Lloret de Mar, Top Royal Star Hotel

Friendly staff at the Top Royal Star Hotel, very clean. Good value for the money I spent. I'd recommend.

We were looking forward to a relaxing couples break, leaving the children at home, and completely chilling out at a great 4 star hotel.

We were originally booked at the Royal Beach sister hotel, but on arrival we were told we had been moved to the Royal Star. The reviews I had read about this hotel had not been the best, so we were hesitant, when we stated we didn't want to go, the receptionist informed us there was no room for us anyway!!

Arriving at the Royal Star, we were met by about 50 people, already half drunk with their feet up on tables and chairs, and the smell was disgusting, it smelled like rotten fish!!

We asked about the hotel change and were basically told to like it or lump it.

The food is disgusting, nothing tastes like the description and everything is lukewarm. We have both come back with stomach upsets, probably from the flies that were in the dining room!!

True to form, at about 2.30am fighting broke out amongst our fellow Englishmen and women and swearing and shouting went on until 5am. We called reception who said they would do something, they did nothing.

In the morning we went to the reception to move hotels, they stated they knew nothing about it and were unhelpful and morose, but did say they would have it sorted by the end of the day. This never happened.

The staff are surly, moody and unco-operative. Judging by the behaviour of some of the English guests, it is not surprising that they tar us all with the same brush.

There is a smaller bar in the hotel, where the French and Spanish guests frequented, with lively local music, and this is where we spent most of our time.

I would never recommend this hotel, and I wouldn't go back there if you paid me. If you are looking for polite staff, and a relaxing atmosphere AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS.

The only good point about it was the cleanliness of the place. I never take the time usually to logon to websites like this, but I feel obliged to stop other people making a similar mistake and coming home feeling like they need a holiday when they have just come back from one!!

Hotel Top Royal Star, Lloret de Mar.

The hotel

Location of hotel; It is outside the main town of Lloret which for us was a very good thing. It was a lot quieter than the more central hotels would be and seemed to be family-oriented. Lloret proper is full of garish bars and swarming with clubbers in the evenings. The Royal Star is only a 20 minute stroll from Fenals beach, close to a local supermarket and a strip of tourist shops. There is a busy road to cross but it's not a problem, there's a zebra crossing.

Reception and lounge areas are impressive. Spacious with squashy leather sofas and good air conditioning. Lifts were reliable and plentiful. Reception staff speak English and our check-in was fast and efficient. Service good.

Bedrooms; the air conditioning was great, and the rooms were spacious and adequately equipped. They were spotless, as was every part of the hotel. Only one pillow was supplied per bed, but extra were brought to our rooms on request. Our rooms overlooked the back of the hotel and some scrub land, so were very quiet. I imagine the rooms overlooking the pools and above the bars would have been a little noisy.

Maid service; excellent. Beds were made early each morning and towels and loo rolls replenished. Sheets were changed every three days.

Public area toilets were always spotless and well-stocked, even the poolside ones.

Bars; spacious and comfortable, service fast and friendly, although the two drinks per adult card/ two cards per customer rule can be overdone, especially when, in our case, two of the five drinks we always wanted for our party were water! Cocktails of the day could be very odd! Avoid Sunday's 'Tango' - it's fizzy orange mixed with cr me de menthe and it's vile! Measures of spirits are generous.

Food

Restaurant; I had read many complaints on line about the food and I have no idea why. The range on offer was very good. There was always a large salad bar and a selection of breads, cheeses and cold meats. Hot dishes were always hot. There was always at least one fish dish, also veal or steak, chicken, a rice or pasta dish, vegetables and either chips or potatoes. My only complaints would be that the soup (a different one at every mealtime) was always watery, desserts were always sweet and heavily processed (jelly, custards and the like) and breakfasts were not as good as lunches and dinners.

There was also a snack bar, for use when the restaurant was closed, which offered a selection of burgers, hot dogs, ice creams and so on.

Packed lunches; sandwiches were dry and unpleasant, but otherwise these were okay, with apples, oranges, water, biscuits, crackers and soft cheese.

Entertainment

Pools; not big enough for a 4 star hotel, but adequate and didn't get too crowded. One indoor, which we didn't use because when we walked in it was stiflingly hot, one small and deep outdoor pool and one larger one with a small kids' pool attached. Sunbeds - we could usually get 4 together by collecting odd ones and moving them, especially because we preferred the shade. Half of the larger pool's poolside was in shade from 2pm onwards.

Kids' disco; dreadful! The same dated songs every night (Music Man, Fast Food Rockers etc). Our kids hated it, but there were plenty who seemed to enjoy it. In general, evening entertainment was a bit naff, although the entertainment team were enthusiastic. I can't comment on the kids' club, as mine refused to go!

Excursions; We went on two. Tordera market was okay but we've been to better markets in Liverpool! Still, the imitation perfumes were good value and very nice. The trip to Barcelona was okay but all the pick-ups from other hotels really added on to the journey time. Once there we had a full five hours to explore. We went back ourselves a couple of days later, hiring a car and driving ourselves. It worked out cheaper for us and it was quicker too.

Fenals beach is quite pretty and not as crowded as Lloret beach; however, it isn't child-friendly. The beach is made of small pebbles, not sand, so is difficult to walk on and kids can't build sandcastles with it, so buying a bucket and spade on the way is a waste of 3 euros! The cost of four sunbeds and an umbrella for the day is 20 euros. The beach slopes steeply to the sea and shelves very sharply a couple of feet in. The swells are quite large, lots of fun for older children but no good for little ones.