I've stayed in hotels in 25 countries and this is by far one of my top 10. It's unofficially classed as a 5 star... I'm an American expat living in England, so personally I think Americans would view it a very nice 4 star and Brits a 5 star.

The service has always been good; I've stayed in this hotel at least 6 times in 5 years.... and keep going back because the food is brilliant, the service excellent and unobtrusive, and the location is peaceful. Lloret de Mar is not the nicest resort area in Spain (I'd rate the area 2-3 stars in American standards, safe but a bit on the wild side, shopping is so-so, no Prada to be found here unless it's in the hotel boutique), but this hotel sits on a cliff and feels very secluded.

You could easily spend a week and never leave the hotel. The beach looks sandy, but is very fine pebble (slightly painful to walk in bare feet). Swim shoes are not helpful.. the little rocks tend to find their way in somehow.

The pool is lovely, but can be cold outside of summer. It is heated, but uses some sort of sand-heat system that isn't very effective when the weather is in the 60's/70's. There is a small indoor pool and jaccuzzi/sauna/steam room with a treatment area for massage etc. The hotel rules state no children in the indoor pool/spa area, but they were fairly lax about this rule when I was there last.

The food is magnificent but a tad on the expensive side. We enjoyed walking down to Lloret for lunch/dinner every day, as there are plenty of cafes and restaurants within very easy walking distance. Parking is pretty good, and I recommend having a car to go on long drives up the coastline or down to Barcelona.

Our last trip there we flew Ryanair into Girona and took a 45Euro taxi. Not too bad, and much cheaper than hiring a car for a weekend... but we regretted not being able to jet off to neighboring towns for meals. We arrived grouchy... because Ryanair charged us 77 euros for luggage fees being overweight. I would not have even classed the bags as being heavy, and you cannot "buy" extra bags.. there is a weight limit per person, not per bag. Check the fine print carefully... if you're headed to the beach for a week you might get caught out with too much stuff.

There are two water taxi services that stop right on the beach and take you south to Blanes and north to Tossa de Mar (with stops between as well). Tossa has a lovely old town to visit as well as nice shops and good waterfront cafes. Try the last cafe on the right as you disembark off the boat... they make a mean Sangria de Cava.

The breakfasts must be seen to be believed... and if you prefer eggs cooked another way, just ask. The coffee is to die for. Starbucks eat your heart out.

Breakfast on the terrace is a treat., and look out for the glass dolphins.

I like the rooms facing away from the pool better, as they're quiet and it's nicer at night (less lights). If you get one on the end, you'll have windows directly on the Med, and a balcony with a very nice side view. They have larger suites as well; we found that we didn't spend enough time in our room to enjoy it.

It's good value for money (esp. if you eat cheaply in Lloret, rather than the hotel restaurant every night), the service is very good, and if you're like us you'll go home more relaxed and tanned than you've been in a while.

Hi, . I reserved other hotel in the area (Fenls) using the Ryanair Hotels recommendation but I had to change. I found the Rigat, at the top of a hill, It is really fantastic, the view, food, staff... I read all these reviews about this hotel and I can not understand it. I supouse that is a classic, like and old Rolls, you like or not. Thank you, Dr. S. Raich

After disembarking from a glorious week on a luxurious cruise on the VOYAGER OF THE SEAS the week spent at this hotel was a rude come down? Now don't get me wrong the hotel was splendid, it was set in beautiful grounds and felt like being in an old castle...Rooms were average but kept clean daily. However. The location was not nice, Fennels had nothing going for it and Lloret de Mar was cheap and tacky...Yuk!!!
We had one day that was most enjoyable, a boat trip to Tossa del Mar full of culture and style. And nice people. Back at the hotel the staff were wonderful but the residents all Russians were downright rude, arrogant, miserable and totally unsociable. It seems that the main clientele are made up of this culture…shame. By the end of the week I just gave up with these people and wanted to go home. We would not go again and would sooner invest in 3 days Barcelona (fab) and a 14 night cruise (amazing) as opposed to the original holiday including this hotel. This would have been cheaper and a better experience of meeting happy smiley people.

Great location but shame about the area. Hotel on the Playa de Fenals beach but surrounded by down market medium rise hotels of the typical Lloret de Mar style, with the accompanying themed pubs/English/Irish and of course all day English breakfasts etc and all the associated shops selling tourist rubbish.
Generally staff friendly and helpful and food ok - we only took the breakfast buffet which was good.
The principle issue we had with the place was the so called suite.............and a permanent smell of bad drains in the room.
The suite was rather dated, shabby, with dark and gloomy decor and the facilities were also dated, with nasty shower curtains, and beds that were from a previous century, as were the TV's.
The biggest gripe was the background smell to the room which we complained about several times............damp, smelly Spanish drains. They made an effort to rectify, even resorting to putting one of those Glade smelly things in the electric wall socket!!
Overall an average place with dated decor and facilities.