Guest User
September 19, 2022
Moli de l’Escala promotes itself as a “hotel gastronomic” which implies, to me, that the culinary experience is above average. I found this to be very far from my experience. The hotel breakfast was well below acceptable levels. The first day (a Monday, which perhaps explains the following) featured no fresh fruit at all, but an assortment of canned fruit. The second day had only one plate with fresh fruit and again mostly canned fruit options. Every day, the orange juice was from a carton. The pastries were somewhat dry, possibly a day or two old. Cold cuts were also dry, although the cheese selection was acceptable. No hot food was offered to us, and only the third day I was asked if I wanted something from the kitchen (such as eggs) which up until that point I didn’t even know it was available (I am a native Spanish speaker, so it wasn’t a matter of not understanding – it simply wasn’t offered). Breakfast goes from 10AM through noon, which is a terrible span as it cuts the morning and interferes with lunch. It should start at 8:30 or 9:00 at the latest. Worse, it is offered only outside which during a 90-degree sunny morning is most unpleasant because most of the tables are in the sun. I asked to move from an already-set table in the sun to another, not set, that was in the shade. The waitress told me I wasn’t allowed (?). I spoke with the manager and promptly was moved, with apologies, to the empty table, which suggests that some of the staff isn’t properly trained or has an “I can’t be bothered” attitude. Was it that much work to move a couple of plates? Still curious about dinner, I made a reservation for one of the nights. My appetizer was fried anchovies “Roman style” which had a pretty oily and soggy batter. The main dish, which was for two, consisted on a pot with a boiled lobster (that had virtually no meat and, because of being boiled, a rubbery, tough texture); snails (again, not very tasty and boiled), and meatballs (?) with a sauce that didn’t taste very good, perhaps because of the clashing mixture of ingredients. The dish was described as an old recipe of “poor folk” and it certainly tasted that way. I am all for “interesting” dishes that are also “delicious” but interesting for its own sake without regards for taste is not the way to go. The dining room is attractive, however, and the night staff seemed considerably more professional. Still, for the price and quality, the restaurant and the whole experience left much to be desired. The hotel room was large and comfortable, but the location is very inconvenient. While the building itself is charming, it is adjacent to a main artery and a roundabout across the street from industrial/commercial spaces and far from the beach, so the location is not conducive to the beach experience that is the core of a Costa Brava vacation. Will definitely not return.
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