This is a bit of a different one for me, Mrs Wonders is always swanning off to posh hotels with the girls, so on this occasion, the husbands decided on a ‘lads holiday’ to Benidorm where we stayed at the Gran Hotel Bali.
The whole trip was booked as package with loveholidays which was nice and straightforward. I’ll briefly mention the flight – we flew from Leeds Bradford Airport, sped through security, made sure we adhered to Ryanair’s well known rules and all went smoothly. (Ryanair’s cheese and ham toasties aren’t a patch on Jet2’s though!)
Alicante airport was lovely and speedy with a huge row of the – often spoken about and much maligned – entry/exit fingerprint readers. All were working with plenty of nice staff making sure fingers were inserted where they should be!
Done in a couple of minutes and off to the waiting transfer bus. After about 45minutes we were dropped off at about midnight outside the Gran Hotel Bali.
First impressions were great, a huge open lobby/reception. Very shiny, clean and modern looking. We were checked in quickly and off to our room on floor 15 (of 19) of the original tower of the Gran Hotel Bali. The second, more impressive 52 floor tower was added about 15 years later.
Our room was a triple with two single beds in the main room and a 3rd bed in a separate bedroom. Great if you like very firm mattress…..I don’t. It was surprisingly spacious. I was half expecting we would be a bit cramped in there but it had a really decent amount of space. There was a huge amount of wardrobe space too with a room safe, but it was missing a vital feature, the lock! It’s definitely a more dated decor, but in fairness, it was all in really good condition. The Aircon worked reasonably well, but on warmer days (27/28 degrees), it definitely struggled to keep up with the heat.
In terms of in-room amenities there was a decent shower cubicle with a separate bath also with shower. There was a toilet with separate bidet for those who like that sort of thing. A tray full of essential supplies, soap, shampoo, a comb. I didn’t try them as one’s travel size Molton Brown is within the liquid limit at airport security 🙂 There was a hairdryer, but can’t comment on the quality.
What else? A coat stand even, bit excessive, but why not. A reasonable size TV, probably 32″. A mini fridge which could cool your beer in approximately 2 days, no kettle though, boo. There was no balcony in our (mountain view) rooms, which made me sad. It was never promised but I do like one. You do actually get a decent mountain view, not a car park or industrial estate. The windows open an alarming amount, not lockable or restrictable, and yes, a full grown adult could quite easily fit, let alone a child. There were two comfy chairs and a coffee table.
We had daily cleaning and beds also made daily. The room was kept really clean, other than down the side of the fridge which had about 10 years of dust on it. Towels were replaced regularly and were really decent size and quality.
On arrival, there was nothing open in the hotel for food, snacks or drinks, and all nearby restaurants were also closed. We resorted to overpriced cans from a tiny shop over the road and what I decided were Spanish Wotsits. We sat round the pool with our cans until eventually security said he had to lock up the area – he was nice about it though!
We had breakfast included so the next morning saw us investigate the buffet breakfast. There are two restaurants we could use, but we picked the nearest and stuck with it. It was huge and really busy. There was a great selection on offer. Everything you might want for a full English breakfast.
The sausages were always disconcertingly pale, but cooked through, and I didn’t enjoy the bacon. But it’s perhaps Spanish style? Thin and impossibly tough/chewy? Every type of egg. Pastries, fresh fruit , cereal, toasts. There was a fresh orange juice machine which was lovely. Though I wish they had fixed the other one as the queue was always a bit silly.
The coffee machines gave all manner of styles to choose from, but it was instant coffee, which was a shame. Bonus points for randomly having prosecco/cava on offer for breakfast too! The whole buffet was always well stocked, more bonus points for the staff here at keeping up with the high demand.
The bar staff were also great, good humoured, pouring decent drinks without much of a queue at any time. Decent prices too, you can get cheaper in some bars in Benidorm, but very competitive for a hotel bar.
Most of the security staff were great, friendly, but probably poised to deal with any, ahem – issues – quickly. This is with the exception of the miserable ones on floor 43 on Tuesday who are getting a special mention. We thought we would investigate the viewing area up there and have a ride up the glass elevator.
Unaware it was closed and we had to pay. The most miserable pair greeted us, well, greeted us is pushing it, shouted perhaps. What’s wrong with a jolly person saying hi and telling us about it. Anyway, that put us off paying for the viewing deck or the rooftop cocktail bar the next day, bit overpriced anyway!
Which reminds me – clean the windows! For a hotel that boasts about its views, they are all absolutely filthy. Get a window cleaner!
All in all, we were all very impressed with it. It had a few niggles, but overall, we would recommend it for the price on offer. In fact, I would probably return and maybe pay a smidge more for one of the refurbished/modernised rooms. It’s close enough to the rest of Benidorm without staying in the busy centre. It’s an easy two euro bus ride away, with a stop just round the corner from the hotel.
Some other random photos of our stay! The lobby had some eclectic pieces:
