Madeira Centro Hotel

storage behind the mirrored doors which also housed the safety deposit box. The air conditioning was digitally controlled.

The bathroom was a reasonable size and had a window which is unusual and let in some natural light. There was a bath with shower above and a glass screen rather than a curtain, sink, toilet and bidet. Water pressure and lighting were good. There was also a phone and a hairdryer in the bathroom.

We were full board. When you entered for breakfast you were given a coupon for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. There was ordinary orange juice and several other juices you could help yourself to. Breakfast was the usual fare – eggs, bacon, sausages, cold meats, cheese, pate, croissants, cakes, yogurts, etc, etc. Cava was also available.

There was a good selection of hot and cold dishes at both lunch and dinner. Wine was from €8 a bottle in the restaurant. There was often steak and lamb on the menu. There were no hot desserts, only cold. There was a Gala dinner on Thursday night when they served prawns, smoked salmon and paella. We found the food to be quite good, but not outstanding. I have given the foods a four star rating as it was better than three star, but three and a half stars would be more accurate.

We had Xmas lunch at the hotel which was a 7 course affair and was just OK, not wonderful. There were canapés to start, followed by parma ham, cheese and smoked salmon, then Christmas Stew soup which was a strange concoction which included chopped hard boiled eggs, lemon sorbet which you drank with a straw, then turkey with chestnut stuffing and trimmings. The chestnuts were all through the turkey so not good for those with nut allergies. Dessert was chocolate log. No coffee to finish, but you could have as much white or red wine and champagne as you wanted.

We visited the Santa Cruz cafeteria on the 20th floor, which was more like a smart lounge than a cafeteria. Drinks were quite expensive at €5.50 for a mixed drink, but they were extremely large even by Benidorm standards and felt double the strength of drinks we had elsewhere.

There is a small outdoor pool with a children’s section and plenty of sun loungers. There is also a gym , indoor pool and a beauty salon with sunbeds, sauna and they offered various treatments. The Monte Sol restaurant is on the 21st floor with excellent views of Benidorm, but it was closed while we were there.

All the staff we encountered were very nice and friendly. The occupancy of the hotel was about 80% Spanish and 20% other nationalities.

Hubby dropped money in the room and thought he had picked it all up, but the maid left a €2 coin on the dresser next day which she must have found under the bed so cleaning was thorough.

Smoking is allowed in the rooms and there is a smoking section on the ground floor in the conservatory.

The hotel also has free internet access in the rooms.

Cannot comment on the entertainment as we went out every night, but it seemed to be aimed at the Spanish which was fair enough as they were the majority of guests.

This is a four star hotel and it shows. Definitely a step up from the three star hotels we’ve been to.

does not start until 8pm we were off out.

The hotel is well staffed, especially the dining room and they were very efficient.


Points to note:-Breakfast was moved to 8.30am and we were not allowed in before that on our leaving day (8.35 pick-up) so no breakfast. The snack bar on the 20th floor was not open at all and was being used as a store. Poolside bar was only breifly opened after complaints.
If you want towels for the pool you can`t get them on a Sunday(12euros deposit).If you wish to dine in the Montesol restaurant (21st floor) book early if you wan`t a table with a view, you can only book from after 1pm and we missed out.
We would go back to this hotel we were on the 19th floor and the veiw was stunning.