Hotel El Castell

This is an email I wrote to the hotel 4 days ago and still haven't received a reply: Good afternoon, I checked out of your hotel earlier today and wanted to give you some personal feedback on my stay. The welcome I received was not friendly. When I arrived and asked for advice about a few things, the receptionist was not helpful and looked at me like I was bothering him and he wanted me to leave him alone and get on with his work. Although, he did inform that the pool had no water in which came as a surprise and was a big disappointment. The pool is advertised as a feature of the hotel and it was not in operation so it is like fraud. Guests arriving and expecting to use it have been mis sold. The night I arrived it took a long time to get served food and a drink but when I was served the waiter was friendly. His warmth was the only positive about my stay. On my second evening staying at the hotel it was so hot and I tried to get my air conditioner working but there was no control for it. When I informed the receptionist again he was not helpful, he just informed me that it didn't work. Like I should have known?! He didn't offer me another room or anything. No one informed me before I booked that my room didn't have air conditioning. Again this is like a fraud because in a hotel like yours customers expect air conditioning or a fan to deal with the hot weather. There is a big disparity between the way your hotel is advertised and the reality of staying at your hotel. I was looking forwards to staying with you but it was a BIG disappointment. I was hoping to be able to say something positive to promote your hotel to other people but this will not be possible.

The swimming pool the food the comfort got no complaints but you could do just a few minor things you could be excellent I’m definitely going to come back

It was OK

Sadly we arrived late but had hoped to dine in the restaurant but this was not to be as it shuts at 10.30. Check in was good and straight forward. We were told where breakfast was to be had and what time. Reception was clean and the receptionist was very nice. He offered to carry our case luckily we were on the 1st floor as the lift was out of order, but we managed. In the 5 days were were there it was not repaired. Our room was adequate, located at the front of the hotel and in the distance we could see the city lights which was nice. There was no traffic noise as the hotel is located away from the main road in San Boi. They host wedding receptions and if you happen to be at the front of the hotel when one is being it is not too noisy as there was one on our visit. Might want to ask though. The beds were comfy even though both our beds had a dip in the middle we slept well. Extra blankets are always a good idea. Breakfast was excellent and plentiful and everything you could want for a superb continental breakfast. Coffee if wanted was bought to you when the big dining room was used. In the smaller dining room off the restaurant there were coffee machines with pods. The hotel is situated 500mtrs or so from the metro/train station and is easy to get to. It takes up to 40 minutes to get to the city centre and the trains are frequent. Travel cards can be got there too. Getting back to the hotel is a bit of a struggle due to the steep slopes. The hotel itself is in need of some tlc. The grounds are well maintained with plenty of seating and a bar. We were around once during the day and did not see a sole but I am sure there could be found if needed. Our room was pretty dated sadly. There were scuff marks on the wall in our room and the shelving although large needed sanding and re painting. There was a fridge was was lovely. It would have been nice to have coffee/tea making stuff in the room. The bathroom needed refreshing too. Although clean the filler round the bath and shower screen is cracked and looks dirty and needs replacing. The shower is fixed to the wall so you are unable to lower it which is a nuisance but it is a good shower. The tiles on our bathroom floor were cracked but not raised so not an issue. The opaque bathroom door was on a runner which if it was not seated right made shutting the door really difficult. Maybe if it had a small handle on both side it would be easier!. There was work being carried out and I am sure when its all been done the place will look lovely. We had a pleasant stay and everyone from receptionist and waiting staff to housekeeping were warm and welcoming. A friend sent us a gift but reception did not tell us which was a shame so we did not indulge. Have to say thank you for a delightful stay and we may come back one day.

For the final two nights of my trip around Barcelona & Girona provinces I decided to stay here - 20 minutes by metro into Barcelona and only 15kms from the airport. I could write reems about my journey to get to the hotel. Suffice it to say that, due a satnav which couldn’t get to grips with the spaghetti melange of Barcelona’s peripheral motorways and roads closed due to huge engineering works aimed at “improving” the access into Sant Boi from the C-245, it was a long and frustrating experience. Even setting aside the roadworks, it’s not that easy to get to the hotel but when you do you’ll find lovely grounds, plenty parking, a pool and, as you walk into the hotel, a real sense of style. Surprisingly there are only 45 bedrooms but it’s a popular venue for weddings, banquets, conferences etc. so has an array of meeting rooms and indoor & outdoor terraces. I arrived in the middle of a wedding celebration and the place was buzzing so I was kindly offered a choice of rooms, one overlooking the evening’s wedding party, the other in a quieter location. Despite the lift being out of action I chose the former which had a view towards Barcelona. It was large and elegant in an old-fashioned sort of way. The loose toilet seat and no gel in the shower cubicle’s dispenser didn’t detract from its comfort. I had dinner on both nights in the elegant restaurant and on each night there was a different 20€ three course set menu (three choices for each course) including a glass of wine. A couple of the dishes looked rather bizarre when placed in front of me but everything was absolutely delicious. Great value served by an extremely efficient waiter. I spent the last day of my trip in Barcelona. The metro station is a bit of a stroll from the hotel but trains run every few minutes. I was in Plaça d'Espanya in the pouring rain in 18 minutes. I paid more per night than I usually do when I’m travelling in Spain but this was worth every penny.

Stayed at this hotel for 3 nights. The man behind the desk left me waiting a good 15 minutes while he tried to find us a room. No smile, no eye contact, just a look of annoyance. FYI we booked 6 months prior. He said the only room available was on the 4th floor and the elevator is out of order. We are seniors and lugging our bags up the stairs was very trying. How about offering us a little help with our bags. I assumed breakfast was included...NOT! When I asked were offered a cup of coffee. WOW!!! You would honestly think under the circumstances, some sort of compensation besides a cup of coffee would have been given. Oh and every morning I had to explain to the waiter our coffee was free. Very very disappointed 😞