Aaron Quigg
Google
This is our second time staying here.
The first time we stayed in the "double room" and this time we stayed in the "budget double room".
The main downside of the rooms is the bed is 2 singles beds pushed together, rather than a double bed, so they end up sliding apart during the night.
Would not recommend the budget double, there's only 1 plug socket in the whole room, the air conditioning is really weak even when up full, and the TV is not centred on the wall in front of the bed. The budget rooms are in a much noiser part of the hotel.
The "double room" was a lot better though. Still 2 single beds pushed together, but at least you have more plugs and a TV that you can actually watch in bed, and it's a quieter part of the hotel with a less busy elevator. Definitely worth the extra money for it.
The bathroom in both rooms were great though, with a big shower (better shower fittings in the double room though).
One of the worst parts of the hotel is the elevators, which are straight up dangerous. The sensors on the door don't work properly, so they often close on you with a lot of force when trying to get in the lift. This happened me 3 times during this trip, really badly hurt my arm because of it. They also sometimes stop a bit below the level of the ground (maybe by 4 or 5 inches), which caused me to trip getting out a couple times.
The buffet is mixed. If you're vegetarian like me you'll usually only be able to have salad and fries most days for lunch and dinner. If you're vegan you have no hope. There is also a good dessert and fruit section. But there is usually no main dish that's vegetarian, occasionally there will be something like vegetable fingers or plain pasta, but most days nothing.
For vegetarians at breakfast there is usually fried eggs and beans. There is also scrambled eggs but they have bacon on them. There is also bacon and sausages too.
The food is usually labeled, but it doesn't say everything in it, which isn't great for vegetarians or people with allergies (like bacon in the scrambled eggs, or tuna/crab in the potato salads), so you'll need to be careful and double check every dish.
If you eat meat there is a pretty big selection at all meals (lots of fish dishes, and usually at least 1 or 2 chicken, beef, or lamb dishes).
There are 2 pools, one outside and one inside on the roof. The roof one is slightly heated which was nice (though definitely not warm). Both pools are always very noisy though.
There is some games and entertainment during the day (bingo, dancing, etc.), and on some nights there is entertainment (music & dancing, juggling or circus acts) but they get very busy so get down early if you want a seat.
The location is about 10 mins walk from the old town centre and the beach. It's on the left side of benidorm when looking at a map, which is the quieter side of town that isn't the party side (part side on the right of old town centre, quieter side on left of old town centre).
The staff are mostly all very friendly and helpful.
There is also a self service washing machine and dryer, which costs €4 to wash and €3 to dry. There's only 1 of each machine though so it can be hard to get a time when the laundry room is free.
Overall the hotel mostly pretty good, definitely good value for money. However, I don't think I could come back again unless the elevators we're made safer.
Would have given 4 stars if more vegetarian food was available, and 5 stars if the elevators were safer.