Elba Costa Ballena Beach & Thalasso Resort

This property is within walking distance of the beach, and free self-parking is available near the hotel.

By BobC, from San Jose, California on May 9, 2019

I found the room basic but these things were not n the riom: wash cloths,kleenex box, iron snd ironing board, coffee maker, microwave. At pool, towels werenot available. Parking charge of 15euros/day was outragious

By a verified traveler on Jul 30, 2018

Very poor regard for customer needs and requests from the front desk staff, including the manager. Instead of providing me aroom in the upper part of the hotel, It felt as though I was exiled into the dungeon. Instead of providing a comfortable room, I had to endure a room with an extremely bad odor of mold as you entered the room. And instead of providing me a quiet floor where I can get some sleep from an extremely bad jet lag, I was subjected to endure the pounding and concrete - cutting right outside my room for several hours for two days! (Thank God the construction crew took Sunday off!) And instead of the water flowing into the drain in the shower, the water flowed all over the bathroom floor instead, which solves the mistery of the very pungent mold odor that I had to endure for three days!!! As if that were not enough, the dining area staff seem to have been hired to argue with you instead of accommodating you. The problem in the dining area is that huge sections were closed off. Granted there is enough room in the dining facility to do so, IF they had not set aside several sections for the many large groups that were in the hotel. This left small parties such as couples and solo travelers out. This is where the dining staff could have helped, instead of arguing with people who aré simply looking for a place to sit. Overall avoid room 104, and ignore the dining staff - sit where you wish!

By Bob, from Silicon Valley, USA on Mar 25, 2018

Three week business trip. Full board was included - made it very convenient for dining and the buffets were wonderful. WiFi supported business requirements as well as streaming Netflix in the evenings. Parking under hotel was adequate - designed for small cars.

By a verified traveler on Jun 13, 2017

My wife and I are in the early 50s, came to have a relaxing night. They initially put us on the ground floor behind a stage and close to the bar. We checked in the afternoon and didn't know about a kids program that will be held on the stage. The emcee/host can be heard vey loudly from our room (230). When I asked at 10PM, we were told it will last past 1am. Fortunately, I was able to convince the night front desk personnel to move us to a different room where the beds squeak like crazy. Well, you can't have it all, I guess. Breakfast is good.

By Joey and Sol on Apr 2, 2013

its a great place the hotel was excellent and short drive to base

By Gerardo Magnifico on Nov 13, 2012

Go to travel site to book because once their it gets expensive. The Hotel is about 10 minutes away from tourist area downtown rota and 15 minutes away from base. The room was immaculate the fridge was not on but since I did not use it I did not investigate further. Meals are expensive 25 euros per person not including drinks (even water) Breakfast was just fantastic, eggs to order fruit, yogurts, excellent meat selections and coffee. The breakfast sweet breads were fantastic. Plan your meals and adjust accordingly if staying in get the plan with meals included. Stay closer to lobby for best internet connection. I would definitely stay here again. Beach is walking distance with showers.

By Gerardo Magnifico on Sep 28, 2012

Friendly staff. Very nice room for the price. Beautiful location. Take advantage of the nice, clean beach while you are there. If you go on business as I did, make sure you take time out to go to the beach and enjoy walking around Rota.Make sure you remind them that you booked through [...]so they don't charge you a second time.

By Anonymous on Jul 1, 2011

This review is based on a trip that I took during the summer of 2010. First the bad (not much of that). Parking is difficult. When I arrived in my rental car, there was no parking available in the hotel's parking garage. So I had to circle around for awhile and park on the street pretty far away. Once I was able to get into hotel parking, it was a little more to park there each night than I had anticipated. The other problem is that there are not a lot of food options close by. I could eat at the hotel buffet for a lot money for each meal (unless I had meals included, which I did not know about before I got there) or drive to another establishment. None were in very close walking distance, although it was nice to walk to some places in the afternoon for a cerveza. Now for the good. The rooms are incredible. Very large rooms, beds, and bathrooms by European standards. The pool was great, which I had an incredible view of from my balcony. I only spent one day at the pool, since it is also only a few minutes walk to the beach, which is not crowded at all. I really enjoyed my time at the nearby beach, which has very nice facilities for a free public beach. The staff was friendly and the bartenders at the lobby bar at night were especially good. The night show for kids is equally entertaining for adults, even if you don't speak Spanish. I took this trip to relieve some stress from work, since I had not taken a vacation for a long time. I slept better here than I had in a long time, and was finally able to relax. I felt years of stress melt away. I wanted a place where I could do nothing but relax, and this was the perfect place for it. The hotel is a close drive to Chipiona, where I went to watch Spain win the World Cup. I did not use the spa, but it was a short elevator ride away. In all, I spent a week relaxing at a very nice hotel and I feel rejuvenated to go back to work. I do not take this lightly because i have been to a several places around Europe and this was the best for that purpose. No sight seeing, just total relaxation.

By Anonymous on Jul 17, 2010