We (a family of 2 adults and 2 kids aged 11 and 12) stayed at the Caleta Palace in late July for a week. For what we paid for our one bedroom apartment it wasn't bad value.

The good bits.

It has a nice location, it's right on the beach and we enjoyed a swim in the sea every day. There was a beach lifeguard on duty during the day, but as with many beaches on the Costa Brava the sea shelves very steeply, and you are in deep water within a few metres of the shore. The one bedroom apartment we were in had effective airconditioning, and though a little basic (eg limited seating) was just about acceptable for a 3 star. Contrary to other reports we had no issues at all with the staff, and found them just like any other Spanish hotel we've stopped at, ie if you're polite and friendly you'll get the same response back. We can't comment on the food and bar service though, as we were self catering and the close proximity of the many bars, shops, and restaurants of Platja D'aro tempted us out every day.

The bad bits.

The Caleta Palace calls itself an Aparthotel, but unlike every other Aparthotel I've stopped at in Spain it doesn't have basic kitchen facilities (eg fridge, hotplate) in the apartment. Not a problem if you go all inclusive or want to eat out all the time, but it would be a shock if you expected to be able to have the odd cup of tea in the room, or keep some soft drinks cool in the fridge for the kids. The only English language TV channels in the rooms is CNN. And there is a 10E a day charge to park in the car park which is a touch mean.

Overall

It's an OK hotel and we enjoyed our stay there, but we'd probably spend more money next time and find a proper Aparthotel.

Agreed, this hotel is in a wonderful situ but their overbooking tendancies are dreadful! They don't even apologise for the fact that you have paid for an apartment and get a studio! In fact they are down right rude and I was actually lied to by reception staff saying that I never booked an apartment but fortunately I managed to get hold of their paperwork which proved I had booked the apartment so then I was practically ordered to leave the reception. DISGRACEFUL!

After redaing other reviews I was unsure of what to expect. Yes, there were several problems with our experience but overall we had a wonderful holiday. The hotel has spacious, comfortable reception areas which are clean and uncrowded. The location of the hotel is ideal, right on the beach and within walking distance of the Water park which was uncrowded and a great place to spend the day. The town is busy with hundreds of shops and also has two small 'theme parks', that kept my two teenagers occupied most evenings.
Unfortunatley we were given a small double room instead of the large one bedroomed apartment I had booked. Reception staff told me to check daily to see if we could be moved, but this never happened. This was the major disappointment with our holiday, but as we were rarely in our room it did not spoil our holiday.
The staff were all very pleasant and everyone I spoke to could speak English better than I ever could speak Spanish. The food was OK, plenty of choice for breakfast and dinner, with a bottle of wine at 4 euro. I cannot believe people go on holiday with the expectation that the hotel will provide food, drink and entertainment from morning til last thing at night for the price charged. Get out of the hotel and enjoy some of the local sights, otherwiswe what is the point!. I agree with some other reviews that there are things not quite right about this hotel but if you go with a positive attitude and a desire to enjoy you week/fortnight then this hotel provides a value for money holiday.

;firework display as we arrived,spannish hols,we thought we had a right result it was pure class,got to room wasnt bad,food well i like spannish food,so cant grumble about that ,,it was everything else ,no lock on room door ,,no safe,,no entertainment for us or two kids,no sky tv which was advertised ,no wine for sangria at one bar so told to go to other bar ,no fruit juice or lemonade,no vodka,no beer,no crisps,ice creams,burgers,chips,we was allowed to drink in both bars if you went to shop and got your own,,there were no british lager louts or noisey people ,,,we were stuck for 14 nights ,,normally when other people are going home you say ive got 7 days left ,smile lean back relax not in this case ,i was devastated to say the least that i had to stay in that hell hole i more minute,,luvly settings mind ,beach apart from gravel was nice, roman ruins to walk along could be a great place,but if you gave me a weeks free stay now plus £500 spending money, as i sit here looking out the window at the rain id say no thanks id prefer to pull my own nails out,,,,,,,,,,,,,only good point was going home