Hi Kevin, what do you mean when you said that you had to use antiseptic wipes before your meal, did you mean to wipe the cutlery?

Thanks Sue

Ps. We are staying at the Regente next year.

hi sue,you had to wipe your hands as you went into the restaurant,as i said i dont think we caught the bug from the regente,also the meals were 1st class,thanks kev

I hope not Kev we are going to Regente on 22nd Jan. Have stayed there many times and never had a prob, although i only ever have the breakfasts because i eat out rest of the time. We will give your lass a shout too if shes still in the Hoxton then!

myself and my wife have stayed at the regente several times never been ill before UNTIL setember 4 in the party 3 ill people coming in one day next day ill with poo and sickness just returned from the regente been over xmas and the bug is still in the hotel there were no wipes or anything but rest assured the bug is still in this hotel and they dont seem to be doing anything about it it is a shame as this is ai brilliant all english hotel if they dont soon do something we wont be returning again

I have noticed in the Benidorm Bug Thread that all problems seem to be at the Regente Hotel. I was wondering if anyone could give further info on this, and have people stayed there recently (Last two months or so) and NOT had a problem with the bug. I have a vested interest as am staying there for 4 nights at end of January. I hasten to add the Regente is a favourite hotel of mine and have stayed there many times, with no problems at all. Was wondering if it is purely a food related bug. I personally eat out in Spanish Restaurants at nightime, so only use Regente for Bed and Breakfast, but am wondering whether to get our Breakys out as well this time and just use it to sleep!

Just been looking at all the reviews on the Regente and noticed that someone didn't recommend a pool view because of barking dogs, has anyone else experienced this? I would be interested to know which are the best rooms to request in May ie which get the afternoon sun and aren't too noisy at night, any info please

Sue

Sue - Every time i've stayed at Regente i've had a room which overlooks the Hotel Entrance on Calle Monaco. Not much of a vista really from these rooms but I suppose higher up will have a Mountain view (I always request a low floor then I dont suffer hassle waiting for lifts). I've never experienced any noise at all from these rooms, either day or night, but have never had a pool view room. I'm more worried about this bug at moment, am out there in 3 weeks and hoping it will have cleared up by then! Otherwise it looks like Churros with Chocolate for us for Breakie in Old Town!...mind you i love em...damn got the taste for em right now!!

Hi
At the request of a member, I have been into the Regente this morning (with the hubby)
I have spoken to atleast 14 people who are staying there...all complete strangers...some of whom have been staying in this hotel since the 7 th December.

I can only repeat what they have told me...and I have nothing whatsoever to gain from this report.

Apparantly there was a bug problem, but they actually think that someone brought it into the hotel...not the hotel giving it the clients.!!!!
The management had clients wiping their hands before entering the resturaunt for 4 days only....the air conditioning vents and ducts have all been cleaned/changed and disinfected.

All the people who I spoke to, have been there nearly a month from either the 7th or the 10th December...all of whom have had NO problem whatsoever eating full board in the hotel.

Another couple were quite defensive of the hotel, having been staying there, each year for 27 years and I had to explain that I was only asking

This is the first time I have ever set foot inside this hotel.....but all I came across were satisfied, content customers.

Hope this has helped

besos xxx
Sanji

Well thank heavens for that...thats me reassurred now, going on the 22nd Jan. I think Sanji deserves a Gold Star for services above and beyond the call...Thanks for Miss Marpleing Sanji...I have this mental picture of you lining all the guests up for interogation!! Seriously though is was really good of you to check this out and I'm sure I'm not the only person who is most grateful to you!. I myself have stayed at Regente a number of times and never had any probs at all with either hotel or staff who are really friendly. I can certainly understand why people choose to return to the Hotel year after year, its certainly a value for money place!. Thanks again Sanji!

I think that Benidorm sees it fair share of winter bugs, probably on a par with most overseas holiday resorts, UK towns and cities. It is often the case that when someone reports having suffered such a bug in Benidorm, the source is automatically attributed by them, or the friend of a friend, to the hotel which they were staying in, even when there is no such evidence to support this.

The bug may have been brought into any number of hotels by guests, it may even have been brought into Benidorm by British holidaymakers. But while the hotels may or may not be the direct source of the bug, the personal hygiene of guests could result in its spread. Holidaymakers need to take more responsibility for their own health and that of fellow guests. Personal hygiene should be a priority to them, and not left dependent on a hotel to provide them with wipes at meal times.

Some hotels may try and deny the presence of any bug, in the hope of averting any adverse publicity or concerns amongst guests. In this case, the Hotel Regente seems to have taken positive action to try and limit the spread of any infection from guest to guest.

I'm sure we all appreciate Sanji's time and efforts to look into this on behalf of concerned members, and hopefully some fears will now be allayed. Others may well come along with different opinions, but unless there is evidence to support it, individual hotels should not be suggested as being the source of infection, just because of the presence of a bug amongst what may be a relatively small number of guests.

David
PS ... I just hope Sanji doesn't go down with a bug tonight or we will never hear the end of it !!

Well thanks to Sanji's excellent report on the situation at the Regente and David's commonsense statements regarding bugs and the like, I'm feeling confident again about the Hotel and looking forward to my trip there later on in the year. Thanks to you both!!

the personal hygiene of guests could result in its spread. Holidaymakers need to take more responsibility for their own health and that of fellow guests. Personal hygiene should be a priority to them, and not left dependent on a hotel to provide them with wipes at meal times.

Being a retired nurse I couldnt have said it any better myself
My favourite pastime is people watching and Im sorry to say, that some peoples habits and personal hygiene leave a lot to be desired
I was quite impressed with the Regente hotel this morning....I have always given it a wide berth, but there certainly were plenty of happy, satisfied customers staying there this morning...I even sat down and had a cigarette while speaking to them.
They all commented on having had a good value for money, christmas/new year dinner in this hotel....and the only gripe was from the people who were staying for over a month, they were getting a bit fed up of pork on the menu....but this happens in all hotels when you book long stay holidays and the menu is repeated either weekly or fortnightly. ....and just to put this in perspective the last time I stayed in the hotel pelicanos....I had that much chicken, that I could have flown home myself, without the need of an aeroplane and this cause me to book elsewhere for a change
On a personal level......I always wipe all door handles, light switches, the toilet handle and taps in the room, choose which hotel I stay in.....with either a medical wipe or a slightly dampened cloth with a few drops of tea tree oil on the cloth.
This is not being paranoid, as far as Im concerned it is being sensible...I was once very ill and I was convinced I picked the germs up from the door handles on the way down to the resturaunt....youll not get me touching door handles with my bare hands....sounds crazy, but thats just me.!!!!

Besos xxx
sanji

Well said Folks, as you say its just common sense, and basic good hygiene that we should all practice, and a lot of these problems could be averted, or at least minimised. I have always enjoyed my stays at The Regente and the well reasoned words of Sanji and David have helped underline my convidence in the hotel. I have no hesitation in recommending this Hotel, stay here and you will have a good time, at a very reasonable price!. I'll be there in 19 days and am sure i will enjoy my stay every bit as much as all my previous ones! I'm a Happy Bunny!...Mind you I'm easily pleased!

Best Regards. - Taggy.

Hi Taggy

Guess what I am posting this from the Hotel Regente

This is beyond the call of duty me and my hubby are drinking in here tonight...and it is a lovely atmosphere in here...they are at the moment playing all the 60s records...so my hubby is singing along to them
Compare this to the los Dalmatas, which has been like a morgue since the 1st Jan then I know where I would rather be

If Im still alive and kicking tomorrow, then have no fear about this place...gotta go the computer in here eats euros and I have no more change....and if I leave the hubby too long on his own...he might pull in here

besos xxx
sanji

Hi Sanji...well it sure looks like you have got the Bug for the Regente!! You've also just taught me something new...I never actually knew they had Internet Access there, unless its only just been provided, mind you I've never asked, you'll have to let me know where the Computer is! Mind you with my luck they'll probably have a virus when I'm there and the Internet will be down!!! Bad Pun Sorry!! Glad the place is lively and that you and Hubby are enjoying yourselves. There's also the Rock n Roll House just further up the road, which usually has artists on doing stuff from 50's, 60's, 70's etc and some Country Music too! Its really nice to hear that you are having fun, Best Regards and Thanks Again. - Taggy.

PS. Whilst you are there........Just Joking

There are 2 internet facilities in the hotel Regente, in the corner, near the TV, near the reception...but, I wouldnt use them unless I was desperate, they are very expensive...I put 50 centimos in and got a minute, but here in the Dalmatas, I get 10 minutes for 50 centimos, 20 mins for a euro...and so on.
I think it is even cheaper in the internet outlets outside, but I have never used them....this one in the hotel does the job for me, without being too expensive...unless you want to write a full page report like me
I managed to survive a night in the Regente, and will more than likely, be popping in again before we come home.
Its a nice, small, friendly hotel...friendly being very much evident on the occasions I have been in there.
So, going into this hotel for HT on a mission not only helped other members, but me and the hubby.... and we will certainly give it some consideration in the future
You live and learn everyday

Besos xxx
Sanji

Thanks Sanji, yeah that is a touch expensive for the computer isnt it, i will try and find one of the outside ones and have a go from there. You should have told The Manager you have given his trade a boost he should let you on for free!!! I'm sure if you stayed there at some future date you would'nt be disappointed. Word has probably got around Benidorm by now about you and Hubby going into hotels and asking lots of questions, you've probably been marked down as Hotel Inspectors in disguise! Alla Fawlty Towers! You will get reverential treatment wherever you go now...and richly deserved it would be too! A job on Watchdog or Panorama surely awaits! You are certainly putting your trust in the Gods this week, what with venturing into the unknown at Regente and also having misfortune with your Jade Bracelet. Those blooming trays the waiters use must be sharp, its a very hard substance Jade, and as you say its regarded very highly indeed by the Chinese, more so than Gold, a connection between the spirit world and us earthly beings I think? Heck I'm getting deep now and a bit off topic, so i'll shut up! Dont worry Sanji, your kindly deeds will keep your Karma well into the positive! So once again thanks for all your help and comments Sanji, you deserve special recogition as HT's most intrepid roving reporter! Do enjoy the rest of your hols, I will toast your health with a Brandy or a Pacharran! Salud! - Best Regards - Taggy.

I would just like to go back to the subject of hygiene for a minute, if I may, now that I am back home on Broadband....and this thread seems the place to do it....re germs.

Here is a typical example.....
On Friday morning we went for a walk up to the Wookey Hollow and around town.
We came back to the hotel approx 1-30pm and decided to go straight to the resturaunt, and rather than up the lift to the room, to wash our hands, to come straight back down, both of us needed to use the loo, so we went to the hotel loos on the ground floor.

In the Los Dalmatas there are only 2 loos in the ladies, and one was occupied when I entered, ....I had a quick pee, washed my hands with the liquid soap and was drying them under the blow dryer, when the person came out of the other toilet, having flushed the chain,....she stood in front of the mirror, twiddled her hair and then waltzed straight out of the loos.
Now, the main door into the ladies/gents is made of solid oak, and you really have to grab the handle and pull hard.....all my personal hygiene is a waste of time and effort, had I grabbed that door handle 2 seconds after her....
I always carry a tissue or a handkerchief to grab the handles with....failing that I pull my cardigan sleeve down over my hand......can you see the point I am trying to make here.?

I don`t know whether she went into the resturaunt or not, but.....if this happens in your own home, then a couple of the family members may go down with the "runs" and vomitting, and invariably, the toilet and other areas are cleaned quite quickly, thus containing and killing the germs....in a hotel, where there are hundreds of people...it is a totally different scenario.!
Another gripe of mine ..... is people who insist on mauling food, like bread and bread rolls, when serving tongues have been made available.
People who walk around the resturaunt coughing and sneezing, without making any attempt, to put their hand or a tissue to their faces...I know sometimes it is unavoidable...and that`s not what I mean.!

We are so quick to blame Hotels for bugs and bouts of diarrhoea....I`m not saying that they are without blame in some cases., including insects.....but in reality, some of us are the culprits that start the infectious cycle on its way.

A little extra care, goes a long way, when mixing amongst food and crowds...and door handles especially on toilets and lifts, are just one aspect of the problem.

besos xxx
sanji

Sanji,

I agree with you there. I usually take some extra toilet paper and open the door using that. I have lost count of the people who look fine but just DO NOT WASH THEIR HANDS after going to the loo.

Bad habits from a few people can ruin someone elses holiday.