Sol Costa Daurada

great hotel/rip off bar

by A TripAdvisor Member

the hotel it'self was first class. the food was everything you could wish for.the staff were very friendly and helpful. nice swimming pool, plenty of loungers etc.A free bus to take you to the beach or resort centre and back.the only let down was the bar.the beer was rubbish and flat.Tele Savalis had a better head.the problem was made worse by the barmen who gave receipts during the day but never at night and persistently overcharged.We had 4 diferent prices varying by 3 to 6 euros per round of four drinks.I certainly would go back and probably will do, but I will go elsewhere for a drink

Value for money

by TripAdvisor Member kellystowe

I recently stayed at this hotel for one week half board we found it great value for money it is situated in a central area. The beach, town and train station is a 10 minute walk however a bus is also available from the hotel. The hotel was extremely clean and well maintained. The food was okay a wide selection available. However it was very cheap to eat out too you can get a three course meal for about £8 I definately recommend the Orient Express in Salou. For british food Robin Hood and Rosies Return serve a wide range. Also went to Barcelona by train which is just over an hour costing 20 euros return for 2 people. It is better to get the train from Port Aventura station rather than Salou as it is closer to the hotel. The area is well lit at night time and shops stay open til about 10. There are plenty of sun loungers by the pool never had to wait.

A 4* hotel with 2* food and service

by TripAdvisor Member Rupul

If you expect a 4* hotel forget it. The rooms and hotel public areas were clean. Reception staff were not forthcoming with resort information, the had to be quizzed severly to gain anything. This was possibly because there was nearly always only one on duty for a 300 room hotel.

The meals were only slightly better that you got at a French 2* Ibis hotel!
The paella was raw, the steaks were tough, the carrots on salad buffet had started to go off on 4 of the nights out of the ten we stayed. On five occasions I had to bring it to the attention of the waiting staff that the crockey had not been washed properly. There were remanants of the previous meal still on them! An average drinkable bottle of wine cost 15 euros i.e £12.50 and a .5 litre water cost 1.30 euros i.e £1.00

The waiting staff were generally morose and grumpy. They seemed to forget that it was the guests who paid their wages and that a smile or efficiency would not go amiss. This said Carolina the greeter was a gem and also one of the waitresses Carmen. They always had a smile. pity about the others.

We requested an iron to sort out a badly creased shirt and dress. Guess what? a 4* hotel who does not have any! any where else in world be it the far east or the states and 2/3* are able to provide one.

Apart from the food and general service the hotel is fine.

Good hotel but could definitely do better

by TripAdvisor Member Marc_P

I've just returned from a four night break where I stayed at this hotel with my wife. We managed to get a superb deal via Expedia, with the room costing €44 per night (including breakfast and evening meals).

The hotel location is the outskirts of Salou, around a ten minute walk to the beach and in the other direction you have Port Aventura theme park. First impressions of the hotel were good; the reception area is large, well decorated and modern looking. We got there fairly early so check-in was painless, however, we had to wait a while until our room was ready.

On entering the room, the smell of cigarette fumes was heavy, and we had to leave the balcony door open for 20 minutes to get some fresh air in. On further investigation, it would seem that there aren't that many rooms in the hotel where smoking isn't allowed.

Rooms are clean and pretty standard. Beds seem fairly flimsy and the pillows were like sheets of paper! We were lucky enough to have a room overlooking the swimming pool - if you have one the other side of the hotel you overlook the street and a train track.

The first couple of days in the hotel were pretty stress free as it was almost empty. The hotel is made up of two main blocks and it seemed only one was in use. However, two days in and the hotel suddenly became full - with this came untold amounts of cigarette smoke, and it seems that smoking is allowed everywhere in the hotel, even the reception area which (for a large space) became cloudy due to so many people smoking.

The hotel lounge and bar is well sized, with plenty of comfortable chairs, a large tv, two pool tables and two internet stations (although the speed of the internet connection left a lot to be desired). For some reason the bar in the lounge closed smack bang on midnight and guests are quickly ushered out - they even turned the lights off with people still in there. Most hotels will keep the bar open as long as guests are there, so I'm not sure why they choose to employ such strict tactics here. Also in this lounge, they keep every light on until closing time. A bit of 'mood' lighting would be nice, so as to create a relaxed atmosphere in the evenings instead of it seeming as if everything was floodlit.

Food is served in the main restaurant and is buffet style. The usual fare is available for breakfast; continental style cold meats and bread, jam etc and toasters are provided. There is also cooked food such as fried eggs, bacon, baked beans, sausages (frankfurter style). Dinner is pretty much the same every night; salads, bread, chips, various hot meats and there is a chef constantly cooking up burgers, steaks, squid (urgh!) etc. Quality wise, it has to be said that the food is very 'standard' - not great and not bad. Is it 4-star standard? Probably not, but when the hotel is cheap you probably shouldn't expect the finest cuisine. One warning - when the hotel is busy get to the dining room early as large queues build up outside the dining room doors. I can't remember going to a hotel before and having to queue to get breakfast or dinner.

Around the hotel, most of the Salou resort was shut for our entire stay. Fair enough what with it being December, but it did limit what you could do outside the hotel. The beach itself was very nice, as was the paved 'promenade' along the front.

Port Aventura theme park was very good, certainly by European standards. Beware though, the day we went there, they shut both main rides (Dragon Khan and Hurakan Condor) due to the weather - it was a bit windy. Luckily we weren't affected, but it would be annoying if you'd paid your full entry fee a few minutes too late.

A bit further afield, Tarragona (15 minutes by car) is a lovely town - very traditional and unspoiled by tourism. Here there are lots of things to see which date back to Roman times - most famous being the amphitheatre.

Barcelona is an hour away by car (1h 15 by train from close to the hotel).

Overall a satisfactory stay but the hotel owners could make a few slight changes which would improve the hotel greatly. Firstly, in this day and age it is a must to designate areas of the hotel as non-smoking zones - the reception area is most definitely one of these places. Secondly, the bars should be a bit more flexible in their closing time, and try to create a more relaxed atmosphere in the evening by dimming the lights. And in the rooms - normal pillows please!

Could not fault

by TripAdvisor Member OBAOILL

I stayed in this hotel from 23/12/05 to 27/12/05 and was delighted with all aspects of my stay. I was slightly concerned as I had read comments stating that the food was bland and repetitive.I was also concerned as the hotel was situated a distance from the beach.
On arrival I realised that my fears were unfounded.Port Adventura is about five minutes walk from the front door of the hotel which runs a free shuttle bus for guests.The train station is 400mts from the hotel and It costa approx 1.70 euros to Tarragona.The walk into Salou tekes about ten minutes and again the hotel runs a free bus service every hour.
The hotel itself is immaculate and the staff are very pleasant.On Christmas morning guests were treated to free Champagne and Santa was provided for the kids.
This was my second visit to Salou and I would recommend this hotel without a doubt.

Salou,Costa Dorada

by benidormone

"The Golden Coast"

Salou is the most popular beach resort of the Costa Dorada.From Salou it is easy to visit other places.It is very close to the cities Barcelona and Tarragona.More beach resorts that you can visit are Cambrills,L'Ametlla de mar and of course one of the resorts that is very popular with gays Sitges Another intresting place to visit is Reus.For more information about Spain go here!!!

Cap Salou, Costa Dorada Spain

by facoachlindsay

"Flying From Bham International"

The holiday flight to Costa Dorada Cap Salou began with a 07:15 a.m. take off. The flight lasted one and a half hours and was wonderful sushine all the way. We were served a nourrishing breakfast and were able to purchase a libation during the flight after breakfast was complete which was great as I needed a bit of dutch courage having not been on a plane for three years previously.

"The Arrrival"

The touch down was a marvelously smooth affair thanks to our gifted pilot followed by the most delightful greeting by the holiday representatives. We then all boarded a coach for the commute to the self catering apartments. We then arrrived shortly at the destination where I was to holiday for the next 6 days. I was shown the way to my rroom up on the 3rd floor. I had to unfortunetly hand over a security deposit which was two thirds of the spending money 60.00 euros so be warned bring this with you as well as spending money.

"The apartment"

The room was marvelously decorated with a small open plan kitchen area equiped with a fridge, cooker, and microwave. I had a twin single bed room with wardrobes, and two bed side cabinets. The onsuite bathroom and toilets were spotlessly clean and a large wall mounted mirror overlooked the washing hand basin, there were even shelves on which a plentyful supply of bath towels and face cloths stood.

The balcony albeit a small area was in noway displeasing as it gave a faily paoramic view of the area and the swiming pool below. I did some venturing out and discoved the beach area and a few bars and nightclubs all in all a wonderful time enjoyed in Cap Salou Costa Dorada