PortAventura Hotel Caribe - Includes PortAventura Park Tickets

We have just returned from a stay at the Portaventura hotel Caribe and I am saddened to say it was a major letdown. We had booked it due to its 4* rating, facilities and proximity to the theme park but found it was lacking on all fronts. The location of the hotel itself is a 15 minute walk from the park but despite staying in a resort hotel you aren’t given any kind of priority access so need to queue with everyone else. The staff weren’t the most helpful and offered the bare minimum information at check in. They also failed to note how to locate your room which given the substantial size of the resort was a bit confusing. There was no entertainment on offer and the prices within the hotel were very high (e.g. €3.70 for 1x soft drink that was mostly ice). You also couldn’t order 1 cocktail and we were told we had to order a minimum of 5 of the same kind for them to make it. We were placed in a 1st floor room, however, the lift was broken when we arrived which isn’t ideal when you have a young baby. The room itself was fine but very outdated and not worthy in my opinion of a 4* rating. There was also no soundproofing whatsoever so the noise from adjoining rooms was a challenge. Think excitable French children shouting and slamming doors until the early hours of the morning. The grounds were nice but after paying a lot of money for the hotel it transpired that gym access was an additional €10 per time. The “gym” itself was sp**** and not worth the money at all. We had booked full board for convenience but when checking in we were informed that breakfast and dinner was a buffet option only and to receive lunch you had to go into the theme park to use a quick service restaurant or a la carte option and an additional cost. This was hugely inconvenient given the park wasn’t exactly close to the hotel. There was no shuttle transfer from the hotel so I would definitely factor this in if you were considering this hotel. I would also say that it’s not the most suitable for people with disabilities. Although there were mobility scooters available to rent at the theme park it would appear these were widely rented on a daily basis without people with an obvious requirement (yes I am very aware hidden disabilities exist). On a positive note, the buffet food whilst being lukewarm was good and not the same every night. The downside was that the buffet was extremely busy some days to the extent it was off putting. You need to book to eat in 40 minute slots which were often full and dinner started at 7.30pm which wasn’t convenient with a small child. We found it much more cost effective to walk to the closest shop approximately 10-15 minutes away and bought water from there. The park itself was good but very busy despite being low season. I would recommend the splurge if you can afford it to do an express pass. There isn’t much at all for toddler age children which was disappointing and the water park is closed until late May which wasn’t made clear at