Hotel Cervantes

Simple, clean and in a great location. This is a fairly simple facility, so don’t expect grand measures, but everything met our needs. We are traveling with our 24 year old daughter, so we were placed in a room with four beds. There was enough room for a small desk and two side chairs, as well as a closet/bureau plus nightstands. The room was compact (and the bathroom was positively tight!), but the room was clean and quite comfortable. As it is very hot in Alicante in July, we were worried about the AC, but it was more than up to the task, which was a relief. The only negative was very limited outlets for charging devices. Best yet was *exceptional* service. When we arrived there was a screw up with our reservations (NOT the fault of our hotel nor of us, but due to the snafu in the booking system which placed us at another Hotel Cervantes in another city—despite booking the hotel we are in!). The upshot was that we had no reservation. This was late in the day; hotels were posting ‘no vacancy’ left and right. I was very worried that we would be sleeping in our car or needing to get a room for 500 euros or more for the one night. The check-in clerk (Señor Facundo) was absolutely amazing in helping us out. After spending 15 minutes coming to the realization that indeed, we did not have a reservation, he ran outside twice to help my husband figure out how to park in the area, booked us the last room in the hotel, ran outside again to save us the perfect free parking spot that was visible from his desk (!), and then helped us to find a great place for dinner. Truly, his help was extraordinary! The location is great if you are not focused on the beaches. We walked all over and found it easy to explore and to get around without difficulty. The tram is just a few blocks away. Plus you are next to the old town, and blocks from the castle. We did go down to the Esplanade, and spent time at the beach in the evening (the beach was packed, even after dark!), but only waded in the water. There are free showers with fresh water and there are lockers you can rent for your valuables at the beach, which is nice. Just be aware that you will need to bring your own towels.

Officially Hotel Cervantes is a two-star hotel, but during our five-day stay in March 2004 we found that the hotel and its staff delivered more than we might have expected from a two-star establishment. First, location. Except for the trip back and forth to the train station with our bags, we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go from the hotel. Second, cleanliness. Everything about our rooms and places in the hotel we visited screamed clean. The cleaning staff did a great job. Third, friendliness. Hats off to all the hotel front desk and cafeteria staff for being willing and able to help us with things we forgot to bring or needed during our stay. Downsides? The room was small, on the edge of too small, and the bathroom oddly laid out and with a door that could not be opened or shut quietly (so as not to wake sleeping partner). Also, hotel water gets really hot, really fast. Be careful about hitting the lever in the shower or you could find yourself with extremely hot water before you know it. Still, overall we were very pleased and can recommend Hotel Cervantes without reservation.