Name: Elba Costa Ballena Beach & Thalasso Resort
Address: Avenida Carla De Orleans, 12, Rota, 11520, ES

Elba Costa Ballena Beach & Thalasso Resort

Costa de la Luz (Cadiz) · Spain

Avenida Carla De Orleans, 12View location

100 reviews shown

2/10

Poor

28 May 2026

Daniel

We have been coming to this hotel for around 10 years and it remains one of our favourite places to stay. The staff are excellent, the hotel is clean and well maintained, the facilities are great, and the entertainment is honestly top class.

A special mention must go to Rafa at the pool bar, who was always friendly, welcoming and provided excellent service. Tirio from the entertainment team also deserves huge praise — he really is the heart and soul of the hotel. He is amazing with both children and adults, full of energy, and our little girls absolutely love him. He is one of the main reasons we keep returning year after year.

The food itself is very good, but our only real criticism is the lunchtime restaurant service. Lunch is only available from 14:00 to 15:00, which makes it extremely hectic. There are long queues to enter, more queues for food, and at times guests jump the queue, which creates unnecessary stress and arguments. We usually stay full board, but on some days we would rather miss our included lunch and pay extra at the pool bar just to avoid the chaos.

Overall, this is a fantastic hotel with amazing staff and entertainment, but extending lunch hours or improving queue management would make the experience even better.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2026

Gwenn

The spa was so lovely and they had a kids hour- we had a great time there! The pool is beautiful, breakfast was quite a spread and the staff was kind and competent. Thank you for a wonderful stay!

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

06 Oct 2025

Fariha

The indoor spa is an additional charge and by appointment only, they have limited hours for children so we never got the opportunity to visit it. It seems like they advertise many amenities but it’s not accessible for restricted.

6/10

Pleasant

17 Jun 2025

Renee

This is supposed to be a resort, but no one could help me get my luggage to my room however they did hold it for me at the counter.

When I pulled back the curtains in my bedroom, there was an ant swarm up at the entire wall.

As I was taking a shower, I was facing the showerhead and did not realize that the water was not draining down the drain, but it was draining over the little lip onto the bathroom floor. I had to use all the towels to clean it up.

For being a resort, I wasn’t really impressed. I did get a massage and my masseuse was excellent, but I don’t remember her name.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

28 May 2025

Daniel

We had a fantastic four-night stay. The food was amazing, and there were plenty of loungers in the pool area. The entertainment, Tirio, was brilliant as always, and the pool bar staff were incredible – especially Isabel, who was lovely and really attentive.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Feb 2025

Paul

The beach is amazing. The hotel’s food options are very limited. Only a buffet for dinner. Breakfast was nothing special.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jan 2025

Verified traveler

Good stay

Staff was courteous. Hotel was quite spacious and had a soothing layout. The only issue I had was the heater didnt work too well and even though it ran all night, my room remained a little cool.

Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Jun 2024

Kristen

Really nice resort

We stayed at the resort because we have friends who live nearby. The location to the beach was fabulous. Pools were nice. Room was very spacious. We will return.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 May 2024

Daniel

We stay at this hotel at least twice a year. The food is amazing, and the staff are really helpful and friendly. We've been coming here for the past 10 years, and Tirio is always fantastic. Isabel at the pool bar was particularly helpful. The only thing I can fault is the lunchtime opening hours and the queue to get food. Perhaps you could consider extending the lunchtime to, say, 13:30-15:30 to help prevent the current rush hour.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 May 2024

Julie

Love this place. If you want to explore outside the resort you need a car rental.

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

05 May 2024

Eric

Mosquitoes all in the room and no AC! The hotel cut the heat on and it was 70 degrees out!

Business

8/10

Excellent

29 Apr 2024

Julie

The hotel itself is fine--polite staff, decent rooms (we were actually upgraded to a better room when we found that ours had two single beds instead of the requested double bed), and a good range of food choices at breakfast/dinner. The location is absolutely lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed renting bikes and riding along the oceanside bike/walking path. Downsides? It's odd that you have to pay to use the safe in the room. Most disappointing however was the 'couples healthy back massage' that we booked in advance. The young woman who gave the massage was very kind, but she was alone in providing the 'couples' massage, which meant that for half of the time, one partner was left lying face down on the massage table with just some warm gel on their back. Given that the \"hour\"-long massage began with 10-15 minutes in separate bath/jacuzzis, and the remaining 40 or so minutes was divided between the two of us, the total 15-20 minute actual massage we each received was disappointing to say the least.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2023

Kirk

The staff is very professional and courteous.

Business

8/10

Excellent

21 Oct 2023

Sylvia

Never offered an upgrade nor the benefits of being Expedia VIP. I was traveling with my sisters that has a condition in her foot and they gave us a far and uncomfortable room.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2023

Neptune

The accomadations was great, I had a perfect and comfy bed. All I need is the itemized receipt so I can request for travel claim.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2023

Cassandra Marie

First off I juat want to say how amazing Sonia from reception is. She was so helpful on all the questions we asked. And she went the extra mile for us in recommending places to park in Jerez where we were going to a wedding. Staff like her are really what makes a hotel great!

On the hotel itself: Great facilities, great food and backs onto a golf course while overlooking the ocean on the other side, so every room has a great view. There's a separate adults only pool with plenty of loungers (the swim up rooms are on this pool which faces out onto the ocean). The beach itself is only a 5 min walk. They have secure underground parking, but there is also available parking on the street or a parking lot across the street.

Cant fault this resort. Highly recommend a visit.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2023

Peter

Great stay and incredible service.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Apr 2023

emerson

amazing!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Jul 2022

Paul

Nice resort facility, staff, food, only downside is weak water wifi in the room.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

04 May 2022

Godefridus

Heerlijk rustig Spaans familiehotel, direct aan de kust.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Jan 2022

Vinicius B

Great hotel, but poor maintenance

The hotel is great and the beach and location (Costa Ballena) is amazing. Nevertheless the heating devida at our initial room did not work at all. They managed to hance our room around 23.00hs but as the new room had its working turned off (being a vacant room) it took hours for the new room to get temperature and thus we had a very rough cold night... Apart from this problem (which we understand with a good and diligent maintenance should not have occurred and at least have passed unoticed by hotel staff) the hotel is very good and the staff is very friendly). Breakfast is great by the way.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2021

Keith

Excellent in all areas

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

12 Sep 2021

Claire

Great room and location, not adults only pool

We stayed in one of the swim up rooms attached to the adults pool. The room was lovely but I don’t know why it’s called an adults pool when there are more children there than adults. Other than that, the hotel was very nice and in a great location

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Sep 2021

Verified traveler

Nice but could've been better.

Hotel was nice, however, with our room being placed on the ground floor, we were able to hear some event that involved some man talking into a microphone and children running up and down the halls, laughing and yelling until almost midnight. The room was clean, but there was no comforter on the bed so it got cold through the night having only a single sheet to cover up with.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2021

jørgen

Great entertainment for kids

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Nice hotel. Very family friendly. Good food at the buffet breakfast and dinner.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2019

Sarahleo

Lovely location, lovely pool, beach is 3mins walk from rooms and fantastic. Only negative is you can't get a \"snack\" late in the evening.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Aug 2019

Joseph

Highly Recommended

Fabulous Hotel, great location food and activities. We had a great family holiday

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Everything was great. Except the WiFi. It was actually the worst WiFi I have ever experienced traveling the world. I was not able to do anything I needed to get done.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Off the beaten path, not super busy. Breakfast and dinner on site where very nice. No real night life around this place but the beach is very nice. Plenty for a family to do.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 May 2019

BobC

The pros: 1] The property sits really close to the beach, it only takes a good 10 minute leisurely stroll to get to it.
2] On windy days, the pool is surrounded by wind breakers, it is very pleasant to lay next to it, and tan yourself while you sleep.
3] Breakfast is included with every stay, and there is an excellent choice of hot and cold items - buffett style. I never went hungry during my stay.
4] There is a coffee/teamaker in the room [with a small selection of coffee and tea bags, with all types of sugar.]
5] The rooms are spacious, and come with a flat - screen TV.
6] Room 325 has one bed, non-smoking, quiet, and comes with a large enough balcony where one can sit an catch some sun.
7] Andrea Rodriguez, the assistant manager is very professional, courteous, respectful, and certainly customer centric in her management style. She made sure my stay was worry-free and enjoyable. Her attitude towards clients is a complete 180 degrees from what I expected [considering that in Europe, CUSTOMERS DO NOT MATTER, whereas back home, YOU MATTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER!
8] The employees do their best to make their hotel guests feel welcome, which is a reflection on managment's customer centric efforts.

The cons: These include 1] The towels, which at some point, must have been white, but have turned a dirty brown color after so much use.
2] The paint in some places are peeling.
I am okay with the flaws as long as the pros overwhelm them, as in this case.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2019

Verified traveler

Wonderful property! Rooms were plenty big and clean. The location and view was incredible. The front reception was nice efficient and went above and beyond!

Business

2/10

Poor

09 May 2019

BobC

This property is within walking distance of the beach, and free self-parking is available near the hotel.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2019

Wendy

Great for a relaxing, beachside stay!

Comfortable bed, nice size room with balcony, smart communal areas. Great buffet dinner and breakfast - fresh with lots of choice.
Lovely pool areas with bar. Used spa and gym. Spa pool delightful with different water jet experiences, plus hamman, sauna, ice room and warm relaxation areas.
Hotel very clean. Staff courteous and helpful.
Absolutely stunning beach 5 minutes walk from hotel. Had enjoyable runs along this beautiful beach.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

The staff is extremely kind and helpful. The facility was very relaxing. Also, I had read reviews about poor wifi connection, however, in my room, during my stay, the wifi was really fast with great connection.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

10 Feb 2019

Tony

The property is scenic and looks amazing. You can hear the ocean at night, and you're only a couple minutes walk away from a nice beach. The bathrooms are terrific, and the morning breakfast spread should be the envy of all US hotels in the same price range.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

23 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

The wifi at this location was horrible. The staff couldve been better with there customer service. The buffet they serve for dinner is not worth the price. The rooms could use a major upgrade and the bed was a bit hard.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

27 Nov 2018

Verified traveler

Perfect Hotel for Families with young Children , Car is essential

8/10

Excellent

21 Nov 2018

Very nice location and the staff is very friendly and helpful. I loved the location and bus stop to take you into town was right outside the hotel. The nature preserve surrounding the property and the beautiful beach is magnificent. Very nice staff

6/10

Pleasant

19 Nov 2018

Robert

Disappointed

The lack of a Spa facility in a Spa Hotel says it all
As usual a Hotel claim of International TV channels is very misleading as the only English channels were all News yet numerous German TV channels

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2018

Verified traveler

Comfortable and very convenient to the beach.

There for business, so didn’t get to have breakfast each day as breakfast didn’t begin until 8 am. Dinner was very good and affordable. The lobby bartender was very friendly. The staff spoke very good English also. Beautiful property on a golf course.

8/10

Excellent

14 Aug 2018

Susana

Full of kids

This is a family hotel full of kids.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

30 Jul 2018

Verified traveler

I found the room basic but these things were not n the riom: wash cloths,kleenex box, iron snd ironing board, coffee maker, microwave.

At pool, towels werenot available.
Parking charge of 15euros/day was outragious

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2018

Elizabeth

The staff was very friendly and accomodating. I was unable to stay for the breakfast in the mornings so every day they had a picnic breakfast waiting for me to take with me. Every day they arranged a taxi for me ro get to work. Very comfortable bed. Nice pool and very close to a nice beach. Great price for alll that was included.

8/10

Excellent

19 Jun 2018

Verified traveler

Nice Resort Overall

The resort is very nice, especially the spa. The location near the beach is also great. Service is professional. Decor is unique. Rooms and beds are comfortable. Food at restaurants is very limited, so best to have a car so you can go out to eat some times. Also, we never could book a tour, because the concierge was never at the tour desk.

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2018

Gregg

Excellent value, staff, and amenities

Stayed at This Elba resort and was a most pleasant find. True comfort in all aspects of our stay there. The restaurant was wonderful and chef staff took them time to tell you how the dishes were prepared.
Hotel and staff are a “step above” and went out of there way to make your stay memorable. New fan of Elba Resorts and Hotel.
Gregg B.
San Diego, California

8/10

Excellent

25 Mar 2018

Bob

Very poor regard for customer needs and requests from the front desk staff, including the manager. Instead of providing me aroom in the upper part of the hotel, It felt as though I was exiled into the dungeon. Instead of providing a comfortable room, I had to endure a room with an extremely bad odor of mold as you entered the room. And instead of providing me a quiet floor where I can get some sleep from an extremely bad jet lag, I was subjected to endure the pounding and concrete - cutting right outside my room for several hours for two days! (Thank God the construction crew took Sunday off!) And instead of the water flowing into the drain in the shower, the water flowed all over the bathroom floor instead, which solves the mistery of the very pungent mold odor that I had to endure for three days!!!
As if that were not enough, the dining area staff seem to have been hired to argue with you instead of accommodating you. The problem in the dining area is that huge sections were closed off. Granted there is enough room in the dining facility to do so, IF they had not set aside several sections for the many large groups that were in the hotel. This left small parties such as couples and solo travelers out. This is where the dining staff could have helped, instead of arguing with people who aré simply looking for a place to sit. Overall avoid room 104, and ignore the dining staff - sit where you wish!

10/10

Exceptional

23 Oct 2017

Nicole

Met our expectation.

Only stayed one night but looks like a great place for a vacation with family.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Oct 2017

Verified traveler

Nowhere else I’d rather stay

Outstanding place to stay. Great breakfast and dinner buffets. This was my second time visiting and I will definitely be back next time I am in the region.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Oct 2017

Martha

It was like staying with family! That’s the way they made me feel!! Staff was very friendly and helpful. Place was very clean

Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2017

Ashely

Overall really nice

You just have to pay for EVERYTHING! I didn't have a beach towel so I had to deposit 15 euros. Also, to use the safe in the room cost money!

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2017

Verified traveler

Awesome experience!

Three week business trip. Full board was included - made it very convenient for dining and the buffets were wonderful. WiFi supported business requirements as well as streaming Netflix in the evenings. Parking under hotel was adequate - designed for small cars.

6/10

Pleasant

18 Dec 2016

Verified traveler

Don't expect to have any sort of fun

I had booked a room for myself and a friend to hang out in while we were ported in Rota. First things first, apparently the taxi drivers do not know the hotel, so they dropped us off a mile away and we had to walk with our bags in tow from Hotel Playa Ballena to Elba Costa Ballena. Thankfully, I had international service! Anyways, we get there, and the guy at the service desk was rather rude. After checking in, we get there to find that it wasn't one double bed, but two single beds pushed together. It kind of got cumbersome. Also, after playing with the breaker a little bit, we found out that the room's electricity doesn't work unless you have a key card in the slot at the door, therefore there was no air conditioning in the room until we were already there for several hours. The wifi was good, and so was the all-you-can-eat dinner buffet, but everything else was cumbersome.

6/10

Pleasant

24 Sep 2016

James

Intermittent power outages during stay.

Seems like not enough employees working.

Rooms don't have an iron or ironing board and the front desk couldn't obtain one in a timely fashion.

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2016

Tracy

Crete ohhh Crete

Very much enjoyed my two weeks in Crete!! The people and the food were amazing!

4/10

Poor

20 Aug 2016

Verified traveler

poorly maintained and run

mediocre at best. the room AC struggled and although they sent maintenance to fix it, the fix did not last long. room smelled of mold and funk due to poor ventilation. This was a case of only on the very top layer did the hotel look nice, as soon as you saw beyond that the defects were glaring. chipped and broken tiles on pool deck and in the pool and spa.

on the first morning of our stay one in our party found a fried roach in the bacon tray at the buffet. it was stuck to the piece he had put on his plate, which he discovered as he was about to eat it, gross. when he brought it to the attention of the restaurant staff, they apologized but did not offer any recompense, which was shocking.

I also brought an additional guest on this trip and although the reservation was made only for one the other 3 hotels I stayed at on this trip charged an additional guest fee, usually between 20-40 euros, which I found reasonable. this hotel could not figure out what the fee should be as they used some weird sliding scale based on the the difference they charged on any particular day between single and double occupancy. problem was they had no record of what that difference was for the day I made my reservation. To top it off my original reservation included all taxes and fees, and I expected to pay additional for the added guest but they could not work out the simple math, so their solution was to charge me taxes and fees again on the new total. in the end they ripped me off.

6/10

Pleasant

29 Jul 2016

Kelley

The website pics was far from reality. My room was infested with bugs, the Internet was very weak and constantly dropped, it was over crowded.bi had half board but the line was outrageous and the outdoor option had so many flies. Not too happy with customer service because they tried to evict me a day earlier because their reservation was wrong. But they were not nice even after they made a mistake.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2016

Daniel

Young family with toddlers

Really comfortable stay for families, plenty of activities for children and they provide baby/toddler food at no extra cost

Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2016

Dennis

Very relaxing stay with good breakfast and evening buffet

Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Apr 2016

Clinton

Not Happy

My trip was for business and I finished my job early, and checked out the morning (8:30AM. But I was charged for stays on Sunday and Monday. I spoke with the front desk and they have me checking out on the morning of the 24th.
But I was told that I had to talk to Hotels.com to correct the bill. Also trying to read through all the different Hotels.com addresses to find a receipt is confusing.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2016

Cynthia

Worth every euro

This was a last minute booking but well worth every euro. I would recommend dinner and breakfast as well. The staff was exceptional.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Nov 2015

Darren

Gem for golfers.

Golf trip. Hotel lovely, huge terrace to bedroom. Good food. Easy to find.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Aug 2015

Eleanor

Beauty and comfort.

The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. They tries very hard to bridge the language barrier. Excellent resort for families! Wonderful activities and staff for kids!

6/10

Pleasant

14 Jun 2015

Scamper

Artistic hallways and reception, exceptional staff

I would call this a 3-star hotel. It gets 4 stars based on staff and food quality. When you get to the room, that is where the downgrades start. Also, watch your bill, and know before you consume. You WILL be charged for any items removed from the overstocked refridgerator.The buffet is included and is excellent with a good variety (except for evening entrees. However, when you ask for water, they bring you a bottle rather than a glass, without asking, charge you for it, and do not offer a refill. The entrees are also poorly marked. It is also disturbing that there is no soap in the aseos (bathroom) next to the dining room/buffet area.
Regarding the room, the furniture is not very comfortable, and the decorating is 50 years out of style. Does anyone remember the green and orange of the 60's? It's pretty similar. Also, this hotel's idea of a double bed is two twin beds doubled together. Anywhere else that I have been, a double bed refers to size.This is not comfortable for a single person, and especially not for a married couple. The staff refused to make a change. I have also not heard of a hotel that charges its guests for parking. What are people supposed to do with their vehicles when they arrive? The spa is also overpriced, considering that not all of the jets work, and then they kick you out 15 minutes before they close, with no discount for the 15 minutes you didn't get to use. I had wanted to sit in the sauna/steam room for the last 15 minutes.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2015

Linda

Beautiful hotel in peaceful location.

This hotel is situated in a very quiet location but the hotel has all the amenities you require for a peaceful and relaxing holiday. A couple of minutes from the deserted beach which is clean and beautiful. The hotel is exceptionally clean and the staff are the most helpful people you could wish for. The restaurant caters for everyone and the selection of food is top class and so varied. A great hotel for golf and enjoying the old type Spain.

6/10

Pleasant

08 Dec 2014

Verified traveler

The review

The stay was fine my only complaint is they gave us the two twin beds instead of the queen bed that I requested.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Oct 2014

Verified traveler

Good resort !!

Great hotel, very good breakfast and spa resort. Diner was also good, only downside would be the surrounding area, not much to do, but beside that, very pleasant experience.

4/10

Poor

23 Apr 2014

Janet Cruz

Lack of information

Very disappointing. The hotel is vast, huge but nothing in it but empty space really. Staff are friend and the rooms are clean but thats where the compliments stop. There was no Coffee/tea making facilities in our room . There wasn’t anywhere readily available either at the hotel before 11.00am when the bar area opened up. At 8.30 I went down to reception to enquire about having a coffee and was told that I could only get a drink in the breakfast room at that time. So for the likes of people not wanting breakfast you are more or less stuffed. You are more or less bullied into having to use the only restaurant in situ even if you don’t want to because where else would you go at 8.30 for a drink? There was nowhere to purchase drinks i.e. water/soft drinks apart from the small kiosk within the hotel grounds but on certain times of day. The internet did not work in the bedrooms only at the lobby/reception and surrounding areas. It rained on the weekend we were there and apart from the bar area there was only 2 sofa seats by the reception area where one could relax if they didn’t want to stay in their rooms. Very noisy and not convenient for everyone. Overall not happy. We left early and didn’t stay our 2nd night.

8/10

Excellent

16 Apr 2014

Raheem

Fantastic staff

Personnel were great. Good food. Very quiet area. I paln to go back with family

6/10

Pleasant

08 Jun 2013

Paul Allen

Elba costa ballena

I thought the location was excellent but the rooms were basic and a little bit jaded.the food was on the whole good. I was disappointed with the costs of using the thalasso spa which I found very high

8/10

Excellent

07 Apr 2013

Verified traveler

Semana Santa

Would have been nicer if the weather was warmer. Walking distance to the beach which was great to walk upon. Nice area and not too far from town (5-10min drive), or a few minutes away by car there are small shops. As for the hotel, unless you are there to relax and/or play golf, not much else to do, but an enjoyable stay.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

02 Apr 2013

Joey and Sol

weekend getaway

My wife and I are in the early 50s, came to have a relaxing night. They initially put us on the ground floor behind a stage and close to the bar. We checked in the afternoon and didn't know about a kids program that will be held on the stage. The emcee/host can be heard vey loudly from our room (230). When I asked at 10PM, we were told it will last past 1am. Fortunately, I was able to convince the night front desk personnel to move us to a different room where the beds squeak like crazy. Well, you can't have it all, I guess. Breakfast is good.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Jan 2013

Robinson

Break

An excellent facility with a lovely spa.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jan 2013

Would Stay here again!

The hotel was fantastic and the staff very friendly and helpful. Our family (2 adults 2 children 9 and 7) were there for New Years and my daughters birthday. We asked about a cake for her and they offered to bake a special cake, put her name on it and deliver it to the room or at dinner free of charge. The only downside to the hotel was unfortunately this time of year the outdoor pool was closed and come to find out the indoor pool was part of the Spa which was expensive to use (22-Euro/pp - just for the pool area) and was only available for kids for about an hour and closes at 8pm. The beach was very clean and was about a 5-minute walk from the hotel lobby. The beach was great for walking and playing in the sand and surf. The breakfast buffet was good and you could choose from an assortment of foods including a grill for fresh omlets and pancakes. Dinners were reasonable, but the selection was limited and the quality was fair - we ate mostly from the grill. Rota is a fun little city that is worth getting lost in for a day.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2012

Gerardo Magnifico

nice hotel

its a great place the hotel was excellent and short drive to base

Family

6/10

Pleasant

20 Oct 2012

Tobbe 53

Bathing holliday

Near to the fantastic beaches. The ac was bad. Isy to hear noice from other rooms.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2012

Gerardo Magnifico

Outstanding Hotel

Go to travel site to book because once their it gets expensive. The Hotel is about 10 minutes away from tourist area downtown rota and 15 minutes away from base. The room was immaculate the fridge was not on but since I did not use it I did not investigate further. Meals are expensive 25 euros per person not including drinks (even water) Breakfast was just fantastic, eggs to order fruit, yogurts, excellent meat selections and coffee. The breakfast sweet breads were fantastic. Plan your meals and adjust accordingly if staying in get the plan with meals included. Stay closer to lobby for best internet connection. I would definitely stay here again. Beach is walking distance with showers.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2012

Perfect! Just Perfect!

The staff were very nice and polite. The food was great - breakfast and dinner! Private path to the beach in few minutes. Exclusive location and minutes to grocery and shops. The room is spacious and the AC is so quiet you can't even hear it. It's been our most enjoyable vacation in Europe and we've seen quite a bit. Highly recommended!

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2012

JJKW

Wonderful resort near Rota

Wonderful resort, we stayed in the winter so we could not use the pool or beach, but we will return in the summer and stay here again! Excellent buffet breakfast and underground parking.

8/10

Excellent

19 Jan 2012

Verified traveler

First Stay and First Impression

At first view, the appearance was very appealing and its proximity to the ocean made it captivating. That impression did not change upon entering the main lobby. The rooms was modern, clean, and spacious. The staff were extremely helpful and pleasent. We stayed one night and did not have time to use the spa or golf course. But, I not only recommend this hotel to others, my wife and I will return as soon as we have the opportunity for a long weekend for the spa, golf, and nearby downtowns Rota and Cadiz.

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2011

Anonymous

Beautiful, Peaceful Location

Friendly staff. Very nice room for the price. Beautiful location. Take advantage of the nice, clean beach while you are there. If you go on business as I did, make sure you take time out to go to the beach and enjoy walking around Rota.Make sure you remind them that you booked through [...]so they don't charge you a second time.

4/10

Poor

29 Jun 2011

Sheila

Poor customer service

Have stayed here before and not very pleased last time. Location is perfect for golf, long walks and beach and there is a great beach bar with very reasonably priced drinks but this hotel must have the slowest check in service ever. Took over 20 minuted to check in, about the same time to check out, (No queue either when we arrived) asked for extra pillows, never arrived. Second day, no bath towels or shower gel, asked in morning, came back to room, late afternoon after a very hot day and still no towels etc. Asked again and towels only, finally arrived over an hour later. Breakfast fine, dinner has excellent starters. and desserts but main course could be much better. This time we arrived early and managed to obtain parking, last time it was all full and we were told to go out and look. After over an hour, the golf club gave us permission to leave our car there, well over a mile away! Lastly, it is very annoying to arrive at swimming pool that is really not big enough for hotel and find it almost deserted just before 2pm but all beds covered with towels despite notices telling people not to do this. We love this resort and have stayed at better hotels when we have visited. Will not be going back to Elba again.

4/10

Poor

12 Oct 2010

Verified traveler

The Hotel ECB Rota

I feel this hotel did not live up to its description in the review. Some of the fixtures and fittings were in a poor condition. Breakfast time was a nightmare with people having to queue for everything you wanted. The staff were very nice and helpful which was a plus point but quite possibly the only one.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2010

Anonymous

Relaxing beach getaway

This review is based on a trip that I took during the summer of 2010.

First the bad (not much of that). Parking is difficult. When I arrived in my rental car, there was no parking available in the hotel's parking garage. So I had to circle around for awhile and park on the street pretty far away. Once I was able to get into hotel parking, it was a little more to park there each night than I had anticipated. The other problem is that there are not a lot of food options close by. I could eat at the hotel buffet for a lot money for each meal (unless I had meals included, which I did not know about before I got there) or drive to another establishment. None were in very close walking distance, although it was nice to walk to some places in the afternoon for a cerveza.

Now for the good. The rooms are incredible. Very large rooms, beds, and bathrooms by European standards. The pool was great, which I had an incredible view of from my balcony. I only spent one day at the pool, since it is also only a few minutes walk to the beach, which is not crowded at all. I really enjoyed my time at the nearby beach, which has very nice facilities for a free public beach. The staff was friendly and the bartenders at the lobby bar at night were especially good. The night show for kids is equally entertaining for adults, even if you don't speak Spanish. I took this trip to relieve some stress from work, since I had not taken a vacation for a long time. I slept better here than I had in a long time, and was finally able to relax. I felt years of stress melt away. I wanted a place where I could do nothing but relax, and this was the perfect place for it. The hotel is a close drive to Chipiona, where I went to watch Spain win the World Cup. I did not use the spa, but it was a short elevator ride away. In all, I spent a week relaxing at a very nice hotel and I feel rejuvenated to go back to work. I do not take this lightly because i have been to a several places around Europe and this was the best for that purpose. No sight seeing, just total relaxation.

8/10

Excellent

26 Jun 2010

Gerard

Well run family orientated hotel

Mostly we enjoyed our 3 day break in the Elba. Price wise it was good value. There is a beautiful beach just a short walk away but also it is possible just to laze by the pools. Breakfast and dinner are buffet style with a good degree of choice on offer. Whilst we were there one guy ran the mini club for kids but also gave pool aerobic lessons at 1pm and later at 10.30pm had a latin beat disco for parents and kids- some man for one man!!
On the downside the choice of wines at dinner was limited, the minibar in the room did not have wine or spirits and the main bar of the hotel closed at 12 midnight- strange for Spain! There was also a hefty charge for using the Spa.

8/10

Excellent

02 Jun 2010

Ian

Elba Costa Ballena Hotel, Rota/Cadiz, Spain

The hotel was fairly new, next to a golf course, and very close to the sea, with a long, well-paved promenade. The walk along the promenade was very enjoyable. The beach is attractive and the hotel has a beach club/bar for casual dining and drinks either during the day or evening. The rooms were well-laid out and comfortably furnished and clean. It is part of a large beach and golf resort called Costa Ballena.

Reception staff were particulalry helpful.
It represented very good value for money as we got a good deal through hotels.com, however, with the recession, the northern end of this large resort has not been built, and I assume that some of the apartments already built are also empty, so the area was very quiet during the week, as was the hotel. There were more people around at the weekend, and the hotel was almost full, as they were offering good weekend rates. However, the local businesses cannot survive, so there were no real restaurants in the area, the all of the beach bars, including the one at the hotel, we only open at the weekend. As a result, if you wanted to eat locally it had to be in the hotel, which was a buffet dinner, and I hate buffets! The first course food was very good, but the main course food suffered all of the usual problems associated with a buffet.

Overall, I liked the hotel, it was excellent value for money, but be aware of the short-comings.

10/10

Exceptional

14 May 2009

Verified traveler

Beautiful Resort Near Ocean

Outstanding! Friendly staff, clean, convenient access to the beach (about 100 Yards). About 1/2 mile to nearest restaurant not located in hotel. Would stay at this establisment again.

8/10

Excellent

28 Apr 2026

SILVIA

Spa muy bueno. Excelente desayuno.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

06 Apr 2026

Priyanka

Great dinner buffet for sea food lovers

8/10

Excellent

23 Feb 2026

Peter

Schöne große Zimmer, komfortabel, sauber
Freundliches Personal, Essen abwechslungsreich

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jan 2026

SIMONE

Colazione ampia. I prodotti dolci però non sempre erano di livello. Colazione più verso il salato

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Oct 2025

Cristina

La struttura è molto bella anche se grande e quindi quando è piena c’è tanta gente. Bella la piscina e ottimo il buffet

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

26 Oct 2025

Maria-Elisabeth

Parfait! À l’exception de la chaleur dans les chambres malgré la climatisation

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

15 Aug 2025

Wiliams

-Calidad de alimentos en buffet necesita mejorar
-Sistema de llaves en puertas anticuado. Todas las tarjetas pierden la programación.
-Necesita ampliar parking
-Necesita un área para adultos nocturna
-Sistema de juegos obsoleto. Necesita usar monedas y cambio. Noticia: ahora se usa pago con tarjeta.

Staff de la piscina, bar y arreglo de habitaciones: Un 10. En especial Isabel y Alberto quienes destacan por su amabilidad y atención.

Valoración media a todo el hotel. Necesita gerencia y dirección.
Para una vacaciones de calidad, definitivamente otro lugar. No creo volver

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Jun 2025

Jacinto Martín

Buen hotel

Buen hotel, habitación muy cómoda y buen colchón, problema el aparcamiento, si no es de pago tienes que ir algo lejos .
Considero mejor hotel el Best

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jun 2025

Jonathan

Muy bueno

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2025

Ana

La comodidad en todos los aspectos

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2025

Snjezana

Leider Zimmer ganz am Ende des Hotels erhalten, sehr weite Wege….
Also bloß nichts vergessen.
Safe nur auf Anfrage, ebenso der Wasserkocher.
Buffet sehr gut und große Auswahl

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2025

Verified traveler

Buen hotel

Perfecto para descansar y desconectar a pesar del tiempo. La habitación muy limpia y en buen estado y el desayuno perfecto.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2025

Jonatan