Gran Hotel Sol y Mar

My partner and I (both aged 25) stayed here for a week at the beginning of September. We have visited a few 4* half-board hotels in Majorca/Ibiza and thought we would try mainland Spain.

Check In - We arrived around 12:00 and were informed check in was from 16:00. We left our luggage and went to get some lunch. By 14:30 the hotel rang and said our room was ready. The check in process was smooth and we appreciated the information given about how to access areas of the hotel via the different lifts. We also liked that rather than using key cards, you access your room and areas of the hotel using removable wristbands.

Hotel - We struggled to find the entrance initially, as it is through a sliding door which says 'The Unusual Hotel.' Our first impression was great, the lobby is large, modern and clean with a lovely smell. Staff were friendly, although speak a variety of languages and some were less fluent in English than others. There are a couple of English staff on reception which was helpful when we had a more complicated question. The hotel guests are a mix of English, Irish, German, French, Dutch and there were lots of Spanish as well. All communal areas were really clean. You are not allowed to eat your own food in communal areas of the hotel, only in your own room. We found this a bit annoying given the price of food in the hotel, especially on the last day when we had checked out of our room and were not allowed to eat a supermarket sandwich in the lobby.

Spa - We tried the spa on one morning and had this all to ourselves for most of the session which felt very luxurious. The spa was spotlessly clean and very relaxing with different saunas, pools and showers. Staff were helpful in explaining what everything did. It was €32 each for 90 minutes, and an extra €2 each for a compulsory swim hat.

Rooms - We requested a high-floor room and were given a room on the 8th floor (there are nine floors in total) overlooking the road. The room was spotlessly clean and was cleaned daily to a high standard. The room was well equipped with a large bathroom (large walk in shower, sink and separate toilet cubicle), huge comfy bed and balcony with chairs. There was also a mini-fridge and plenty of plug sockets. There were complimentary slippers, beach bag and beach hat and lots of toiletries. We returned from the beach one day to find the bathroom ceiling leaking water onto the floor. This was fixed within an hour of us reporting this to reception, and a cleaner also came to clean the bathroom and provide new towels. Overall, the room was the best we've stayed in over the years in terms of layout, cleanliness and equipment.

Pool areas - The hotel has two pools, a main pool area which is technically a separate building but accessible via an underground corridor, and a rooftop pool on the 10th floor. The main pool area is crowded and we didn't feel there was enough space for the size of the hotel. The beds are close together and although there is a lower deck, there are no parasols as this would spoil the view from the pool. Despite this, we were always able to find sunbeds at any time of day, as the hotel has a policy where they remove towels if you leave the pool area for longer than twenty minutes. We often spent over an hour in the pool and our towels were never removed, and the lifeguards do seem to keep track of who is in the pool/at the bar. The pool area was mostly clean and pool toilets were always clean. The view from the main pool is lovely. The rooftop pool was great, the beds were cushioned and comfy and view from the pool was amazing. The pool towels can be changed each day and these are swapped for a card so you don't have to take wet towels back to the room. We didn't get any food or drinks from the pool bar as we found this quite expensive (€12/13 for a cocktail, €4.70 for a soft drink).

Beach - This is the closest we have ever stayed to a beach, it is literally outside the front of the hotel. The water was crystal clear, was still on some days and waves on other days. The beach was well kept with toilets/showers etc.

Food - The food was very good both in terms of variety and quality - probably the best we've had in a 4* hotel. There was a variety of meats (including rib eye and sirloin steak most nights) and lots of fish including oysters on one night. The breakfast buffet had loads of choice. Plates and food were hot, and we saw food being replenished frequently. Desserts were also very good. If you had allergies you may struggle as we found that often food was not labelled or the labels did not correlate to the food they were next to. Be warned that the dining room does not open until 20:00 which is the latest opening of any hotel we have been to. However, if you arrive around that time, you may get a window table with lovely views of the beach and rock. We were half board and paid around €11 per night for drinks (Fanta Lemon, Estrella and small water).

Things to do - We spent a morning at Altea and getting the bus and train was easy enough. The buses take €1.50 each and are cash only, they are usually hourly but the times seem a bit hit and miss. We spent another morning and evening in Calpe old town which was lovely. We also spent a morning snorkelling at Cala el Raco (around a 35 minute walk or 10 minute bus ride) and would highly recommend this as we saw loads of fish and the water was beautifully clear. We would recommend Damajo (mojitos) and Suitopia Sky Bar for drinks.

Overall, we had a wonderful holiday and would certainly recommend this hotel to others.

My wife and I stayed here from the 15th August for 7 nights. We stayed in room 739 which had a fantastic view of the beach and sea. The room was a really good size with a mini fridge large TV and bathroom with bath and shower. The room was spotless on arrival and cleaned daily. It was very comfortable and one of the best we have stayed in. The breakfast buffet was excellent with a wide variety to choose from. Always plenty available and only the very fussy will struggle for something nice to eat. I would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel and would return in a heartbeat.