This hotel made my holiday fantastic!

My first time in Salou with my 3 year old daughter I wanted it to be perfect.

The staff went out of their way for you, the food had good variety + was very nice.

Entertainment was ok, they have enough to keep the kids happy.

I wouldn

The Negresco Princess is set in an ideal location, with stunning views. We found the hotel staff to be very friendly. The waiter service was very good.
Entertainment was a little repetitive, but i have to say that the staff worked hard to ensure that we all had a great time.
The hotel was clean, the only issue we encountered was a faulty electric socket. which when reported was repaired immediately.
There was a variety of foods available daily.
I would not hesitate in recommending this hotel.

This was our first trip abroad, 4 of us Me, my wife, stepson, age 18, and his friend also 18. We arrived at Reus airport at about 9.30 on Tues 10th Sept 2002. My first surprise was the size of the airport. I don't know what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting an airport so small. There was one guy on passport control who had no real interest in looking at passports. The luggage was off the plane and in our hands within 30 mins, which I thought quite reasonable.

Once settled on the coach we was off to Salou. We was about the 4th drop off. As we stopped at various hotels within Salou I noticed my wife getting more and more apprehensive. Some of the hotels we were stopping at didn't look the most inviting, and as it was her idea to go to Spain she knew I would be ready to ridicule her idea at the slightest invitation.
We stopped on the main Salou - La Pineda road and started to reverse down a side street. Out of the coach we got and grabbed our luggage. As I stood and looked round I saw a grubby waste land next to me, Oh dear, I thought. Then I turned and saw the hotel. Hmm better then the previous ones we had seen. And here begun probably one of the best Holidays in one of the best hotels we have ever been to.

A bit off the beaten track, about a mile from Salou. The hotel is set in quiet surroundings with another hotel in the Princess group opposite. It's served quite well with the buses which stop at the top of the road, avoid the train bus as this is about 3 times the price of the normal Pana buses.
On entering your faced with a very large reception area. There are only 2 small lifts, but hey, how long do you spend using a lift!. We had 2 rooms, 1 for us 1 for the boys. Although not huge they were more then big enough for the 2 of us. Air conditioned, TV, Phone and beds, what more do you need? Oh, why don't they have tea making facilities? Although we had been given a small kettle by a friend she forget to give us cups to go with it. If you need to buy a couple hunt around in Salou market, you'll be surprised at the difference in prices.

Meals are served in the basement restaurant, and yes there is some queuing but if you time it right they can be avoided, and you only need to show your meal card, no signing books.
The food is very good and varied, as seems to be the case in most reviews I have read in this forum.
with the wine waiters having a keen eye for customers.


There are 2 bars both a comfortable size, the main bar having a large sun terrace and the other, The Piano bar, having a large TV at one end and a piano player at the other, he arrives about 8.30, a good time to move on !!
The main nightly entertainment was varied and worked between the Negresco and the hotel opposite, so what you miss one week you can catch in the other hotel the second, I must take my hat off to the in house entertainment team, 3 guys and 3 girls. They provide games and competitions for kids and families during the day and then provide a cabaret show in the evenings, although not the best in the world the are a very talented bunch, well, they amused us on occasion.

The swimming pool area is clean and spacious with a main pool and a small "paddling pool". It also has a splendid sea view. We never had any problems getting sun beds and with a bar/snack bar is well serviced.
As for the bar staff and waiters, well you couldn't meet a nicer bunch. They even bought us a drink!

A small beach is a 10 minute walk away with sun loungers costing 3 Euro a day, not knowing any better It sounds ok to me.

The Thompson reps done a good job and were always around to answer any questions. We took the excursion to Barcelona taking in the zoo and football stadium with a couple of hours spare in the city, which was good.

We also ventured out on our own to Tarranoga. A word of warning here. My wife spent a very interesting few minutes glaring at 2 pick pockets who operate in the bus station. From what we could see this was the only place to pick up a bus from to get back to Salou, with a direct bus to the Negresco only leaving every hour. If you find yourself waiting for a bus take the first one to Salou and then get a cab or another bus back to the hotel. I'm pleased to say that my wife's glares scared them off and just like here, theres never a policeman about when you want one.


To end this novel I'll just say that the Negresco Princess is a very good hotel. I wont be going back next year because I've now got the travelling bug, but I will return one day as it's a Damn fine place. A few holiday snaps can be seen at: