All in all, we enjoyed our 3-day stay at this hotel. It was very nicely situated, with access down to the beach via a few flights of stairs. It was quite a bit away from the town of Roses itself, which we appreciated. The lovely, flower-filled gardens along with the view of the sea behind created a truly picturesque sight and made a wonderful place to sit and enjoy a drink or two.

There are clearly signs of recent renovation in the hotel, seen in the staircase in the hallway and in parts of the lobby. If there has been any renovation in the rooms, it wasn't seen in ours, which had rather used-looking, 1980's-ish, wall-fixed "furniture" and old-looking bed spreads. The room was, however, quite spacious. Beware of descriptions of the hotel stating that all rooms have a sea view, which I saw more than once - technically they do, but from the rooms on our side of the hotel, you had to step out onto the balcony and turn your head to the right to see the ocean.

Contrary to the other reviews here, I found the staff somewhat more mixed in their approachability and friendliness. Most were helpful and friendly, particularly those working in the dining room, but a few seemed somewhat aloof, offering barely a smile. I did appreciate that most of them didn't automatically speak English with us, which gave me a chance to practice my badly-in-need-of-improvement Spanish.

On the positive side, there was a computer in the lobby area offering free internet access. Unfortunately, the little TV in the room offered only a few stations, which were all in either Spanish or Catalan.

The salt-water pool was quite nice, and if I remember correctly, is open until 19:30 on most days.

Breakfast can be taken on nice days (of which there are many on the Costa Brava, it seems) on the beautiful terrace overlooking the ocean. The breakfast selection was decent, though not the best by far. The one dinner we had at the restaurant was also passable, though it did much harm to my gastrointestinal tract, which is NEVER affected by any kind of food. I'm still recovering from the effects, but fortunately, no one else in our party seemed to have been affected.

Finally, if you should feel like exploring the area around Roses, I would suggest taking a drive to the Cap de Creus, and having a drink at the little bar behind the lighthouse. There's an amazing view of the ocean from there, and the drive to this point passes through a national park with an extremely interesting, old terraced landscape. Also worth visiting is the monastery St. Pere de Rodes, and if you don't mind a walk of about 150-200 meters up, there's a great view from the ruins of the castle above the monastery. Finally, if you can - that's the catch! - have dinner at El Bulli one day. It's a truly amazing and indescribable experience.