Port Benidorm

Me and my girlfriend (21 and 20) just came back from Port Benidorm and were very impressed. Overall we would give this hotel a 8.5/10, there's tiny room for improvement but we would definitely stay again!

Hotel and Check in We arrived at the hotel around 12pm and were told the room would be ready around 3:30pm, which is expected. There is a luggage room for you to leave your bags or any belongings whilst you venture out or explore the hotel. We were actually given our room key around 2pm after we went to reception with an inquiry, they told us our room was actually available early! The hotel reception itself was beautiful, very modern and clean. You can also feel the AC as soon as you walk through the doors which is very refreshing. There's a lot of comfy seats inside and out if you don't fancy walking around until your room is available. The only issue we had with the hotel itself were the lifts. As expected, at peak times there can be a wait with the amount of rooms the hotel has. There are 7 lifts at the hotel, 4 of which are smaller and can fit around 4-5 people at a time and then 3 larger lifts for bigger families. On a few of the floors, 1 or 2 of the buttons to call the lifts don't actually work so you can be waiting a little bit longer. We were on floor 5 but only ever had issues at peak times for food or earlier in the day which we'd then just walk down the stairs if it got too long.

Rooms We stopped in a Superior Twin Room with Balcony. Our room was beautiful, very clean and a modern feel to it. We were also given a little pack of essentials in the bathroom (toothbrushes, comb etc). Aircon worked great as soon as we figured out how to use it properly, remember to keep the balcony door closed in order for it to work! The room was decently sized with a comfortable double bed. The bathroom was big and spacious with a walk in shower too. We also had a safe (free of charge), a very mini fridge, iron, ironing board, kettle, TV and a hair dryer. Being only on the 5th / 26 floors we still had an amazing view from our balcony. We had a slight view of the beach from ours and we spent a lot of time late at night sat outside being nosey.

Location The hotel is a 1-2 minute walk away from Levante beach, come out of the hotel and turn left (you can't miss it). The beach is usually pretty busy no matter what time you go. There are a lot of shops and supermarkets very close to the hotel as well which we used a lot to keep fresh water and snacks in the room. You're not far away from the main strip or any bars either. The main strip is in walking distance from the hotel (5-10 minutes depending on where you go). So you get the best of both worlds without needing a taxi to experience the nightlife. I would recommend walking to the strip or any bars across the beachfront as it's always busy and a lot of police patrolling the area. So you'll always feel safe sticking to the beach. There are a few quieter bars right outside the hotel too if you don't fancy heading out to the main strip.

Food, Drink and All Inclusive Originally we were booked in on half board. We found out before we arrived that you can actually upgrade to all inclusive for €22 per person, per night. After seeing the prices at the hotel, upgrading felt worth it for us! Drinks prices are pretty standard €7.50 for a cocktail, €4.50 for beer but sat in the sun all day 2-3 drinks each and you've already got your money's worth! Anything premium is at an extra cost which is exactly what the hotel will tell you. The food at the hotel can be very hit and miss. You'll always have your standard things at each meal time like pizza, chips, burgers, pasta but the other foods they put out can be a bit obscure. My girlfriend is quite a picky eater so found herself eating chips, pasta, crackers and cheese a few of the nights. However the dining experience was great, a lot of seating and fairly well organised, the room was air conditioned too. They have a few water stations scattered around but also a bar where you can get your drinks if you are on the all inclusive package.

Pool, Facilities and Entertainment Despite being such a big hotel, there will always be free sunbeds. We never struggled to find 2 together. The pool is decently sized, it can get busy but there will always be room. Ball games are also allowed in the pool. They do a lot of activities in the daytime for both kids and the adults. When we were there, they put one of those water mats across the pool for both adults and kids to run across and also did a foam party (this happens every Wednesday I believe). The pool area background music is relaxing but very family orientated with activities going on throughout the day. Of a night time, they do a lot of different things. Every night starts with a kids mini disco and then they do quizzes, bingo etc too. We only stayed at the hotel for the entertainment 2 of the nights but really enjoyed it when we did!

La Terrasse This is the rooftop bar that isn't included in the all inclusive or isn't a part of the hotel but you use the lifts to get up to there. It's on the 19th floor and the views are breath taking. We didn't really have a great experience if being completely honest. We arrived around midnight and it closes at 2am. There were many seats available but our waitress put us right by the door with the views all blocked by a wall. We were then told that the 'country cocktails', which are the cocktails featuring different countries around the world, weren't available which was frustrating. We ordered 2 normal cocktails and then waited around 35 minutes before they came over. We then moved tables with our drinks to get a better view of Benidorm (the entire point of a rooftop bar). We were then spoken to in a way that felt quite belittling by the waitress. She told us we weren't allowed to move seats because our bill was at another table. We told her we would pay now if it meant we didn't have to sit staring at a wall. I paid for the 2 cocktails with €30 and should've got €6 change but the waitress didn't return and after 30 minutes, we decided to leave. There is so much potential with the rooftop bar if the staff actually cared, we really felt like it ruined our experience.

Overall, we wouldn't hesitate to stay at Port Benidorm again. There are definitely a few areas that could be improved, but they were minor compared with how much we enjoyed our stay I lastly just want to thank all of the staff in the main hotel, although some of them may struggle with English, they always make an effort to help out! We had a great time staying here and thank you all for a great stay!

Our first holiday in 9 years. Absolutely loved it. Modern hotel, clean and tidy. The food was fabulous, lots of choice, never had to re heat anything. Bed was comfy, no noise at night, no sunbed wars. My only negative was the staff. Quite rude some of them and the restaurant staff need to wait for you to finish before taking your plate. lovely apart from that. We would go again.