Dont expect 5 star luxury just expect average and you will be fine (Aparthotel Internacional II)

Member Name: vickialice

Product:	Aparthotel Internacional II
Date:	17/07/09 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly, basic, cheap

Disadvantages: Crowded and loud

To start with one of my least favourite things about going to a hotel is that when you sat outside by the pool or in the restaurant and you hear people complaining about the hotel when they only actually paid between £1300 - £1500 for a package holiday for four people in August. I hate people who expect 5 star luxury for 2 star prices, I am not one of those people.

My Family and I decided to go to Salou after staying in England for the past 5 years going to theme parks like Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures and therefore choose Salou for the Port Aventura theme park they have there. We decided to go for a cheaper hotel as then we could have more money for the theme park and for excursions. The international was by no means a 5 star hotel so if you are somebody who looks for 5 star luxury please do not book for this hotel but for anybody who is looking for basic, clean and friendly then read my review and possibly try this hotel. The hotel is also self catering.

The outside of the hotel looks very nice and big clearly signed. I must admit when we were sat on the coach on the way to the hotel it started off as a full coach and then there was only the four members of my family left we were a little bit worried about it as we had only paid £1200 as we got our flights and hotel separately. After the last group got off it was another 20 minutes before we got to the hotel but for anybody out there worrying it does exist I promise.

The reception area is basic with a few couches and then the reception area at the desk we checked in very quickly due to it being tea time most people we out by then having then tea and then off to the bars. The staff we very friendly and we were asked to pay 25 Euros each deposit which you would get back when you check in if the rooms were up to standard. When the man gave us our key we went over to the lifts my parents and brother got in the lift but I went up the stairs due to having claustrophobia when we got to the top an Irish man who had being in the lift with my parents pointed us to our room which was very helpful even though he didn't work there.

Our room overlooked the pool area, however some do overlook the street and that was my only problem with the hotel but I will get onto that later. The room was basic due to it being self catering it had the kitchen area which was very very basic but would do for two weeks when the most we actually cooked was well sandwiches and soup and that was on one of our last nights when my parents did not have much money then. There were quite a few cupboards with two hobs and a fridge freezer, no kettle was included but my dad went downstairs and a man brought us one up quickly which was great as he could not do without his coffee. I have no personal knowledge of sleeping on the beds as my parents slept on them but when I sat on them they seemed comfy enough. With two twin beds, the rooms are not apartments and therefore the sofa was in the same room where me and my brother slept with one single pull out underneath the couch. The beds and the sofa however could be closed off by a screen which was very nice as it blocked off some of my dads snoring. The balcony despite being small was nice for having breakfast and playing games out on sometimes with a table and four plastic chairs.

The pool itself was lovely the only thing I didn't like was the rows and rows of sun beds which were very cramped together and I sometimes felt like I was about to put my feet on the person in fronts head. We went to the pool a few times as i'm not keen on the beach as I do not like the sea. There was however which is my main problem with both the pool and our room was that music was played all day till about 12am very loud and I liked to relax by the pool and not listen to rubbish cheesy 90s music. Plus because our room faced the pool we could hear the music and therefore found it difficult to sleep on a night until the music stopped which was annoying as I am an early sleeper and an early riser but they did not put the music on early in a morning as it would disturb people which I think is ridiculous but oh well i'm home now. The hotel put on games by the pool including water polo which I played a few times but sometimes felt it was overtaken by men who are much bigger than me and therefore I just sort of bobbed in the middle. As well as that they did kids things like limbo and also brought in scuba diving which I did not try but looked good.

The restaurant however I did like they sold very basic things like sandwiches and burgers but still very well cooked and friendly. Ice creams were also available which was good for by the pool. We never went to the restaurant for tea as it was always very crowded with people getting drunk and watching sport on TV. However we did not worry as you could step out of the hotel and get straight to another restaurant however we felt they were very British and not Spanish as we would have liked but there is nothing you can do as it has been taken over by Brits now. The restaurant also had pool which me and my brother played a few times and enjoyed.

There were families at this hotel however personally I would recommend especially if going with younger children a hotel more suited for a hotel specifically catered for children as there were a lot of groups of teenagers there who could be very crowded and one day when we were by the pool there were a lot of women walking around with no top on which I think personally is very inappropriate. However for anybody going on a group holiday this is a great cheap hotel.

The area can get very loud on a night as it is right in a party area however as we wanted to go to the theme park we just had to live with it when usually my family are much more quiet and secluded people who enjoy walking and the outdoors.

At the end of the holiday there was a room to put the suitcases and to get a shower but we did not really mind as we had an afternoon flight. When we checked out I said they had made us pay a deposit we got it back just as we checked out but they did not go and check our room so it could have been a mess for all they knew but oh well. The 100 Euros they gave us came in handy as we did not have much left for lunch and I wanted a Toblerone at the airport (what would a holiday be without one).

We booked this hotel with Thomas Cook and I would say it was an ok hotel for the price. I have been on better holidays and I am hoping to this year as well but I would not grumble and say this was the worst holiday I have ever being on. When I was a child I don't know exactly old but I know I learnt to walk there we went to Turkey and paid nearly £3000 and that hotel was far worse than this one. I am giving this hotel 3 stars as I think it has things which could be improved and I think it should be advertised as a group hotel and not somewhere for families as I did not like the loud music. Apart from that I had a lovely holiday and i'm not going to come home and say it wads awful because it was not and for anybody looking for a lazy hotel were all they do is sit by the pool and going out drinking then this is a great hotel as there is not to much of a walk home when you are drunk. I would not go back to Salou and would maybe pick somewhere else and just have a longer journey if I was to go back as I like quiet and unspoilt for anybody who likes this kind of holiday this hotel is perfect and cheap for teenagers and those in the twenties. I have seen bad reviews of this place on here but it's not 5 star and it doesn't advertise itself as that. This was not a hotel for us and that is why this year we have paid £2200 for our holiday and we are hoping it will be an amazing hotel but this holiday was average however the theme park made it that much better to great so for anybody who likes theme parks go to Salou even if you do not fancy the International.

Summary: Ok but dont take you little kids here