Salou suites...?

Question

i booked the salou suites and now ive read some of the reviews im scared! they sound horrible and im gonna be blamed cos i picked them please tell me wat they are really like?

Answer 1

Hmmm... let me see if I can help you here...I was a travel agent for 26 years and believe me, I was so fussy about where my clients stayed, so I can sympathise!

I know these apartments and you're right to be worried , the reviews are not what I'd call good- I looked first of all at watchdog- link here..

http://www.holidaywatchdog.com/2171-Salo...

Earlier reviews (2005) were slightly better but many very negative comments- especially about the cleanliness which is unacceptable.

Then I looked at Holiday Turths...

http://www.holiday-truth.com/holiday_tru...

They gave high marks for staff & location, but again cleanliness was let down- not acceptable.

Real holiday reports next...

http://www.realholidayreports.com/report...

They were positive on 2 but negative on 1- the positives seemed to be from young sinlges. The Family (as was pretty much said by most families on all the sites) was not impressed.

There was only 1 on trip advisor and it was good

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-...

So... how to make sense of it all.

I find that families expect a lot for their money- I have kids myself and holidays aren't cheap- you save all year and pay out a fortune but all too often when you get there the standards are not what you have at home. I am the first to say I am a fuss-pot and I moan for the slightest thing (ask my hubby lol)

The singles and younger crowd are easier pleased. All they want is somewhere to lay their head and stagger home from a night out. Its more important that they've got somewhere central in the middle of all the biz and a pool- thats it, they don't care.

The question is.. what type are you?

If you're laid back and you don't mind very basic spanish accomodation and want to be bang slap in the middle of it all with a reasonable pool (you'll need to fight for a sunbed mind) take your own towels and don't cook anything in the apt to eat (the pots n pans are filthy and the kitchen isn't clean) You can always clean the bathroom with plenty of bleach before you use it. Then you'll be ok. ie you use it to sleep in.

You DO get what you pay for, but is it worth the money?

It is I think officially a 3 key property, but most operators give it a 2 star- not a good sign, but advance warning- it is very basic and really is in need of refurbishment. The facilities aren't great and there is no air-conditioning which I personally couldn't stand!

They are noisy too- it's right across the road from "Salou Ibrox" which is a Rangers football Bar. Bear in mind theyre in the centre of Salou where all the nightlife is- most of the newer higher quality accomodation is out of that and towards La Pineda where it's quieter but at least you can sleep at nights.

Remember there is a refundable breakage deposit of around 100 euros so bear this in mind when sorting your spending money.

So... bottom line is that they were ok a few years ago, but they have gone downhill. They are very basic, cleanliness is a bit hit n miss and they can be in a great location or a noisy location depending on what you think of the nightlife.

Petsonally I wouldn't stay there, and if you want to change you probably can. You can go on the attack by saying you've read that they're horrible, unclean and try and get the travel agent to get you something to your liking, (probably need to pay quite a bit more though for decent accom) or you can simply

pay an admin fee of around £15 per head (as long as its not within 6 weeks of travel) and change to something else.

I wish I could tell you that it'll be ok, but theyre not great I would never have sold them to you when I was a travel agent- sorry but people pay good money for a holiday- they deserve better than this.

Next time though, you'll look before you book won't you?!

All the best- good luck!