Ponient Dorada Palace by PortAventura World

“Good hotel! Good experience!”

Just home from a week half board! We had a fantastic time! I was so nervous about our trip after reading the reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised and super happy with our choice! The food: We had no complaints! There was something for everyone, I liked the daily themes at the buffet. … more

Just home from a week half board! We had a fantastic time! I was so nervous about our trip after reading the reviews but ended up being pleasantly surprised and super happy with our choice! The food: We had no complaints! There was something for everyone, I liked the daily themes at the buffet. It’s a 4 star resort so I was not expecting a sit down restaurant quality experience. For a buffet style service it was great, so many options available food was replenished constantly even at the end times of breakfast and dinner service. There was a good selection of plain foods and more adventurous options. I genuinely enjoyed the food! We swapped dinner for lunch 2 days which was nice to then go and experience some of the local restaurants! The snack bar food was alright, again it’s a huge resort so toastie and chips done just fine, was about £9 for this and a drink for reference. I liked that the bar snacks(crisps and nuts) were available for everyone, not just all inclusive. The rooms: again we had no complaints our room was immaculate every day and attended to prompt every morning, the balcony was huge. And the aircon was a saving grace with the temperatures of up to 35 🥵 on our last day we woke up to a leak from the aircon and within a short time there was someone up fixing it. We took an extension cable from home as there aren’t many plugs around the apartment. Definitely something to remember to pack. There’s definitely some noise throughout the night, we were on the first floor right above the entrance so had a lot more than someone on the 5th floor but it wasn’t enough to keep us awake. I was just aware there was some noise. Pool facilities; we loved the pools, as two adults on holiday we weren’t sure what to expect. We didn’t Que at 8:30 every day to run and save a lounger. We strolled down whenever we pleased and got a sunlounger everyday at all the pools including the most adult only roof top which was our favourite! We even got a parasol or a shaded lounger most days without having to get there early to reserve it. The facilities are great and clean! The hotel is very accommodating, accessible and would be perfect for families! We got a really good deal and were so happy with our 7 day holiday, the shuttle bus and park tickets are an amazing addition and we bought tickets through the hotel for the water park which only cost us £13 each. A ‘must’ if you ask me, it is incredible! We had a lovely stay and would definitely book again!! ☀️

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“Could be better, could be worse”

I arrived home yesterday after spending 5 days at this hotel with my 2 sons (6 & 4). ROOMS We had an apartment (401). No complaints about it all. (except there's no cutlery, crockery, kettle, etc. But we knew that in advance and I brought my own). Our apartment was right next to the lift so we ha… more

I arrived home yesterday after spending 5 days at this hotel with my 2 sons (6 & 4). ROOMS We had an apartment (401). No complaints about it all. (except there's no cutlery, crockery, kettle, etc. But we knew that in advance and I brought my own). Our apartment was right next to the lift so we had easy, direct access from reception to our room, which was great. The balcony was a good size and pool facing with a nice view. The apartment is spacious, modern and spotlessly clean. Water pressure in the shower is excellent, as is the air con, and there is hand soap, shampoo and body wash in the bathroom. You get 2 room keys so can leave one in all the time to keep the place cool and the fridge going. The mattresses are on the firmer side but quite comfortable, there's plenty of storage space/wardrobes for clothes, etc. And there are USB points either side of the bed! Only 1 worked though). 2 sets of doors (one in the lounge and another in the bedroom) to access the balcony. On the balcony there are 2 chairs, a small table and a handy clothes drying rack. CLEANLINESS The room attendants come round daily - change/make the beds, replace towels, restock toilet roll, empty bins, etc. FOOD Like everyone else say, the food choices at dinner time are a bit random. Don't get me wrong, it didn't make us ill and we didn't starve, however there's not much variety. The dining room is huge but there's only one food station and a seperate small dessert station. My son enjoyed the Chinese night best. The snacks from the pool bar are decent enough - pizza, chips, burgers, nuggets, spring rolls, crisps and nuts. You also get the choice of 2 ice lollies and a tub of ice cream on AI. POOL There's no atmosphere around the pools and it's very cramped. Nowhere near enough loungers or chairs for the size of the hotel, so if you don't queue from 8am, you don't get a seat until around 4.30/5pm. There's also very little shade anywhere around the pool/pool bar which isn't comfortable for adults, let alone young children. STAFF Like everywhere else, there are friendly people and some not so friendly. The cleaning staff were all really nice, as were the reception staff. The restaurant and pool bar staff were mixed and 1 lifeguard had a real attitude problem. QUEUES You do have to queue for a while to check-in as the process is very slow, but I didn't find that queue excessive at the pool bar. We never waited more than a couple of minutes for a drink. We also never waited any length of time for the lift either. We didn't go to the lobby bar in the evenings so can't comment on that. ENTERTAINMENT My kids were in bed before the entertainment started so not sure what this was like. During the day, thr poolside activities are chaotic. They take over the main pool which isn't great for anyone not participating. LOCATION The hotel is really well positioned. 10 mins walk from the beach and 5 mins to the strip. That said, it's far enough from the pubs and clubs to be quiet at night. GENERAL VIBE This hotel doesn't scream "family fun". There's a bit of a cold, and at times, tense atmosphere around the pool. In the 4 nights we stayed, we heard a loud arguement between 2 men at the pool area after the bar closed, and witnessed a near punch up around the pool at 4.30pm one afternoon between parents re their kids behaviour toward each other. It's the all day, excessive drinking in the heat (and on an empty head) that does it! PORTAVENTURA It's great that guests receive 2 day/2 park entrance tickets for Portaventura and Ferrari Land. However, don't rely on the free shuttle bus to take you there. They are supposed to pick up from the hotel at twenty to and ten past the hour, starting at 9.40am. We waited from 9.30am to 10.30am and no bus arrived. Ended up getting a taxi which cost €10. I've read it's only a 25/30 min walk, but with 2 young kids in 34 degree heat that was a non-starter. We got the bus on the second day and it drop you a considerable so stance from the park entrance. Something to be aware of for very yong/elderly visitors or those with mobility issues. SUMMARY Overall, we enjoyed our holiday! We were fed, watered and slept well. No doubt there are better hotels in Salou, however, I'm sure there are far worse. We stayed via Jet2 package holidays and for what we paid, we feel we got good value for our money.

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