Almirante

( 3 stars , Alicante , Spain )

The beach here is gorgeous - although v. crowded. The hotel is just 100 metres from the beach and had a great pool. However it is very old fashioned and musty. The room we had was almost a bit creepy! However it is still very clean. Breakfast was included in our rate but was literally pieces of bread with olive oil or pate! Not worth getting out of bed for. The town itself is extremely quiet so you will need a car to get back into the main town alicante. There is a tram that goes into alicante but the tram stop is a bit of a walk. There is no laundromat in alicante if you are searching for one!!!

Hotel Almirante supplied good, clean three star accomodation at a very reasonable price, 240 euros for two people for four nights, and direct access to Playa San Juan. The hotel room was spanish style, slightly old fashioned and simple, but very clean and comfortable. Balcony was an excellent size and got the afternoon and evening sun. Bathroom was fairly new and very clean, with full bath and shower. Some of the general furnishings were a little tired. Breakfast was simple, but tasty: orange juice, coffee, toasted crusty bread, pate, ham and cheese, olive oil, butter, jam, sweet pastry and croissant. More than enough to start the day all for the price of 5 euros. Staff were friendly and do have a little English, but some knowledge of Spanish is helpful. Hotel has swimming pool, but this was out of use while we were there, being cleaned and repaired. Hotel is on the long sandy beach, across a small road and tram line. Buses and the tram provide easy access to Alicante (15 mins by tram), and on to the other resorts of the Costa Blanca. A 15 minute walk takes you into the small town of Playa San Juan, with shops and many eating places.

We stayed at the Almirante overnight on our way back to Spain after holidaying in Italy. The intention was to get up in the morning, have breakfast and have a look round for the day. These plans were dashed when we arrived about 2pm as we realised that there was precious little to do there! The hotel looks a bit faded and jaded from the outside but the interior was a nice suprise, the rooms we clean and large and each one had a balcony which overlooked the pool/ sea, although this was the first time I had ever seen a hotel lift which started from the 1st floor... diabled people might be at a disadvantage if they cannot get up the dozen steps to the first floor! The beach is beautiful and possibly gets busy in the season (whenever that may be) but at the beginning of June the restaurants (the few there were) closed after lunch and we had to stroll a good mile and a half to get an indifferent, expensive meal in a Spanish restaurant... should have stuck to Mc Donalds as we passed one of those! We did not try the hotel restaurant which may have been a better option, hindsight is a great thing. Loads of building going on all around and situated in a residential area of Spanish holiday flats. As a beach holiday it must be great but if you want anything in the way of entertainment/ shops/ bars/ evening meals ... move on!