Hotel Donana, Sanlucar

Not impressed with this hotel at all. Although the web site states that it is near restaurants and bars, it isn’t! It is certainly situated very close to the beach but the surroundings leave a lot to be desired. It is a good 20 min. walk into the old town, which is great. Our hotel room was clean enough, with a balcony overlooking the pool, but it was purely functional. The towels in the room were quite threadbare and, although obviously washed, looked as though they had seen better days. Breakfast was self-service buffet, as in most modern hotels these days, but not a lot of choice. Secure underground parking is available but we managed to park right outside the hotel without a problem; however, it might get busier at the height of the season. We took a bus from the bus depot (about 15 min. walk depending on how quickly you walk) into Cadiz as we have found that driving in Spanish cities is a nightmare; it’s about 1 hr.15 min. on the coach. Cadiz is OK – depends on what you want – but we personally were a bit disappointed. Perhaps we had been spoilt by Cordoba! Would not return to this hotel again.

We just had 2 nights here (end Feb'). The hotel is by the beach but a long walk to the town (not a great walk in the dark through a residential area back to the hotel). Few places to eat or drink near the hotel. Sanlucar is basic bars and pizza places - not restaurants, really. The hotel bar is just an area of the brightly lit, soulless dining room, with formica tables (cloths on sometimes!) and c. 4 barstools. Food was a very limited uninspiring choice.

Only lounge area was in reception with curtained-off windows. Not very inviting and always seemed dark.

Terrace and pool area looked ok for the summer months...if a little sparse.

The only time we had company in the bar was c.11pm on the 1st night when a coachload of spanish pensioners piled in for a plastic bag each of a spam sandwich, apple and bottle of water - all very bizarre and we never knew why! Bar staff were quite good...the only high point of a very miserable stay...and I hope they can tunnel their way out soon. They deserve better.

Our room was not serviced whilst we were there. There was a knock at the door at 5pm the 2nd afternoon when the maid finally wanted access to clean..and was unhappy that we refused at that hour, even though we pointed out that she was incredibly late as we'd been out all day and we were now getting changed and bathing.

Very uninspiring place, cheap but depressing. 2 of the 3 lampshades in our room (143) were hanging off the wall, probably due to the unforgiving 'coiled spring' pillows that were impossible to sleep on but sprang out all through the night to knock everything off the bedside table. We left early on the 3rd day, and ran for the hills (or Jerez actually!). 28 euro's cab to Jerez as the buses were down due to it being an extra public holiday (oh joy).

No-one asked us how our stay had been when we checked out.

The town is super, square is lovely with cafe's. Hotel Tartanero looked better (we didn't go in), and the Guadalquivir is in a good spot but the bar was like a smoker's bordello...don't go if you don't like smoke!

Sorry this sounds so negative for such a nice town but our hotel experience was awful.

As this was the first time that we had travelled to this area of Spain, we weren't sure about our choice of resort or the hotel. The Partner Donana proved to be a fairly typical Spanish hotel, rooms are basic but spacious and always clean. We did ask for a room change as on arrival we were given a room at the front - these don't have balconies and overlook the street, however when we asked we were moved to a room at the back of the hotel with a balcony overlooking the pool & sea (no extra charge). Breakfast features usual suspects of pastries, fruit, ham, cheese and a couple of hot items including eggs and sausage - not inspiring but certainly good enough. The staff here (bar a couple of offhand receptionists) were extremely helpful and polite but the highlight of this hotel is the pool area - it's not particularly large but then it wasn't busy either so we always were able to get a sunbed. The pool was clean and refreshing and the pool area got the sun well into the evening. The hotel's bar prices are very reasonable and it was good to have the peace of mind of the hotel garage parking (small charge) even though most days you could park for free just outside the hotel. The hotel seems mostly used by bus tours so it can be quite busy at breakfast first thing in the morning but as breakfast is served until 11am, that's not a problem. The hotel is a short stroll from the beach and Bajo de Guia where the beachfront restaurants serve fantastic tapas and fresh fish dishes. The town centre is only 15 mins walk but hotels there did seem to be on busy roads so we definitely benefitted from the quiet location of the Donana.
Two things - we loved the "Spanishness" of this resort - if you need English menus or can only communicate in English, you might struggle to make yourself understood. The other things is the flies - they do seem to come out in force but if you can get past that, this is a lovely place to visit. Sanlucar is a great base for travelling from (Cadiz is only 40 mins away, Seville just over an hour) and on its' own has some lovely places to visit and a great town square in which you can kick back, have a beer and tapas and watch the world go by.

The hotel was excellent for an affordable, quiet, holiday for couples or families, it is Basic yet affordable, comfortable and clean with friendly and helpful staff, our room was large and air conditioned although it did require some basic maintenance that was quickly corrected by the staff.
The hotels main point is its location - a minute walk to sanlucar's spectacular beaches and famous seafood restaurants and a further 10 minutes to the town with its historic features.