Port Alicante City & Beach

"The hotel looks amazing and chic. We loved the pool and bar area the most. It’s family friendly and the food selection at breakfast and dinner were outstanding."

"We booked the Port Hotel after reading positive reviews on TripAdvisor and had high hopes. First impressions were great; the hotel is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye and looks highly trendy. Check-in was smooth, though our room wasn't ready until 4:00 PM. As it was a sunny day, we didn't mind lounging around the pool before exploring the local area. Unfortunately, our experience went downhill from there. The Room: The room design is very bizarre. On the plus side, it includes a fridge and a safe, and the terrace room we booked was lovely. However, the negatives heavily outweighed the positives. The washbasin and shower are completely open to the main bedroom area. Thankfully, the toilet is behind a closed door, but the overall lack of privacy makes it entirely unsuitable for anyone who might be on the shy side. Furthermore, the room has no proper wardrobe doors or drawers for storage, which made the space feel unfinished and impractical. Food & Dining (Half-Board): We booked the half-board package, which turned out to be a massive disappointment. While the breakfast food itself was actually very good, the dining room got extremely busy on days when weather prevented the outside terrace from being used. The staff were clearly under pressure; tables and dirty plates were left uncleared, and food was not replenished quickly enough. Dinner, however, was absolutely atrocious—easily one of the worst evening meals we have ever had. The buffet food was underwhelming, and a lot of the meat (including the burgers) was severely undercooked. We highlighted this to the maître d’, but the standard was so bad that we ended up paying to eat out for the rest of our holiday. As a side note, we also tried the Mola food truck for lunch one day. Despite ordering clearly in both English and Spanish, they still managed to get our order wrong, rendering two out of the four meals completely inedible. Bars, Service & Birthday Disappointment: The pool bar was noticeably understaffed, offered no poolside service, and was quite expensive (20 euros for two basic vodkas and cokes). To top it off, when we asked for ice to take up to our room and the rather rude barman told us it costs 50 cents because they don't give it out for free—incredibly petty for a hotel of this tier. A further huge disappointment was how they handled a special occasion. We were there to celebrate an 80th birthday on the third day of our stay. I mentioned this upon check-in, only to be informed that there would be a €27 charge for Cava or a cake. We have stayed in Alicante many times over the last 20 years—including the Melia, Hospes Amérigo, and the Porta Maris—and every single one of those hotels recognises a birthday or anniversary with a complimentary gesture, be it chocolates, a fruit platter, Cava, or cake. The Port Hotel failed completely on basic hospitality here. The Saving Grace: The one highlight was the Boga rooftop bar. It is absolutely spectacular and well worth a visit even if you aren't staying at the hotel. We spent a wonderful Saturday evening up there listening to the DJ and enjoying excellent cocktails. Location: The location is good, sitting approximately a 10-minute walk from the beach. Down by the promenade, you will find plenty of great bars and restaurants that are all very reasonably priced. Verdict: If you want to visit the rooftop bar for a cocktail, absolutely do so. But between the open-concept bathroom, poorly managed service, terrible evening buffet, and lack of care for guests, we cannot recommend staying here, especially on a half-board basis."

"The hotel’s security was extremely concerning during our stay. Side gates and fire doors were left unsecured, and there appeared to be no security cameras covering the hotel floors. At approximately 4:00am on Saturday 19th September, an unknown man entered our bedroom using a key/card and approached us in an extremely aggressive and threatening manner, shouting and swearing. This was particularly frightening for both myself and my elderly mother. No security or statements were take. Receptionist came to our room and reprogrammed our keys suggesting it could have been previous guests in our room. Again very disappointed. What was even more distressing was the way the incident was handled afterwards. Other hotel guests reported hearing screaming and a man shouting around the same time, yet we felt that the hotel did not take our account of what happened seriously. Instead of providing reassurance and support, we felt that excuses were made and that our concerns were dismissed. When we raised the matter with senior management, we found their response unsympathetic and dismissive. We were left feeling as though our experience was being questioned rather than properly investigated. For us, this was not a minor complaint. Having an unknown person enter your hotel bedroom at 4am is an extremely serious security incident, and guests should be able to feel safe in their rooms. I would strongly urge the hotel to review its security procedures, access controls and emergency response, and to take incidents of this nature much more seriously. Not brush it under the carpet and call us liars to cover themselves."