SBH Costa Calma Palace Thalasso & Spa

The 2 night stay was spoiled by dreadful attitude of reception staff. First reception presented me with bill & room was already paid for. I asked if room had clear view to beach, receptionist said’How do I know am I supposed to go into every room and check, you need to look!’ I enquired 4 times about shuttle to airport but receptionist on next shift didn’t speak English! I was then informed shuttle has to be booked 2 days in advance by exceptionally rude receptionist. Kettle was broken and took 3 calls to get replacement. I travel a lot for work & pleasure & I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such ‘attitude’. Thalassotherapy pool was in very poor repair & pool was one of the reasons I’d chosen hotel. Bar & restaurant staff excellent. I don’t usually give reviews but reception were so rude, I was rather upset, I feel other travellers should be warned!

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Well, welcome was not very promising. First, I got a room on the 4th level (same as reception) and it looked at the building in front ( in which the restaurant is) so very little view on the ocean in the background. Besides, when you're on the balcony, people passing by over the building and can see you. I asked for room change ( any level higher than 4th) but was told it is possible only with 35euros extra per day. I was immediately offered 4.5e per day for the safe and 10e deposit for the beach towels. I refused. Next strage thing was they have two shifts for dinner: 17.30-19 and 19.30-21h.You have to select one and can't change diring your stay. Next unpleasan surprise was that I came to dinner in denim shorts ( quite descent in my opinion) but I was sent BACK by the hotel director to wear long trousers! I freaked out, it was too much for an evening. I wanted to leave immediately. Staff at the reception told me it was written on a piece of paper they hand out but still why I should read all these texts just after arrival? If this is the rule it should be made clear during booking and in bold letters! It is not usual for a hotel in Spain and I was in several. As other comments said, building needs renovation, facade paint is falling off. Guests are on average above 65-70 years old, so you feel a bit like in a home for retired people. Otherwise food was ok and staff in the restaurant polite and reception staff too. Location on the beach is also good.

Although a nice hotel it does need updating. Rooms tired. Hotel was full, long queues at the buffet, food was not spaced out enough or replenished quick enough. Standard of food had gone down since our last visit in 2018.

Very clean and staff were friendly

Bad service

Staff doesn’t speak English at all! On Expedia website is no information about wearing long trousers for dinner and we get that information just when we arrive for dinner in shorts! Very rude receptionist told us we can leave hotel if we don’t like policy. Dinner is serving until 9.30pmbut if you coming at 9 is not much to eat all chefs are spraying chemicals around food and start clean. Water in one swimming pool is cold but in another one is warm. Jacuzzi work in one pool but in another one doesn’t. Old furniture and dust in the room after cleaner left. The most horrible hotel I ve ever been. Definitely overpriced for what you get.

Having travelled extensively over the years i can honestly say that this is the worst place i have ever encountered. Nowhere in the description of this place will you find the truth, namely it is occupied 99.9% by very elderly German residents most of which exceed 80+ yrs old. As such, the place is dull, no atmosphere whatsoever, no music, no service, nobody seemingly anywhere as the place feels completely empty most of the time due to it being so huge. Don't get me wrong, from the outside it looks amazing, the photos on the site really pull you in, wide open swimming pools,both of which are so cold you cannot swim in them, the continuous blustery winds ensure you never get hot and the poolside bars are permanently closed ensuring you enjoy the long walk to the other side of the building. Food is poor to middling, exactly the same every day! however dinner is the big issue here, never have i known a hotel that demands you eat at a certain time and even sit at the same table every day, whether you want to or not. There is simply no service on offer here at all, very few staff, most of which with a very poor attitude, especially if your not German!! All in all a terrible experience in a building that pretends to call itself a hotel, in essence they should not be in the hotel trade as they litterally have no idea what hospitality means or even what it involves. We litterally contacted our airline company 24hrs after arriving trying to arrange flights home the place is apalling.

We were due to stay in an appartment in Costa Calma which had been trashed by the previous occupants and we therefore had to change our plans....and how pleased were we to find the Cost Calma Palace?! Having read some reviews we popped in and spoke Marco to check on availability and ultimately booked half board via Hotels.com. We got a room on the 7th floor which had great sea views from the balcony. The room was very comfortable. Service was excellent throughout out stay with all being very polite and anxious to please. The food....well yes the food....was of high quality, varied and very tasty. Easy access to a lovely beach.

This was the best hotel we stayed at in our 6 winter seasons in the Canary Islands. Every aspect room, breakfast, dinner, beach, location and staff at all levels were outstanding. Room was spacious with balcony and view of the beach below. Internet access was great and tv had English channels. Free Parking was available and easy access on foot to joining shops and properties. Sun bathing on clean lounge chairs at the many pools was great. Personnel were kind and helpful.

Dining hall service excellent All very good around Everything great little negative to say. External entrance a bit dull and the side walkways, not easy walking for some

Very impressive hotel, friendly service and great breakfast. Only criticism would be that the gym and sauna closed at 18:30 every day which was far too early.

From walking to the reception to leaving I found the whole stay excellent, the staff are great, very friendly. Is a very German hotel but there were a few English guests and I didn't feel isolated, the room was on the 1st floor and had a fantastic view. The only quibble was the internet was very patchy was advised not to buy it for the room and no English channels on the Tele except for sky news and bbc world but that's a small thing really I had a great time.

Hotel is an accepatable 4 star. Around 75% of the guests appear to be German, and the hotel is used by German tourist industry. Breakfast acceptable but not outstanding. View of the sea from balcony slightly obscured by the tiers of rooms in front (hotel is huge and is tiered down a cliff). Had to pay extra for wifi in the room which is no longer the norm - most hotels offer free wifi throughout the hotel.

Good hotel in great location for relaxing break. Half-board worth it, food good. Pool areas very good, spa area below standard. 90+% of guests are German and appear by some strange co-incidence to get the 'better' rooms... Rooms could do with a bit of a refresh. Long coach transfer from airport, probably worth paying for a cab, certainly if arriving late.

Nice hotel that will give you value for your money. Close to Risco del Paso if you want to try windsurfing and/or kite. The nice constant wind will keep you cool even at mid day.

I accidentally dropped my aftershave glass bottle on the ceramic tiled floor. I picked up most of the glass but used tissue to gather most of the shards and left it just inside the bathroom door for the cleaner to establish what had happened.On returning that evening it became apparent the cleaner made no effort as several bits of glass were still on the bathroom floor.To cap it all a piece of glass the size of a euro was left in the bath itself.What does that say about their cleaners?????

The food was great. Really good variety and it never ran out. Room was OK, pretty clean. Nice size. Twin beds. Our fridge didn't work so we asked for a replacement which was quickly done. We did suffer a bit from general noise. We were on the seventh floor (which is actually the sixth as for some reason there is no second floor) and outside our room there is an opening which let in noise from outside the hotel and the wind - which was constant - was quite noisy. Would recommend any other floor apart form the seventh if you want more quiet. Staff were friendly and helpful and they accommodated our requests in terms of room location etc but English is limited. The hotel caters primarily to Germans, so English is the third language. The hotel was relatively quiet. Was some queuing for some of the food at times - Germans seem to love queues more than the English, but this isn't a criticism. The outdoor pools were large and there were more than enough sun loungers. Unfortunately due to the wind it was really possible to spend much time around the pool so it was pretty deserted. The indoor pool was a godsend. Overall a pleasant experience.

We have visited Costa Calma many times over many years and this is the first time we have stayed at this hotel. The staff and facilities particularly the food in the restaurant and the spa area were excellent. We felt the bedrooms could do with improved beds & bedding but totally understand this would take time. The reception and lounge areas are very comfortable. Half board was fine, just wish they had complimentary water for meals &/or maybe the hotel group 'could' consider AI as an option. Otherwise we do rate this hotel & will return at some point.

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