Port Dénia

Starting with the plusses: the service offered by Clara and Veronica is impeccable. Friendly, knowledgeable and with a smile. I thank them for making me feel welcome, going out of their way to respond to my various questions and for compensating the less than average service from their colleague. Another plus is the location across from the Denia Marina and beach. If you wish to be near the historic center, then this hotel may not have the right location for you: the old town is about 30mins walking along a busy road. However, the marina has a lovely walking area and a great bar/restaurant/breakfast place: Mala Vita. We had breakfast here a few times as the food offered in the hotel was not the best. The coffee, hot chocolate and juice were not to my taste and the croissants seriously horrible. Eggs and tomatoes were ok and all was very well adapted to the new safety measures, but the quality of the food was below par, for my taste. The swimming pool is nice and refreshing and the area around the pool kept clean and sanitised regularly. Having to pay for towels, is something I find hard to grasp. If they are wet/dirty or for whatever reason you wish clean ones, you pay again. Every use of a towel costs 2 euro. The room and bathroom are old and need freshening up. Bathroom is ok in size but room is small. There is plenty of cupboard space and enough sockets to charge whatever you need charging. All in all I don't think I will return to this hotel. Should I return to Denia, there is one place I will definitely stop at: La Vareta. Small authentic place with owner who's been running the place for 40 years. Please, please eat the gambas rojas from Denia. You'll thank me you did.

This is a beautiful hotel which makes a good impression from the moment you walk in. Reception staff are very pleasant and welcoming. They speak English very well. The pool and surrounding area are very clean and well maintained. There is a slide and a playground for children. In the summer, there is an outdoor bar and stage for evening entertainment. During the winter, most visitors are pensioners, and for them, many activities are organised. We also had lunch at the hotel, and the food was excellent, there was plenty to choose from the buffet. Drinks were moderately priced and bar staff were very nice. They ordered to take the drinks to our table for me. We didn't stay overnight yet, but drinks, lunch, facilities and hospitality convinced us that we will be back.

We stayed at this SAGA hotel for three weeks in February/March 2020 (we could have stayed for four for the same price). The SAGA element was very professional and knowledgeable, with helpful reps including those on arrival at the airport and in hotel reception. They also acted as guides on the free local tours, which used large modern coaches, one so big it had six wheel steering. The hotel is three star. It’s a neat tall building, with many rooms facing the pool, and with a view of the sea. We had such a room on the third floor, with a generous balcony and a great view of the sunrise. The rooms on the other side have no balconies but are newer and possibly larger. They overlook a side road. Our room and bathroom were fine. Plenty of power points in the room but few clothes drawers. The bathroom had a bath with shower and a bidet. A kettle was provided. There is free wifi in the room; not always a strong signal and irritatingly it was often necessary to re-register with passport and room number when the connection dropped out. Entertainment inside and out was well organised, with many activities, such as line dancing classes, keep fit, archery, croquet, and bowls, available throughout the day. Evening entertainment - singers, comedians, and magicians - was in the main sitting area, with plenty of room for dancing, and a nearby bar. The room was large and airy with pleasant modern chairs and round tables - a good place to be when there was a cold wind outside. There was no dedicated SAGA lounge but guests, mainly SAGA guests, could use a lower room where there were also singers, magicians, and comedians. There was room for dancing too, and a small bar. Free coffee and tea was available for most of the day in the main sitting area , as well as a free bar service for SAGA guests in both areas. There were three lifts but one by one they were being upgraded and enlarged, and one was out of action during all our stay. As many guests were elderly, that meant a bit of a wait for lifts around meal times. The gardens outside are very pleasant, with loungers round the pool and chairs and tables on the terraces. During school holidays I would expect the pool area to be noisy, with two slides into the pool. There is a small indoor heated pool and a gym with limited equipment. Access is controlled to avoid crowding. The hotel is well run. Staff everywhere were attentive and efficient. Tables and chairs were kept tidy and used crockery etc was removed promptly inside and out. Bottled water was freely available. As SAGA guests, we had three free trips all of which were enjoyable. At Gandia we saw the impressive Ducal Palace, home of Royal Dukes of Gandia and also the Borja family, and the strikingly modern Fishermen’s Church at Javea. The free trips were for mornings only, which did not leave much time for exploring. Denia seems short of buses and the train is out of action this season, but the main streets are not far from the hotel, and we saw a Moors and Christians event one Sunday which was delightful. The interior of the Church of the Assumption is worth seeing for its impressive architecture. There are two large marinas across the road from the hotel, where there are cafes and restaurants in a pleasant setting. That brings me to the noise. The dining room and the hall and ground floor sitting area can be very noisy. During school holidays it is likely to be even noisier from children’s voices. The dining room staff were courteous and efficient, clearing plates away quickly and replacing table settings as guests left, but the reflective surfaces in the dining room did nothing to cushion the noise of crashing plates and cutlery being thrown into a number of collection trolleys round the room. That noise proved more disturbing than the chattering of a room full of mostly elderly diners talking quite loudly. The British guests were, I suspect, outnumbered by Spanish guests - pensioners who get subsidised holidays from the Spanish and seem determined to enjoy it. We got used to it after a while, but it means dining is not a relaxed affair. That’s a pity, as the buffet counters provide a wide choice of hot and cold food which varies throughout the week and is well prepared - some freshly cooked at the counters - and imaginative; much better than one might have expected from a three star hotel. Staff were quick to replace empty food trays. There was also an unlimited supply of bottled water snd wines. Denia town felt to us quite a relaxing place. Motorists almost always give way on pedestrian crossings. There is hardly any litter around. The marinas are extensive and developed to a high standard. Restaurant prices are similar to the UK. The Council keeps the well designed roundabouts well maintained. Our SAGA holiday was great value for money, and would have been more so had we been able to stay for four weeks for the same price. Many British guests told us they come back at this time of year for four weeks year after year. We were lucky with the weather, which was mostly warmer than usual in February/March although there was sometimes a cold wind. It might be too hot for us later in the season. The above review relates to the first 18 days of our 21 day holiday and is based on the assumption that, after the coronavirus panic, guests will return to the hotel in large numbers again. For the final few days of our stay, the hotel stopped all entertainment because the Spanish Government ordered all local people to stay indoors except for food shopping and medical supplies. The streets were deserted, shops, cafes and restaurants were closed. All guests left in mid March, and the hotel was empty. Right until then, hotel food and services were provided as before, to the same standard, which is a credit to the hotel management and staff and the excellent SAGA staff in worrying circumstances for them.

We recently spent two weeks at this hotel and had a very pleasant stay. The hotel is well looked after, staff are efficient and friendly. Rooms and public areas are kept clean at all times. The restaurant is well run and choice of food is good.

We randomly selected this hotel but we're very pleasantly surprised not by the spacious accommodation but also the food served in the restaurant. Other good points included a lovely balcony overlooking pool and sea, free wi-fi, comfortable beds, good bathroom. Within an easy 10 minute walk from Dénia. Will definitely return.