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| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Ian Little from Tenbury Wells travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2008 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We had mixed feeling about staying at this hotel having read some previous reviews, but it was GREAT.
The hotel was spotless and cleaning crews were working in the public areas around the clock. I even encountered one cleaner up a ladder cleaning the tops of the toilet doors.
The staff were excellent and multi-lingual. English is not their first language, or possibly their second but the chances are they speak much better English than you do Spanish, but learn a few words anyway as it always helps to break the ice and they will help you even more.
Don't be afraid to ask. It's a large hotel and has hundreds of rooms in lots of blocks. If you don't like your room, ask (nicely) to be moved and if they can't do it today, they probably can tomorrow. Also some rooms are a long way from reception. If you want your luggage delivered or collected, again ask. They have a large 'Bellhop' crew and they are great guys, and so helpful.
The main restaurant is self service and can get busy and noisy. It is defiantly not a place for a quiet romantic meal. The breakfast selection is awe inspiring, you could almost stay all day. OK so there is always a queue for toast, but who wants to eat toast when there is a whole bakers shop of breads, pastries, doughnuts and cakes available. Mountains of fruit, lots of cooked food, all the full English classics, cold meats, hot chocolates, teas, coffees, cereals, etc.etc.
There is also a large selection for evening meals. You never go hungry, although you may end up with a selection on your plate that even the most adventurous restaurant would not combine. It is 'all you can eat' no plate rationing, so be adventurous and try something new, and if you don't like it, try something else.
Do visit the other hotels in the group using a dine around ticket from Guest Services. You can either just transfer to the buffet at the other hotel or pay the extra to eat in their a la carte restaurant and pay the extra. You can either use the hotel/Port Adventura Tram to get to and from the other hotels or just ask the Bellhops for a lift. (Again, be nice and ask, they just love to help)
The hotel allows you to link your room key to a credit card and then use the room key to pay at the bar and at the other hotels and at the various fast food stalls and restaurants at the park. We had numerous problems with this. The technology seemed to work but not all the staff knew how to use it. It was always best to carry some cash as a back-up.
Our rooms were spacious and kept very clean. They had a 42 channel TV with some English Channels which seemed to change throughout the week. The air-conditioning was a little temperamental, but we had a wide range of outside temperatures during our staff including several days of very (very) heavy rain. One room had a shower, bath with shower and Jacuzzi, toilet and bidet. The other just had a bath with shower and toilet, so I guess its the luck of the draw. We did long for tea and coffee making facilities in the room.
The nightly entertainment ranged from quite good to village hall amateur dramatics, but again look at the weekly listing and try a different hotel, or one of the shows at the park.
Internet computers, pool tables and air hockey are available, but our top tip would be go into town where they are much better and cheaper.
If we had one complaint about the hotel, it would be the cost of drinks and coffee. (Except at Breakfast when it is free)
The Port Adventura park was so much better than we expected. Far better than anything in the UK. It is not Florida, but it is on a more human scale (but still expect to walk miles).
We had full access every day, so could explore at out leisure a few hours at a time. This is a great way to see the park as there is so much to see and it is not always very well advertised. Even on our last day we were finding rides and attractions we had not seen before. Again the staff are multi-lingual, but be patient they do not all have a full vocabulary, but learn a little Spanish and it will go a long long way.
Salou is a great resort, with plenty going on. There is an amazing amount of public space, with children's play equipment every few hundred metres. Vast public plazas and huge fountains. There is a large range of shops and restaurants and bars. Do shop around and know your prices and haggle as some of the price tags are a bit speculative.
There is a frequent public bus service, but if you are a family you might find it is cheaper to use taxis.
Barcelona is a train ride away. Port Adventura has its own station, near the hotel. You can buy a ticket on the train without any problems (unlike in the UK).
Also visit La Pineda for a spectacular water park and the chance to swim with Sea-Lions, also take a ferry to Cambrils for a quieter lunch.
One last thing, if you are travelling with the same company as us, watch out for excess baggage at the airport. Our luggage weight had increased by a mysterious 10 kg (no idea how) and we were charged a huge excess baggage fee. (Our group could have flown home by Ryan Air for less if the service has started) We definitely flew home feeling our pockets had been picked!
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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jim bennett from southport travelled to Caribe resort with
firstchoice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was alright, but in the bathroom there was mould around the bath and shower.
The housekeeping was not what I would call 4*.
The food was excellent, the staff were friendly.
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tumilty from south wales travelled to Caribe resort with
first choice
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: we loved our stay at this hotel, the pool was fantastic it was like being on a beach and at night time it looked stunning, never problems with sunbeds there was plenty.
the food was excellent there was plenty to choose from as long as your not a fussy eater.
the location was excellent although i did find it abit of a trek to get to the beach and the shops especially as it is a slope on way back but you can catch the train from the hotel to the theme park which i thought was brilliant they also do this service to the beach club, we all loved the beach club loads of different pools to choose from and some are very relaxing.
entertainment was ok but they were doing halloween stuff on our visit and i thought it was abit scary for the kids.
staff were helpful as we had needed lots of information as we had caught the train into barcelona, which was a nightmare if your thinking of going to barcelona get the bus as we had a nightmare finding it and also it was a trk from the station and the train was jam packed.
i would def visit it again as so much to here.
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Mrs Kelly from Strathclyde travelled to Caribe resort with
Direct Holidays
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Arrived at night and was given a map to find room, only problem was the reception forgot to print our room number on the map, therefore did not where to go, however staff were very helpful and found our room in no time. The hotel was very clean and plenty of sun beds at all times (no booking sun beds at any time of day) Food was excellent with plenty of choice at all meals. The characters coming into the restaurant was very good especially for kids, although they would stand and let adults get photos taken with them as well. The land train takes you to the park at any time to save you walking although it is not a long walk, but with the walking you do in the park it is nice to get a lift there and back. Fast passes given to use when the rides get busy which is very good as you don't have to stand in long lines. You can eat in any of the restaurants belonging to the resort and also if you book you can eat in the theme park. The hotel is a very good place to base yourself for your holiday in Salou and great for visiting the theme park. They also have an exclusive Beach Club to which they run a bus service and it also very good to relax and take in some sun.
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vickie from lancashire travelled to Caribe resort with
air tours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We traveled from Manchester to Reus with air tours, great transfers, no hassle. We arrived at the hotel around 12 pm, was told we could only check in at 3pm. But was told to leave our cases with porter/services and when we get our room we would find them already I our room for us.
We then had a mooch around the hotel and as it was lunch decided to go find something to eat. All that opens for lunch time is a poolside cafe which serves a small menu, chicken burger/bacon cheese burger/ baguettes all with French fries for around £4-drinks extra.
We were hungry so we had it, but we didn’t go again it wasn’t great. We went to reception around 2.30pm and our rooms were ready so that was great.
We stayed in Guadalupe on the ground floor, no complaints what so ever with our room, the safe was free, TV which had 3 English channels, hairdryer in the bathroom, shaver point in bathroom, power shower over bath, kids welcome pack with toothbrush/comb/soap/flannel a nice touch.
Our master bed was a queen size bed; son had a double couch/bed which was ready made up. Patio doors to a semi private patio area with 2 chairs and a table, with a view looking onto the lovely lake.
It is a good 5 min walk from blocks to reception/restaurants as there were two footpath bridges to cross. This is fine unless it rains!! Which it did twice for us (not a complaint just making you aware of this).
After unpacking we headed straight to the pool, which is brill, there are two, one has a sand/beach effect, and there the sand covers all the pool really nice. This is more a chill out pool.
The other one has no sand and once or twice a day 1 or 2 of the entertainment team come and play games depending on how many kids there are, water polo(my sons favorite, no matter what we was doing during our hol we always had to come back for this!!) Water aerobics, football, dancing. All with music and good fun.
It was very busy while we was there but no matter what time of day it was you could always find sun loungers, I think because we was so near to the water park/theme park the hotel was never mega busy during the day, which was good.
We were half board, so was given a breakfast card with times on to go for breakfast, but due to late nights we were beyond our time more than once and they didn’t mind at all.
Breakfast is a buffet style, and believe me there truly is something for everyone (except bacon!!) Drinks are complimentary for breakfast milk, tea/coffee, and juices. English sausages which were lovely, scrambled/boiled eggs, croissants, fruit, yogs, toast, jam, hash browns, baked beans and so much more.... Eve buffet starts at 7pm to 10pm. Again the choice is great always something to choose, burgers(which my hubby and son said were good), chicken breast, lasagne, hotdogs, French fries, fish, salad, pork, beef, continental foods. But I would highly recommend to dine around this is available for free, just go to the little desk at the side of reception and tell the guest relation rep where and when you want to go, you can decide last minute it really doesn’t matter.
At the caribe other than the buffet there is a la piazza and a seafood restaurant. We dined three times in the la piazza, we was allowed 17 euro per adult and 7 euro per child as its classed as a la carte, anything spent over this you have to pay, but me had starters and a pizza with a 1litre water and it only ever cost us 2euro.
We also dined in the el paso buffet this is completely free and is a nice change from the caribe buffet as it varies with the menu slightly. They also have a Mexican restaurant which you can dine at and are allowed the same allowance as la piazza.
We didn’t try port aventura hotel for meals just had a walk around it. What I like with our hotel is there are more outside seating, and we ate outside for breakfast and eve also, which you can’t do in the other 2 hotels.
The drinks are ok choice, estrella lager and Budweiser, some bottled lager, and every short you can think of, it’s the pop whets expensive and snacks, 1.10 for crisp and 1.20 for choc bars. Coca/cola/fanta is 1.70. Our son is 12 so the entertainment for him was crap, the kids club he was too old for but they did have a disco nightly which is on for approx 2hr but only from 9 ish! One pool table inside which he could never get a game on, one outside which was broke, a table tennis table which was broke, his savior was internet, and there was 4 computers which were 2 euro for 20mins.
Our rep was great from first choice he was available twice a day, one day our son had an accident in the pool which he needed a medical attention, I panicked and reception didn’t really understand but luckily the rep sorted us out, the dr came to our room and spoke exc English, he cost £80 euro and prescription was £12 for antibiotic and inflamm. But we had to get a taxi to take me to pharmacy as there is no transport what so ever into salou from the hotel other than walking.
We visited caribe water park on our last day and was superb, no queue for us straight on everything, just be aware when you go in you may need a locker which cost 7euro you get 3 back when you take key/receipt back, we didn’t pay for the loungers which on the entrance asks something like 7e for or we didn’t buy the inflatable rings as there are plenty inside to use of the parks own, so don’t get ripped of, the park is really worth visiting though-good fun.
We went to the universal port aventra theme park which is great, if your expecting Florida then sorry you prob will be disappointed, we thought it was brill because we used our express tickets which basically means instead of waiting 40mins for a ride you get straight on ! That’s exc advantage and you get enough for a few days of doing this if the parks busy. Its well worth a visit its divided into themed areas named sifter exotic lands cataluna, polynesia, china, mexico, wildwest, lots of shops restaurants and bars, live shows, and cartoon characters for kids- woody woodpecker, pink panther, betty boo and shrek these come round all the hotels also. They had two firework nights while we was there also which means the theme park is open till 12.00 at night and all the rides running.
To get to the hotel to the water park and theme park there are like noddy trains which pick up from out side the hotel and are completely free.
Another lovely part of our holiday was visiting the beach club this is stunning, again there is a free train from outside the hotel which takes you directly to the club(about 10 mins).
It comprises of 7 pools all slightly different, infinity pools which gives he impression you’re swimming out to sea, really clean and you can tell they are new as it’s immaculate. The towels are free so don’t take your own you wont need them, there is a restaurant there also but we didn’t try it. You can also get access to the beach from here as well.
We took one of the travel company trips also, to Barcelona, as our son wanted to visit new camp, this was an absolutely fantastic day, we got picked up from near the hotel in the morning, it took about an hour to travel there, visited new camp, went on a tour I the mountains, got dropped off for lunch in Barcelona centre met back up 2 half hrs later had a tour around the high lights of the town and then came home but even our 12yr old loved it and was not bored as the tour guide was clear and very un boring, the trip cost for 3 adults 1 child 115 euro which was good value for money we thought.
The only down sides to our holiday was not much going on for older ones in eve, the Spanish people are the most rudest ignorant******* ever met..... Seriously. The staff were no prob what so ever, very friendly broken english but enough to get by, but we had a lot of Spanish in the hotel as it was the local holidays and my word they were awful, and all the English families we got friendly with agreed.
And another thing was the fact our room never got cleaned once while we stayed there, our towels was changed daily and our beds were made daily, not sure if they ever changed them, wasn’t really bothered about that as I don’t change bedding more than once a week at home so that wasn’t an issue, but they never swept or cleaned toilet etc... Fine to a point for us but wouldn’t like to have had a baby crawling round on dirty tile floors, should have left a dust pan and brush in room in my opinion. But that’s my lot!!!!
Had 9/10 hol and would defo return, had a look round the other two hotels and this seemed the best in our opinion.
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Jackie Heslop from Flint, North Wales travelled to Caribe resort with
Airtours/MYTRAVEL
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I have just returned form a weeks stay at caribe Resort. We checked in around 2.30pm and were told our room was ready. i travelled with my 9 year old daughter. the room was lovely we had a double bed each. The hotel grounds were lovely with 2 lovely pools and walkways. The staff on reception were helpful at all times and in the bar and buffett restaurant where the food was excellent with plenty of choice for every taste. The food could be cold on occassion but you coukd warm it in the microwave. The entertaintainment in the hotel each was very good although we did not stay every night. There was a mini disco for kids and then another act which went on until 11pm which was mostly in english.The hotel was a 5minute walk from the park but we got the free train provided by the hotel.Excellent!!
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murray from ireland travelled to Caribe resort with
first choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We visited this hotel last year and without doubt it was a fantastic holiday.
The hotel was lovely and peaceful the grounds are lovely and the evening entertainmet is great for kids and adults alike, the guys who do the kids disco are fantastic how they get up there each evening and seem genuinely happy to be entertaining the kids is beyond me.
Reception staff are at best ok.
The food is ok preferred it in the Portaventura hotel and found the restaurant staff there much friendlier. There is a kids club but we didnt use it.
The pools are freezing but there are always lifeguards on and they really are watching.
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Twitchin from Newcastle upon Tyne travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2007 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We arrived just before 12 o'clock not expecting to get our room until after 3pm but were pleasantly surprised to find ours was ready. After depositing the cases we had a walk around the hotel to see what the whole facilities were like before having a relaxing afternoon by the pool.
Our first evening there we were delighted to find a very good selection of meals available. Only downside is if you wish a glass of wine with your meal buy it at the bar and take it in with you because they only sell full or half bottles in the restaurant. (all drinks are paid for at evenings but are free at breakfast). The staff in the restaurant were excellent as their service was very efficient and they were friendly nothing too much trouble.
We did use the dine around vouchers that are available from guest services (you pay the difference between your allowance in the Half Board restaurant and the a la carte or other restaurant you choose) which gives you a chance to try a more personal level of service and choice of food. You can use either of the other two hotels restaurants with this service as well.
Only watched two shows in the hotel the Abba tribute and the Queen tribute both of which were excellent but started and finished quite late. Mind you with access to the Port Aventura Theme Park unlimited you did tend to stay there quite late so by the time you had eaten 9.30pm for the kids disco and 10pm for the show was just about right. Other nights we were too tired to stay up after 9.30.
The location of the hotel is excellent as it is only a 15 to 20 minute slow walk into Salou town centre where there are very good transport links available to nearby areas. La Pineda has a very good waterpark with dolphin & sea lion shows. Tarragona is a fabulous city to visit and has a very good shopping mall for those of you who do not like markets. Plenty of markets available!!
We were lucky enough to have access to the Caribe Waterpark for the full 14 days we were there which is absolutely fabulous with two children 7yrs & 10yrs old we were there every morning then into the theme park in the afternoon most days. free transport to here from your hotel and the newly opened beach club which has another wonderful restaurant. There are facilities here for children but in our opinion is more suited to adults or couples wanting a bit of quiet.
We can honestly say that this is one of the best hotels we have stayed at and will definately be returning at the earliest opportunity.
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petrie from arbroath travelled to Caribe resort with
direct holidays
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Beautiful grounds, fantastic pools, huge choice at buffets and free transport + entry to park =positives.
The childrens club was good but nearly every time we arrived it was closed with a notice on door back in 1 hour so we missed it a lot as it was more than an hour = we gave up.
Halloween is celebrated the whole of October in Portaventura park + hotels + it spoiled our enjoyment as the kids were scared + the constant loud dark horrible music added no enjoyment/even the mini disco spoiled by animation team scaring the wee ones. It really was too much with no escape.
The entertainment didn't start til after 10 + the outside acts ok but some nights the animation team put on plays in Spanish??? We walked to a nearby hotel a couple of nights where entertainment started a lot earlier + enjoyed it
Rooms were clean + basic a nice touch = safe + fridge free but walls paper thin
Another huge negative is from 1st October the outside of water park closes as its winter????? + we weren't told this so our older boy wasn't happy as he loves flumes etc
They don't advertise the dine around vouchers which can be obtained at guest relations but they were good as you could eat at any of the 3 hotels + it made a nice change.
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Mr & Mrs H from Dover, Kent travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Visited Caribe for first time in September with son who is nearly 3.
Agreed with most reviews about the hotel that have been posted previous, can't really add much that hasn't been said but wanted to mention the upgrade that is available.
We upgraded through travel agents to have a superior room in the 'San Juan' 5 star block. It was fairly expensive but from the moment we arrived it was worth every penny.
On arrival at the hotel reception we were immediately taken to the San Juan reception area which avoided the horrendous queueing in the main foyer to check in. The San Juan has 29 larger rooms, private jacuzzi pool, bar & restaurant and reception area.
The rooms are lovely with 2 huge double beds and a double sofa bed, a TV & DVD player and well stocked mini bar. The ground floor rooms open out onto the private pool and the higher rooms have balconies. The bathrooms are amazing with walk-in-shower, hydro-massage bath, double sink and separate toilet. Lots of extras like branded slippers and dressing gowns are a great touch.
The San Juan appeared very underused only a few other Spanish families appeared for breakfast and the pool and facilities were our own most of the time which was great in an overall busy complex. Staff here couldn't do enough for you.
In the evening there was a champagne reception before dinner which we had at the buffet most nights as the choice was so good there.
Also the upgrade included blue wristbands for Portaventura which entitled unlimited fast pass access to all rides all holiday which was fantastic!(dragon khan is a must it's amazing!)
Overall the hotel, the upgrade and resort of Portaventura were fantastic, salou itself was average and felt dated. Early September was a good time to go if kids are young enough as schools at home and in Spain were just going back so was much quieter.
Beach club was good, trip to Barcelona zoo and Nou Camp was great day and quite cheap. Weather was hot, few storms but still overall great. If you have kids between 2-16 it's a must as is so much to do, we had 10 nights but have already booked for 2 weeks next year!
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The Burton's from Colchester travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We will keep this short, because people get bored reading these reviews... and after reading some of them we was nothing short of dreading coming. However there is nothing to worry about.
The Hotel was great, best of the 3. Fantastic location. The rooms were not 100% clean and could do with a good sweep but other than that excellent.
The staff were polite even to us English.
The pools were great, the food was good and we have been to some right dodgy Spanish buffets over the years, for sure this was the best one. OK the food is not piping hot, but you can dine around with the vouchers they give you, well worth doing this.
The First Choice Rep was nothing but helpful, friendly and worth every penny he gets paid.
Please just enjoy your hoilday, as they are what YOU make them and these reviews are only peoples opinions and in mine the hotel was great and for sure we will return, once our daughter has grown a bit and can go on more rides in the parks.
Happy Holidays.
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Darryl from Staffordshire travelled to Caribe resort with
MyTravel / Panorama
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: A quick warning - this report intends to be both useful and honest, and with this in mind, I will break the holiday down into several parts to give full justice to the whole of the holiday.
The flight - the flight from Birmingham is a little under two hours.
On arriving at Reus, the MyTravel transfer coach seems to work counter-intuitive to how I would operate - passing Caribe' Resort to drop off other passengers to the various Aparthotels in Salou and then doubling back to drop you at the hotel! With this manner, the transfer to the hotel took longer than the flight!
On arriving at lunchtime at the hotel, we tried to check in, only to be told that the rooms would not be ready until 3pm (we arrived a shade after 12.30pm) and that we would have to wait until then to be able to get into our room. This wouldn't have been so bad apart from as other guests arrived from 2pm onwards they were being given rooms without delay. If you kick up enough fuss you will be given a room early - it's what I had to do! There is one certain member of the check in staff that was very unhelpful stating 'that rules are rules' until I pointed out the little fact of other guests....
HOWEVER...., This is the ONLY down side to the resort!
The rooms are in three storied blocks of 30 rooms apiece - named after islands in the Carribean - (we were in Isla Margherita) surrounding the two large pools and the ornamental lake. The rooms are large, airy and equipped with air conditioning, mini fridge, hairdrier and tv -but the only english speaking channel is CNN. They are cleaned every day unless you request otherwise.
Pools; There are two large pools, situated at either end of the large ornamental lake - one is a white sand bottomed pool, in a beach style, with the Salsa Cafe at the side, which serves hot snacks between 11am and 6pm, and a free form pool at the other end, with the Mango Bongo cafe situated on a island in the middle of the pool, serving drinks and cold sandwiches between 10am and 6pm. The top pool is the quieter of the two, with no music playing, unlike the bottom pool which played music from midday til 6pm-ish, and various water games for the kids during the day. There is a policy of not allowing reservation of sunbeds, and on one occasion I noticed the pool lifeguards removing towels - this happened after several hours of nobody going to the towels however. But there are plenty of sunbeds even with people saving beds, and we never had a problem getting beds.
Food / Restaurants. We visited as half board, and as such took our breakfast and evening meal in the Bohio' buffet restaurant. A lot has been said in a negative manner about the food - I didn't have a problem with it. The breakfast caters for both engligh cooked breakfasts and continental breakfasts, with plenty of food on offer.
While it is correct that the food tends to be warm rather than hot, it is cooked thoroughly, and there is a turbochef oven if you wish to have your meal piping hot (I used it every day). The dinners catered for all tastes, there were chips, hot dogs and burgers for the children, with (on various nights) pork steaks, tuna steaks, spring chicken, and all manner of pasta dishes along with a wide selection of salads, vegetarian dishes, cheeses and fish dishes which should cater for all. I did not have a problem finding something nice to eat on any of the 7 nights we were there - and I am a fussy eater.
If you tire of the buffet in the hotel, you can swap to one of the other hotels buffets which tend to have different menus by contacting the guest services at reception. You can also upgrade your meal to one of 4 or 5 of the al a carte restaurants within the 3 hotels - but not the PortAventura park itself. If you do not find something to eat then you are not looking hard enough!
Entertainment -
As mentioned, there are pool games and activities for children organised every day. There is a mini disco every evening - but no other 'proper' entertainment within the hotel - this is not a negative however, as PortAventura is open until midnight every day and the best time to catch the various shows is at night when it is cooler!
The Park 'PortAventura'; Having visited Orlando, My expectations for the park were high - and it met them head on. Included in the price of the hotel, and accessed through your room key card is unlimited access to the park. The park is laid out into various styles - mediterrania - at the front of the park, where the entrance is and leads to the other sites - far west (great country and western bands), Polynesia (the Seaquest ride is a must), China (the largest rollercoaster I have seen), and Mexico (Temple Del Feugo is great) The attention to detail within the various styles is spot on - no expense has been spared to make this an experience, with my personal favourite being the Far West area.
The park offers a lot to do - and in the week we were there we only just managed to cover it all.
The water park - again, included in the cost - is a one day pass for Costa Caribe' - the water park attached to PortAventura. This park is large, with a main pool with a wave machine, two smaller pools for small children to either side of it, 5 water slides of varieing size and a lagoon wich you can float around on a inflatable ring. The yellow rings are free of charge, but cannot be taken from either the lagoon or slides to the main pool - but there are rings available for hire with a refundable deposit.
The water park is a good day out - and you will be tired by the end of it!
All in all, PortAventura is a great experience, worth every penny!
You may have noticed that I have not mentioned the MyTravel rep at all - that is because we never met her! The board in reception said there were two welcome meetings, both of which we did not attend, and at no point did he/she/ try to contact us or make him/herself known to us - this was fine by us as we liked the fact we went unmolested for the week - but could casue issues if you wish to take out one of the hideously over priced excursions to Barcelona - it's quicker and cheaper to take the train from the station 500 yards from the hotel and pay a tenth of the price.
Overall - Hotel - GREAT. Food - GOOD, Service - GOOD, but COULD DO BETTER, Location - GREAT.
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Moore from Preston travelled to Caribe resort with
AirTours
on a family holiday.
There were 6 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was the second year we visited the complex and resort...and trust me, if it had failed in our expectations first time round then we would certainly not have gone for a second year, nor taken the in-laws and the eldest girl and her mate (as a pre-Uni 'treat').
We are not people who are easily impressed I can assure you but I have nothing but good things to say about this complex.
It is open and expansive but within its own grounds and children can run freely around (within limitations to age)whilst parents can relax in the sun. There are several bars on site, the restaurants host a wide selection of foods to suit all tastes (use the micro-oven if you feel the need for 'hotter' food) and the staff, in general, are quite welcoming and helpful.
I have scored the on site entertainment as '1' but only because we never bothered with it preferring to go the the theme park each evening or walk into Salou before returning to the hotel for a well deserved nightcap or several!
Are we going for a third year? Well, probably not but only because we are struggling to afford it this time round. We are, however, intending to return to Salou but will probably have to settle for a cheaper option -more's the pity!
If you can afford, you won't be disappointed!
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JULIE from ILKESTON travelled to Caribe resort with
DIRECT HOLIDAYS
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have just visited this hotel recently for a week. The hotel itself was excellent.
Room was cleaned daily, floors could have been swept clean a little more though.
Food was varied but hot food tended to be either luke warm or cold. If you catch the chef coming out to fill up the buffet trays then you will get hot piping food. Due to us having a very fussy 13 yr old he ate virtually nothing all week. Therefore on a couple of nights we did tend to eat out in Salou which is about 10-15mins walk from the hotel.
We didn't stay in the hotel for the entertainment, but after speaking with a few of the other guests they didn't seem too impressed.
Hotel staff seemed pleasant enough and were only happy to help if you had a problem. Recepttion staff also very friendly.
Theme park and water park are excellent, while staying at this hotel you have unlimited access and the free train is well worth using as both parks are side by side up a steep hill, which you won't fancy walking up to if it's a hot day,. They run every 15 mins
| | |
Shona from Aberdeen travelled to Caribe resort with
booked direct
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2006 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was our 2nd visit to the Caribe Resort. We last visited in October 2004 when it was still an independent hotel. It has since been taken over by Universal.
The problem is that the price has virtually doubled but the only extra facility are the Universal characters wondering round the hotel most of the time. The children loved it but is that really worth the extra money ?
The hotel is lovely and our ground floor room was clean and maid service every day was excellent. Maids start quite early but it is no problem to them to come back later if you are still in your room.
The restaurant food is still very good. Perhaps even more typical Spanish food than last time which was great. Buffet style so there is something for everyone. Breakfasts were particularly good. New rules though since last time though and you cannot even take a bread roll out of the restaurant to give to your child to eat later if they are not hungry at breakfast time.
Low season meant there was very little evening entertainment. Kids disco for 30mins every night but only a show at the weekends. In October there had been a show every night.
The kids club was still very good and our children loved it but unfortunately it was not open at the weekends. They liked to go there after breakfast for an hour before we went out for the day. This does not seem to be the fault of the kids club staff, who were surprised it was not open, but a Universal management problem. They seem to use the same staff to cover the 3 hotels and move them around depending on what hotels are busiest. There was a sign to say you could book your children into the clubs at El Paso or Port Aventura Hotel but it is not the same as walking to your own hotel club.
Reception staff are friendly and helpful but never in a rush. Don't be surprised if a 2 second question takes them 10 minutes to answer. It might just be because they were new as the hotel had only opened for the season 2 weeks before we arrived.
Port Aventura was great fun as usual. You get free entry included in the hotel price but you got that when it was an independent hotel so does not justify the price rise.
Overall the Caribe Resort is a lovely hotel in a lovely setting and good location. However, it was much better value for money before it was bought over by Universal.
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sue from malvern travelled to Caribe resort with
thomas cook
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Cannot knock this hotel anything bad I have read about this hotel isn't true.
Immaculately clean, staff friendly, no discrimination against the English at all. Ok food served plenty of choice and if you like your meals hotter microwave in dining room. No problems getting a drink with your evening meal at all.
Entertainment on daytime if you want to stay in hotel all day but expect to be on your own I had the pool and bar to myself everybody else at the park all day pure bliss!!
One thing take mosquito repellent if you go to the park in the evening.
Well worth a visit kids loved the park I enjoyed the rest.
| | |
Paul S from Leeds travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just got back from a fantastic time at the Caribe Resort.
First of all our room was cleaned every day and new towels were provided when needed. There were three of us and we did occasionally recieve only two towels (but a quick word with the maid soon sorted this). Towels for the pool were provided and again these could be changed whenever you needed clean ones.
Bed linen was changed twice a week and the floors were swept on most days. Hotel and pool areas were kept clean and the public toilets around the complex were all kept clean throughout the day.
The swimming pool (particularly the beach area) were excellent and perfect for our 2 year old to stroll in an out of as he pleased. Two lifeguards (at least) were on duty at each pool throughout opening times.
The food in the restaraunt was of a good standard (but could ideally have benefitted from being labelled - somedays were a bit pot luck). However it was 'international buffet' - most gusets at the hotel werent English - a bit repetitive some nights but everyone in our party found something they liked evry night (paella , a roast , fish , salads etc). As its buffet it wasnt the hottest but from my experience this is how most of the food is served in Spain anyway. Didnt have any problem queing either.
The only disappointing thing was the entertainment. Kids disco for half an hour everynight @ 8.30 (great for under 5's) then nothing until 10.00 then people 'miming' to a backing track - we ended up going to ther hotels in the are as soon as the mini disco had finished.
Transportation to and from the theme park was excellent - and the beach was only a 15 minute walk away. Would recommmend going back to this hotel - but would like to see an improvement in the entertainment.
| | |
mrs d davies from swansea travelled to Caribe resort with
first choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We came here as a family, but also on our honeymoon.
When we arrived it was about 3.30am, there are no luggage trolleys and we had to transfer all our luggage half way across the complex along with a very tired 8yr old and a 22mth old in a pushchair, needless to say the newly weds were not amused!!!
For a family oriantated place the restaurant was appalling, there are roughly 6 highchairs for both restaurants, the rest are booster seats.( i say rest i mean perhaps about another 6!) The food was certainaly not 4 star if anything I would say 2 star, the waiter service was virtually non existant while we were there, we would be very lucky to have a drink with our food.
The entertainment - what entertainment??? absoulutley appalling.
The grounds are lovely a beautiful lake across the middle of the complex, just right for some little busy toddler to fall into - no saftey barriers or anything.
A nice baby pool next to the playground - that looked like toilet water.
I could go on about this hotel all night, but all I can say is save your money and go somewhere else in Salou.
Exeptional Poor Value For Money and equally exeptionally dissapointed. Never Again.
| | |
Abigail from Ireland travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was lovely and our room quite good.The maid must have never swept the floor though,as we even found sweet papers under the bed which were not belonging to us.
Our room was on the first floor with no lift so we had to lift a buggy up and down the stairs a couple of times a day.
The maids never left enough towels in the bath room so most evenings we either had to share bath towels or else make a trip up to reception to complain.
The staff on reception were excellent at their job and were very friendly. However the waiting staff in the dining room were useless. You could be left waiting for half an hour for your drink and then they might bring the wrong one.
The food was good with plenty of choice,however the queing was chaotic - mostly caused by people allowing their 3 and 4 year olds to go up and select their own food.
It is no joke being stuck behind a tiny child and he picking out his chips one by one!!
The pools were great.The beach pool was fantastic.It was so safe for kids.However inflatable toys - even swimming rings are not allowed in the pool.
The sprinklers were a pain to dodge when coming back to your room after 12 midnight. It was impossible to avoid getting a soaking - no fun with a baby asleep in a buggy.
The hotel provides lovely soft towels for use by the pool. You can change them as often as you wish. It was lovely to have fresh towels by the pool every day.
The toilets in the public areas of the hotel were dreadful - broken locks on the doors and extremely smelly!
On numerous occasions I took my daughter all the way back to our room to use the toilet rather than use the ones outside the dining room.
The dining room did not open until 7.30pm for evening meals which was late enough for small kids.Any other hotel we have stayed in served evening meals from 6.30pm onwards.
Besides all the above grieviances I would return to this hotel as the grounds and pool area were lovely.
| | |
A Kelly from Ruislip travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I visited this hotel for two weeks in July 2005 I was very much looking forward to going there having taken quite some time to choose and after seeing it on a previous visit the year before and thinking how nice it looked.
But I must admit to being disappointed with the overall cleanliness of the hotel and the quality of the food. This is a great shame because otherwise this was a lovely hotel, the grounds overall where very pretty and the pools outstanding.
But in terms of room cleanliness the floors were not swept from the day we arrived, in the brochure it had said twice weekly linen change but it took eleven days before our beds were changed and three separate visits to reception.
In addition the toilets in the public areas i.e. the restaurant and bar were always in a poor state, two out of the three cubicle doors did not lock and in general they suffered from lack of regular attention with paper etc all over the floors.
Furthermore the food, although in plentiful supply was of very poor quality, hot food was at best luke warm. It made eating there particularly in the evening a chore rather than a pleasure.
The staff although very pleasant had very little knowledge of English and it was surprisingly difficult to order a drink with your meal, which is very odd for a hotel with international guests. Often we went without a drink as no-one every approached the table. In the end despite being half board we ate out in the evening at least six of our fourteen nights.
Finally, the sprinklers were a nightmare at night if you returned to your room around midnight or after it was almost impossible to get back to it without dodging a set of powerful sprinklers which targeted more than one path at a time. If nothing else it was dangerous as it was very slippy.
I did enjoy this hotel but these points mentioned above spoilt the overall impression it gave and bring into question it's four star status.
| | |
dawn from isle of man travelled to Caribe resort with
thomas cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel was fab. I and my partner went the in June 2005.
We picked this hotel because it looked the best in Salou and we both love theme parks which was great because it included entry into the park and with your room key you can just show it and go into a special queue that only takes about 15 mins max. Wherea s the other people where there for 1 and a half hour.
The only thing that I could say that was wrong about the hotel was that you had to wait forever for a drink with your dinner.
| | |
P James from Caister On Sea travelled to Caribe resort with
Ryanair
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was our first holiday to mainland spain & the Caribe resort was an excellent choice of hotel. Out of the 3 park hotels we felt the Caribe was a better choice with young children as we noticed that other hotels have entertainment right next to the swimming pool and we met a few families which came to the hotel so they could relax more in the evening.
We also liked that you got a good sized balcony where you could sit and have a drink when the children were going to sleep.
On arrival the family and luggage were taken staight to our room with no hassle and the reception staff were very helpful. The pool area was very clean and a good size, we also had a great position with a playground and a paddling pool right outside our room which was great.
You will also benefit from free entrance to the theme parks with the key to the rooms & free transport to the parks and the beach. The food was good with a good choice but did sometimes get busy.
This was an ideal holiday for a family with lots to do in the area. The only fault would be that there was only entertainment on certain nights except for the childrens disco which was every night where the staff were very good with the children.
I would recommend that people visit the parks or the beach in the week as weekends get very busy.
| | |
Mc culloch family from South Shields travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: When we arrived there was a problem with the size of room as we required an accessible room, with an additional bed. Unfortunately it was not large enough, but after consultations with our tour operator and the hotel the matter was resolved amicably.
The staffs were all very friendly and helpful throughout our week there.
The rooms were immaculate; ours had a large bathroom which had a spa bath and a separate shower, so plenty of space for us all.
The whole of the hotel both inside and out were kept sparkling clean every day.
The restaurant - the food was lovely and plenty of choice but occasionally it could have been a bit hotter, and there were queues sometimes.
The location of the hotel was brilliant for Portaventura and the Caribe water park, there is a train to take you there directly outside the hotel.
The entertainment was okay but could be improved.
| | |
Debs from Dover travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We arrived at lunch time and the welcome was warm and friendly. Our bags were delivered to our rooms about 5 minutes after we had made our way to our rooms. They were spacious and clean. The whole hotel in fact was absolutely spot on for cleanliness. We were provided with clean soft towels every day and our beds were made and changed regularly. Part of the service was to provide clean beach towels every day so you wont need to take your own. We took ours with us to the water park too to save on washing!!
The food was ok, the only let down was the queues for it, however after a couple of days you realise that you should arrive about 40 minutes after the buffet opens and this reduces the waiting time. If you do not wish to eat in the evening as you have other plans, let the reception staff know and you swap your evening meal for a lunchtime buffet.
The complex itself is in my opinion lovely, the two pools are beautiful especially the beach area. My only complaint would be the entertainment, we went the week before half term and this was considered out of season so there was no entertainment in the evenings apart from the kids disco for 40 mins. however, we took a stroll to the el paso hotel five minutes walk away and enjoyed the entertainment laid on in the courtyard, which was fab!!
| | |
Chris + Lauren from Greenock travelled to Caribe resort with
firstchoice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We travelled to Salou on the 17th may 05 with our 22 month old daughter we flew with First Choice (delay expected) and sure enough two hours.
We arrived in the middle of the night and were made very welcome Hmmm there's your keys there's a map find your own way room was clean and nicely decorated.
Hotel food was cold all the time sometimes still half alive. The restaurant as they call it more like the school canteen with the mile long queues. There was even families with young children told to come back later because the 4 highchairs that the "FAMILY" oreintated hotel owned were all being used.
Staff at the front desk were frendly and helpful but as for the very forgetful waiters/waitresess dont get me started.
The entertainment staff were good but let down by the lack of it. I felt very let down by First Choice and ther rep didnt have a clue either. ( Thomsons next year I think ) Salou itself was a good bustling town the theme park was great too.
PPS: NEVER AGAIN
| | |
Shona from Aberdeen travelled to Caribe resort with
booked direct
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was our first holiday abroad with the children, who are aged 7 & 4, and we could not have chosen a better hotel. The different hotel buildings are all lovely and the layout is beatiful. Both pools are lovely, especially the beach pool which is great for the children. It is definately a 4 star hotel.
We flew to Barcelona where we the collected our hire car. It is so easy to get from Barcelona airport to the Caribe Resort as Port Aventura and the hotels beside it have their own moterway exit.
We were allocated a ground floor room which was exellent for the children as it meant they could play on the grass right beside our patio. The room and bathroom were clean and a good size. We had a big double bed and a proper fold down sofa for the children. The only complaint you may have is there is only a half rail of hanging space with 10 hangers. Don't bother taking any hangers of your own as there is no room for them. There is however plenty of shelf space in the wardrobe and other units in the room for 4 peoples clothes so we did not have a problem. They only thing you don't get that you would in a UK 4 star hotel is an iron so you need to bring your own if you feel the need to iron on holiday.
The bathroom is big with a great shower. There is the usual 4 star complimentary soap, shower gel, sewing kit etc. which was a surprise for us in a Spanish hotel. We always had plenty of lovely soft and they were changed every day. You also get lovely pool towels so there is no need to bring your own. Our only problem was that when we arrived there was not hot water in the sink, only the bath. However once we reported this to reception the maintenance men were across straight away and fixed it.
The food was excellent. A great choice at breakfast and dinner. Myself and the children are fussy eaters but we always found plendy to eat and the quality was excellent. Always plenty of food still available at then end of breakfast at 10:30am. There is a children's buffet but ours ate a lot from the adult buffet, althought it is always worth checking out the children's buffet as you will often find steak or chicken breast there.
The kids club is excellent. There is a paddling pool and play equipment outside and there is a club house where they play games or do arts and crafts. The club is open from 10am-1pm then 3-6pm. Our children went in the mornings because they wanted too. The staff there were all such fun that we could not drag the children away before 1pm so we did not get as much sight seeing done as we expected. The good thing is that the club is open for all ages at the same time so siblilngs are not split into different groups.
In the evening there was a kids disco from 8:30-9pm. Kids loved it so as long as they are happy we're happy. After that there was family entertainment from 10-11pm. The hotel has a good dance group who did Rock and Roll, Latin American and Paris Moulin Rouge on different nights. They mime but so what. This way you get good dancing and good singing. They also did a pantomime one night which was great for the children and there were professinal jugglers/acrobats another night. All the shows were good and if you have children in means you do not need to leave the hotel at night.
Almost forgot to mention the trains, that is because they did not disrupt our holiday at all. The trains soon turn into just background noise that you almost don't notice. We only noticed then because our 4 year old loved to run onto our patio to see what sort of train was passing.
Salou - I was glad we had chosen the Caribe Resort as it is on the outskirts of Salou. We passed several hotels we had considered but would not have been as happy with their location. However, there are some really beautiful parts of Salou. Head towards the marina. There are some beautiful old houses and lovely designer shops at that end of town.
Cambrils - this is another lovely town just down the coast. It is worth a visit. It has a nice marina with some lovely boats and it has a prettier seafront than Salou.
Port Aventura - great fun and it was geared up for Halloween. Huge pumpkins everywhere and a few scary characters chasing you around. The park was very quiet in October except from the weekend, so we never had to queue which was great. There are obviously height restrictions for the children but they are very sensible. Our children got on almost everything that was suitable for them. They were also allowed into Sea Odyssey which was too scary for my 4 year old. They would have been allowed into the Temple del Fuego but I was glad they did not want to go as it would have been too scary for them. Only bad thing was that about 4 of the smaller rides were closed for maintenance the whole time we were there.
The hotel road train that takes you to Port Aventura and Costa Caribe is very handy.
Costa Caribe - only the indoor part and a small bit of outside is open in October and it was good fun for the children. However,a word of warning. Make sure you wear footweat suitable for a pool as I was horrified that people are allowed to wander everywhere with outdoor shoes on. There are also no changing cubilces. There are shower cubicles though. We were suprised that it closed as early as 5pm.
All in all we had and excellent holiday and we were very lucky with the weather. It was hot and sunny every day which was exceptional for October. The only problem was we only went for one week when we could definately have stayed for two. We will definately go back to the Caribe Resort and Port Aventura again.
| | |
Tracy & Paul from Newcastle Upon Tyne travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: My fiance and I stayed at this hotel in September. After arriving the day after a dreadful storm. The staff were in full swing tidying everywhere up and making it back to the way it nomally was.
Our room had a huge double bed in it and a fairly large very new bathroom with a fantastic shower in it. I think the cleaning lady could of done a bit more dusting and mopping of the floor though. Also every other day we had to ask for more towels which became a pain as they never left you enough.
On the good side though, the beach/pool area is gorgeous the pool is absolutely huge and loads and loads of empty sunbeds and people are not allowed to reserve them which is nice. There was always plenty of life guards on from early in the morning till night time.
There was always staff working in the gardens keeping it nice and the music rocks were fab dotted all along the path.
We were on a half board basis so when we first went to dinner I was really taken aback by the huge choice. The meals there were really nice. There is so much choice for even the fussiest of eaters. There was even a children's buffet so there was always something plain to choose from. Delicious choice of salads, cold meats, fish, pasta, breads, roasts every night, chicken, steak, sushi, lobster, chips, potatoes, smiley faces, paella and lots lots more. Lots of different fruits, ice creams and cakes also.
I looked forward to dinner every night for the choice they had. The chefs were always out filling everything up and keeping it all nice and if something ran out it was replenished immediately.
Breakfast too had a huge choice, bacon, eggs, pastries, cold meats, cheeses and fruits and cereals.
The only thing you have to watch is if you leave something on your table and nip up to the buffet to get something else like a drink etc, as they whip your breakfast away and clear your table for the next person so beware.
At night time you couldn't just get 1 glass of wine in the restaurant you had to buy a half bottle and not being a big drinker didn't always want that.
You can have lunch at the Salsa cafe if you have room left after breakfast, however on the only two occassions we ate there, I found the staff not very friendly and not very helpful, quite unlike the staff in the main restaurant.
We took the train to Barcelona which I would thoroughly recommend. (Lot cheaper than reps trips of about 49 euros) There is a station 2 minutes walk away called Port Aventura station. It is about an hour on the the train and the 10.20 train is much nice than the earlier or later one. It costs around 9 euros about £6 return and brings you out in the centre of Barcelona called Playa de Gracia. Really worth a trip out and you can buy your ticket on the train. We also used their metro system which was very easy to do and we don't speak their language.
The theme park was really good and great to nip up on with the hotel train which goes every 10 minutes or so and goes backwards and forward to Salou centre about 4 times a day, but really its a nice walk down. Shame about the hill on the way back up.
There is a train that goes past the hotel quite regularly and you do hear it but not to excess where it would disturb you.
We only visited the entertainment one night and the singers were miming which to me seemed pointless watching and listening to.
Our main grumble really was just our rep who on more than one occasion gave us wrong information so I would suggest speaking with the reception staff who speak excellent English and were very helpful.
I wouldn't choose Salou to go back to again as a resort but I would visit the Caribe Hotel again as a late booking for a cheapie holiday. It was relaxing, nice sometimes not to have to search and go into the town for a restaurant wondering what it will be like.
We didn't have the option but all the hotel blocks are named and the nicer ones are San Juan where they have a private pool area and posh sunbeds. However this is probably an extra but it wasn't in our brochure.
I would definitely book this if you're thinking about it, especially if you have kids as the beach is fantastic for them, and the staff seemed great with the kids. We were just the two of us and thoroughly enjoyed it. Happy Holidays.
| | |
Sam from Surrey travelled to Caribe resort with
Bridge
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Myself and my Boyfriend (24 and 27) stayed at Caribe Resort in September.
This is the first time I have stayed in a hotel like this, as I've always been to self catering style apartments with my family.
The Pool
The pool is beautiful and if you want a holiday where you can sit by the pool all day but have some other things to do to keep away bordom then it's perfect. There are 2 pools, one with sand and one without, so if you hate the beach or fake beaches then there's something for everyone.
The Room
Our room had 2 double beds, TV, small fridge (it's big enough to hold 500ml drinks), TV - and yes it's true there's only one english channel (CNN), bathroom, balcony, our room also had a safe which is great for keeping passports etc.
Food
Breakfast is great. Wasn't overly keen on the cooked breakfast, but theres loads of variety - cereals, bread, toast, pastries, cold meats etc.
Being a fussy eater, we didn't go for the half board where a buffet dinner is included. But we did sample it one night. I wasn't impressed. As other reviews have said, the food is warm and for the fussier eater, there's only really junk food to choose from.
Facilities
There's a volleyball court, mini football pitch, giant chess board, jacuzzi, gym, indoor pool, ping pong, and pool tables.
The hotel 'key' is your pass into Port Aventura theme park, and in low season also a day into Costa Caribe (the water park).
Entertainment
There is entertainment at night, but we didn't go to any of it as we went into town most nights. So my rating for entertainment was based mainly on the facilities available.
Location
The hotel is probably about a 10 minute walk from the beach, and 5 minutes to the nearest train station "Port Aventura". It's probably a 5-10 minute walk to the Theme Park and Water Park.
The hotel is quite close to the train line, but it didn't wake us up at all, however this may have been because of the building we were in (Barbados).
Travelling
We flew to Barcelona and got the train to Salou. Our info told us get a train to La Pineda, but no-one at Barcelona Sants station had heard of that! We got a taxi from Salou to the Hotel. I would highly recommend if flying to Barcelona to look up timetables for trains from Barcelona Sants to Salou or Port Aventura. When we arrived at Sants we had to wait 2 and half hours for the next train to Salou! If you have no kids it's just as easy to get the train to Port Aventura and walk to Caribe Resort. But if you have kids then Salou may be the better option as there were never any taxis at Port Aventura station when we were there.
Our only complaint is that the area Salou seems to be taken over by British. And a lot of the bars are British and the restaurants along the beach sell chicken and chips, fish and chips, egg and chips...and sadly we didn't find a 'real' Spanish restaurant to eat at.
Oh and for all you Maccy D fans out there, there is a MacDonalds along the beach
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andrea from lancashire travelled to Caribe resort with
first choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: First impressions of the Caribe Resort, yes it did look a little like a holiday camp, but it was clean, bright and inviting.
The rooms were lovely, comfortable and clean with a queen sized bed, even the sofa-bed was comfortable. There was a mini frige, ideal for water/drinks.
The food in the restaraunt was well presented, varied and very nice, with a small selection for children, the only thing is that because of the buffet style, the food was not as hot as it could be although the staff had started to put labels on.
There was also an a snack bar, seafood restaraunt and an Italian which was buffet style and cost us 48 euros for a meal with drinks. (2 adults 1 child, they didn't charge for the 3 year old)
The pools were very clean with plenty of sunbeds, the beach pool was an excellent feature.
The entertainment was good, the staff worked very hard throughout the day and had unlimited amounts of energy. Some would start at 10am and still do the evening cabaret at 10pm, the children loved the pantomimes they did of Peter Pan and Cinderella, there was also a magician and acrobats as well other productions.
Saying that i feel there was only a half hour from 8.30 - 9.00 to entertain the kiddies and my 3year old boy would get wrestless waiting an hour for the show.
The beach was not far about a 10 min walk although we did not use the main beach, it was so busy.
PortAventura was a short walk, although there was the train to take you if you wanted, was good with some great shows, although there was not much for a 3 year old, we were given tickets for the water park for the day after our arrival so we didnt get there.
Barcelona was also a good day out with the Zoo and Nou Camp in one day for 170 euros for a family of 4.
All in all, I was not really impressed with Salou, but would go back to the Caribe Resort.
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Sophie from London travelled to Caribe resort with
lunn poly
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Wow!! We loved this hotel!!
The rooms were great! A huge double bed, huge balcony, nicely modern bathroom and lots of storage. Everything was kept very clean, sheets, towels etc.
The lake in the centre of the hotel is stunning by night and lovers can take a leisurely stroll hand in hand (as we did!)
Two huge pools meant that there was never a fight for sunloungers!!
The food was good, lots of variety every night (my lover was rather keen on the salads- not his usual liking!)
We spent many a night playing cards on the balcony - I won almost all the time! The theme park and water park were very close and if you don't want to walk you can hop on the free train.
A brilliant place to be, would recommend it to families, singles or couples. Book it!
| | |
S. James from London travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very clean especially the bedrooms but, the one thing that annoyed me was that when anything was spilt rather than moping it up they poured salt onto the floor which was just as slippery and dangerous as the liquid.
The food was okay if you didn't mind having a guess at what you was eating as nothing was labeled although most of it wasn't that bad. My one and everyonelses complaint was that most of the food was warm or cold.
I found the location good as I myself was quite happy to sit around the pool all day only strolling into Salou every now and then. Yes there is a railway line that runs quite close to the hotel but it wasn't that loud.
The staff at the hotel were very plesant especially the childrens day club staff. Christina and Valentin were fantastic they made my son so happy and contented that he cried when we left and has promised them that he will send them a card saying thankyou and copies of photos.
The entertainment that we saw was excellent, it had us in fits of laughter even though the entertainment area wasn't very big it didn't seem to matter being close to your neighbour. The childrens mini disco was good hosted by either Valentin or Christina who all the children loved.
I will definately be coming back to this hotel.
| | |
daal43 from Margate Kent travelled to Caribe resort with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2004 | rated the Caribe resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We’ve just returned from a trip to the Caribe Resort Hotel at Port Aventura, Salou. We stayed half board.
First impressions of the hotel were that it was horribly reminiscent of a holiday camp – the accommodation is in brightly coloured blocks, but the rooms are rather nice. Two double beds (or one huge double and a convertible sofa), tiled floor, balcony furniture, television (only CNN in English!!), small fridge, full bathroom. Only problem was that the rooms are designed for people staying only one or two nights so there wasn’t enough hanging or storage space for a week of clothes. The facilities in the hotel are good – nice artificial lake with a decked area with comfy wicker chairs and settees outside the reception building which houses the restaurant, bar, entertainments, shop and conference rooms (Peugeot had a conference whilst we were there). The downside to the lake is that it means you have quite a trek round it to get to the restaurant etc and it attracts insects and, at twilight, BATS – great if you like bats!…….The outdoor pools are free form and one has a sandy beach which is a good feature. There is a football pitch, children’s clubhouse and volleyball area but all are under-used as everyone is up at Port Aventura all day everyday – there’s never even any difficulty getting a sunbed!! Your room key is your park pass so you can come and go as you please. Unfortunately, unlike El Paso Hotel and the Port Aventura Hotel, your key does not entitle you to ‘express plus’ (unlimited queue jumping service!) but on busy days you do get one express ride a day.
The hotel has a fitness centre with a lovely gym and an indoor pool at no extra charge.
The buffet meals are well presented and, as there is a children’s play area, the restaurant is not as hectic at that at El Paso – but try to get a table away from the children’s zone as the noise is horrendous!! Breakfasts included cooked options (fried or scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, streaky bacon, sausages), pastries, doughnuts, yogurts, fresh fruit cocktail, cold meats and cheeses. One down point was the female head waiter who, in our opinion, had completely lost the plot! For example, one evening she would not allow a mother to pop back in to the restaurant after her dinner to pick up a bread roll for a screaming, hungry toddler – needless to say she was not the most popular member of staff!!
The receptionists are very friendly and helpful – although one or two do not speak much English, and the porters (who drive the golf carts full of guests up to the theme park) are also very nice. The park is uphill and a fair walk away so it was nice to have transport – if you are lucky you can catch a cart going back down after your visit but it’s usually easier and quicker to walk rather than wait in hope!! At the park you do need a little Spanish - the question the ride operators are most likely to ask you is ‘Cuantos sois?’ which means ‘How many are you?’ and a show of fingers is all you need to have in reply!! They are very strict on height restrictions on rides and very safety conscious – the Dragon Khan was often stopped if the weather conditions were not good enough. Annoyingly, the park opens bit by bit – so if you get there when it opens you can only get into Polynesia, then they open China and finally the Wild West and Mexico – up to two hours later – this does lead to congestion and queues on even quiet days. Maybe they do not do this in high season! There are some excellent rides and the shows are rather good too!
Back at the hotel, the evening entertainment consists of a children’s hour – mini disco type of thing, sometimes with ‘characters’ such as Woody Woodpecker, and then an adult entertainment – band, magician, that sort of thing. Quite low key and contained in a virtually sound- proofed room!! A down point here is that children tend to go to dinner after their show as it is at 8:30 – this means tired, hyped up kiddies in the restaurant just when you’d expect it to be getting quieter around 9:30!!
Another down point, (and it’s a biggy!), is the proximity of the railway line to the hotel – having a great long freight train trundle past as you sunbathe does spoil the illusion that you are on a Caribbean beach! Also there is a wake-up train at 6:15 every morning (yes, even Sunday!!).
In summary, we had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday but the hotel is not without its downside. On balance, especially bearing the ‘express plus’ option in mind, I think I’ll be going back to El Paso Hotel next time – nearer the park, further from the railway line and about the same cost.
One more point , if you’re flying into Reus airport be warned – its air conditioning doesn’t seem to work and its checking-in systems are still in the stone age and so queuing is a way of life!!
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