Excelsior Palace

We arrived at the Hotel at 2.30a.m., very hot and very tired, only to find the air conditioner not working, we immediately told reception, and they informed us that it could be repaired but obviously not until the next day. We remained in the room, and the next day, after having a good look around our room, and the view from the window, we returned to reception and said we weren’t happy with the room. The room and especially its bathroom was extremely old and dated, and the view was of the rear of the hotel overlooking what looked like a cross between a building site and a refuse collection area. The reception staff said they could upgrade our room for an extra €20 per night, but not until after the current guests had checked out, which wasn’t until after 11a.m., and then the room would have to be cleaned. We agreed to this, but didn’t eventually get our new room until 2.30p.m., and we were still not unpacked, and still in our original travelling clothes. The new room was much better, but for €200 for a ten night break, it ought to have been! All was then well until a few days later the hotel hosted an 18th Birthday party, with many, many guests and fireworks right outside our ground floor bedroom window at 12.30a.m. We rang reception and complained, but the party was not moved away, then I personally went to reception, still in my nightware and asked for the party to be moved away again, which eventually, after about an hour or so, it was, but the music continued for some time after that! Not good when you are trying to sleep. Most of the breakfast was continental-as advertised, but the cooked breakfast part only consisted of a small dish of bacon and a small dish of scrambled eggs, which both took turn in running out, being eventually replaced by waiting staff that where more concerned about the pleat in the corner of the tablecloth, than keeping an eye on the amount of bacon and eggs that were constantly needing topping up! Also there were only one salt pot and one pepper pot to be shared by the whole breakfast area, the forks were not at each table setting, but instead all together hidden under a napkin-don’t know what that was all about? and you couldn’t find a teaspoon for love nor money, so had to stir your morning cuppa with a big cereal spoon. Apart from that the place was great! Beautiful gardens, lovely old hotel with bags of character, and plenty of space around the pool, with no one coming down at stupid o’clock in the morning with a towel.