Trifter

The Hotel

The H-Top Calella Palace is a four star rated hotel, situated slightly to the rear of the popular Spanish resort of Calella. It has several floors of accommodation along with a large buffet-style restaurant, bar and lounge, and basement area providing gym facilities.

Although it sits in relatively small grounds for a hotel of its considerable size, the Calella Palace benefits from a child-free roof terrace with ample sun loungers, a bar and several jacuzzi. From the roof terrace, there are views of the resort and sea, although unfortunately it closes every evening at seven p.m. All inclusive guests may use the facilities of the other hotels in the H-Top group, and the H-Top Beach bar, although drinks there are restricted to two per day. A free shuttle bus operates between the hotels and packed lunches can be provided for excursions.

The Rooms

The hotel has been recently renovated, and the rooms themselves are clean and functional. Rooms have two double beds, a bathroom with bath and shower, and amply sized balconies. Safety deposit boxes are provided – but at a cost – as is a T.V., although the remote control must be booked out from reception and is subject to a deposit.

Rooms are cleaned on a daily basis, with a good towel turnover rate.

Unfortunately, even by Spanish hotel construction standards, the walls of the Calella Palace are paper-thin, with every conversation and bodily sound travelling through them at an alarming volume. Carnal relations are not recommended for anything other than the quietest of church mice, with perhaps even them needing to keep their squeaks of pleasure to a bare minimum.

Sleeping after seven a.m. in the morning is impossible for anybody unlucky enough to be in a room within a corridor length of a family – after a night on the free alcohol, it can be more than a little annoying to hear of the loss of little Oliver’s Spiderman flip-flop or his sister’s love of her inflatable crocodile in place of the dawn chorus.

The Facilities

The facilities provided are of a mixed standard. Free wi-fi in the reception area is a bonus, but don’t expect to connect to it from anywhere else in the hotel. The swimming pools are clean, but small, and the gym is not recommended for anything but the most casual of user. Many of the machines are in a state of disrepair and a better option is an early evening jog along the sea front.

A small indoor pool is situated in the basement, along with single sex saunas and a miniature bowling alley. All-inclusive guests have the use of free bike hire, although there is a limited number available.

Entertainment is provided on a nightly basis in the lounge, and is generally a mixture of cabaret and discos. The area has the feel of a working man’s club, but those on the all-inclusive option at least have the ability to cloud their judgement with copious amounts of local alcohol.

On the subject of alcohol, the all-inclusive option, whilst being a God-send in these times of the weak pound, does have its drawbacks. In the evenings, the queues can be thirty people deep, and drinks are served in small measures, meaning frequent trips. There are also those who, excited by the presence of free alcohol, can’t help but over indulge. Expect to find liberal coatings of over indulgence in the gents after eleven.

Food too is supplied on an all-inclusive basis, with buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks can be found in between, although they are usually recognisable from the previous meal.

Conclusion

The hotel is well-situated to explore the surrounding town of Calella, although few on the all-inclusive option choose to leave it’s boundaries. There is an effort to keep the place clean, tidy and respectable, but the all-inclusive element attracts a clientèle which makes this difficult. Expect to find large groups of teenagers from all over mainland Europe, whose sole purpose in life seems to be to drink and shout. The hotel is not recommended for anybody who needs more than a couple of hours sleep per day. Possibly the most important thing you can pack on a trip to the Calella Palace is a sturdy pair of earplugs – that, and a jumbo box of paracetamol.

Pictures

http://www.picable.com/Architecture/Castles/Aerial-View-of-Calella-From-the-Roof-Terrace-of-the-Calella-Palace-Spain.758099

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