Hotel Ambassador Playa Benidorm

The 3 star Hotel Ambassador Playa in positioned in fantastic location in Benidorm. Many of Benidorm's better known bars and clubs are right outside the front gate - the Western saloon, John & Joseph's, The Black Chicken, Morgan's Tavern (Neptune's Bar in ITV's comedy series, Benidorm), and many more.

Situated on flat land, there are no hills to climb in the immediate vicinity. The Levante beach is only two blocks away and the route is filled with cafe-bars and shops to catch your interest en route.

If I had a choice of hotels to book in Benidorm, I would put the Playa Ambassador near the top of the list, judging on location alone. It's central; it's in the middle of everything so you would never need to take a taxi home and the short stroll to and from the beach is a pleasure to walk.

The Ambassador Playa has 460 rooms housed in two separate blocks. Each block has 10 floors and two lifts(elevators). Each twin room is spacious unless you book for three people, in which case, they put a third bed directly into a twin room and then space becomes extremely limited. Fortunately, not many of us go on holiday to spend all our days shut away inside a bedroom so it isn't a great issue, but if there are three in your party, you may wish to consider this as you then have to find space for all your luggage too.

The rooms are well-maintained, and have a daily maid service with bed sheets changed twice a week.

Each room is advertised as having an en suite bathroom with hairdryer, but it would seem that in reality the hairdyers are only available from reception and that a deposit is payable.

Rooms have recently been equipped with flat screen TV's showing satellite television, but again you have to pay a deposit at reception for the remote control unit to work the TV. The rooms also come fully equipped with air conditioning. Again, some people seemed to have to pay for a deposit for a remote control unit to work the AC, while others didn't.

All rooms have a safety deposit box (payable for at reception), a telephone, and a terraced balcony. Baby cots are available on request.

Note: If you are allocated a room that does not have pool views, rest assured you are more likely to have a peaceful vacation, as rooms with pool views also receive street noise throughout the night.

Accommodation offered at the Ambassador Playa is half-board or full board, and its restaurant serves buffet-style food. Catering, as it does, for mainly British clients you will find breakfasts offer porridge, a full English breakfast - with greasy Spanish bacon of course, but I actually find it has more flavor than English bacon so stop complaining and enjoy it - and a good choice of cereals and fresh fruit.

Meals include drinks of fresh fruit juices and teas or coffees, but water, wine and beer is extra.

In keeping with an English theme, potato chips are offered with every dish outside of breakfast time, and the Spanish chefs do a passable job of cooking British cuisine, although many complaints have been made that it is the same thing on the menu day after day.

If you find this to be the case, then you may be happier to know that the eateries surrounding the Hotel Ambassador Playa mostly serve British food and at really cheap prices. You are spoilt for choice at this location really.

The Hotel Ambassador features two outdoor swimming pools, both with children's shallow ends. One of the pools gets covered in winter and is heated between November and April.

The hotel employs a resident entertainer to organise activities round the pools every day, while children get entertained by a staff member who supervises safe play in the pools and organises activities to keep small children entertained.

By far and the biggest complaint the Hotel Ambassador receives is having too few sun beds and shade umbrellas round the pools.

This results in many rising early to 'book' sunbeds by placing towels over them. The hotel has strongly discouraged this practise as it causes more trouble then anything else. Many people reserve sunbeds early, but don't actually use them until the afternoon.

This is extremely selfish and arrogant behaviour and I hope if anyone reading this has been guilty of undertaking this practise that they can hang their heads in shame. You are letting your country down and giving the Brits a bad name abroad.

There is a lot more to Benidorm than just lying on a sunbed all day. You could stay at home and go to a sun salon if all you wanted was a tan.

The Hotel Ambassador Playa features an underground Spa and Fitness centre. Guest who have used those facilities say they are wonderfully relaxing, and it certainly looks the part.

It features a :

• gym 
• sauna
• Turkish bath
• indoor plunge pool
• whirlpool bath
• ice patio
• solarium
• massage and beauty treatments are available

You have to pay to use the gym and spa facilities, as they are run by a separate company, but it is only something like €5 ($3) for 2 hours. As all of us end up gaining quite a bit of weight on even a short vacation to the likes of Benidorm where we lie around eating, drinking and not doing much else. This is a fantastic opportunity to come home tanned, toned and looking healthy.

This is a great hotel for children, despite the rooms being cramped when they are sharing with you. As I said already, they do have a person employed to help keep the kids amused during the day, although they don't have a Kids Club as such. Both of the pools have a shallow end in which the children can play in relative safety, and there is playground area for the kids in the garden. In the summer, the play area is exposed to the full force of the sun's rays after 11am, and you may find the equipment becomes too hot for your child to use.

The dining room is equipped with highchairs.

The hotel also features two pool tables and a games room for older children or adults, and have nightly entertainment in the form of line dancing, foklore shows or live music.

There are 3 bars within the hotel complex, with a pool bar open in peak season only. I was amazed to learn that the Western Saloon is actually owned by and is part of the Ambassador Playa complex.

If you would like to stay at the Hotel Ambassador Playa in Rincon de Loix (the New Town) in Benidorm, call them direct on 0034 965 851 418 Fax 0034 965 851 613. Their postal address is

Hotel Ambassador Playa

Calle Gerona, 39-41
Benidorm
Costa Blanca

03500

I have no association with the above mentioned organization, nor receive commission for any bookings made. This article is written for informational purposes only.