Gala Placidia Hotel

"As far as 3 star Spanish hotels go, the Gala Placidia is what you would expect. It's downfalls or negative points all come from the British guests staying there. The location is ideal for those wanting to be close enough to the Strip, the beach and the main shopping area but far enough away to escape the hustle and bustle. It is situated on a small incline that some may struggle with but for those who require a mobility scooter it is accessible and the hotel do provide charging points outside the main reception. The rooms are adequate. There is no fridge, iron or tea/coffee making facilities within the rooms but there are hair dryers, cosmetics (shampoo, shower gel, etc..) a small tv, open wardrobe and safe. The major sticking point with the rooms is how thin the walls are and how the noise travels through the door. You can hear everything. We could hear our neighbours unzipping a suitcase and the guests across from us singing outside their room at 3am each night. The other people in our party had a similar experience on a different floor so it seems to be a common theme throughout the hotel. Cleanliness wise, we found no real issues. The rooms were cleaned daily, the pool area, restaurant and bar area were all kept to a decent standard too. The only downside was if you have a room towards the back of the hotel you can see the bit of land between the hotel and the footpath that seems to be a big neglected. A pool view room would definitely be an improvement if available. Food wise, whilst the selection is definitely limited compared to larger hotels we have stayed in - we didn't struggle to find things to eat. We also found the food to be quite hot compared to other reviews but we did visit the restaurant not long after it opened so the food was fresh out. It was quite strange that the breakfast is definitely more catered towards British guests but lunch and dinner service seem to be catered towards the Spanish guests. For guests on All Inclusive you are issued with a drinks token. This token needs to exchanged for any drinks you intend to take outside. Once you return your plastic cup you can either get another drink or your token back. We felt this was a good system as it definitely kept the pool area clean and tidy. Some guests didn't follow the rules with this which led to arguments and complaints to staff. The drinks selection is quite varied with the usual hot drinks, soft drinks, spirits and a decent selection of cocktails included. We found the staff to be pleasant during our stay and considering what we witnessed them put up with from some other guests, I think they do very well to remain calm. On each night of our stay we witnessed guests not following the rules and abusing the staff behind the bar. When the staff didn't give in, the guests moved their attention to the reception staff who received further abuse. Overall, we enjoyed the hotel for what it was - somewhere to sleep and eat occasional meals whilst we explored Benidorm. However, and this isn't the hotels fault, some of the British guests need to have a look at themselves and their behaviour."

"Food I was sooo pleasantly surprised. Came not expecting much but enjoyed it. Staff were so nice. Vanessa behind the downstairs bar makes the BEST pina colada and was lovely. Walls are thin and someone kept being such each night waking us up so sleep wasn’t great but obviously not hotels fault. All in all. It’s a great location, good value for money. Be aware the transfers won’t drop u/pick up outside the hotel so you have to walk and find it yourself without any instructions."

"Some staff members (DANI was the best, as was Antonio ❤️ also zia, Vanessa etc made our stay throughly enjoyable. They were friendly, helpful, and a credit to the hotel. Unfortunately, our overall experience was overshadowed by significant stress caused by poor communication and the attitude of other staff members. Upon arrival, we checked in late and were unable to make use of any food or drink for the whole day /night on our all inclusive so had to go out at midnight to eat and pay for it (some other hotels I've stayed at cater for late check ins but i appreciate this isn't the case for all hotels). Reception staff informed us that this would be taken into account and that we could receive this on our final day. However, this was clearly not communicated to the bar staff. On our last day, we ordered drinks believing they were included as previously explained. The situation quickly became uncomfortable when a barman – who had been friendly with us earlier in the stay asked us to pay. Initially, I thought he was joking, but the situation escalated when another member of bar staff began shouting at us and accusing us of not wanting to pay. This was extremely embarrassing and upsetting, especially as we were acting based on what we had been told by reception. The lack of internal communication and the rude, accusatory manner of the bar staff left a very negative impression. Greater clarity and consistency between departments is clearly needed to avoid situations like this in the future. Note- the other bar and restaurant were fine to use before we left which led to further confusion. From our experience, other hotels in Benidorm handle late arrivals much better and ensure guests receive what they’ve paid for without confusion or confrontation. Sadly, despite the positive interactions, this experience has put us off returning. I had considered coming back but due to the last 10 minutes of extreme unwarranted negativity and abuse from bar staff, I will not be doing so."