Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel

Nicole Annan

I’m late in writing this review, but my boyfriend and I had the best stay at the Santa Catalina. What a special place! We stayed in a suite with a private patio. The room was luxurious and spacious. The building is historic with gorgeous architecture, and the grounds were so fun to explore. It really feels like a palace. We enjoyed both the rooftop and ground level pools, with their respective bars/dining. The lobby bar was lively in the evenings with live entertainment and friendly staff. There were lots of interesting people staying here - We met and made friends with several other guests. Every single staff member that we interacted with was kind and helpful. Also, the value for cost was exceptional. We felt the room rates were very reasonable, especially compared with rates in the US. We highly recommend!

A

Sadly was not as great as expected. After research this hotel came highly reviewed. The first day, the staff had forgotten to bring up our suitcases. We had to go downstairs to retrieve them. Thankfully the staff for the rest of the stay were very friendly. It is advertised as a family hotel but I think it is more of an adult hotel. They did not have any heated pools for children, which when having a toddler this is necessary. The rooftop was adults only so couldn’t enjoy this. Plus they had a party on the roof which could be heard from the rooms right below. The breakfast was quite nice and had variety of foods.

Cristian Popescu

I initially tried to book through Booking (the reservation was cancelled midway), then booked through Barceló. Somehow, I ended up with two rooms, even though the Booking reservation should have been automatically cancelled since I didn’t pay within the required time. I was told I needed to contact Booking to resolve this, which honestly shouldn’t be my responsibility - especially while on vacation. Sorting miscommunications between the hotel and Booking is not my job. Parking is not included either, so that’s an extra €20 fee (“only the king gets free parking” - for a €400/night room). After that, we went to the room and, surprise… someone was already there. Because of this, we were offered a VIP package with spa access. To be honest, the spa should already be included in the base package. I’ve never stayed at a 5-star hotel where spa access costs extra. The spa itself is very basic and feels quite old. You can clearly see water infiltration on the ceiling. People move from the sauna to the pool without showering, or from the pool straight to the sauna without a towel. That said, credit where it’s due: the hotel restaurant is very good, with quality food at reasonable prices, and the same goes for the rooftop bar.

Omar Choudhury

A truly fantastic hotel worthy of a five star rating. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was classy and the food delicious. The breakfast was amazing. The rooms are very well specified. No complaint and I would go back again.

Shida Khan

We have just returned from a 4 night stay at the Santa Catalina Hotel. We have had a wonderful stay, the rooms are immaculate, the staff are friendly and welcoming and nothing is too much trouble. They are professional and hard working and always greet you with a smile and a hello. Breakfast was fresh and varied and delicious and plentiful. Our stay was just perfect and we would highly recommend this hotel for a great stay!