Catalonia Punta del Rey

1 star – Extremely disappointing experience Unfortunately, this has been one of the most disappointing hotel experiences we have had. The biggest issue has been the food. We are vegetarian, and the choice and quality of vegetarian food has been extremely poor. We are not expecting a five-star fine dining experience from an all-inclusive hotel, but we do expect to have reasonable options to eat during our holiday. What made the situation significantly worse was how our concerns were handled. We spoke to the restaurant manager because we were struggling to find suitable food. Instead of listening to us, offering an alternative or even trying to help, we were essentially told to eat what was available or don’t eat at all. That is an absolutely unacceptable way to speak to paying guests, particularly from someone in a restaurant management position. The attitude from some of the restaurant staff has also been extremely disappointing. Rather than feeling welcomed or helped when asking questions, we were often met with a shrug or the impression that we were simply an inconvenience. There seemed to be very little interest in actually resolving the problem. Unfortunately, the issues haven’t been limited to the restaurant either. We specifically paid extra to upgrade to a Premium room, expecting a better standard and experience. However, we encountered multiple issues with the room during our stay. What was particularly frustrating was how long it took to get these issues resolved. We had to make multiple calls and follow-ups with reception and management over several days before everything was eventually dealt with. Again, we understand that things can go wrong in any hotel. That isn’t necessarily the problem. The problem is having to repeatedly chase staff and management for issues that should have been dealt with promptly, particularly when we had paid extra for an upgraded room. For us, this is not simply about the food or one bad interaction. It is the combination of the poor food options, particularly for vegetarians, the attitude of some restaurant staff, the response from the restaurant manager, problems with our Premium room and the amount of effort we have had to put in ourselves to get things resolved. What matters most is how a hotel responds when something goes wrong. In our experience, we have too often felt dismissed rather than looked after. This is supposed to be a 4-star hotel, and we simply don’t feel that the level of customer service we received reflects that. The attitude of the restaurant management in particular has left a very sour impression on what should have been a relaxing holiday. We have paid a significant amount of money for an all-inclusive holiday, then paid even more to upgrade our room, and we should not have to repeatedly chase reception and management or feel like an inconvenience simply because we have raised legitimate concerns. The hotel really needs to look seriously at both its food offering and, more importantly, how its staff deal with guests when things go wrong. The food is poor, the vegetarian options are particularly disappointing, the customer service has been lacking, and our Premium room experience has not justified the additional money we paid. Sadly, based on our experience, we would not return to this hotel and would struggle to recommend it to other travellers, particularly vegetarians.

This hotel is no where near as nice as the pics suggest. It is dated over crowded and there is building work going on constantly. If you like having dinner with 650 people fighting for sunbeds and tables then do book. Food quality is awful as are the all inclusive drinks, its cheap low quality all the way. Staff are disinterested and I would definitely consider staying up near the sandy beaches of the north instead of here. Oh if your chain smoker that loves the smell of cigarettes everywhere you will also love this hotel, with its paper cups littering everywhere. We had a good time by avoiding the hotel and getting on the 122 bus to Candelia for restaurants that had nice food and wines. The bus 122 also takes you out of the hell hole to Santa Cruz.

Just back from 4 weeks at PDR which we have visited many times Situated in easy reach of Candeleria which is 40 minutes to walk but regular buses. Santa Cruz is easily reached by buses in the opposite direction. Good points 1. Reception staff helpful and responded to our room request as usual. 2. Rooms cleaned daily. Ours had a nice balcony, fridge, large TV with all the main British channels, Aircon and fan. 3. Good choice of food with themed nights. 4. Good choice of alcoholic drinks but the soft drinks are very poor and bland. Many buy there own soft drinks from the nearby supermarket. 5. Choice of pools. The main pool is loud and lively with games. Across the road is a more relaxing infinity pool. 6. WiFi is good and works throughout the hotel. 7. Good choice of entertainment. We particularly like Miriam, Neymar and Fran who perform on the terrace. Upstairs there are some good acts. Our favourite is Johnny Circus but also like the tribute acts of Tina Turner, Elton John and Elvis Presley. Bad points requiring attention. 1. The soft drinks already mentioned. 2. The main problem is the maintenance in the hotel is in decline. When we were there in June it was the lifts which kept breaking down. This time the lifts were okay but the Aircon in the entertainment hall and dining room was horrendous. It was so bad that people were not going in the entertainment or walking out before the show even started. If we managed to suffer the discomfort of the lack of effective Aircon we would have to wash our shirts, dresses etc. on return to our rooms as they were soaking with sweat. Another example of poor maintenance was the jacuzzis by the main pool. In all 4 weeks the cold one did not work and the warm one was not heated. Quite a few regulars told us they were considering not returning mainly because of the Aircon. We have already booked to return twice next year but hope the hotel takes action regarding poor maintenance.

⭐ 3/10 — Extremely disappointing I honestly don't know how this hotel gets away with calling itself a holiday hotel. Our experience at the Punta del Ray was extremely disappointing, and there were far too many basic standards that simply weren't met. The food was awful. It reminded me more of school dinners than food you'd expect on holiday. The choice and quality were poor, and the soft drinks were just as disappointing. There were no recognised brands — only what tasted like very cheap, low-quality alternatives. The housekeeping was shocking. The bed was changed, but our cups weren't cleaned and the bathroom wasn't properly cleaned either. Surely cleaning a bathroom and washing used cups should be the absolute basics of hotel housekeeping. The entertainment was dreadful. It felt like amateur dramatics rather than professional hotel entertainment. To make matters worse, there wasn't even adequate seating to watch it. And if you needed the toilet during the evening, you were in for a very long walk — there were no toilets conveniently available near the entertainment area. The room had one big positive: the bed was lovely and comfortable. Unfortunately, that was about where the positives ended. The balcony felt unsafe, the safety handle was wobbly, the fan didn't work, the hairdryer didn't work and the TV remote didn't work. These aren't minor inconveniences — they're things that should have been checked and fixed before guests arrived. The attitude from reception was poor and rude, which certainly didn't help when there were already so many problems. The bar staff were okay, but I do want to give credit where it's deserved: the restaurant staff were amazing. They were friendly, helpful and were one of the very few highlights of the stay. Overall, this hotel needs to seriously look at the standard it is offering guests. Poor food, poor housekeeping, inadequate facilities, disappointing entertainment, broken equipment and rude reception staff made this a very frustrating stay. For us, 3/10 is being generous. The comfortable bed and fantastic restaurant staff were the only real positives. We certainly won't be rushing back.

A lot of people complained about the hotel but what do you expect after paying what was charged for the holiday. It's not a 4 or 5 star hotel, and yes they could make things better looking but the food at breakfast, lunch and dinner was satisfactory and replenished often. Could do with air conditioning that works in the bar area but the main problem we encountered was that the hotel was very busy with mostly those from France. We found the older the French, the more inconsiderate they were with barging in to an orderly queue. If you want a sun lounger, make sure you do what everyone was doing and leave your towel on one as early in the morning as possible. Some even went out for the day and came back to claim them. Perhaps the hotel should make sure that this doesn't happen. If you want a cheap all inclusive holiday in the sun, and are prepared to put up with the bad manners of the older French brigade, then look no further.