Bon Repos Hotel Calella, Costa Brava

...partner. We stayed at Bon Repos hotel for 5 nights on an all-inclusive package. For clarity & thoroughness, I am dividing my review into categories, so you may get a better idea of each aspect of the hotel itself.

APPEARANCE

Bon Repos is very clean and functional. The entire ground floor is public space for the guests. The dining room is quite large and only got crowded at peak times during dinner. The bar has been recently ...
...chairs near the bar. Bon Repos was always clean while we were there, with the bar & cleaning staff always picking up trash and keeping things tidy. The reception is nice-looking. The rooms were always clean. They are nothing glamourous, but more than adequate for what we paid.

FOOD

There are a LOT of reviews on other websites complaining about the food. We were on all-inclusive, so we ate every single meal at the hotel. ... more

I just got back from a week-long holiday in Calella with my partner. We stayed at Bon Repos hotel for 5 nights on an all-inclusive package. For clarity & thoroughness, I am dividing my review into categories, so you may get a better idea of each aspect of the hotel itself.

APPEARANCE

Bon Repos is very clean and functional. The entire ground floor is public space for the guests. The dining room is quite large and only got crowded at peak times during dinner. The bar has been recently completely refurbished, we were informed, and there is large space indoors for relaxing/drinking/hanging out. There is a large smoking room for those who do not wish to go outside. There is also a TV lounge with sofas and chairs near the bar. Bon Repos was always clean while we were there, with the bar & cleaning staff always picking up trash and keeping things tidy. The reception is nice-looking. The rooms were always clean. They are nothing glamourous, but more than adequate for what we paid.

FOOD

There are a LOT of reviews on other websites complaining about the food. We were on all-inclusive, so we ate every single meal at the hotel. It does get a little repetitive, yes, (especially because they often use leftovers in the next meal, though cooked slightly differently to mask this) but it's not the end of the world. We always ate well and got more than our fill of food! The lunches are always hot, roast-style, which can be a little much in the Spanish heat. Breakfast is a wide variety of choices, with continental (cold cuts, cheese, breads, cereals) and hot options (beans, eggs, bacon/sausage). My only complaint is there's no fruit at breakfast, something which I personally enjoy. There is a small bar for lunch & dinner, so you can get drinks with your meal. Yes, sometimes there are dishes that look gross or might seem unusual (fried ham & cheese!), but if you just have a little sense of adventure, you'll be more than satisfied. I hate people who go to a foreign country & expect everything to be exactly the same! If you want fish & chips, then stay in England. If you want food made to cater to a wide variety of nationalities, then you'll be happy with Bon Repos's fair.

ROOMS

Word of caution: if you want a double bed, ask for it when you make your booking. We booked a "deluxe double room" and got 2 singled. In the end, we wound up sleeping with them pushed together because there were no double rooms free. Barring that, our room was lovely. We had a good-sized terrace with tables & chairs, big closet, large bathroom, decently-sized shower & bath. Everything was fairly clean and well-maintained. It's only a 3 star, so that's exactly what you should expect - functional.

POOL

The pool wasn't the largest ever, but when you're 350m from the beach, does it need to be? It was always extremely clean. The 2 "jacuzzis", on the other hand, looked disgusting and uninhabitable. We never set a toe in those, since it was far too hot. There's also a small kiddie pool in the back, which is decent enough for what it's built for. The hotel keeps a small stock of floaties around for kids to play with. We were lucky in that it was never TOO crowded. The pool area is lovely all day, since there's loads of tables & chairs to sit at and have a drink during the day or evening. The pool does close at 7pm, which I thought was a bit early, but at that point in the day, you're usually worn out of sun & swimming anyway. It's nice to sit by at night to get away from the loud music they play for 'entertainment'. The bar has two openings, one inside and the other by the pool, which is really convenient.

ENTERTAINMENT

To be honest, we didn't really participate in this. It seemed like the typical hotel fair - snake shows, flamenco performances, bingo, etc. I know they have a kid's club as well, but without children I cannot evaluate this. Sometimes there were pool games organised in the afternoons, like volleyball or basketball. In the evenings, they usually just played loud, campy music until the bar closed (11:30pm), but you can escape this easily by sitting outside.

OVERALL

The staff were helpful and friendly, especially the cleaning staff. The guy on night reception, bless him, can't speak great English but was soooo nice in trying to sort us out. Bon Repos is PERFECTLY located about 350m from the beach and less than that from the main town centre. There's several bars/restaurants close by, as well as shops for both food & souvenirs. We're extremely pleased we went all-inclusive, as the drink selection isn't bad (Estrella, wine, and house spirits) and we never had to really queue. I've heard that Bon Repos gets quite busy & loud during the high season, but we NEVER had a problem with rowdy teenagers or similar. My advice is that if you don't want the possibility of dealing with German teenagers or whatever, then don't go during term time! Bon Repos was both family-friendly and good for couples while we were there. I would HIGHLY recommend going all-inclusive, as their standard booze prices are way too steep for Spain, and you'll actually save money.

Thus, go in with an open mind. We did, and we loved it. It's SPAIN, people, NOT ENGLAND. If you want to eat the same food you eat at home, then go across the street to the English pub. The food's not gourmet, but it satisfies you all the same (and some dishes were actually really yummy!). If you expect what you paid for, that's what you'll get! You can't fault a hotel for its guests. We would easily go back to Bon Repos next time we stay in Calella - friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere, clean facilities, good rooms, nice pool, and SUPER location. 

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