Hotel California Palace

Just returned from a weeks holiday with my daughter. The hotel is clean and well maintained although the rooms are quite dated and I would definitely say it is not a 4*. And the reception staff could stop a clock with their miserable faces. The food was OK. Not enough of a selection and not kept heated but tasty enough. The restaurant manager was wonderful. Very friendly, funny and welcoming. The pool area and bar were great. Always enough loungers and space for a smallish pool area. Reasonable prices for a hotel bar too. If you want a quiet day around the pool though this is not the hotel for you. Music playing all day. Which I loved and added to atmosphere. And what can I say about the entertainment/animation staff? Absolutely fantastic! They never stopped and were brilliant with everyone, kids and adults alike. Even the lifeguard at the pool was great. Really friendly and funny. 10 minute walk to the beach and about 20 minutes to the livelier part of Salou. We didn't mind a walk so was fine for us. All in all a nice enough hotel if your expectations aren't too high. Given 3 stars mainly for cleanliness and the entertainment team.

Like someone else who had previously wrote a review, I agree that I felt compelled to write a review praising this hotel. A group of 6 of us went, three women and three men. The room for us three women was fabulous. They were 3 single beds, one on its own and two placed right next to one another, it was possible to separate them if required but we did not. The room we had was facing the street on the fourth floor. We did not mind either the fact we were street view or on the fourth floor, we quite preferred it as it was further away from the hustle and bustle of the street and hence a bit quieter. The balcony was a lovely place to sit, and barriers between balconies provided great privacy. The bathroom was spacious and the shower/bath was perfect. Safe and fridge can be purchased if pleased and a flat screen TV is available. The room was immaculate when we arrived, and the maids always done a great job at cleaning up the room everyday and replacing towels when needed. The room the men got was similar in setup, but facing the pool. Balcony had more privacy there, but overall they had the exact same experience as us women. The service here is incredible, and one of the main reasons we are going back. The staff are all pleasant and welcoming, in particular the bar staff. When we arrived for check-in we initially thought the woman on reception was cold and somewhat rude, but put that down to there being a large crowd of people all wanting to check-in as fast as possible. Every other encounter we had with this woman, and other receptionists was pleasant and friendly. The location is perfect, very near the beach and about 15/20 minute in taxi to Portaventura. We always walked into the centre from the hotel, which was a nice walk for those able to. It's in a nice quiet area of Salou, away from the nosiness of the town. We did not use many of the amenities that the hotel provided - we did not spend our days in the hotel, rather just spend them in the town sightseeing and shopping. We used the pool quite a bit, and it was lovely. The sunbeds are plentiful and we never had a problem getting one to use no matter what time of day it was. There is a pool table and air hockey table, as well as some other arcade type of machines which was a great way to spend an hour or two having a few drinks and playing pool/air hockey before going into the centre for the night. There was also a woman there, who went around asking people to participate in different tasks and activities for a prize which was fun and a nice aspect to the hotel. What we liked best was the atmosphere and the bar. There was always a pleasant atmosphere in the lounge, with music and dancing going on. The beds were comfortable and there were extra blankets if needed, which was lovely. What we liked least was the food. We went half-board, and while the breakfast was lovely and had plenty of options the dinner was somewhat bleak. While there was always something there every night, there wasn't much variety between each night. This is why we opted just for breakfast when we go in September/October, which is what I would recommend anyone to do as Salou has plenty of lovely restaurants in the centre, Uncle Sam's for one example. Overall, this hotel is a superb hotel that we would recommend to absolutely anyone, whether it be a small group of friends, a couple or a family.