Ponient Dorada Palace by PortAventura World

“Confused by the negative reviews”

Confused by all the negative reviews or maybe I'm living in an alternate universe. It could be that we're not big on traditional relaxing sunbathing holidays or maybe we were lucky but as a family of 3 with a 7yr old in tow, this was a great holiday and place to stay for 7 nights and we will return… more

Confused by all the negative reviews or maybe I'm living in an alternate universe. It could be that we're not big on traditional relaxing sunbathing holidays or maybe we were lucky but as a family of 3 with a 7yr old in tow, this was a great holiday and place to stay for 7 nights and we will return. Our room was large with 2 double beds, not the usual grotty sofa bed that my son usually ends up with and looked just like the social media posts I'd seen prior to booking. It was air conditioned, had a fridge, locked safe and a large balcony. The staff were super friendly and helpful and our room was cleaned daily. Pros: 10 minutes walk to the beach and 'the strip' 20 minutes walk to Portaventura Theme park (tickets included with hotel stay) or a 5min taxi (€10) We found it to be very clean. Close to the airport, 15mins (€35) We caught the train to Barcelona for the day which is about 1hr 30mins by train. We never had any issues with the food, yeah it got boring and repetitive but there was always something we'd eat and a lot of choice. Never had any issues with getting ice creams, drinks at the bar, the self-serve machines etc. Cons: I guess this is a biggy/deal breaker for some people but if you want a relaxing pool holiday, this place is not for you. You won't get a sun lounger unless you're waiting by the pool doors at 8am. It's pretty embarrassing really. If you need to leave your luggage before/after check in there are lockers in the basement but cost €6 each (we had to get two) The bar situation could be better but it's not the end of the world. Think the longest we waited was 10mins. Repetitive buffet food, but my son loved it. Pool definitely had busier times but we spent our time in the back pool where you could have inflatables and we always got a chair or a lounger later in the day. Overall we found it to be very family friendly, clean and well located and we spoke to other families who couldn't understand the negative reviews either.

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“Average stay at over rated 4 star”

We have just arrived back from this hotel today. Positive, housekeeping and room excellent. Negatives, que for sun beds and racing for best position every single day of our 11 night stay, to which I did not participate in. Every evening queing for drinks at the one bar. We are family of four but co… more

We have just arrived back from this hotel today. Positive, housekeeping and room excellent. Negatives, que for sun beds and racing for best position every single day of our 11 night stay, to which I did not participate in. Every evening queing for drinks at the one bar. We are family of four but could only have 3 drinks, if you wanted the additional drink you had to que again for 15 minutes or more. The hotel is all inclusive, but if you want to use the roof top pool area that is adults only, you have to pay for your drinks? NOW ON TO THE FOOD. Once again depending on time you had to que for food that frequently ran out and then long wait to replenish. The hotel is not worth the 4 star rating at very best a 3 star. The restaurant is not set up for the volume of people that use it. The management of the hotel and the infrastructure for what if offers needs serious attention.

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“It was okay, nothing outstanding”

I will start with the good. The apartment room was clean, bed comfortable and plenty of storage space. House keeping attended every day and left a clean room with fresh towels. The breakfast was good, drinks at the bar where not a bad price, I mostly drank water from the refill station. In th… more

I will start with the good. The apartment room was clean, bed comfortable and plenty of storage space. House keeping attended every day and left a clean room with fresh towels. The breakfast was good, drinks at the bar where not a bad price, I mostly drank water from the refill station. In the adult only pool area there was plenty of free sunbeds. Staff where friendly and a heard them converse in a few languages while there. What needs improving. I went half board and rented a kettle from the desk. The rent was 16 for the week. The issue was there's not cups, plates or utensils in the room, you have to ask for them. I asked 3 times over 24 hours. I only got them on the 3rd occasion because I told them the third I was in the process of logging a complaint with Jet2. Half board means I need to sort out my lunch, it should be a given that I need equipment to do that! The pools water looks clean, but if you inspect the pool side wall and around the drains theres what appears to be black mold on the grout. The adult pool has more of this than any other. Also there isn't enough option for shade at that pool. The sunbeds downstairs both pools- despite the hotel claiming they will remove unattended towels after a period of time. We never saw any attempt to do so. One day I was sat next to a empty bed, with a towel left on for seven hours. There needs to be a better system to make it fair. The sunbed run in the morning was fun to watch! Especially when some fell, although one women on one morning fell at the door and nearly got trampled. Evening meal- I ate there twice only the food was not good. Luke warm at best.

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