Hotel Flats Friends Mar Blau

Where to start, 1st of all if you just want a room with a view of the sea this place is the place for you,cheap as chips, beautiful sea view, lovely shower, great staff, and wonderful bars and restaurants within walking distance, we will definitely be back, amazing for 2 stars.

Not a good experience at Flats Friends, Benidorm. We had a 12 day stay in a studio at what can only be described as a 1* hostel with a view. They seemed to have spent their budget on the frontage and reception area. The lifts are tiny and can barely get 2 people in with a suitcase each. The rooms are poorly furnished, no table lamps by the bedside, uncomfortable beds and pillows. The room although large was in a very poor state, with peeling plaster walls and ceilings, rusty leg’s on the dining table, chipped paintwork, damaged flooring in kitchen, mouldy black stained kitchen and bathroom sealant and an awful 80’s tiled Kitchen walls. There was a ceiling fan that didn’t work and although the air conditioning was modern it was very noisy and couldn’t be left on to sleep comfortably at night. We had to open the balcony doors to allow some movement of air, unfortunately this came with the added bonus of all the street noise from the very loud bar below and the bin Lorry’s ,street cleaners and very early hours delivery’s. Hygiene is poor! Towels were changed only every 3 days for which you had to go to reception to change and were not always available when needed and definitely not full size. Bedding, sheets, pillow slips and covers were on a 7 day rotation which is totally unacceptable on any level particularly as it was hot and sweaty. Again you had to go to reception for clean ones after firstly stripping your bed and then back to your room to make your bed ( I thought I was back in barracks), surprised we weren’t told to make a bed block!) They do supply a mop, bucket, brush and dustpan but no cleaning materials. The TV had a large scratch on the screen and only has UK channels BBC 1 & 2 . The dark haired girl on reception wasn’t very helpful and everything seemed too much trouble for her, however the guys who did the weekend were excellent. The location is top notch, the building is secure (provided no one leaves the door open after 6 pm), the communal areas are spotlessly clean and the Wi-Fi is good. Wouldn’t stay there again unless vast improvements made!!!

Wow the hotel is in a perfect sea front location ideal for beach and old town amenities. To be fair the hotel is very basic . But rooms are in great condition linen & bedding perfect and cleaned every day incline toiletries aswell. Surprisingly quite with it's location. We had a back lane balcony not a city view as described but it was all good probably not big enough to sit on anyway. Tv only spanish speaking . Ye would deffo recommend this hotel as a nice budget holiday .

Our experience here was marred by the first point of contact - the receptionist. Such a bad start to our two night stay as it is ruined our time here. We arrived just short of 2 hours early but hoped to store our luggage until check in time. There was sign up to say back in ten minutes, so we waited. The receptionist came out eating so we apologised but honestly she was very hostile that we had interupted her lunch. At check in time we went back, this same female receptionist was checking in a Spanish couple and again she was huffing and puffing and rolling her eyes. The Spanish lady that was being checked in was looking around at us and the couple behind and shrugging as to why the receptionist was being like this. So then it was our turn & because we hadn't completed the online check prior to arriving she waved her hand to dismiss us to the back of the queue. I tried explaining there was a fault on their system as i had tried twice to do this & had taken a screen shot to show it wasn't possible but again she was awful - the couple waiting behind us then came forward ( he was Spanish and his wife was a Brit living in spain with him for twenty years) This couple got really mad at the receptionist as they had witnessed both our treatment & the other couples too and they had also had the same problem checking in online beforehand. They had ALSO turned up to the ' back in ten mins' sign and not knowing how long that sign had been up for ( be it 2 minutes or all day!) & had ALSO sat waiting and then been greeted with the same hostility we had. The receptionist was waving her hands around at them but the couple were standing their ground & stating we are all paying customers and that her whole attitude was absolutely shocking. We were on a little road trip, staying in Alicante & Villajoyosa beforehand and had no problem checking in online beforehand at any previous hotels. The error was with them. What a shame the hotel employs such an unpleasant individual to check in new guests. I'm guessing it isn't a family run hotel?! On our two day stay, you are instructed to leave your key at reception when leaving the hotel. My husband had to pass it her as I was done being spoken to like garbage. Dark blonde hair scraped back into a ponytail wearing glasses in her mid thirties. I would never stay here again.

Old Town Ideal Superb location on sea front.

Value for money...