Latest Reviews for Catalan Bay

The hotel is situated about a 30 minute level walk from Main Street and the square, or a taxi costs around £4 from the town to the hotel and about £6 from the hotel to town. Buses stop near the hotel. There is quite a lot of building/renovation going on at this time, with the swimming pool and surrounding area being out of service whilst it is being upgraded. I'm told that the pool and area will be ready for the summer season. There are also works going on between the hotel and the beach which means the steps to the beachfront are also out of service until the summer months.

We had a standard ";rock view"; room which, in fact, had excellent views of both the rock and the sea with Morrocco in the distance. The room was furnished ok, complete with a flat screen TV with satellite channels including BBC and ITV. Patio doors led out onto a good size balcony with two chairs but no table. The bathroom was very clean and in good order although, as we were on the 5th floor, the hot water took some time to come through the pipes and the pressure was fairly low. The room had a hair dryer and complimentary tea and coffee with a small caffetier included. All in all, the room was a decent standard and cleaned daily.

Breakfast was excellent with a very good choice of foods including fresh fruit, cereals, sausage and bacon etc. The bar food in the evening was ok and reasonably priced averaging around £4 or £5 for lasagne and the like. Nunos Italian restaurant is of a very good quality, and I've never had Italian dishes as good or varied as those on the menu. The prices are reasonable at around £6 or £7 for pasta dishes, up to £15 for fillet steak and the like. Drinks in the bar and restaurant are the same cost at around £2 for a pint or glass of house wine. A bottle of house wine was £10.

The hotel staff were all, without exception, very efficient and very friendly - nothing too much trouble and always up for a chat. The public areas were clean and reasonably well furnished, complete with the biggest, fattest cat called Pedro that we've ever seen.

The only downside to the hotel is the lack of air conditioning, although our room had a ceiling fan which we didn't need as the weather was only around 65f. The room had no central heating but did have an efficient electric heater.

All in all, the hotel is starting to feel it's age, but still deserves it's four stars.

Having visited Gib some 20yrs ago and reading some of the reviews, we were rather apprehesive to say the least!! Hotel was 1st class and all renovations have been completed to a very high standard, with very friendly staff. Breakfast was buffet style with excellent choice, but at £17 a time rather alot unless it is included in yr booking. Weather was superb and we took the guided tour of the Rock which cost £7.00 per person and £8.00 admission (in total) to all the sites. Only down side was the lack of nice restaurants to eat in, all more or less 'pub grub' and that not to a very good standard. If anyone was to open a good steak and/or fish restaurant near to Casemates Square they would make a bomb!! Tried the Marina, but all was closed, maybe due to the season.

All in all really enjoyed our break, but any more than 3 days we would have been bored to tears!! Be sure to shop around for those duty free's, some of the smaller shops down the side streets are worth a visit. On Main Street all a little more expensive, and remember the prices shown on some goods are as they would be in UK!! So barter and the least you should get off is the VAT!! Have a price in mind that you wud pay, within reason!! and stick with it.
Booze and fags excellent value for money, BandH £8.00 for 200 Scotch Whisky £3.00 litre!! Shop around for yr flights - we paid £40.00 return Luton with Monarch, excellent airline.

Visited Gibralter mid-march and stayed at the Caleta Hotel
Excellent location if a little far from town centre, but bus stop close-by.
Bus service excellent value but a bit hit-and miss.
Hotel of a good quality, carpets in need of replacement.
Food quality very good ( breakfasts )
Hotel Italian restaurant is excellent if a bit on the pricey side, but quality service.
Bar/lounge is excellent,drink prices not bad.
Glad we went for only two days as Gib.gets a bit repetitive after then.
If we went again we would go mid-week as the shops close at 2-pm on saturday and are closed all day Sunday ( except booze and fags shops )Booze prices are unbelievably cheap.
Good selection of bars,try the Irish one at the bottom end of Main Street for good food and cheap drinks.

Gibraltar is an interesting place to stay for a short break. You have two marina`s lined with a few restaurants. A bustling duty free high street with pubs and restaurants. There are two sandy beaches, a museum, caves and historical sites as well as the cable car and apes at the top. Oh and a magnificent view. The place is full of history and you feel you are in an ancient citadel as you enter the town through the massive walls, with a British colonial feel. My only criticism is that it`s a little bit quiet of an evening.

Do not stay at The Caleta Hotel though, as it is quite run down and doesn`t look as nice as their website portrays. Our room was tatty, the corridor stunk of sewage and the whole place was in need of major refurbishment. The English bar was closed every night. Breakfast was either expensive or a choice of low quality cold pastries, or toast flattened on a hot press !
We went to The Rock hotel and it is far nicer, even though it has the same star rating.

On check in at hotel, shown room and rejected it as they had only provided a 'z' bed for our child. As we had paid full adult price for him they eventually found a larger suite (2 rooms +bathroom) which was excellent. Problems with the local ape population meant that the windows had to be kept closed and with no air con it was very hot !! Strange to wake up in the morning to have apes looking at you through the window.Pay the extra for a sea view as the rock view means it is very noisy !

poolside excellent with lifeguard 100% of the time.
Meals not too bad but a bit repetitive and expensive. Local restaurants very good.
Use buses, cheap and more fun if you dont mind the wait.
Would visit again no probs.