Magic Cristal Park

“Decent budget hotel”

I am currently on day 4 of my stay in Cristal park. Overall the hotel is nice, the reception is sort of fancy looking and the rooms are decently spacious, white sheets etc. The shower pressure in my room wasn’t great however the other room on our booking had normal shower pressure so it might have … more

I am currently on day 4 of my stay in Cristal park. Overall the hotel is nice, the reception is sort of fancy looking and the rooms are decently spacious, white sheets etc. The shower pressure in my room wasn’t great however the other room on our booking had normal shower pressure so it might have just been an issue with our room. The pool is relatively small but it is sheltered from the sun. It’s okay for children but due to size I wouldn’t go for a couples retreat as you will be splashed and it’s hard to keep distance from other guests. There is a bar on this floor and you can get nuts and crisps for a snack during the day. It’s located on the roof of the hotel alongside sunbeds, however there isn’t that many. We haven’t struggled to find somewhere to sit yet though. There is also a kids splash park with slides located on floor 5 ideal for kids maybe aged baby to 7 or 8. But it is designed for younger children. Very few sunbeds around but again it’s pretty easy to get one. The all inclusive buffet is pretty standard all though not a great amount of options for vegetarians or people who don’t eat meat. That being said I’ve always been able to find plenty that I can have. There’s lots of salad but I’ve not seen any nuggets. There is chips onion rings and pizza for fussy kids or even adults. There can sometimes be a bit of a queue but they manage it pretty well and it goes down quickly enough. If you show up at the time the buffet opens there will be a queue but again it goes down fairly quick. I do believe there is also a restaurant on the ground floor where you can have a sit down meal but we haven’t been yet so I can’t review that currently. Location wise it’s literally a straight 10 minute walk down to the beach when turning left outside the hotel, and 15 minute walk to a slightly smaller beach which is very pretty. There is lots of shops up and down the roads near the hotel which remain open until very late in the evening. We found this ideal as shopping during the day is far too hot. There is also a taxi rank across the road when u turn left outside the hotel and walk down to the traffic lights (on the way to the beach). If you wait there taxis start pulling up. It works as a queue system along the side of the road. We paid around €8-10 to get to Aqua natura water park and €6 to get to the main party and bar strip in Benidorm carrer gerona. There is 2 supermarkets and a pharmacy within 30 seconds of the hotel and a lovely sushi restaurant just opposite as well. If you fail to find a taxi you can download uber and taxi around that way. They come very quickly and are very reasonable in price. The evening entertainment for children is decent, however it is extremely loud in there which my family found a little hard to deal with. They do quizzes dance competitions and have music on for the kids to dance to. There is a seperate bar in this area for evening drinks. The hotel has a cup deposit system. You can deposit €1 per cup at the reception. You get given one card per cup which you exchange at the pool bar for your first drink. Each time you want a new drink you bring your used cup with you which they then take away to wash and make you a drink in a fresh cup. You can also exchange the cups back for the cards anytime if you wish. I believe you can also pay €1 to keep the cup permanently or spend €5 for a hydoflask bottle of some sort. The drinks are pretty decent. They make the cocktails by hand rather than them coming out of a dispenser which I thought was a nice touch. You can get wine, beer, cocktails, vodka, rum, cokes, fizzy lemon / orange, 7up ( hot drinks are only in the dining area ) I’ve seen people have also got pack ups from the hotel to take out with them for the day but I can’t rate these as we haven’t got them, but I know that option is there if desired. Overall I’d I’ve it around a 6/10. Very decent for a budget holiday.

less