We were booked into this hotel for Christmas and Newyear due to an over booking by LowCost Holidays at our original choice (booked in July?)
We had to choose this hotel because all other alternatives were not in the Old Town, which is where we needed to be staying.
I had to pay an extra £500 to upgrade to half board. What a waste of money that was , as we had to eat out for most of our stay. The food was very poor to say the least. I am a Diabetic, the only thing I could eat at breakfast was toast. Cereals were limited to fruity Muesli or sugar puffs.
Dinner was not much better , everything served with soggy chips and some of the most disgusting steamed veg combos I have ever seen.
The room we were given , 206 , had a sea view and was always well cleaned by the maid everyday, fresh towels and bedding too. However, the walls were splattered with something I dont want to contemplate. The headboards were rough old pallets , splinters a plenty, with two flourescent strip lights bright enough to be used as landing lights at Alicante airport, operated by a dodgy bacolite switch that sparked alarmingly each time used.
Bedside tables were made out of rough concrete building blocks with sort of pigeon holes you could store things in. No skin left on my knuckles after a few days. The only decent part was the bathroom.
Now an 'ART HOTEL' it may be, but really for art read rubbish.
I know its only two stars but I have been in better Hostels than this place.
They are also used by Spanish authorities to send patients with sever mental conditions on holiday. For 5 nights we had to endure constant door banging and shouting of some volume saying the same phrase over and over then crying , screaming and more shouting. None of the carers seemed bothered to quiet them down.
I would not recommend this hotel to my worst enemy.
Avoid it like the plague.

stayed here for a week in sept 2011 with my wife its lucky we didnt catch anything from this dirty filthy hole the rooms are like a concentration camp the food is not worth eating the staff are unfriendly this hotel caters for the locals only its no good complaining to them because they dont want to know this hotel should be knocked down and rebuilt or just turn it into a prison on my next trip to benidorm i am going to crap in the reception at the esmeralda to make the place smell better

stayed here for the fiesta week,great value for money and unbeatable location,it was cheap so you only get what you pay for but rooms cleaned everyday towels changed,good tip upgrade to a seaview room

We revisited the hotel in November with Friends for the Fiesta in Benidorm/ we had a fantastiv welcome from all of the staff in the Hotel, and were allocated two rooms on the 7th floor with ajoining balconys. One of our friends is a very fussy eater and was plesantly suprised that she found food she could eat at every meal. the hotel was as clean as ever and the food well cooked but the chips could have been hotter. A brilliant location for the fiesta as the parades and fireworks were all started within a two minute walk fron the hotel. Will definatley use this hotel again next year.