Royal Star will treat you like royalty (H Top Royal Star (Lloret de Mar, Spain))

Member Name: flobbleflop

Product:	H Top Royal Star (Lloret de Mar, Spain)
Date:	21/06/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Exceptionally clean and very friendly staff

Disadvantages: Smokers bar located in reception area

I travelled to this hotel in February 2009. I had booked it through teletext holidays and the total for the holiday for both flights and four nights all inclusive accommodation was £198.

The hotel is advertised as a four star hotel but I have found that four star on mainland Spain is probably closer to what you would expect from a three star hotel

~First Impression~
The hotel is on a side street which runs parallel to the main road through the town. The road itself and the footpath in front of the hotel are quite rough so I would imagine someone with a disability or a pram would find it difficult to negotiate. The hotel steps and the area immediately outside are marble and there are two small fountains either side with a manicured lawn and hedges around it. The glass doors which you enter the hotel through are automatic and absolutely spotless.

~Reception~
The reception area is very spacious although the first thing that I noticed was the strong smell of cigarette smoke. There are three bars in the hotel and the downstairs bar is the designated smoking area which I found rather off-putting as it was impossible to avoid.
The staff was very helpful and spoke fluent English. They gave us our key card in a pouch which had the room number and the restaurant opening times. They also gave us an information pack which again listed the restaurant opening times and gave details of the snack bar and the facilities that the hotel had to offer. It also gave very useful information about local buses and trips and a bus timetable in English with local fares which I thought was a very nice touch.

~Room~
The twin room was very spacious with two single beds, two bedside tables, a large built in wardrobe with sliding doors and a dressing table and seat. There was also a stand for a suitcase. The balcony had two chairs and a table although the view from our balcony was simply a brick wall although that did not bother me as it was too cold to sit on the balcony at night. There was also a wall mounted TV which had three English speaking channels although you did have to give in a twenty euro deposit for the remote control. The room was absolutely spotless as was the bathroom which had a toilet, sink set in a worktop, a bidet, a bath and an electric shower. The shower curtain was freshly laundered and the whole room smelt very fresh. I was pleased to note that the toilet had been disinfected and taped closed to show this. Also in the bathroom was a very large mirror with a hairdryer beside it although the hairdryer was not very powerful so I would recommend bringing your own. All in all I was very pleased with the room, especially the high level of cleanliness.

~Restaurant~
The restaurant was open every day for breakfast lunch and dinner. There is breakfast only, half board and all inclusive available and as such, passes are checked at lunch and dinner by a man at the door. He was very friendly and also very good at remembering the names of all the guests which was a nice touch. The restaurant is very spacious and there is a lot of room between the tables so you are not bumping into people when trying to get to a table. The food is served on a long buffet counter which can be accessed on both sides.
-Breakfast
At breakfast there was a large selection of cold meats, cheese, breads and jams and spreads. There was also hot food every morning which suited both continental visitors and British guests. There were always beans, scrambled and fried eggs, bacon and sausage as well as plain bread which could be toasted so a cooked breakfast was easy to get. There is also a massive fruit counter which had every sort of fruit imaginable! Certainly you were set up with a good meal for the day. A selection of cereals was available with chilled milk. There were also machines for tea, coffee, hot chocolate, hot milk and different fruit juices. My one complaint about the breakfast set up would be the toasters. They were situated very close to the main buffet queue and it was sometimes difficult to get past when the restaurant was busy. Apart from this, I could not fault the breakfast.
-Lunch and Dinner
I have grouped these together as they were very similar. The main difference in the restaurant at lunch and dinner was that there was a bar open. It was again free for those on the all inclusive option but the drinks range was limited to beer, wine, water and soft drinks- no spirits at all. The barmen were also very strict about the rule of only two drinks per card which helped to keep the wait to a minimum. The selection of food was once again varied. The chilled section had a variety of salad ingredients, cold meats and cheese. There was also a different soup available every day and a local dish such as paella. Warm meats were a different fish, some sort of chicken dish, beef, pork and then a fifth meat was added each day. There were always chips which were regularly replaced to keep the food fresh, pasta with various sauces and a different type of potato dish. There was also another dish each day such as lasagne, a pie or some sort of bake. There were vegetarian options offered and a lot of hot vegetables mixed together. You would definitely be able to make a full dinner which would be very satisfying. The food did get a bit repetitive after a while but only if you had a little bit of everything each night- if you only chose one dish each night you would be fine. Again there was a large selection of bread and fruit also desserts were added for lunch and dinner which were beautiful. For kids there was angel delight and jelly as well as little ice creams. All in all the food was quite good, slight repetition but still delicious.
-Snack Bar
When the restaurant is closed there is a snack bar open which serves chips, burgers, hotdogs and fruit. The food is left in hot holdings so you are not sure how long it has been there but it is good if you really can't wait on the next proper meal. It is also good if you get drunken munchies as it is open until half eleven.
The service in the restaurant was top notch! The staff was quick to clean the tables, very pleasant and friendly and couldn't do enough to help you. The restaurant also has several large windows which I though looked into an aquarium but there are windows at the sides of one of the pools so you can see people in the pool while you are eating which is quite intriguing and I thought was a very unusual touch! Dinner hours do not start until seven o'clock so I would recommend eating a big or else late lunch.

~Bars~
There are three bars in the hotel although only two were open when I stayed as it was not peak time. The downstairs bar is the smokers bar and as neither I nor my mother smoked we did not go in to it. The upstairs bar was very spacious and again spotlessly clean. There was a clear queuing system in place which meant everyone got their turn and there were usually three or four barmen working so the wait was minimal. Again there was a strict rule of only two drinks per card but they were happy enough to give you extra drinks if you had other cards with you. The bar itself was very spacious and clean and air conditioned at night.

~Entertainment~
Every evening there was a mini disco followed by some form of quiz for everyone to join in wit. It was great fun and everyone really got involved. However the entertainment after this was very Spanish and catered more towards the older Spanish guests. Three nights of our break was a Spanish accordion group playing traditional Spanish music for couples to dance to. It really did not suit us but as the vast majority of guests were catered for we cannot really complain

~Pools~
The hotel has two pools which are both accessed through either of the two upstairs bars. One has a mushrooms fountain which comes on sporadically and two water jets at either side. As we were there in February the water was quite cold so I didn't go in but a few braver people did. The other pool is the one that can be seen from the dining room and has glass window along the sides of it. Both pools were spotlessly clean and have a separate shallow part for children. There were plenty of sun beds available and also patio tables and chairs for people to sit at. The staff came around regularly to clear cups and only plastic tumblers were allowed at the poolside for safety reasons. In peak times a lifeguard is also on duty.

~Other Facilities~
The hotel also has a gym, an indoor pool, jacuzzi and steam room. The indoor pool area is very, very warm! I was only able to stay in it for about ten minutes before I started to feel sick. The gym seemed to be well equipped and the steam room was lovely and once again, impeccably clean.

~Evaluation~
This hotel certainly earned its four star rating. The staff were pleasant and helpful, the rooms and facilities spotless and the food varied and delicious. One small criticism I would have would be the entertainment but apart from that I cannot recommend this hotel enough.

Summary: Wonderful hotel with wonderful service