Stella Maris

Overall, I’d describe this hotel as fine. The hotel itself isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t return because of the location. The room looked clean and the bedding was spotless, but because the hotel is so old and dated, it never really felt clean. The hard floors constantly felt dirty underfoot, so I’d definitely recommend bringing slippers. We had a couple of issues during our stay. The shower didn’t always heat up properly, and on one occasion the bathroom tap ran yellow water. Both issues seemed to sort themselves out, but it wasn’t a great first impression. The air conditioning was free and worked well enough, which was appreciated. The breakfast was also a real positive. We had pastries and coffee every morning, which saved us money, and I know many nearby hotels don’t include breakfast. The pool is quite small and the water stays very warm, so it isn’t very refreshing on hot days. It was never too busy, but there were no umbrellas over the sunbeds, meaning there was very little shade. The rooms also don’t have a fridge, and no complimentary bottled water is provided. We ended up paying around €3 for a bottle of water but had no way of keeping it cold. The receptionist was friendly, although we didn’t have much interaction with the other staff. The Wi-Fi is free, but nobody tells you that you need to ask reception for the password. We only found out on our second to last day. The biggest issue by far is the location, and I genuinely wish I’d known this before booking. The beach itself is lovely, but the surrounding area felt very run down, with very little to do. We struggled to find good restaurants, the bars all felt very similar and overpriced, and there was very little atmosphere. Even a local taxi driver told us there had been trouble in the area. If you’re hoping to explore, be prepared to spend a lot of your holiday travelling. We wanted to visit Lloret de Mar and found that by the time we’d walked to the bus stop, waited for the bus and made the journey, it was taking around an hour each way. Barcelona would have meant around three hours of travelling. We spent more time getting places than actually enjoying them, and even Lloret wasn’t dramatically different. If this hotel were in a better location, I’d probably rate it higher. The hotel itself is perfectly acceptable for the price, but the location completely changed our holiday and is the reason I wouldn’t book again.

Simple hotel, and for the price we paid, you cannot ask for more. The bed was comfortable, perhaps the pillows could be improved, and although I know that some bathrooms have been renovated, ours was not; it was old, had little light, with a curtain instead of a screen... that said, everything was very clean and without any deficiencies, even though it was a bit old. Correct breakfast and good coffee machine, which is hard to find in many hotels. Both the reception and kitchen staff are very friendly. It is important to reserve parking because it is a nightmare to park in the area.

Our worst holiday so far. Small pool. Queues for food. No parking. Feels very unwelcome. Food so so.. Only good thing was cleaning personnel. Don't know how they've got such a good reviews