Villa Venecia Hotel Boutique Gourmet

Just returned with my husband after a week here. Location is nice, in the old town however there is a steep path leading to the hotel so it is really not suitable for older people. The hotel is nice however, if you do not have a room with a balcony there is nowhere to dry your bather etc. The food is a bit posh for me and it was the same for the week we were there. Staff are nice but service was very slow. I missed the pool scene, nice pool with a bar close by. The pool was tiny with just a few loungers. I also missed evening entertainment. This hotel is too small for my taste and not enough amenities.

My mother and I stayed at this hotel from 2nd–9th September. Unfortunately, although our first impressions were positive, the experience quickly went downhill.

When we first arrived by taxi, we noticed that the hotel is situated on a very steep hill. This is not something that was mentioned on the booking website, and I would strongly advise anyone with mobility issues to take this into consideration before booking.

On arrival, we checked in and were asked what type of room and board basis we had booked. This seemed unusual, as I would have expected the hotel to already have this information from our booking.

We were then shown to our room. Initially, it looked lovely, and we were welcomed with a bottle of cava and chocolate-covered strawberries, which was a nice touch.

Unfortunately, this positive first impression did not last.

Our room had a jacuzzi bath which I was looking forward to using. However when I switched on the jets, black residue and what appeared to be dirt came out into the bath. This was extremely unhygienic and meant that the jacuzzi bath had not been properly cleaned. The electric blind in the bathroom was also covered in black residue/mould.

Food The food was another major disappointment. The evening menu remained the same throughout our stay, with very limited choice. If you like red meat, fish or pigeon, you may be happy, but there was no option of other meats.

The portions were also very small. We asked whether we could have lunch from the alternative menu, which included things such as paella pizza and burgers. We were told that we could not despite this menu being cheaper. We think there should have been some flexibility regarding the food.

There is also a restaurant downstairs with much better views but this was closed during our stay. This was not mentioned on the booking information. Instead, evening meals were served in a much smaller restaurant which lacked atmosphere. Pool and spa area The pool/spa area is extremely small, with only four sun loungers. I appreciate this is a small hotel but four sunbeds for the number of guests is simply not enough.

The pool area also appeared dirty, with sand in the pools, and we had concerns about the general level of hygiene.

There were also loose sections of decking around the pool area, creating trip hazards.

Housekeeping and room access The room itself was cleaned once a day, as stated in the information provided in the room we had no issue with the normal daily cleaning service.

However on more than one occasion, when we returned to the hotel in the evening, we noticed that items in our room had been moved, including towels. We raised this with reception but there was a language barrier and it was difficult to get a clear explanation.

We were told that the housekeeping team finished at around 4pm and that the senior housekeeper would be asked about it.

Later when we returned to the hotel the receptionist actually came outside and spoke to us on the street. We were told that housekeeping had not attended our room in the evening, but there was no explanation as to why things had been moved.

For this reason I would strongly recommend that guests keep all valuables securely locked in the room safe. We did not feel comfortable knowing that items had been moved without us knowing why.

Overall Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with our stay. There were some nice touches, particularly the initial welcome to the room, but the cleanliness issues, food, limited pool facilities, steep location and concerns surrounding the room left us feeling that the hotel did not provide the standard we expected.

Personally I would rate this hotel around 3 stars, rather than the 5-star experience we were expecting.

For us, it felt like a 3-star hotel in a 5-star setting. The location and views have potential, but in our opinion the cleanliness, food, facilities and service did not justify the price.

I would recommend considering other hotels in Benidorm before booking, particularly if accessibility, cleanliness, food choice and value for money are important to you.