La Estación Hotel in Benidorm

We booked this hotel for a family vacation and were pleased to find a 4-star hotel located away from the noisy party areas near the beaches. We assumed this would provide a quiet environment and a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, we were mistaken.

First, it’s important to note that the hotel is situated directly above a major bus terminal. This wouldn’t be such an issue if the hotel had double-glazed windows, but it doesn’t. As a result, the loud sounds of bus engines became the constant background noise whenever we tried to sleep. Even closing the windows properly was difficult, as they are, like much of the hotel, quite old.

We also believed that booking a 4-star hotel outside the city center would help keep away party groups and rowdy guests. Sadly, this was not the case. The hotel was full of such groups, and the staff didn’t make much effort to separate them from families. The hallways have terrible acoustics, and the doors close with a loud slamming mechanism. Any late-night conversations or door slams echoed throughout the hotel, waking us up repeatedly. Over our eight-night stay, we didn’t have a single uninterrupted night’s sleep.

Even if you manage to fall asleep, the beds are not true beds. They’re thin platforms with legs and a mattress on top. Because the legs are so narrow and the furniture is poorly maintained, the entire bed shakes whenever you turn over. When we raised this issue, housekeeping simply provided sticky pads to put under the legs.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, be aware that you’ll struggle to find protein during your stay. We booked a full-board package, but nearly 90% of the dishes included meat or fish. Although the kitchen sometimes added vegetarian options, none of the dishes were labeled, so it was impossible to tell which items were suitable for vegetarians.

Another issue was the policy on drinks. Even with full-board, you have to pay for drinks at lunch and dinner. They wouldn’t even serve tap water, which we found absolutely unreasonable.

On a positive note, the hotel was clean, the pool was nice (as long as they weren’t blasting loud club music for hours on end—which seems to be a weekend habit), and the dining room staff was friendly. The hotel also offers free parking, and there’s plenty of space and easy access.

Overall, the hotel is in desperate need of a complete renovation and furniture upgrade. If you’re a light sleeper, this place could truly drive you crazy. I would strongly advise against it for families or anyone seeking a quiet, relaxing vacation.