Top Calella Palace

Just spent a week at the "Palace", like everyone else my only complaint are the thin dividing walls ! Rooms,beds and towels changed every day.Dinning room spotless,food to please everyone's palate,and yes there were chips there,but only if you want them there was plenty of other vegetables to choose from,including wedges,saute,green beans,sprouts !The list is endless ! As for breakfast,the toasters are not brilliant,but that is my only complaint.There are continental meats,there is a choice of breads,cereals,cheese,fruit,eggs,bacon. etc.. There is internet for one euro for ten minutes. Did not see the entertainment,we went into Calella town and sampled their Tapas bars,which I'm sure was far more entertaining than being in an overpacked lounge,just because you've paid for "all-in" drinks.Don't have the house wine,it's vile ! Calella town is lovely,lots of shops and bars,eating places. The beach has sharp sand,you'll definetly need something to lie on.It's a 20min walk to the train station,it costs 12.80euro for two returns to Barcelona,takes about 45mins to get there,lovely city if it's not raining as it was when we got there,for two days !The market is on a saturday,not to be missed,I've never seen such an assortment of fresh fish,fruits,fantastic! Hop on a train to Blanes,5.80eros return,catch a bus to Lorrett de Mar,then a boat to Tossa.The boat was very expensive,23euros return,but saved time,and Tossa is well worth a visit,beatiful town,much better that Lorrett,which we compared it to Blackpool ! All in all good hotel,good food,would definetly recomend.

Lynda, stafford
Mature Couple (36+)

Firstly.. alpharooms were amazing and for anyone who haven't booked before i would definitely recommend. We booked our room and transfer and both went without a hitch. The hotel was really good value for money and definately worth going to for 5 days if you are looking to get away and sit in the sun. The rooms are exactly what you see on the net spacious, cleaned everyday and all the facilities you would need. (only down side is that as everyone says the walls are paper thin and you can literally hear the conversions of your next door neighbours) having said that we both used ear plugs and had a sound sleep every night with no problems. The hotel itself is really nice. The main swimming pool area is really big and more than enough sun loungers... and also there is a roof top terrace with its own bar and heated pool, which is for over 18's only which was perfect for us being a young couple. The food was definately average quality and there wasn't a huge variety however considering the price you pay, there was always chips vegetables nice soup salad and for those a bit more daring... the meat :| however we went all inclusive so were restricted and if you had gone haklf board you could have tried the restaurants around of which there were plenty. Finally..... when wondering what to do on a night the entertainment is horrendous as in a kids disco and nothing much else... but calella (although quiet) did have plenty of bars and a lovely long beach to go for walks and just get out of the hotel. And... if i had to recommend one thing it would be to go and see barcelona for the day. You go to reception and they book you a taxi which is 5euro to the train station. You buy a return ticket to Placa de Catalunyna for 6.90euro. This takes you to the main square in barcelona and when coming back iot is a case of jumping on the blue line at any time because the trains come every 10 mins literally. We loved the holiday and would definately recommend it to a friend under the impression that you are going for a cheap holiday in a lovely part of spain... staying in a nice hotel where the food is good enough to live on for a couple of days / a week.

Daniel, North East
Young Couple (18-35)

Had a lovely few days away. Spoilt only by a handful of british people who drank too much and gave a poor impresion of the British as a whole. As reported by other reviews the walls were paper thin and conversations could be overheard. The food was good at each meal, it was nice to see an alternative to chips at every sitting which you can get in many of the all inclusive hotels. Good value for money will return again for short stay break.

Wendy Bacon, Midlands
Mature Couple (36+)

We have just got back from our weekend at Calella Palace. Hotel is very clean and tidy, rooms clean not long been decorated only thing wrong with rooms are that the walls are paper thin like everyone comments on, if you have a good drink you can sleep through the noise from your neighbouring rooms. Food is excellent breakfast, lunch and evening meal and as much free flowing drink as you want good for a weekend, might not be the same stopping for a week. We would definately return again for another weekend.

Joanne Buckingham, Jarrow
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

We have just returned from a 5 night stay at this hotel. We booked half board which was a bit of luck as Calella was a ghost town. This is a shame because there was quite a few tourists around. The train station is close to the hotel and very frequent service. The beach and promenade were lovely and very clean. The hotel: the staff were lovely, very friendly and helpful.. everything was clean. The food was fine. Most rooms overlook the pool. We requested a pool view and balcony and got both. There are 2 HUGE PROBLEMS with the hotel.. one is drunken, fowl mouthed, ignorant British tourists. The all inclusive free drinks is too much for some holiday makers to handle! Some parents also allow their children to use the hotel as a playground. The 2nd is that the walls of the hotel are paper thin.. you can clearly hear conversations at normal voice levels.. we did not have an unbroken night. One night i did resort to phoning reception at 4am when our neighbouring room left the tv on.. the hotel acted immediately. We used transfers4u from girona airport which was very efficient. The hotel offer a tour of Barcelona..this was also very good and excellent value.

freda, uk
Mature Couple (36+)

Hotel very clean, and spacious.Staff friendly and helpful.Food absolutely rubbish, no choice, and same for lunch as diner.Nothing to do, as no where open only 1 street of shops to walk down. I would not go back to calella, more to do in neighbouring Santa Suzanna and Malgrat.This hotel ok for boozing trip, not for people who like to walk around and shop.

ROSE, DONCASTER
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

We have stayed at this hotel two years in a row, the staff are great and always on hand to give information, the rooms are well looked after, and the food is fantastic, the kids love it and we will be booking to go again in 2008

Allan Gunniss, Blackpool, England
Family with teenagers 12+

Second visit to this hotel - having stayed here with children in May. I have to say after having been on several all inclusive this was the best, taking all into consideration. The rooms were excellent - 2 doubl ebeds and a third pull out, heating/aircon, TV with English channels amongst others - although you do have to leave a returnable deposit for the remote. Very clean and plenty of bedding, good sized bathroom with plenty of hot water and the rooms cleaned thoroughly daily.Only minus here is the extremely small balcony. The restaurant, considering the number of guests to be catered for the staff work very hard to keep the area table as clean and presentable as possible. Food is good with plenty of choice and replenished quickly. The bonus to this hotel is the adult only rooftop terrace - stunning view, private bar, sunbeds and tables/chairs - also 3 jacuzzis. Height of season can be expensive but other than this time the price is excellent for what you get.

Yvonne Woffindin, yorkshire
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

We've just been for a week AI at calella palace, and it was most probably the best hotel holiday we've had! The room was very clean and beds very comfy. Towels and sheets changed regularly by pleasant staff, and rooms cleaned daily. the food was fine, and lots of it! a few more imaginative veggie options would be nice, but there was plenty salad and fruit. The bar staff were quick and efficient, and drinks were good measures! the tables in the dining rooms and bar were cleared swiftly and the general appearance of the whole place was clean and tidy. Reception staff very helpful and polite. the trip to the Castle is worth it, good value and good fun. It's a bit chilly there so take a jumper! the weather was ok for the time of year, but we didnt brave the beach, although others did. Barcelona is only an hour away and you can get a family return on the train for 22euros. We used the free bus service and booked into the Royal Star in Lloret for lunch. This was a good way to see other towns, and there are loads more shops of 'tat' there than in Calella. We had a look at the other hotels in Lloret while we were there and were able to have a pint and a look......casino royal was 'dated' and not a place we would go to! Although the Royal Beach was nice, still not as good as the palace. Go and enjoy your holiday, we paid less than £400 for 4x All Inc....is was a great deal and a great holiday!

juliet, notts
Family with teenagers 12+

We have stayed at this hotel about 9 times in the last 12 yrs. It has always been a good hotel.We have seen it renovated twice, and we are going back again in august for 2 weeks. we are taking 2 friends with us this time.It can become quite noisy at times, but the food has always been good,the staff are always polite. especialy the matre de. so we will see what it is like this time.

john and sue, swindon wilts
Mature Couple (36+)

Can't agree with the current 4.6 rating. I'm giving it a three only based on how cheap it is really. I paid £200 a head for the week AI incl flight. The hotel is nearly good, the decor, cleanliness, staff, pool and rooms are all just fine but a few basic things let it down. The food hall (I wouldn't call it a restaurant) is bedlam it reminded me totally of Pontins, just a huge free for all at meal times, ok for a day or two but by day five I was toiling. The food is ok, most people would find something I think, especially if you like pork chops, I'd describe the food as average canteen fayre. My biggest problem is the noise, the place was just too darn noisy for us. Its a big place and with May school holidays it was really busy. In summary there is nothing to worry about if you want to go for a mad cheap week away, I saw no trouble with drunks or any of that (in fact in the whole week I only saw one single guy getting bladdered and even he was harmless). But it's not the place for you if you want to chill out and I'd NEVER contemplate a two week stay there.

S Hill, Scotland
Family with Children 11 and Under

Overall a good good time was had by all. The hotel was very pleasant, bright, clean & spacious rooms. Other hotel facilities include, numerous jacuzzi's, pools, small bowling alley, table tennis, steam rooms & gym. The roof top terrace is good and has great views of the town, has its own bar and 3 of the jacuzzi's, the additinal bonus is no kids are allowed on the roof, so quite peaceful too. The food at the hotel was probably the best we have experienced on an all inc, there was a very good selection at each meal time, was of a good standard and was not too repetitive. The queues in the main bar were a bit of a pain, you had to queue 10 mins before you needed a drink, particularly in the evening. There was another bar, a smoking bar, where the queues tended to be much smaller. Overall a very good value for money hotel / holiday. But beware the walls at the hotel must be made of cardboard you can hear conversations, tv in rooms next door and expect to be woken at all hours of the night, by those who take full advantage of the all inc bar. Also if you intend to go to the beach or town there is a very busy road to cross, drivers pay little or no attention to the crossing.

Richard & Co, UK
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

great food, great hotel, juqussi fab, boozed all night every night - went wi another couple dawn n grayham from chapeltown mr n mrs hammond had wild time , gt good vews from rooms , would go again to this hotel fb , x when doing the round we stopped in royal star in feb - that ws nice as well , this one bettr xxxxxxxxxxxx

ROSALIND HNSTOCK, CHAPELTOWN SHEFFIELD
Mature Couple (36+)

The hotel was much better than the price would suggest. The Food was more than acceptable, the facilities were fine (weather not good enough to use the pool!) and the jacuzzis and sun beds on the roof would be exceptional in the summer. Would certainly recommend the hotel to others even though the resort being in student week was not at its best!

Lee Jones, Dudley
Other

My husband and I had a nice stay at this hotel.
We stayed here before it was renovated and the improvment is great, the food was good and warm, the rooms very clean.
We especially enjoyed the roof top sun lounger - the bar staff there were very good and no children under 18 allowed.
The entertainment wasn't the greatest just the typical stuff.

isabel mcgregor, glasgow scotland
Mature Couple (36+)

had a really good time only problem was noise from restaurant 6.30ish in morning tables&chairs,noise from the dishwasher,apart from all of that the meals were really good, staff very helpful&friendly would definitely go back but to a higher floor.

sash, scotland
Mature Couple (36+)

Staff great. Rooms clean and comfortable. Food excellent. Exceptional Value for money. All reception staff spoke English and there was also a few Brits amongst the staff which helped if there was any expressions the Spanish staff could not understand.Anybody who rates this hotel below 4 is a proffesional moaner.

Harry McKerlie, Glasgow, Scotland
Mature Couple (36+)

Very nice area but did lack in certain standards as you could not catch any sleep till 2'0clock in the morning as all our fellow "tourists" where constantly making a noise and we could hear just about every word. The food is excellent and shops in around clalella are GREAT, great views of the hill and beach was nice and relaxing. the train to barcelona which is about 10 mins away is very convinient and helpful i would recommend staying in barcelona for a few days though.

Sanjeev Singh Dhillon, rugby/england
Family with teenagers 12+

Almost a top scoring hotel. Fantastic facilities including a whirlpool bath in our large 2 double bedded room. Food very good for Spain, lots of choice, Staff approachable and friendly although the bar staff could have served quicker. The down side was the familiar attendance of a small number of drunken British louts.
Overall my wife and I had a super three night break and the bonus was lovely weather.
Lee & BA

Lee Hartley, Burnley / England
Group of Mature Friends/Couples

Fantastic Food! Friendly Staff! Spacious rooms cleaned everyday and fresh towels everyday. Our balcony had a view of the pool and the mountains. Within  a 5 minute walk of beach and 10 minute walk to train station which gives links to Barcelona, Blanes, Lloret De Mar, etc. We had sunshine everyday however Callella is quiet in November as a lot of shops/bars closed.   Excellent value for money

Des, West Yorkshire
Mature Couple (36+)