Right folks"¦where do I begin with the Hotel Regente.
This was my first time in this hotel and apart from having a quick look around last Xmas, I went with an "open mind".
Having stayed in many hotels in Europe and Benidorm previously, ranging from 3* to 5* I was not disappointed in this hotel and the 2 * rating should be changed to a 3* IMO.
Yes, the rooms are "basic" in the respect that you don't have a sea view, a hairdryer or the opportunity to hire a mini-bar, but you can hire a fridge at €4 a day"¦which can work out expensive over 2 weeks, but it depends on your personal circumstances and the time of year that you would want a cold drink although there is a vending machine in the reception that sells bottled water and cold drinks (cans).

The entertainment consisted of various acts appearing from around 9-30/10ish each night with either bingo or the resident DJ playing records before and afterwards until the bar closed at 1-30am, but this apparently changes when the hotel goes over to the summer brochures and the average age of the guests will also change.
These entertainers were also appearing and "bill boarded" in various venues around town, and one little singer with a brilliant voice was also appearing around town and she is one of the lead singers across the road at the Flamingo Oasis (Queen we will rock you show)"¦it certainly beats miming in my view some were good, some average !!!

The food matches any 3* hotel that I have ever stayed in, there was plenty of choice each night and considering that this hotel functions on a 2* budget, then the head chef does an excellent job in providing standard wholesome food.
If I had to criticise the food, then it would be the choice of sweets, which consisted of jelly, blancmange, ice cream, caramel, synthetic cream gateau's every night, but there were loads of fresh fruit available.
There is a gala night each week with a carvery and Sunday night is the traditional roast beef and Yorkshire puddings plus 3 vegetables"¦plus other choices.
My hubby had an excellent Tikka Masala one night and a chilli c0n carne another night. I also ate rainbow trout, salmon and plenty of fish, predominately hake that I would never touch at home .not bad for a 2*hotel IMO.

I was told that the menu does vary during the summer months to accommodate the burger, pizzas and hot-dog type of clients, but the "basic" food choice of meat/fish and vegetables also remains.
The head chef is so proud of his kitchen that I can truthfully state, that I was invited to video his kitchen, and I declined the offer because I did not wish to insult this mans integrity one night the chips were not hot enough for me and he explained that the type of chips that they buy, (which are like fat English "fish shop" chips, not thin French fries,) they have a high flour content that cools rapidly after cooking .and that man walked back into his kitchen and returned within a few minutes with a plateful of red hot chips that burnt the roof of my mouth off, straight out of the deep fat fryer.
I regard my standards to be quite high these days, and I know for a fact that my husband would turn around on his heels and walk out of that restaurant and we would eat outside if the food was rubbish"¦he certainly would not eat it, just because we had paid for it that's a fact.!!!!
People were moaning about the food, but they still managed to fill their plates up every night from the buffet and went back for more .and considering the price that some of them paid for 2 x weeks full board with flights and transfers included, in a 2* rated hotel, then I really do not know what the hell they were expecting.

Someone was complaining about the beds being hard and feeling the springs through the mattress and that there were holes in the sheets"¦"¦well, me and Mr Sanji slept like "rip van winkle" and there was nothing wrong with our beds, the sheets were changed every 3 days and one change of sheets did have a couple of very small holes that looked like cigarette burns in them, but it didn't stop me from sleeping or make me sleep any better the sheets were clean and that's all that mattered to me I was not in a 5* hotel or had paid 5* prices.
I had clean towels every day and the room cleaned.

Now with regards to the "bug" that is not only in this hotel, but is in Benidorm and other hotels as well.
After having a lengthy conversation with the Director, I can again truthfully state that this hotel has bent over backwards to try and eradicate this "bug", and this is probably one of the cleanest hotels in Benidorm at the moment.
I saw NOTHING with more than 2 legs the whole fortnight that I was there"¦and that is more than I can say for some hotels that I have stayed in with a higher star rating.
There are health inspectors coming in every 2 weeks to test the levels of bacteria on the food and inspect the kitchen, the staff have all undergone and are continuing intensive training in food hygiene/preparation and the situation is being monitored daily between Spain and the UK (Thomson) via faxes.
I videoed the restaurant being cleaned after breakfast and you will see when I get around to editing it for this forum, the lengths that the workers are taking in cleaning this restaurant daily.
The whole place is thoroughly cleaned daily and they have disinfected all door handles, lifts remote controls, air vents etc and this is still being carried out.
The Director has placed notices in all toilets (men and women's) urging people to please wash their hands using the facilities that are ready available .
We were having a siesta one afternoon and thought that someone was trying to get into our room, it was the maid going down the corridor disinfecting the entire door handles and then the lift.

There is only so much that an hotel can do, and from my observations not only as a tourist but also a retired nurse, then I will say that the general public are also contributing to the infectious cycle of this "bug"
I witnessed people walking straight off the street and into the restaurant without washing their hands"¦including one ignorant old guy who insisted on placing his walking stick which had been all over Beni, on the clean white tablecloth to "save" his table while he went and picked bread up with his hands instead of using the tongs available but he probably would have left all his germs on the tongs for the next person anyway, so how do you win in a situation like this.?

The Director himself told me, that he has gone into the gents toilets pretending to adjust his tie in the mirror and has seen men using the toilet and waltzing straight out without washing their hands and in to the restaurant the same happens in the ladies as well.
I was ill with sickness and diarrhoea for the first 12 hours and then I had no problems after that"¦where I picked that "bug" up could have been anywhere from the plane including the meal, the coach, a door handle or anywhere that some inconsiderate sod had left their germs, but I continued to eat in this hotel for another 13 days afterwards without problems and my hubby had no problems from day one.

I'm going back in 6 weeks and believe me I would not return under any circumstance, even if it meant I would lose all my money if the hotel was not clean or good value for money.
I don't have to "put up" with anything at my time of life and I always believe in telling it "how it is" and always the truth as I see it through my eyes....I would kick some asses without hesitation going straight to the top man if I was unhappy about something.

Make what you will about this post, but I wouldn't change one word for anyone.

Besos xxx
SanJi