C/ Les Dunes 2, Salou, Spain | (888) 635-3814
Situated directly above a small beach and cove on Cap Salou
15-minute drive to PortAventura theme park
Large and clean pool complex, including children’s pool
Buffet restaurant serving Spanish and pan-European food
Full- and half-board rates available
Gym plus a high-season kids’ club and family activities
Rooms are clean and feature air-conditioning and flat-screen TVs
Free Wi-Fi in rooms and communal areas
Cannot walk to main Salou action; it's a 10-minute drive
Dated rooms with uncomfortable beds
Food tends to be unexciting
Charge for use of fridge in rooms
Set on top of steep hills, so unsuitable for wheelchairs
The Hotel Cala Font is a 312-room family hotel just above a small beach in Cap Salou. The pool complex, which includes a kids' pool, capitalizes on the sunny setting, and there's a kids' club and nightly entertainment. Rooms are basic and a bit dated, but clean, and most have small balconies with views across the Mediterranean. The hotel has free Wi-Fi in its rooms and communal areas, though there are fees to use mini-fridges. Pan-European and Spanish fare is available in the buffet restaurant, and while full- and half-board rates are available, reviews are only mediocre. There are just a few shops and restaurants nearby, and those looking for something right in Salou with more style might check out the H10 Salou Princess, though it's pricier.
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Scene
A basic, budget hotel designed with young families and sun-worshippers in mind
The Hotel Cala Font was designed with families in mind, and the interiors are a blend of dated and modern spaces. The lobby, in particular, makes a nice welcome, and includes a glitzy two-story chandelier that passes the dining room below. There are a number of colorful bench seats throughout the hotel's lobby, though the bar below is a bit airport lounge. Like most hotels in the region, it's about the outdoors here, and the west-facing orientation allows swimmers and sun-bathers to make the most of the long summer hours. Given its relatively reasonable rates and setting above a small beach, it's popular despite its flaws, and buzzes with the noise of young families. At night, the hotel lays on entertainment, which is lavish or cheesy, depending on your tastes and how charitable you’re feeling. Children are amply provided for, with a kids’ club during high season and family-friendly activities year-round.
Location
Set just above a small beach in Cap Salou, a 10-minute drive to town
Jutting out from a cliffside onto a beach in Cap Salou, the hotel is designed for sun-seekers. However, this geography also isolates the hotel, and it sits atop a steep hill that makes it unsuitable for parents with children in strollers or travelers with limited mobility. Additionally, there’s not much in the immediate vicinity save a few rather basic shops and restaurants. Those preferring the action in Salou will need to undertake a 10-minute bus or car ride, while PortAventura, a popular area theme and water park, is 15 minutes away by car. Expect a 35-minute drive to Reus Airport, or an hour and 15 minutes by car to Barcelona's much larger airport.
Rooms
Clean, but basic and dated, with fees for mini-fridges; some rooms have great beach views
The rooms at the Cala Font are clean and spacious, but fairly dated. Think: oak-veneer dorm-like furniture and quartz chunk floors, and little in the way of wall art. Bright white pebbledash walls, plus orange-on-gray accents, do keep things bright and add some appeal, but these aren't the kind of rooms that inspire lounging about. Each room is equipped with an LCD television that has satellite service and a few international channels. It’s worth noting that while every room has a mini-fridge, they must be rented from the hotel. Safes are available, but likewise, must be rented. Wi-Fi is free in every room. There's air-conditioning, but only in high season. The hotel’s mattresses are firm, which may prove a turn-off for those used to sinking into a feather bed. Junior Suites are available with a partially separate sitting area, though upgrades don't add many additional extras. All rooms also have balconies with seating, some of which have sea views. Bathrooms are basic, but the white marble fittings do add a little polish. They include shower/tub combos, a decent amount of counter space, and a selection of toiletries.
Features
Direct beach access, pool and children's pool, kids’ club, and mediocre buffet dining
Throw a stone from one of the Hotel Cala Font’s sea-view balconies, and it’ll hit the beach -- that’s how close this hotel is to the Mediterranean. The small but sheltered beach offers safe bathing due to its shallow incline, and its golden sand is picture-perfect. Away from the beach, the hotel has two swimming pools -- one for adults, and one for children -- set on a large terrace overlooking the sea. A mixture of local and pan-European food is served in the hotel’s buffet-style dining room, and guests seeking a full English will be able to find it alongside Continental breakfast options. Live music and entertainment is offered nightly, and there's a kids’ club offering plenty of activities from June through September. Half- and full-board options are available, though reviews on food are mediocre.A fitness room includes free weights and cardio training machines, and there's a badminton court, as well as yoga, and table tennis. An external company runs water polo sessions on a regular basis. Free Wi-Fi is available in the hotel’s rooms and common areas, and parking is also free.
