Golden Bahia de Tossa & Spa

"After twelve years of glorious UK holidays with our children, we took them on their first holiday abroad. I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect place. We booked on the Wednesday, to travel on the Sunday, meaning I could see the weather forecast looked good. Costa Brava isn’t a destination that is usually recommended as early as April, however, if the sun shines, as it did for us, it’s actually a perfect time to go. First impressions - When the coach came to an abrupt stop and the driver announced ‘Golden Bahia!’ I was quite worried. The surrounding area didn’t look great. There is a half finished building opposite. However, the next day when we went for a short walk and discovered the old town of Tossa de Mar, we were relieved and extremely impressed. The hotel itself looks impressive both inside and out. Pool- The outdoor pool, as expected for April, was very cold. My eldest could happily swim in it for hours, my youngest about 30 minutes. Me? I couldn’t even dip my big toe in. It really depends on the individual’s tolerance to cold, as to whether they’re usable this early in the season. There is however a warmer outdoor jacuzzi. There is a rooftop terrace for adults, which we didn’t use but is recommend by others. Indoor pool - Not very big, but incredibly warm. Perhaps too warm, to a degree. There were always people in it. Not ideal for actual swimming, due to its size, but nice for children. Pool towels can be hired for a 10Euro refundable deposit, per towel. This is from the indoor pool/spa reception area. Entertainment - The animation team run games throughout the day, at set times. There is the ‘Goldy Club’ for children aged 4-12. This felt very secure and safe and is adjacent to the room that holds the evening entertainment. In the evening the children could be entertained there, whilst adults sat and enjoyed the evening show, feeling at ease that the children are close by. Evening entertainment consisted of an activity for children, such as balloon modelling, or face-painting, followed by a mini-disco, then Bingo or a quiz, finally the main act at 10pm. We saw professional shows, including one featuring the animation team. A particular stand- out was a boyband tribute act called Boyband Revolution. Rooms - We had a standard Quadruple Room for our family of four. We chose not to pay to upgrade to a slightly larger family room. We did however, pay a small fee, to upgrade to a pool - view. After seeing what view we could have had, we were pleased we did. The room was adequate for our needs. The children had proper beds, which was important for us. It didn’t feel cramped. There was plenty of wardrobe space and a large balcony with drying rack. The bathroom had a large, powerful shower. Our maid Sandra, did a great job at keeping our room clean and maintained, thank you Sandra. Safe - We were impressed to find that there wasn’t an extra charge for the in-room safe, as is often the case. We followed the instructions on the safe, which told us to download an app. After a couple of days, the safe had an error, and we had to report it to reception. The gentleman behind reception told us that we shouldn’t be using the app, and that we just needed to put a four-digit code in. We explained that we had simply followed the instructions on the safe, and that at no time had we been told not to use the app! So, future travellers, don’t use the app, just input a four-digit code. Food - We stayed three nights on Bed/Breakfast basis, and upgraded for our final four nights to Half Board. It cost us 56 Euros per night for the four of us. The buffet had a good selection. Usually a choice of soup, salads, fresh bread, vegetarian station, children’s section, nightly specials with cooking stations, fruit, cheese & biscuits.. Desserts were good quality. I’ve often found them quite bland in hotels abroad, but not here. They were very tasty, and a nice choice. The children always had a choice of two pizzas, plain pasta with choice of two sauces plus fries. Then there were different options each night, such as hot-dogs, hamburgers, potato croquettes. The restaurant itself didn’t give that ‘canteen’ feel that some do. It wasn’t particularly noisy, and the tables were well spaced apart. Table service was great, with unlimited water provided with the evening meal. It was constantly replaced, without us ever needing to ask. Plates were cleared away promptly. Excellent service. Overall, this hotel was incredibly clean and well maintained. The staff were all friendly and helpful. They work so hard. Facilities and entertainment were excellent. Special thanks to Davide, Luis, Fabi, Ines, Maria, Belen & Berta, for making our children’s first holiday abroad memorable, for the right reasons. Davide- Our youngest misses you. You have such amazing energy. Keep smiling. Fabi - We love your sense of humour. Thank you for making us laugh so much. I especially love my certificate for ‘Winning Ady.’ Thank you to the whole Golden Bahia team, enjoy the rest of the season."

"Stayed for a week, hotel Central in resort, easy walking, although some steeper walks. Great atmosphere it's obvious that the management of the hotel is great as all the staff are friendly 😀 and appear happy, from cleaners to bar staff and restaurant. Our room was overlooking the pool, and we had sun on the balcony all afternoon. The rooms were clean and spacious, towels changed as required. The food in the restaurant was plentiful, fresh and yummy. Lots of choice and very tasty. All in all a fabulous week away, would definitely visit again, Tossa is such a lovely resort, typically Spanish."

"We stayed here for a week, half board. This is a lovely hotel. Every member of staff is friendly, helpful, welcoming and hardworking. They make the whole stay, a 5 star experience. We were surprised when we sat down outside on the terrace, The staff immediately attended to us with table service to take our drinks order, and this continued throughout. The indoor pool, was an absolute treat. My mum who has mobility issues, was delighted as she could also use the pool for the first time in years. It was very warm, I would equate the temperature to that of a hydrotherapy pool, and it was free to use. The food is great and there is a large variety. Breakfast times are reasonable too, they are open till 10.30am so there is still an opportunity to have a lie in. I can't comment on the entertainment as it was a bit too late for our group, especially the bingo. However, that didn't spoil our overall experience as we entertained ourselves throughout the day on various day trips. I would highly recommend this hotel."