Ponient Dorada Palace by PortAventura World

For a start beware of booking with trip. I booked for me and my 3 boys 14, 12, and 10 years old. When I got to the hotel they told me there would be an additional charge of 1500 euros for my 2 younger boys. So if the price looks cheap on trip please check with the hotel. As a single mother this was a terrible blow at the start of my holiday. The room was unclean, the hotel claims to had had a massive refurbishment however the only changes was the colour scheme in the living area of the room. The bathroom was the same as last year when we stayed with one addition, it was unclean. The main wardrobe in the living room had no hangers, I asked at reception and was told there was non to be had. There are now drawers in the apartment. They have taken away a cabinet under the tv and replaced it with two round tables that really serve no purpose. Even the dressing table had no drawers. There are two tables either side of the bed but no cabinets with drawers. I went to get a glass from the kitchen only to discover that the entire kitchen was devoid of equipment. Again I asked reception to be told I had to request the kitchen equipment. When the plates, etc arrived the cleaning lady dumped a box containing everything on the floor in the room. Not really what one would except from a “4” star hotel. The room was only cleaned every day at around 3pm. The floors were never washed, I had to ask for clean sheets, The bed wasn’t made properly and the bathroom never touched. I found out from one of the cleaning staff that there are only 10 cleaning staff on a morning and the 1 on an afternoon the poor staff couldn’t. It is impossible to get sunbeds at the pool. On a morning people start lining their bags containing towels at 7am then the pool is supposed to open at 9am. I went down a few times at 8.45 only to find the doors open and all sunbeds reserved with towels even though it states on the website that it is not permitted to reserve beds. Also the numbers of sunbeds at the pool is less than half of what it was last year when I stayed. The food in the restaurant was disgusting, absolutely full of grease, the children’s food was atrocious me and my kids tried eat there three times but couldn’t eat a thing. I complained to the manager but he was very rude and shrugged his shoulders when I explained the problem. I will not return to the hotel, I love Salou but not that terrible place. It is most definitely not a four star hotel. I wouldn’t even give it a two star. Photos of the bathroom. Example of the way the beds were left and the cleaning staff leaving sheets to do the work myself.

Todo limpio y buena atención

When we arrived at the hotel, from the first moment it was a fabulous experience. Of course everywhere has it hiccups and there is no way to please every guest but I feel lots of the reviews are polar opposite to our experience. The hotel itself is lovely and clean, the cleaning staff are incredible and extremely polite. The food - great selection each night and even if somewhat repetitive, it only takes a little imagination to create some fantastic meal combinations - shout out to the veggie lasagne and the shepherds pie though! - breakfast is great, lovely selection of fresh fruits and yoghurts, so much so our shopping list now has to change because our 7 year old ‘cannot live without yoghurt and melon everyday’ - lunchtimes we skipped the main restaurant and used the snack bar lots! Usual pizza, hot dog and chips with an added bonus of sandwiches and fresh fruit. Entertainment was good! Childrens disco got us all up dancing and adult entertainment of silent disco and music quiz were amazing! - pool rules - yes somewhat eccentric and out there but in all honestly it didn’t ruin our holiday - no normal shirts in the pool, they must be a swim shirt to stop fibres clogging the filters. - no sunglasses (safety if they come off in the water) - no floaties in the main pool but allowed in the back pool and the small baby pool. - no head first diving but cannon ball and jumping in we’re fine, our boys had the best time! - great first aid and pool lifeguards, we didn’t find them rude or unapproachable at all like some reviews state. - no it’s not heated but once the sun is on it (which is most of the day) it soon gets bearable, you just have to brave the first dip. Huge shout out to the staff sorting poolside of a day and nighttime! The state some guests leave their loungers, cups and food thrown on the floor, regular litter picks from staff (dispute multiple recycling bins dotted around) and every night without fail it is jetwashed, cleaned and each individual sunbed laid out and wiped! We watched in awe at the hard working staff from our pool view room! The lady greeting us at breakfast was a wonderful start to each day! The biggest smile and wave! We had a fantastic stay overall and cannot fault most of the hotel! The hiccups… - a few of the other guests were extremely rude, especially to staff! You go on holiday to enjoy yourself not shout at people not paid enough to deal with your entitled opinions. We saw far too much name calling and felt the need to check staff were okay. - some staff are super slow at the bar, others are rapid… depends on the shift pattern how fast you get served. - as all inclusive we felt that the snack bar was a little unfair, they only prepared paying customers first using larger tubs whilst all inclusive had to carry multiple little tubs and pots. - guests don’t seem to know how to queue, pushing in when people have waited patiently. - first night I was told I would have to leave the hotel due to

Stayed for 10 days with family. Overall it is an okay hotel however it lets itself down by a few silly, easily fixed points. Room itself was clean and had a walk in shower which I liked. However, it was basic and the view we had from balcony was poor, we overlooked a bus car park. We also had to pay €10 to hire a kettle which for a £2,500 holiday I feel should have been included. We also had to go down to reception to ask for glasses and cutlery as there was none. I had to use the plug in the bathroom to charge my phone and kindle as the ones in the kitchen or living area didn't work. And bizarrely, the cooker and microwave seemed to be disconnected as they didn't switch on. The food was average however lacked excitement and variety, we struggled on several occasions to be honest. The coffee however was nice. The staff in the restaurant area seemed really unhappy and mostly didn't make eye contact. Shout-out to the portaventura staff based in the hotel as they were absolutely lovely and couldn't do enough to help us with advice on things to do! If these points were reviewed and improved upon it could be a fantastic hotel.

Just home from this hotel and it is not worthy of 4 stars. We booked with TUI and should have been given a 3 day pass to Portaventura and Ferrari Land, but only received a 2 day pass. The Receptionist after a few enquiries shrugged her shoulders and told me to take this up with TUI. I was fortunate to have taken a screen shot of the offer at time of booking and was offered compensation (which I am still to receive). There is no TUI rep at the hotel, all communication is via an app or by telephone. Our party booked and paid for 2 x 1 bedroom apartments with kitchenettes, the first room stank of smoke, there were bugs in the the hotel rooms, no kitchen equipment, no kettle and we had to request pots and dishes etc. as these are not automatically provided?? Dishcloths, washing liquid etc. are not supplied or available to guests. I resorted to purchasing a kettle after the hotel reception refused to provide hot water for babies bottle at 6am on our first morning, even though assured that hot water could be obtained when required. The purpose of the kitchen was to make life easier for us whilst travelling with a small baby. The pots provided were not clean and we were left feeling disappointed with the accommodation. The food in the buffet restaurant was awful, I asked TUI if I could change from all inclusive after 1st day, this request was ignored, case closed without facilitating this request. The additional £780 for the all inclusive for our party was not worth the extra expense. We have been on many holidays over the years, this hotel served probably the worst food we have experienced, my granddaughter referred to the hotel restaurant as the "canteen". Save your money and dine out if you can. The main pool is very cold, inflatables are not allowed, nor are sunglasses in the pools. We ended our holiday on a high with a meal out at a lovely restaurant at the beach, I could no longer suffer the tepid food, which was poorly seasoned and very repetitive. The all inclusive experience at this hotel was disappointing. The hotel has great potential, it was not cheap to stay at this hotel and I don't normally write reviews on hotel experiences, but this hotel and the costs involved leave a lot to be desired.

5* based on overall experience and price factored in to review . Just under £1600 for six people HB. Originally booked sister hotel but was notified of change before flying due to the sister hotel not opening for a few weeks . In my opinion this is common sense to put all guests in one decent hotel rather than having running costs of 2 hotels at under capacity. This hotel is managed with eco friendly in mind and good business skills. Why heat a pool in a red hot country? Why wash two pillows per guest when you can provide one decent one ? It is good that pool rules are in place such as no sunglasses and erratic behaviour , when the kids pool and park are located next to each other. There are nice adult only areas (such a rooftop , and nice kids club and family areas . This is fair . The hotel is very eco friendly . The food is nice enough like roast beef , the staff were all friendly . Good entertainment such as water polo so ignore bad reviews about kids not allowed to play. They can play , but not play up. For example not allowed to play with paper cups in pool . Good nice clean hotel . Superb . The only improvements I could recommend to management is , if people are half board , it is a little bit tight to not give fruit juice of an evening (only in the morning) . Should be morning and evening. For myself I had a very good price , but other companies were quoting me nearly 3K . In that case I would be a bit disappointed with the juice drinks not allowed on HB in evening . It would not hurt to provide jaleopenis or chilli’s for those who like spice (nachos station for example) was all a bit safe and generic. Asked for Tabasco , there was nothing spicy. All the food was good enough quality though. Roast beef , chocolate fountains and more .