Imperial Park Reviews

The Imperial Park complex is described as villas but in reality they are very nicely appointed single level apartments. We had the two-bed T2. The apartment itself (dependent upon location) is not easy to get to. Your arrival at the complex begins with a drive up a hill to the main reception and once registered, you can get access to the service road which has cars parked along it and there is a single lift at the far end to get your suitcases up to apartment level. Our apartment was just above the service road and the pool is across the service road and then down two levels but there is good access via stairwells although it may be a slog if you need the lift. My 65 year old mother was able to cope without too much difficulty.

The apartment itself was very nice, if compact, with wood everywhere. It was very clean and there was a French window onto the patio which has a small table and chairs where we took breakfast and which gives a clear view over Calpe to the Rock. If you want a better view, there is a spiral staircase to the roof patio. The French windows and internal windows have a shutter for the night for privacy. The bathroom/toilet is small but adequate as is the kitchenette.

The complex itself is built in a terraced fashion above a huge multi-pool complex that starts off with a heated pool at the top and cascades down through approximately 7 or 8 unheated pools with bridges and so forth. My 5 year old daughter absolutely loved it although I found the water quite cold if only because I got dragged into it for a large proportion of the day. How do little kids tolerate it? All of the pool area is cordoned off until about 10am and then the ropes go back and it's a bit of a rush in high season to get to the sunbeds. Space around the pools is fairly limited so it can get a little crowded and you get the usual towels on sunbeds idiots. There is a notice saying towels will be removed but they aren't and many was the time I was tempted to chuck a few in the pool.

There is a high water slide which only operates under the supervision of the life guards (who patrol constantly) for two periods during the day and there is a little queue for that when it opens. However, it totally dissolved any fear my daughter had of the water and within minutes, she was flying down it on her own into the plunge pool at the bottom.

One thing worth getting is the garage parking. There is only a relatively short access road and parking is at a premium. For a modest cost, you can use the garages which are underneath the apartments on the service road which can only be accessed with a card. The garages are pretty tight as they face each other. we had a Focus C-Max and it was fine with a little practice although some are bigger than others. It keeps the car cool as well. Our apartment was above the garage entrance so it was great for a quick exit.

There are little things on during the evenings - a quiz, some Spanish flamenco dancers and some games for the kids. Oddly, the Spanish win most things and half the answers are wrong but hey, let's notv get competitive! There is a small bar and a food shop above the pool but we preferred to drive down to Calpe and wander along the seafront and eat down there. Calpe is a nice town and has two seafronts at an angle to each other either side of the Rock and it's quieter on the right hand side. The beach is nice although we didn't really spend much time there due to parking availability. Again, driving down to the right of the Rock(as you look at it from Calpe)is recommended as there is plenty of parking in the side streets.

Imperial Park is conveniently placed. Calpe is down to the right and the road to the left leads off to Moraira, Denia and Javea. Moraira is a lovely village where they have a funfair for the kids, restaurants and a marina where you can feed the fish. We also visited Denia beach which is nice although you have to wade on seaweed if you go in the sea which can feel disconcertig but it's shallow and safe. They have a big marina there.

We also visited Mundomar, Spain's version of Seaworld which isn't cheap but the dolphin display is very good and the views spectacular. We also visited a safari park near Pego which was great although it was a little hot and the facilities for food and drink were basic and few and far between. So we spent several days around the pool. It can be a little breezy on some days but the weather was great the week we were there.

We used CarJet for the car hire as they were pretty cheap. The car itself was fine but the child seats and booster seats were very poor so if you need a decent one, consider another company. We're going to try the carhire company on the VillaSpain link next time (we've booked a proper villa in Denia for 2006 through this company).

Overall, a very positive experience and a good holiday, only marred by a pub type restaurant down a side street opposite the complex (I forget the name) which served up a lousy meal of frozen lamb. Yuk!

I would certainly recommend VillaSpain and Imperial Park to anyone wanting a reasonably priced family holiday with a clean safe environment and a nice clean apartment furnished to a good standard. My only gripe is that our apartment was a little too far away from the pools and you couldn't see the pools so it meant that you always had to accompany children to the pool and stay there if they're young. For that reason alone, I wouldn't necessarily go back again but that's also because I never go to the same place twice! That's why we've booked a villa with a pool outside the door for 2006.

Pre-children, I used to prefer Almeria and the south of Spain for it's stunning scenic beauty and access to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Costa Blanca is different, more commercial and hence busier and the roads are more congested (full of ditherers) but there is far more to do for kids on days out and for that reason, it's better for a family holiday.