Estival Centurion Playa in Cambrils

Not All It's Cracked Up to Be

I'm only on day 3 of a 10-day stay at Estival Centurion in Cambrils, and it would need to seriously improve from here on out — though I have my doubts it will.

The pool area is underwhelming. It's small, and thanks to the large trees surrounding it, there’s very little space for sun loungers that actually catch the sun. This leads to a bit of a mad dash every morning around 8:30 to grab a decent spot.

There’s also a large shaded area under a gazebo, fitted with tables and chairs. This space takes up a significant portion of the poolside and, frustratingly, would be ideal for more sun loungers — especially since it would get sunshine if not for the permanent cover. From what I’ve seen, it’s rarely used, making it feel like wasted space.

The pool itself is cold, which makes sense given it barely sees any sun for most of the day. By 5pm, it’s pretty much in full shade.

Food-wise, it’s okay. There are plenty of options, but we had an issue with an allergic reaction due to a food item being incorrectly labelled. When I brought this up, I was told I should have checked with the chef — but if you're going to label food, surely it needs to be accurate? Am I now expected to double-check everything for the rest of our stay?

Then there’s the smell from the bathroom drain. I reported it, and the solution was to pour cleaning fluid down it. I have my doubts that’ll fix the issue long-term.

We’re staying in a junior suite, corner room. It’s quite small. My wife and I have two single beds pushed together, and our 11- and 8-year-old children are sleeping on two fold-out beds placed at opposite ends of the room. Not ideal, and not what I’d expect from a “suite.”

Overall, I’m not impressed — and with a full week still ahead of us, I can only hope things start to pick up.