Mediterraneo Benidorm Hotel 4 ouf of 5
Benidorm, Costa Blanca

Well, what can I say! This hotel is as the title says 'OUTSTANDING'! It was our first visit to Benidorm (first time abroad in fact as a family, I came over 20 years ago). The hotel was very clean, the staff very helpful and the food was excellent. The bar staff especially Teri were very accommodating with their larger than normal measures and lively chat. They were constantly cleaning, keeping the bar and the seating area spotlessly clean. The restaurant team worked tirelessly to keep everyone happy at all meals, taking drinks orders and delivering them to the table with a smile. Empty plates were swiftly removed and tables cleared and relayed almost immediately so no one was kept waiting at busy times. The choice of food was amazing. Something for everyone. No one should have gone hungry as there was plenty of choice from fresh soups to shellfish, fish, meats, salads, rice and vegetables. Lots of fresh fruit available at all times with hot and cold desserts. The room was spotlessly clean with fresh towels daily. There is lots of storage space with hanging space and drawers. Our room had a double bed and a single bed and a sofa. There was blankets available, but we didn't need them. The TV shows BBC1, 2 & 3 along with CBBC and the usual local channels. There is also piped music which was quite nice! Our balcony overlooked the road with the magnificent views of the mountains to the front and right and the skyscrapers to the left. The pool was quite cold, although our daughter did try it a couple of times! But we had the indoor pool & Jacuzzi to ourselves which was quite nice! The entertainment was 'ok'! My husband won a darts competition organised by the animation team. The evening entertainment usually consisted of a singer/duo or an act. It was something to do whilst enjoying the all inclusive drinks! About a 20 minute walk into the town or 1.50 Euro each and the bus picks up opposite and drops off right outside the door. A perfect hotel, we will definitely be back but a bit later on in the year to get the weather.

Starting with the good points.... This hotel is cheap - it cost less than £500 for 4 people to stay all inclusive for a week and it is clean. Now to the not so good points.... - it's a long walk to the beach, the hotel really is out on a limb; - the drinks are terrible. Only the cheapest of the cheap unbranded spirits are available on AI and the coffee and juice available at breakfast are disgusting. The lager purports to be Amstel and it's drinkable. There is a 'cocktail of the day' and if you don't like it, you are out of luck, you cannot have any other cocktail. The diet coke is 'real', thankfully; - kids run wild in the hotel, which is great if you have one, but clearly not so great for those people that don't; - the entertainment is rather lazy, a quiz (almost always about actors and actresses) is rolled out and people who visit regularly get every question correct. Then it's bingo, then you've got to wait until 10pm for a mediocre singer or dancer to turn up; - there is no children's entertainment. No mini disco, no entertainer, no games, no fun. There was a live animal show one night but the animals arrived at 11pm after the majority of kids were long in bed; - the evening meal is ok, you can almost always find something half decent. We didn't bother with breakfast because it wasn't worth bothering with and 'snack time' is a total joke - it is nothing more than left overs from the previous meal - left stewing in the buffet warmer for hours; - there is no sound proofing in the rooms whatsoever, you are kept awake until everyone else on your corridor has gone to bed; - the beds are far too hard, good luck with your lower back and hips after a week of that; - despite all that, by far the worst thing is the attitude of the staff. Many of them are nice (Teresa in the bar is always friendly) but the attitude of some spoils it for everyone. The chaps who run the indoor pool/pool shop are openly rude to guests and were openly racist to a Chinese family. They barked at us to shut the door and told us off as if we were naughty children for not fully complying with the endless mysterious rules (no splashing, no jumping, no picking up your own towel from the pile of towels, only certain swimming caps permitted, no toys, no running, the list goes on....). They clearly loved their little power trip - doing everything they could to spoil the fun. When I pointed out we were on holiday the chap said yes, you are on holiday, but I most certainly am not!!! Shocking and not worth the bother - never returned to the pool after this experience, despite the weather being poor. I told the hotel about this during my stay but they didn't bother to get the manager to speak to me. The attitude of some of the dining room staff and bar staff (particularly Jamie) was terrible, these people really obviously hate their jobs and all of the guests; - I should say that Spanish guests are treated completely differently, they get branded spirits and the staff treat them like human beings. So, it is cheap and if you want cheap, this is the place for you!

Just back from this hotel our 4th visit, found it to be just about as good as ever, rooms are spacious food quite good, drinks adequate apart from if you ask for Baileys on the all inclusive deal you get a substitute which is quite nice but if you are Spanish A.I. you get the real stuff a bit annoying.Bar staff mostly friendly Teresa is excellent. Restaurant staff not so friendly they lean over to take plates away before your finished with them.Outside pool freezing, indoor pool was guarded by Gestapo my Grandson and me couldn't even splash each other, never went back Entertainment was always pretty poor here and hasn't improved even though it was school holidays there was no entertainment in the lounge for kids.The entertainment chap did his best for adults but it tends to drive you out most evenings. all in all a good stay

Spent February 7th to 14th at the Mediterraneo a surprise birthday trip for my wife, our third visit and once again we had a very pleasant week, weather was a little on the chilly side but the warmth of the Hotel made up for it,my only complaints are that Gines's understudy in the restaurant did not have time to chat always looked like he didn't want to be there,Lola was pleased to see us again and made us feel very welcome, as did Gines, also please to see us was Teresa in the bar and Marie at reception, I do have a couple of issue's, although there was plenty to choose from at meal times but some of the dish's could have been a little warmer, next our room was always spotless but the beds are getting a little bit on the old age side and need to be retired for softer one's ( not to soft and a little higher ), and the towel's, changed every day, do not dry you, they too need renewing. Looking forward to our next visit.