Just returned from a fab week at The Brisa Hotel in Benidorm. The hotel has recently undergone a major renovation so ignore all the old photos that are on this site. The hotel has now been given a well-deserved 4*status.

I emailed the hotel prior to going asking for a high floor with twin beds and a large balcony as I noticed that some of the rooms had double beds and that the balconies to the right of the property were very small.

My friend and I were welcomed by Alfonso on reception who said we'd be pleasantly surprised by the room he'd allocated us and boy we were! We were in room 508 which is as high as you can go unless you have paid for a suite. We were only one in from the front row and we had a fantastic view of the Levante beach.

The room was of a decent size and very modern. There wasn't loads of storage space but we aren't girls who travel light so for anyone else it would be quite adequate. There was a mini bar which we used just the once for a can of Fanta priced at 2 euros which I thought was reasonable for an iced cold soft drink.

The bathroom had a sliding door and a huge walk in shower suitable for wheelchair users. There was a basket with not only shampoo, shower gel etc. but also a toothbrush and toothpaste which I though was a nice touch. The aircon was very efficient which was a godsend given it was in the 90's every day. You did have to remember to have the balcony door closed for it to work which I think is the norm but it was a bit of a pain if one of us wanted to sit out and the other was getting ready and wanted it to be cool.

The dining room was lovely and very relaxing, not like most of the larger hotels where you have to fight for tables and often have to clear the table yourself. The crockery was of a good quality and had The Brisa logo on them and the plates are enormous. I also liked the fact that the coffee/tea cups were laid on the table on a morning and were of a decent size, not the usual mini cups that only hold a mouthful.

On a Half board basis you can choose whether to have lunch or dinner and if you are going out for the day, you can order a packed lunch the night before. There was a surprisingly large selection at lunchtime given that the hotel only has 70 rooms.

Although I'd read previously that the staff were a bit aloof we certainly didn't find that. They were all very friendly and welcoming. I hope if you book the Brisa after reading this that you have a pleasant experience as we did. It's not a hotel that is suitable for large groups of people, more suited to couples, solos or a very small group of friends.