Best Negresco

Our Take

You won't be cosied up alongside your own private beach at this hotel, but you will have plenty to pick from when it comes to flopping a towel down. Cala Font was our personal fave - it's small, quiet and you can be there in 10 mins, tops. When we weren't getting our flip-flops sandy, we were breathing in the sea air right from the hotel's pool terrace. It's built against the coast, which means two words: Sea. Views. (And RIP to our camera storage.) This place is proudly more basic than boujee, and it gave us all the classic British holiday vibes. Toasties by the pool, big ol' buffets (chips and pasta, every time), bingo nights. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - that's what we say.

Hotel highlights

• Peaceful pool area with panoramic sea views

• Cocktails on tap, as part of the all-inclusive concept - don't mind if we do!

• Cornettos and chocolate-coated ice creams at the pool bar (all inclusive!)

• Quiet location close to mini markets and local bars, but still within easy reach of the more lively centre of Salou

Location

• Situated directly along the famous Camí de Ronda - a scenic coastal path which you can walk in either direction from the hotel

• Close to a handful of beaches (just follow the Camí de Ronda path to lead the way!)

  • 10-minute walk from Platja Llarga - the largest of the beaches in the area

  • 10-minute walk from Cala Font beach

  • 20-minute walk from Platja de la Cala Crancs

  • 30-minute walk from Playa Dels Llenguadets

• 20 minutes away from Reus Airport, by car

Rooms

• Bright, spacious and comfortable

• In every room, you'll find...

  • Air con (seasonally)

  • A wall-mounted TV with a range of channels (including Disney Channel!)

  • FREE Wi-Fi - simply log in with your email address when you arrive, and you'll be good to go

  • A dressing table

  • A full-length mirror

  • A spacious wardrobe with shelves and a rail with coat hangers, plus a safety deposit box

  • Comfy beds with bedside tables and a reading light (plus extra pillows in the wardrobe for even more comfort!)

  • A mini fridge with bottled water and soft drinks

  • Plenty of plug sockets by the beds and at the dressing table

  • A telephone

  • A modern bathroom with a walk-in rain shower, hairdryer, shower gel and shampoo, and a large mirror with LED lights

  • A balcony with a table and chairs and a handy rail to dry your beach towel on

• Choose from Single Rooms (for solo travellers), or Double Rooms - each with either pool, sea or land views

Food & Drink

• Buffet restaurant - this spacious dining area has loads of choice at meal times to keep everyone happy. Here's a taste of what you can look forward to...

  • Breakfast - start your day with an English breakfast (including beans!), traditional pan con tomate (toasted French bread rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and topped with crushed tomatoes), a cooked-to-order omelette, pancakes or pastries - paired with a fruit juice or coffee from one of the fanciest coffee machines we've ever seen. Seriously. They're touch-screen.

  • Lunch - pasta with a choice of sauces, salad, cheese, chips, gazpacho with croutons, and a range of hot dishes

  • Dinner - stir fry cooked to order, seafood dishes, rice, chips (again, of course), soup of the day, paella, croquettes, chicken nuggets (the little ones will be happy), and a dessert counter to die for. (Be sure to grab one of the mini mousse pots if you see them. The raspberry flavoured ones are *chef's kiss*. Trust us on this.)

• Pool bar - self-serve local beers (Estrella), soft drinks (did someone say Fanta Lemon?), AND cocktails. Yep, you read that right. Cocktails on tap. All day. Our favourite was 'Love on the Beach', for no particular reason... Ice creams, hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and toasties are also available (all inclusive!) for a poolside snack.

• Evening bar - the night bar has all the same self-serve drinks as the pool bar, plus you can order hot drinks over the counter, or a spirit if you fancy something stronger. Enjoy your tipple in the cosy indoor area by the entertainment stage, or out on the terrace (under a canopy) overlooking the pool.

Getting to Salou centre

You can follow the Camí de Ronda coastal path by turning right out of the front of the hotel towards the seafront, and then following the path right for around half an hour (there are quite a lot of steps along the way, so wear comfortable shoes!). The walk itself is well worth it for the sea views along the way, but follow it to the end and you'll be rewarded with the colourful (and totally Instagrammable) 'Salou' sign when you reach the centre - plus an inviting strip of cafés and bars. There are signposts all along the Camí de Ronda to keep you on track. Don't fancy walking? You can also hop in a taxi from the hotel for around €10 - and it only takes 10 minutes! If you speak to reception then they'll book the taxi for you. There's a taxi rank directly in the centre of Salou, so coming back is a doddle, too.

Sports & Entertainment

• Sea-view swimming pool - the large outdoor pool juts out into the cliffside for panoramic sea views, with plenty of sun loungers and parasols dotted around

• Kids' pool - the small, round kids' pool is the perfect place for little ones to paddle

• Poolside music - the pool bar plays upbeat, summer tunes all day long at a reasonable volume - just loud enough to keep your toes tapping, but not so loud that you can't still relax with your beach read

• Outdoor showers - so you can rinse off after a morning at the beach, or simply cool down if the Spanish sunshine gets a bit too much!

• Daily activities - try your hand at aerobics, while little ones can enjoy poolside games or make use of the indoor play area at the mini club (age 5-11yrs)

• On-site spa (extra charge) - take a dip in the heated pool, or treat yourself to a massage or beauty treatment - you're on your hols, after all!

• Nightly entertainment - after dinner, if you head to the bar then you can catch the mini disco at around 21:30 (great for the little ones, but we have to admit, the songs had our toes tapping too!), followed by some more adult-friendly entertainment, from quizzes and bingo nights to live music and dance shows

Good to know

Towels are available from reception for a deposit of €10 which you'll get back once you return it. We took our own pool towels but decided to rent a towel for the beach so we didn't get ours sandy. Super handy!

A tourist tax of around €10 per room must be paid on arrival at this hotel, as per the Catalonia tourist tax rate.