New in the Villamarina for 2009

Interview with the Manager of Hotel Villamarina
By Timmy Tiger

As we are coming to the start of our season I thought it necessary to find out exactly what has been going on in the Villamarina 3 star all inclusive hotel and to see what is new for summer 2009.

1. As an all inclusive hotel what is your main priority for summer 2009?
Our main priority is to ensure we are offering our customers value for money all inclusive holiday in Salou.

2. How have you ensured you are offering what the customer wants?
Every year we ask customer to complete questionnaires, and by reading these and taking everyone’s comments and suggestion on bored we hope to have improved our product and service to them to ensure this all inclusive family hotel is exactly what our customers are looking for.

3. What suggestions have you implemented in to the villamarina?
There was many suggestions made in the questionnaire and we have taken the following and implemented them

· Customers commented that the showers were not good and would fall off
For this summer all rooms have new shower heads and supports to resolve this issue.

· Insufficient Toilets for the amount of people.
We have created new toilets by the bar terrace area and on the roof top solarium giving the hotel now 4 sets of toilets in the main areas.

· Pool areas are too small.
We have extended the pool terrace area of one of the pools to create more space for our customers to relax and enjoy their all inclusive holiday.

· Kids club, too small and not visable
The location of the kids club has been changed to the area of the play park; we have built a little wooden house, were all the activities will commence from, creating a more spacious environment.

· There is nowhere for the adults to get away.
This was our biggest project to try and complete. The villa marina as you know is a very family orientated hotel with lots of children as we are a family all inclusive hotel, however we also have many guest that are just as important who come that do not have children, so to be able to offer them a relaxing all inclusive holiday the whole of the roof top of the main building has been transformed in to an adults only area with a bar, 2 Jacuzzis and lots of sunbathing space. This will also be open on evening to enjoy a relaxing drink.

Can you tell me about Villamarina all inclusive apartments?

The Villamarina is now offering large 2 bedroom apartments on all inclusive giving customers the best of both worlds.
The apartments have all been painted, all have washing machine and we will be putting air con in to the main room.
These all inclusive apartments are ideal for groups of friends or larger families.

What else have you changed for summer 2009?

Of course every year we look at the entertainment programmed for new shows and activities, which we have also done for this summer, we have some great shows lined up.
One other thing we have looked at and arranged is the big inflatable’s coming in to the swimming pools in high season for 1 day per week, for all the family to enjoy
The whole of this all inclusive hotel has had a face lift, with all the rooms been painted and the hotel in general has had lots of small changes and repairs made
Another big transformation is the entrance to the hotel has been changed, with new flooring and a slightly different design making the hotel look different and more sophisticated especially when illuminated in an evening.
The luggage room has been made bigger giving more storage space for suitcases.

How to you think this summer will go? And what advice do you have for customers with regards to the recession?

We are hoping that we have a summer the same as we do every year, the Villamarina welcomes everyone and our priority is to offer good value for money all inclusive family holidays, with a friendly atmosphere.
We understand that this summer maybe particular hard for people as it will be for the hotel. And this is why we have to ensure we are offering value for money all inclusive holiday, to ensure this helps reduce the cost for people whilst on holiday in Salou, especially with the Pound against the Euro not been very strong.

Do you have a lot of the same staff coming back? Do I still have a Job?

The villamarina try’s to ensure we have the same staff come back year on year to ensure this all inclusive hotel in salou is offering a friendly environment for our customers.
With regards to you Timmy, what can I say: everyone loves you so of course you are coming back?

Do you have anything else to add?

Our ambition is to ensure that everyone has a fantastic holiday here at this 3* all inclusive hotel in salou and we thank everyone who has already booked to come visit us this summer, and welcome everyone to the Villamarina.

All Inclusive apartments in Salou

Hotel Villa Marina is now able to offer you all inclusive apartments in Salou.

Villa Marina’s large 2 bedroom apartments are located within a 2 minute walk from the main hotel and its facilities, offering larger families a great opportunity to enjoy an all inclusive holiday in Salou.

The large 2 bedroom apartments are fully equipped with Kitchen, living room, bathroom, large balcony, television, air conditioning and 2 bedrooms, sleeping up to 6 people making them the perfect choice for large families and groups of friends.

1 bedroom has a double bed or 2 singles, 1 bedroom has 2 single beds or bunk beds, the living room has a sofa bed and a camp bed still leaving you with lots of space to relax and be comfortable.

By choosing to stay in our all inclusive apartments you will receive 3 meals per day, all soft drinks, local wine, beer and spirits, snacks throughout the day, ice creams and a full entertainment programme for adults and children to enjoy.

All inclusive holidays are fantastic value for money, with not having to worry about extra cost for your food and drink, eurozone prices and credit crunch.

This all inclusive hotel ensures you have everything that you need food, drink, and entertainment for all the family.

The Villa marina all inclusive apartment are offering you the best of both worlds, you have self catering facilities and still all your food and drink included at the same time.

Having self catering facilities is ideal if you are travelling with a baby and need a fridge for the milk, if you have medicine which needs to be kept cool or you are simply a large family who does not want to be separated in to 2 hotel rooms.

The Hotel Villa Marina can offer you hotel rooms or 2 bedroom apartments on all inclusive board basis.

For a great all inclusive holiday in Salou have a look at the Villa Marina web page for prices and more details on how you can book your all inclusive holiday with us here at the Villa Marina in Salou

Holidays in Salou

Introduction to Salou
Salou is situated in the Costa Dorada between Cambrils and La Pineda, this resort host fine sandy beaches with calm seas. Salou is home to the number 1 attraction in the Costa Dorada of Port Aventura theme park, making it a great holiday destination.

Why go to Salou
Salou is a great for family holidays with great beaches water sports, good shopping, lots of local and British restaurants to suit everyone’s tastes.
Fun days out at the theme Park or the Costa caribe water park for all the family to enjoy.
There are lots of family bars and night bars to cater for everyone’s needs all within easy reach of each other.
Salou is only 1 and half hours from the amazing city of Barcelona, 20 mins away from Tarragona and Reus, and 15 mins away from Cambrils and La Pineda.

Who goes to Salou?
Salou is very popular with British tourists as well as Spaniards. Salou has wide appeal attracting visitors of all ages. Families, couples and young people will all find enjoyment in Salou.

How to get to Salou
The nearest Airport to Salou is Reus just 10 mins away, all major tour operators fly in to this resort in the summer period. If you are more of an independent traveller, Ryanair fly from several British airports daily.
Barcelona Airport is 1 hour 30 mins away and has a lot more budget airlines to choose from. Trains are very easy from Barcelona to Salou.

Salou Nightlife
Salou has the liveliest nightlife on the Costa Dorada with its many bars, clubs, karaoke bars and discos, where the young and energetic can party into the small hours.
It also has many family bars offering live entertainemnt and caberets for all the family to enjoy.

When to go to Salou
The most popular time to holiday in Salou is from April to October when the temperature ranges from a very pleasant 18 degrees rising to 30 degrees in the height of summer. High season months can be very busy. The outside months can be prone to light rain.

Salou shopping
There are plenty of wide ranging opportunities for shopping in Salou. Traditional souvenirs and gifts such as leather goods and ceramics can be found at the market in the old town centre every Monday. There is also a good supply of boutiques for fashions and other specialist shops. The most serious shoppers may be tempted by Barcelona, only one hour away by train or Tarragona or Reus just 20 mins away by public transport.

Salou eating
Salou has a wide variety of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Traditional Spanish restaurants, fast food, and many british bars offering you the taste of home. All the restaurantrs in Salou offer you a warm welcome.

Where to stay in Salou
Salou is home to many hotels and Apartment however , if you are looking for a good value for money holiday and not having to worry about bringing too much spending money then have a look at the Villa Marina 3* all inclusive hotel. This family hotel offers you unlimited local produced drinks, soft and alcoholic, breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks throughout the day and a full day and nightime entertainment programme for all the family to enjoy. All this included in the price. The Villa Marina was the first hotel in Salou to offer All Inclusive.

Family Bars in Salou

One of the main questions when going on holidays is where can I get excellent value for money British food and entertainment. Salou is home to lots of British style bars and Pub, and one group of bars to mention offers you exactly that, and are all in easy reach from the Villa Marina.

Sinatra’s, situated on Calle Vendrell in the centre of Salou offers fantastic food from your Sunday Lunch with all trimmings, to curries, stir fries, Fish and Chips, children’s menu, full English breakfast with Mugs of tea or coffee and much more.
Sinatra also gives you the added bonus of a live show and entertainment for all the family to enjoy in an evening.
Sinatra’s is the furthest away from the Villa marina but still only 5 mins in a taxi.

Whetherspoons, situated on Carles Buigas in the centre, also offers a choice of great cafe style food, from, snacks, sandwiches to full British and international meals, and you will not be hungry after leaving here.

Titanic – situated just off Plaza Europa a fantastic cabaret bar of an evening with a whole range of shows from Elvis, Madonna, Comedians, Disco and your resident DJ starting your night with quizzes and Bingo!
Choose to sit on the top deck, lower deck or even the captains table and choose from a wide range of good quality meals.
All this is just 10 mins away from the Villa Marina.

Escape on to the sun terrace of O’Brien’s just situated next door to the Titanic and enjoy a jug of beer or sangria as well as a wide variety of snacks and meals.

Football mad! , pop in to the Shamrock and enjoy this fun sports bar with a cold cider or pint of Guinness, with a great atmosphere of a typical Irish Pub.

Black Bull – fantastic sun terrace to watch the world walk by, you can enjoy a variety of snacks. Football matches will be on and if you’re missing the soaps, they show them all.

This chain of bars is well run with friendly enthusiastic staffs that are always willing to chat and ensure you get exactly what you are looking for.
All of them show the latest football matches, sporting events, soaps and Sky news to keep you up to date whilst on your holiday.
For good value for money family orientated bars with quality food made from British Products, open from 09.00 – 02.00am make sure you pay them a visit.

Holidays in Salou - Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy baby milk in the Costa Dorada?
Local super markets sell baby foods and milks the most popular makes here in Salou is Nestlé, other baby milks and equivalents to UK brands can be purchased at local pharmacies.

Where can I exchange money?
The Villa Marina reception does exchange money and traveller’s cheques; the hotel is in an area with several banks where money can be withdrawn direct from your account or exchange. Banks are only open 08.00-14.00 Monday to Friday.

What do I do if I need Medical Treatment or Assistance?
Depending what insurance cover you have, depends on the best course of action for you. Both medical systems are very good.
If you have private holiday insurance cover, there are several medical companies that visit the hotel and have the call out facility these are recommended by Tour Operators, you will have to pay the first 70 euros for a doctor call out.
If you are only travelling with your E1-11 then you are covered by the National Clinic, which is a 5 mins walk from the Villa Marina. There will also be a 50 euro administration charge to see a doctor.
The response time and treatment is of a high standard here in the Costa Dorada.

How much is a Taxi from Reus Airport?
There are lots of taxis situated directly outside the airport and cost approx 30 euros to Salou. The Journey time from Reus Airport to the Villa Marina Hotel is 10 mins.
There is also a public bus service from the airport with Plana autocars; this would take you slightly longer.

What type of clothing do I need?
April, May are coolers months and would recommend bring your summer clothes and a few warmer clothes, these months can be prone to rain
June, the weather and temperature starts to increase and would recommend putting a light jacket in to your suitcase as could be a little cooler in an evening.
July and August – hottest months, light summer clothing.
September, October, start to cool down again as April and May.
You can never predict the weather and I would recommend that you always pack within reason for the good and bad weather.

Can I buy toiletries whilst I am there?
The Villamarina is a 2 min walk away from a large supermarket intermerche which sells all toiletries, from hair care, toothpastes, moisturisers, soaps, nappies, baby wipes etc
By purchasing products in resort helps you with your luggage weight allowance.

Can I get my Medication in Spain?
If you run out of your medication whilst here in the Costa Dorada you will require as note from your GP advising what medication it is you require and then would need to take this to the Medical centre.

What essentials will I need?
Sun cream, after sun, Insect repellent, 2 pin adaptor for plug sockets, however all these can be purchased in resort.

How much Spending money will I need?
The greatest thing about the Villa Marina been all inclusive is this cuts down the amount of money you need to bring with you, as all your food and drink is included.
It all depends on what you plan to do whilst you are here, if you want to go on trips and excursions well ensure you bring money for this. Excursions normally cost between 20 – 45 euros per adult and 15 – 35 euros for a child.
Average cost for a soft drink is 1.50 euros, half of beer is between 1.50-2.00 euros, and a pint beer is 3.50 – 4.50 euros, a meal out averages on 5-10 euros per person not including drinks.

How much duty free can I bring back?
There are no longer any duty-free allowances for journeys within the European Union (EU). Instead, you can bring back an unlimited amount of goods from travel in any EU country, as long as it is for your personal use or as a gift. In practice if you are over 17 you will be allowed up to 3200 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer. If you bring in more you will have to persuade customs that it is for personal use. There are further allowances for different tobacco products and alcoholic drinks.

Do the shops close in an afternoon?
In the summer period the shops normally open 9-13 and 16-20 or even as late as 22.00. You will find that in the main tourist side that the majority of the shops stay open all day.
If you was to visit the near by cities such as Tarragona and Reus you will find that the shops do close for Siesta.

What religion is practised in Costa Dorada?
Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution, although the majority of the population is Catholic. Other religions also practised in Spain include Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, and Hinduism, all of which have places where to conduct their rituals.

What Language is spoken in Costa Dorada?
The language for the Catalonia area is Catalan; however the majority of the people do speak Spanish.