Hotel in zona Pallisseta Beach, Roda De Bara

This was our third time staying at the hotel Gran Europe, and our third review. Previously stayed in 2014 and 2016. The hotel is under different ownership/management since then. We always loved this relatively small hotel which has a great location on the promenade and seafront. We had two rooms this time, as I joined my wife and children halfway through their three week stay and this gave us more room and comfort than squeezing into one room. Saying that they rooms are a good size with Two large double beds. Rooms are clean and refurbished with good size modern bathroom and a hallway that has plenty of storage. A Good feature is that the halway has both the door to the access corridor and a door to the bedroom, which means the bedroom is shielded from corridor noise at night when both doors are closed. Corridors also are carpeted so we heard no noise at all of the usual footsteps or suitcases being wheeled along at all times of day/night. This was a bonus for us as we are light sleepers. Overall the hotel though is a quiet and peaceful space. The restaurant and bar are excellent with good food and drink available. Plenty of choice and no issues with flies or hygiene. The staff in restaurant and bar are wonderful as are all hotel staff, including reception and cleaning staff. Looking back on our previous review from 2016 we can say our few negative experiences have all been eliminated and we have no faults this time. There were a few smokers around but far less than we saw in 2016. The hotel is dog friendly and it was no problem for us to see dogs being walked around, in corridors and reception but dogs were not present by the pool or allowed in the bar and restaurant. Our children are teens now so didn’t partake in mini disco or kids club, but can say we noticed these to be much improved since 2016. The beach is always fabulous, can’t fault it. Highly recommend this hotel, but not for party animals as it is quiet and peaceful and a lot of elder people stay here. One thing to note. Airport Taxi transfers are expensive here. £100euro or more each way. I discovered that the Uber app will give you public transport options for bus/train if you arrive at a suitable time. My flight landed at 6pm and I then used a bus and train from Barcelona airport and walked down to the hotel from the station, took about 2 hours and cost me less than 8 euro. Was at hotel for dinner. Wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. Excellent.

Non mi sto male perché mi conosce male per le persone che lavorano là, ma l'indirizzo di questo posto dovrebbe pensare **** di concentrare l'affare in un modo diverso. Ho pagato 125 € per una notte, capisco che sia una stagione alta, accetto che la stanza non sia perfetta, che ci siano formi sulla terrazza, che ci siano colletti nei giardini, accetto che si sia scappato qualche capello nelle zanzare, che ci siano mosche sul tetto, che le tende siano rotte e spezzate. Ma non accetto che non si sia fregato il pavimento, che il letto abbia dei tappi di pinta-botti, e che il bagno non sia stato disinfettato, ci sono tappeti nel bagno, si vedeva che era passato veloce, non si sentiva pulito. Era evidente che non c'era nessuno, e all'ora del colazione le ragazze andavano al top e facevano molto caldo nella sala da pranzo. La ricevitrice ci ha proposto di pulire la stanza, e noi gli abbiamo detto di no, e ci hanno offerto di bere qualcosa al bar per compensare. Non era un'esperienza piacevole per niente.

The beautiful old buildings that make up the hotel are in the most picture perfect village of Altafulla and our expectations were v high for our little Spa Break. First Impressions : our suite was basic, lacking in any personality or chic soft furnishing touches. It felt very cold, clinical and like an unloved basic air b n b not a supposed 4 star historic hotel. The living area was also super dark, no real amenities in the bathroom besides nailed to the wall shower gel / shampoo. No luxe touches at all, no mini bar, coffee maker… nothing that I’ve come to expect from a European 4 star hotel. The lovely Italian male receptionist couldn’t have been more helpful tho he moved us almost immediately and continued to help us throughout our stay despite our issues so 5 stars for him. The housekeeping staff was also lovely and our waitress in the super fancy resto. Here are the list of issues that the hotel need to address: - Sinks are still shallow the water just splashes back at you. V much style over practicality - only 1 bathmat in a room for 2 people - grill in shower came off and moved around - no rug , no paintings/ photos/ no coffee machine or kettle / no mini bar - no room service - no tissues / cotton buds / body lotion / conditioner - safe was not working I had reserved spa slots and massages n advance but when we arrived the Spa is NOT a spa it’s a tiny facility with a v small jacuzzi type pool big enough for 4 people and another tiny plunge pool all in a very confined space which feels claustrophobic with more than 2 or 3 people in. The sauna is tiny as is the steam room which was not even working. Never mind we thought we will brave the cold and go for a lovely outdoor swim … another reason we choose this hotel as according to the website the pool would be open, it was not ! It was being dosed with chlorine and we were not allowed in. The spa had double booked our massages and in fact they could only accommodate one of us the following day and the therapist was one hour late as her car had broken down and when she did arrive made no apology, made my friend wait until she’d had a coffee and then administered a very poor massage with next to no pressure despite being asked several times to go harder. She didn’t ask any health questions about allergies or injuries …. Shockingly poor ! The dinner at the restaurant was v good if a little fancier that what we fancied but the pizza resto wasn’t open. The lighting in the restaurant v bright and lacking ambience as a result. The winery trip was interesting and the village is fabulous with a couple of great bars and restos and an amazing deli. It’s a shame about the hotel as it could be spectacular if the management spent some money on some tweaks that would make a world of difference to the guest experience. A good interior designer could help to warm up and personalise the gorgeous old buildings