Hotel RH Corona del Mar

The Corona del Mar is a lovely well kept hotel. The rooms are small but very nice. The staff were very helpful. The dining room is well laid out taking into consideration the covid pandemic. Although the food was well presented in many cases it was cold and even under cooked.

WHEN ?? Two different trips. One at the start of July and one at the start of August. TITLE OF REVIEW ??? Explained in detail in final paragraph. (Would 'I' or 'we' stay again?) My particular grievance would not affect most guests. SETTING THE SCENE. A few of the Benidorm Hotels reopened on the 1st July, after lockdown restrictions were eased. I was worried about hotel procedures, and had no idea what effect the virus would of had on the food situation and facilities. The RH HOTEL group, do have an excellent reputation for standards and service (I have stayed in all of their premium Benidorm hotels), so this hotel was an obvious choice. DEALING WITH THE VIRUS. I have to say that I think that the hotel takes every reasonable precaution possible to protect guests and staff. There are new workable procedures, in every corner of the hotel. I was very impressed. RECEPTION. There is a 'one way' system, for ins and outs. One the way in, there is a large sanitised mat for the underneath of shoes, a hand sanitiser, and a heat camera which monitors body temperature. Obviously face masks are mandatory. A clear perspex screen, separates staff and guests. ROOMS AND CLEANING. To be honest, all of the rooms are of a good standard. They obviously vary in shape and size, depending on the needs of the guests. The pool side and beach side rooms offer spectacular views. The rooms at the rear of the hotel all have nice balconies with peaceful view. There is one room on every floor that faces the main street, these rooms are not as nice as the others, and have tiny balconies. They all include, fridge, flat screen tv (plenty english channels), air conditioning and safe. Daily cleaning to high standard. During the first stay, I was a little miffed, as room requests were ignored, although there were not many people around on 1st July. During the second trip, was less happy, as my room was switched at the last minute, to one of the street facing rooms. RESTAURANT. With all the new procedures in place, heat checks, and social distancing, things do take a little longer. Very reasonably, the hotel has tried to stagger the meal times, inviting each guest to indicate preferred times. System worked very well, most of the time. The restaurant staff are excellent. Friendly, efficient and hardworking. Unsurprisingly, the food quality and standards are way above the benidorm average POOL AREA. Prior to the trip, I was not sure whether this area would be open, or not. Well it was. Again, every reasonable precaution was taken. Sun chairs, where re-sanitised after use, as was hand rails. The pool area itself is one the first floor and amazingly pleasant and serene. Because of the reduced capacity, there was no problem getting a sun chair. BAR AREA. Good size bar area and outside veranda. Tables are socially distanced, and waiters and bar staff wear face masks. Tables and chairs are regularly sanitised. Unable to comment on entertainment, as we went out each night. OTHER HOTEL INFORMATION. The hotel is superbly positioned at the quieter part of town. 50 meters away from the Poniente Beach. The Old Town, Harbour and Mal Pas Beach, are all about a 10 minute walk. The Levante Beach is a 20 minute walk. To visit the La Cala Beach (popular with locals), you will need a taxi. LATE CHECKOUTS. These are available at 30 euros, if the hotel is not fully booked or if your room is not needed. At least that is what they tell you. Unfortunately, it does not always work like this. On a good few occasions I have been told that the RH hotel that I am staying at, is fully booked, and after checking on the RH internet site, and other travel sites, found out that this is not true. Usually when you point this out at reception they will resolve it. Due to a very late flight and a 20 hour journey, a late check out was requested. During the first stay I was told this should be no problem as the hotel was operating at a much reduced capacity due to the virus. On the final evening, I was told that a late checkout was impossible as my room was needed. How could this be so, with so many similar rooms vacant ? But the reception staff were having none of it. At that point, a more senior member of staff appeared, and resolved the problem in seconds. The second trip, EXACTLY the same again. I checked on their web site, apparently there were many rooms of my description available. Despite this, I was told, if I wanted, I could pay for a complete extra night, and move into one of the similar rooms early the next morning, which, of course totally defeated the reasoning for the original request. So, I had to cancel plans for that evening and the following day, then get up several hours earlier than I wanted to (even with a normal check-out !!!), go to reception pay for another similar room for a complete extra night. Then move my belongings to the new room, and then go back to bed. I am not paying top dollar for this kind of service, any more.

The Aircon was broken - never slept, charged full price, given poultry discount. Waited 30 mins to check out and the breakfast was not great. The staff shouted at me as the only person in reception but first visit didn't get the pointless one way system. Been to worse, just feel air con is a must in 40 degrees