- Benidorm Holidays
- Calpe
- Gran Hotel Sol y Mar
This wonderful property is a stylish design hotel perfectly situated next to Arenal Beach with spectacular views over the sea and the emblematic rock Peñón de Ifach. The hotel is conveniently set in the centre of Calpe, only a few steps from restaurants, bars, shops and other entertaining venues. The airport can be reached within a 50-minute drive. The city combines the charm of a traditional fishing village with modern amenities. This is a wonderful place to start discovering Calpe and the Costa Blanca. The property features contemporary style rooms that will please all types of guests. They come with the essential amenities for the best and most comfortable experience.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
what a fabulous hotel , great location . Just got back from a week. Booked a standard room, the room itself was great, spacious , the little extras were lovely, hat, beach bag, slippers and all the toiletries were a lovely touch, never been in a hotel giving you so much. Lovely reception ,staff were very pleasant and helpful a credit to you. View from room was on the street , but we thought maybe that way, but to be honest didn't bother us really . Breakfast was everything you could ask for and more amazing view whilst dining, again restaurant staff pleasent , a bit of a duck and dive as it's buffet style but that was okay and got used to it. Food was plenty full and delicious 😋 the floor 10 pool was small but with great views, there were beds up there but no umbrellas which was just too hot to use . The beach club was nice and modern but agree with other reviews the music was constant thud thud, we only got a bed there once and that was later on in the day beds left with towels on the usual case, went on the roof terrace with 3 pods which were nice but again not a lot of shade but we made our own and it was a lovely bit of time there. The beach club is just too small for the hotel size , so we ended up on the beach for a while most of the time . The lifts were very good but takes a bit to get used to , when going from floors to the beach tunnel that connected hotel to beach club as some went only to some floors. We had an early transfer to the airport and booked a picnic breakfast to take, omg amazing never had so much , fruit water, fruit juice coffee in a can , croissants, sandwich, donuts came I. a box with a good handle , 5 stars for that .
Beautifully placed hotel. Seaview rooms are large, comfortable with great Seaviews. The breakfasts are also excellent. We are still at this hotel with another week to go. However what the hotels website and Tui do not mention is the loud bumping house style music that is played all day long at the main pool followed by a DJ and even louder music at 17.30 ! We were certainly not expecting a younger age Ibiza vibe but that is what we have got unfortunately 😡 So many people we have chatted too agree that this is spoiling their holiday. Not the chilled out experience that we were hoping for.
Breakfast is amazing with lots of choice and quality ingredients. Almost too much choice but everything was very tasty. Best breakfast buffet I have ever had.
Friendly staff and really helpful throughout.
WhatsApp tool to use for any questions on reception convenient.
Location next to beach was lovely.
Supermarket underneath hotel was reasonable and very handy.
Refillable water.
Welcome drink if booked direct and water offered on departure which was a really nice touch. Lots of examples of small attention to details which made the stay very pleasant and comfortable. The room was well presented and bed comfortable. It was nice to have a separate shower and a bath in the bathroom along with well stocked toiletries.
Offered pillow choices and fragrance choice for room.
Views from hotel were stunning.
Pool was nice but Bali sunbeds uncomfortable and if space allowed, some additional umbrellas and sun beds would be good as they do get filled quite quickly. The rooftop infinity pool again was nice but there were not many umbrellas or any options for shaded seating which was a bit tricky as my wife was 7m pregnant.
Excellent location close to shopping and old town which is stunning. Recommend lapsus bistro, beautiful setting and lovely food but book to avoid disappointment.
Overall highly recommended
We had great expectations when we booked the Solymar Gran...adults only, nice pool, beach, great location. Sadly the hotel was a bit of a let down.. The positives are the location, cleanliness and decent rooms however unless you're prepared to have an early breakfast and then queue in a hot, humid tunnel to bag a sunbed then forget being able to use the very small pool area. We were there for a week and couldn't use the pool as there were never any beds. Also be aware that the pool area is The Beach Club which overlooks the beach but isnt on the beach and the hotel dont have sunbeds on the beach for guests to use. You have to hire tiny seats for £20 and an umbrella for £10...a bit much considering there are very few sunbeds by the pool. Also, if you want a kettle in your room thats £10 too. The hotel seems to have its priorities wrong, does giving you the option of soft or hard pillows and a choice of scent for your room add anything to your stay? We didnt use the hotel restaurants or bars as we couldn't be accommodated by the pool so the delightful beach bars got our euros!! A shame as the hotel could do a whole lot more to give their guests who have paid to stay at the hotel a chance to actually use what you've paid for...
How this hotel changed since we first came back in 2017! We have been coming every year (apart from covid19) and since the takeover by Esti Mar group they have really changed the hotels personality, not for the better. The moto before “The Unusual Hotel” kept us in suspense every time we entered the hotel. Now it’s just a normal hotel without its charm. This year the worst thing is they have stopped the breakfast being served outside, this is now out of season. We have always come here the first week in September and for some reason now it’s out of season. The nightmare at breakfast is awful, people walking round and bumping into each other. They do manage to get everyone a table tho. It’s just not a pleasant experience now up in the main restaurant. Poolside rules have changed as they do not allow you to consume your own drinks or food, even a packet of crisps or any snack. We still noticed some people still did it anyway, also the cards left on the sunbeds if you’re away having lunch. Only 40 minutes allowed! The edge of the pool they have removed the wire to deter the birds and now there are sea gulls chilling there drinking the water and may leave a present. The staff used to really care about the visitors but now it just seems they are just doing a job. They are still friendly tho, but it’s not the same. The sunbeds before were so much comfortable with leather padded and very cosy, but now for the last 3 years they are just the normal plastic ones. The rooms are still nice and comfortable, still being cleaned every day. This year for the first time we paid extra for the sea view room and it’s worth it. Unfortunately this will be last time we come this hotel, may be back in few years time.
