Hotel Fuerte El Rompido

Currently in our 1st week of 2 : third time here with Saga. Contrary to some reviews here, I think the quality and choice of food has continued to improve. The self-serve coffee definitely has. The staff are good and friendly. To our amazement Elena in reception recognised us from last year's visit with a friendly welcome. Dining room staff are fast and efficient, especially serving drinks to the initial surge of diners on Friday & Saturday. Elisabeth makes a point of greeting everyone as they come and go. One evening I left my bag on the back of my chair and a waitress (don't know her name) found me just as the lift doors were about to close. These are the small touches that make holidays special. I'll update this once we're back home.

The hotel was a good value All-Inclusive bridge holiday run by Saga Holidays. I liked the hotel on several counts. I had a spacious clean room with two double beds and a balcony all to myself (off-season I guess). All the staff worked incredibly hard, waiters and bar staff were all swift and efficient with service. They were friendly and helpful. DINING: The plentiful cold salads and vegetables were fresh - I thoroughly enjoyed those - but the same every day. Cooked options were often disappointing: as always, the extensive buffet was lukewarm even immediately after the restaurant opened. I felt the cooked food was more like works canteen meals. I had one meat cutlet - mostly bone and gristle - and didn't choose cooked meat after that. The paella lacked shellfish and was virtually all rice with peas. I didn't see a prawn all week, and the mussels in the paella were few and small. There were usually some tapas type snack dishes available including salami, patatas bravas and the like. The cold meats were fine but not particularly good quality, and I think jamon Iberico only featured every second day. I think what looked like Manchego cheese was a kind of budget quality ersatz Manchego (I'm not certain - but I thought it was bland and lacked flavour). Sadly the fried fish was sometimes overcooked and dry, in the fish stew dishes sometimes the fish was undercooked. Hot breakfast was pretty much as anyone would expect - Spanish smoked streaky bacon, eggs, omelettes, beans, mushrooms, small Spanish sausages: nothing exceptional. So overall the hot food quality was variable. Coffees and juices from the machines were very good. The 4 kinds of bread were all very good quality. Fresh fruits and yoghurts were all very nice. Seeds and nuts plus some dried fruits were available. I didn't sample the desserts but other guests seemed to like them! The outdoor pool (with a smaller kid's pool) isn't heated, but it's fairly spacious. There's also a gym and a spa - I didn't use either. Note that there's a small charge to use the room safe. The all-inclusive drinks were fine - including a nice Cava. I stuck to beer, house wine and Gin & Tonic during the week. Measures were generous and I thought the red, white and rose house wines were all perfectly drinkable as house wines. The hotel location isn't "Wow" but it's OK. Ten-fifteen minutes walk down to the village and the beach, [see the photos] and there is the Piedra river nature reserve - around 7 minutes walk from the hotel to the park entrance. It has boardwalk paths and footpaths through the saltmarsh. [See my photos]. Apparently there are dozens of bird species for keen birdwatchers to spot, including flamingoes. I didn't spot those but I did see several other birds - including egrets, a pretty reed warbler (and some birds I could only hear from the song). I did spot loads of tiny hermit crabs siphoning food happily in the mud. I'm sure I saw telltale signs of wild boar rooting in the earth churned up by something! near the footpath. Overall I had a positive experience - thanks to all the staff for a very pleasant week.

A peaceful setting for a hotel with excellent staff, food and great service.

Firstly this was without a doubt one of the cleanest, tidiest hotels we have stayed in. The staff were all friendly and hard working. Our room, on floor 1, had a terrace looking onto the well looked after gardens. It was a comfortable room with most things you need. There was a kettle and cups but weirdly no tea or coffee. There is a fridge in the room and also a safe but the latter involves a 3 euro/day charge. The bed was large and very comfortable with a selection of pillows. There was also a sofa and two chairs. Wifi was strong and worked in all areas. All meals are buffet style but there is a big selection and everything was tasty and fresh. At the weekend there were huge plates of prawns and also bowls of local strawberries. You would need to be very picky to not find something to enjoy on this buffet. It was AI and the drinks measures were large! The wines were all very good. This hotel is very close to a nature reserve with a boardwalk and two golf courses. The setting is lovely and so peaceful. There is a small chopping complex opposite and the walk to the village is only a short one where there are some lovely cafes. There is a ferry service across to the beach though in march this was only running at the weekend. To sum up this hotel gives everything you need - there is even a hairdressers. We hope to be back before too long.

A very Spanish affair! Only guests were Saga and Spaniards at the weekend .(not that there is anything wrong with that) Beautiful setting in the nature reserve and fabulous walks. February very quite in small village with not many bars/restaurants open. Hotel staff really friendly and helpful, nothing too much trouble. All inclusive food was basic but salads good. Rooms clean and although a bit tired perfectly comfortable.

Hotel ticks all the boxes - very clean, good food, lovely room with balcony and nice garden with pools. But the best part is the location- right next to the traditional fishing village of El Rompido and adjacent to a beautiful nature reserve with lots of footpaths and plenty of birdlife.