| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Angela & Alan from Wolverhampton travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2008 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: The food was great. There was plenty of choice. For breakfast you could have a full English breakfast, cereals, yoghurts, fresh fruit etc. There was also a chef that cooked fresh omelettes with fillings of your choice. The only problem was he was rarely there. You had to wait for him to come out of the kitchen before you could order one. Breakfast was served between 8.30 - 10.00.
Evening meals again had a fair amount of chcoice. Usually there was two types of fish and two types of meat as well as salad, chips, vegetables etc. Also a wide choice of desserts. This was served between 19.30 - 22.00. We were told by another guest that evening meals were served earlier but that due to the Spanish complaining, the time had been changed to a later time. Personally this was too late for us to eat.
The hotel was lovely and clean. The beds were made every day and the cleanliness coculd not be faulted.
The location was ideal for the night life as it was a couple of minutes walk. The beach was about a 10 minute walk. The brochure said 500 metres to the beach but it was definitely further than that.
The staff were excellent. All staff in the restaurant were very friendly.
As for the entertainment we looked in the room on about 3 occasions and the room was dead. The entertainment seemed to be a chappie playing the organ and singing. Not our cup of tea.
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
|
| |
Wheatcrunchie from Portsmouth travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Independent
on a friends holiday.
There were 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2008 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Just returned from a hen weekend at the Castilla.
It didn't seem like this hotel was not the normal place that you get a group of girls staying in, but this didn't cause a problem. We respected the fact that others in the hotel needed their sleep so we came in when they were getting up for breakfast!!!
The hotel is beautifully decorated, clean and tidy. The staff are all really friendly and helpful.
We only made breakfast and dinner once while we were there but the food was lovely.
We had 3 beds in each room and there was still plenty of room to walk about.
I would definitely stay in this hotel again (maybe not with a group of girls) and would recommend it to others.
|
| |
Amy from Blackpool travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I stayed in the Hotel Castilla, Benidorm with my partner in a twin room.
We were half board & so had breakfast & tea included. Some poeple were complaining that the time of the evening meal was too late (7pm) and so the hotel allowed them to swap to breakfast and lunch.
The food chice was good,all meals were buffet style. Breakfast consisted of a cooked breakfast if you wanted (english sausages but spanish bacon), pastries, freash fruit, cereal, pancakes that were cooked infront of you. Basically there was loads of choice.
Tea had a good choice aswell. There were various differ3ent themes, indian night, chineese, mexican but there was also various other things aswell.
the choice of deserts was fantastic also. Also at dinner there were freashly baked baguettes which were still warm.
The rooms were big with a fridge & saftey deposit box that you had to hire from reception. The keys for the room are card keys which i thort was good as if you lost it it could be instantly reset and so the old key would not work (the same went for the safe)it was nice to have that added piece of mind. Also we could have2 copies of the key, which was good as some hotels i have stayed in in the past have only allowed 1 which is a pain when someone goes out.
The daytime entertainment was really good, we stayed around the pool and joined in a few times while we were there. It was ran by Raul a spanish guy (totaly crazy but in a good way) and Mel the Thomson rep. There were various activities such as pool compertitions, darts, bowing and lots of people joined in and so you got to know lots of people staying there by the end of the week & everyone was very friendly and chatty.
The night time entertainment was either really good or really bad. We watched 4 shows before going out 2 were fantastic and the other two were awful.
The hotel staff were fab. The Reception staff and the thomson rep were always really friendly & helpful. Also Paulo the bar man was very friendly. All the staff other than the dining room staff spoke a very high standard of english.
The hotel was located just off the main strip but far enough away to not get bothered by the noise.
We would definatley visit this hotel. The hotel was brilliantly clean & the staff made a good holiday fantastic.
|
| |
julie from nottingham travelled to Castilla Hotel with
EASYJET
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2007 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed in the Castila Hotel for one week, we were surprised when checking in that we had been given full board but only paid for half board.
The hotel was we went as 2 couples ages from 43 to 51 the hotel was very clean, the food was very good, although only made it to breakfast once there was full English, the location was good not noisy at all our room had a side sea view hairdryer and fridge.
It was about ten minute walk to the town centre, the staff were friendly, don't know about entertainment as went out every night, as for the TV there was a UK gold channel that had films on and comedies so it wasn't just news and sport channels they advertise what films are on every day inside the lift and the times that they were on.
The pool was very clean and you could always get a sunbed we weren't going down to the pool until around 11 or 12 every day and never had a problem with getting sunbeds, there was a lot of older people in this hotel but no children.
|
| |
|
|
Monica from Harleston travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2006 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: It is said that the older we get the less sleep we need. In the Hotel Castilla many people were up and about very early in the morning, and the walls are very thin. You could here them moving about ,moving the furniture, flushing the lavatory, having a shower, and this is one of several reasons why I think the Hotel only deserves a three star award.
Let’s get the rest of the negative stuff out of the way. The restaurant is in the basement. It is more like a works cafeteria. All the tables are close together. It is very noisy. It is designed in a way that makes you want to finish your meal as soon as possible rather than linger. I think the food was very poor. There was quite a lot of veal and fish, tinned veg. and they were very good at serving up leftovers from the day before. For example vegetable omelette's, pork curries. Nothing was wasted. During the second week we ate out quite a bit as we were so fed up with the food. Many people were complaining about it.
There are only two lifts, which is completely inadequate for a hotel with this number of rooms. Again this was one of the main complaints. We ended up walking down from the eighth floor, but of course many elderly people were unable to do this.
There are no credit card facilities. You have to pay for everything in cash. Again this is unheard of for a four star hotel. However if you book any trips the Thomson rep will accept credit card bookings.
The rooms are a good size with plenty of cupboard space, and very clean. You might want to take your own loo paper though as there’s isn’t very nice.
The TV only shows Sky news or sport, but there are several bars nearby where you can watch the soaps if you desire. They were always packed by the way.
The staff are excellent and the hotel is very clean. The pool side is okay but I would imagine that it gets very crowded in the summer. There was the perennial problem of people putting towels out and not using the beds until the afternoon. There were notices telling them not to do this but of course they were completely ignored.
This is not a bad hotel. In fact many people return year after year, but in my opinion it only merits a three star rating.
|
| |
Gary from Chapel travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomsons
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The Castilla Hotel is situated in a very queit part of the 'new town' of Benidorm but within easy walking distance of an abundance of shops, bars, restaurants and Nightclubs.
If you are familiar with the Rio Park Hotel and its location, well the Castilla is directly next door.
The Hotel, built in 1962, was renovated and refurbished in 2002 in which an eleventh floor was added and an atttractive rockfall water feature added to the main entrance. This is a trade mark of the ServiGroup of Hotels of which the Hotel Castila is part of, being a Four Star hotel with 135 rooms.
The Castilla Hotel is spotlessly clean and well kept. There is a very attractive entrance and reception area and all the rooms are extrememely spacious. If the Single rooms (very limited so if you are a single traveller you need to book early) are huge. There are only two lifts, but these are adequate for the size of the Hotel. Be advised though that only the left hand lift travels down to the basement restuarant and sauna/gymnasium.
The bar evening is bright and attractive. However, evening entertainment is limited to the odd 30 minute 'caberet act', most of which I saw were pretty amateurish, and aimed at the more senior Client. Not much in the way of entertainment for children or teenagers, but there are plenty of clubs etc within easy reach so this should not be a problem.
Meals are all self service, and although very good, the variety is somewhat limted and a lot of the dishes are repeated or rehashed into something else the follwing day. Far too much fish as always!! There are no Wine Waiters, but the Dining Room maids 'double' as waiters and will serve you your drinks (you pay extra for these at midday and evening meals, but morning tea coffee, milk, water, juices and champagne, yes champagne are free at breakfast time). All the staff from the Manageress to the Maintenance men are all very friendly and extremely helpful.
Check-in is fast and smooth. Hotel Rooms are secured by the use of a coded card swipe system, and you need to use this card to insert into the slot inside your room in order for the electricity to stay on. However, if you take an old credit card or loyality card this does the trick and you can then leave the lights on in your room at night for security purposes, or your air conditioning on during the day. (Remember to take it out until after the maid has cleaned your room though!).There is a small fridge in each room, which is adequate to keep bottled water and drinks cool, but not cold as the fridge is to be found in a cupboard under the television which allows for no air circulation, so this cupboard does get very warm. This means you can use the shelf inside as an airing cupboard for your 'smalls'!!.
There is a Hair Dryer in the bathroom, and also a bidet. Balconies are very private and extremely spacious, but they have glass panels along the front, which although this means you have unobstructed views from your balcony, you do need to excercise caution and keep an eye on your children, never allow them out on the balcony on their own. There are small gaps between the glass panels and the walls in which small arms and hands could become trapped. So please bare this in mind if you have little ones.
There is a safety deposit box (small addtional charge) inside the same cupboard as the fridge.
The Pool area is very private and attractive but please note there is no pool bar or bar service. The pool is not heated, but there is a small section for children and a very small kiddies play area. Beautiful, relaxing 'Piped' music is played EVERYWHERE in the Hotel, except inside the lifts and your rooms.
This Hotel is EXCLUSIVE to Thomsons and no other Tour Operator makes use of it, but Spanish Tourists do stay here.
There is a small separate Bar called 'The Piano bar', but do not expect to find someone playing jazz at a grand piano here, its only a name for what is in effect a public television room. Its small and VERY stuffy, although the seating is quite comfy.
|
| |
Tommy from Leeds travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2005 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: First time we have stayed at this hotel and the location was great for the night life which was a good thing due to very little at the hotel.
The food was very good.The pool was small and with all the lilos and kids playing ball in the pool makes it hard to swim the pool opens at 9am with all the sun beds gone in 5 minutes what annoyed us was people putting the towels on the beds and coming back around 2pm.
|
| |
John Kramrisch from Manchester UK travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thompsons
on a singles holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was our second visit to this hotel -
We are booking to visit this hotel again in January 2006.
A warning - there are currently seventeen large hotels closed due to refurbishment - A large drop in English tourists was observed. Understand that most of the closed hotels will reopen at Easter
|
| |
Karen from Newcastle Upon Tyne travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2004 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The rooms in this hotel were very spacious and very clean the beds and towels wer changed every other day. The buffet style food suited everyone including my parky eater son who enjoyed it.
The hotel is located not far from the main pubs and about a 5 minute walk to the beach. The staff we all very friendly and polite. The entertainment was okay they had a good puppet show on for the kids/
I would definatley visit this hotel again and I would recommened it to anyone.
|
| |
|
|
Angie & Linda from Edinburgh travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Second time in the Castilla, pure luxury, food fantastic, staff very friendly and helpful. Can't comment on the entertainment as were never in the hotel after 8pm at night.
The Castilla is very central but a 5 minute stroll from main square where all nightlife is - once you stagger back to hotel you close the door and it's complete bliss, no noisy bars, no traffic etc.
|
| |
Sheila Booth from Gateshead travelled to Castilla Hotel with
Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Have been in this Hotel June and Sept this year. Everything fine except the evening entertainment for the elderly residents, which should be improved.
The rooms are very clean and spacious, the towels and bedding are very very clean.
The Buffet style meals are superb and the staff are very efficent.
There should be more parasols for the number of sunbeds that are around the pool.
Overall the facilities at the Castilla Hotel are first class and no doubt we will be back in 2005
|
| |
ann from west midlands travelled to Castilla Hotel with
thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2004 |
rated the Castilla Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We visited the hotel castilla in February 2004 . We found it to be the best hotel that we have stayed in so far. The cleanliness was excellent rooms very comfortable . Food excellent overall service within the hotel was exceptional. Only one adverse comment was that the entertainment was virtually no exsistent but obviously being close to the heart of the Lavante area this was not a big problem for the more able bodied. The elderly and less mobile may have wished for a little more in the way of "in house" entertainment. Never the less a most enjoyable holiday , so much so that we have booked again to take the family at Whitsun this year.
|
| |
Subscribe For FREE Updates
Sunny Says there
are 184 visitors online