst hotel experiences I’ve had, and I’ll never recommend it.