Staying at Alannia Costa Blanca in February
For the last couple of years we have spent February half term in the UK, but this year we decided to head to Spain to find some much needed sunshine after all the dreary weather we have been having.
After much research we decided to fly to Alicante and stay at the Alannia Costa Blanca resort, reportedly one of the best equipped camping resorts in Europe, which is around a 40 minute drive from the airport.
Our home for the week was a Habana Bungalow, which features a terrace, double bedroom, a second bedroom with three single beds, bathroom, kitchen area, a lounge diner and a parking space.
The Habana bungalows are all painted pretty pastel shades, which look really pretty lined up along the road.
The kids adored their bedroom layout, which had two single beds along each wall and then a third bunk style bed on the back wall of the room.
The bungalow also comes with a good WiFi signal, TV and air conditioning which can be programmed for warm air, perfect for chilly nights in February.
We did have a major issue with the bungalow, however. On the website it states that the bungalow has a fully equipped kitchen and whilst it had a fridge freezer and a dishwasher, it had no oven, no kettle and no toaster.
In fact cooking facilities were a two ring hob and a basic microwave which is really not suitable for a family of five planning on self catering the holiday to save money.
The resort itself was spotlessly clean and there is a small supermarket, small restaurant, spa, gym and medical centre on site in the main plaza area.
The kids were most looking forward to trying the pools, particularly the animal themed one with slides, but despite the website giving the impression it was open all year round, it was closed.
Luckily the Tahiti Beach swimming pool was open, so they did get to enjoy a dip in a pool.
The resort itself seemed busy, however, the kids club was only open at the end of the week and there was no evening entertainment on, despite the website stating it was on all year round, so the kids had to make their own entertainment.
There is the option of renting bikes should you wish, but we made the decision to make the most of our car hire and explore the local area.
All-in-all, the campsite is very pretty but it is situated right next to the AP-7 Dual carriageway so there is a constant hum of traffic, which could be a problem if you are sensitive to noise. However, it does make it a good base to stay and explore the local area and we enjoyed day trips to Elche, Cartagena, Valencia and Alicante during our stay.
Sadly, we were really disappointed with our stay and would not recommend it, particularly out of summer season.
Sarah Howe
That’s bit of a shame. The weather looks fab but it does seem really quiet. They need to make it clear that not as much will be going on during the winter months.
Kim Carberry
Oh no! That really isn’t good that they gave the impression that things were open when they weren’t. It does look a gorgeous place though. Such a shame it didn’t live up to expectations x
Bolupé
I like your honest review of your stay. It is very disappointing to have high hopes from what you see on the hotel website and then having those hopes shattered when you visit.
I’m glad you made the best out of the situation with the car hire outings you could do.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Talya
What a shame! It’s always so disappointing when there’s not much going on off season.
Rowena
That’s such a shame and can’t believe the kitchen didn’t even have a kettle! Your pictures are fab though and it does look like the campsite has a lot of potential but sadly just not there yet.
Samantha Donnelly
There is nothing worse than looking forward to going away and what you will be doing to get there and it is not as you had expected. Am glad you still managed to get out and have a good time x
Surekha
It sounds like you had a great time overall. It IS a huge bummer that the “fully equipped” kitchen was anything but.
Roger Willis
That is a very cute and quaint bungalow! It reminds me of the cottage my wife and I stayed at last summer. I do love the interior of this bungalow and the amenities like the kitchen. It’s perfect for people like me and my wife.
Jenni
Oh what a shame things weren’t as they were advertised. Those pastel shade bungalows do look so cute though all lined up – but that kitchen eek! It would be interesting to see what it’s like in the summer.
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
Such a shame that your stay was not what it should have been. I started reading your post and thought how lovely it looked, and then read about the kitchen. In what universe is that “fully equipped”? Very misleading. Particularly if you have planned for self catering for that reason. The little disappointments can make such a difference to your stay, and I’m not surprised you wouldn’t recommend.
Rhian Westbury
The colours of those cottages is absolutely beautiful, I love the pink! I love the idea of going away when it’s cold here x
michelle twin mum
Fabulous that there are three beds in the second bedroom, that makes so much difference to a family like mine. It looks like a great place to stay. Mich x
Kacie Morgan
I haven’t been to Costa Blanca yet but it looks like a lovely destination and your accommodation is very picturesque too.
Angela Ricardo Bethea
The place your family stayed at looks quite amazing. Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time there.
Jenny
Oh what a shame it wasn’t what you’d hoped. How they can say it’s a fully equipped kitchen with no oven is beyond me! I do like the look of the kids bedroom layout though.
Rebecca Smith
It is such a shame you were so disappointed with your stay. The cooking facilities certainly left a lot to be desired!
Laura
I always find that staying at resorts like this is very hit and miss outside of the main season, although I don’t think it would have mattered what time of year I went I would be complaining about the kitchen.
Clare Nicholas
Oh no, it’s so sad you were let done on the entertainment front as the accommodation looks perfect as a family base.
So glad you mentioned about this as I’d been looking myself. Kids clubs and evening entertainment is rather essential really, you can entertain yourselves in the day but at night parents want a little help/break
Such a shame
Elizabeth Williams
Love the pretty pastel bungalows, they look so quaint. Shame that so much wasn’t available even though the website said it was. Know my kids would be disappointed with the lack of pools with slides, kids clubs and entertainment especially if they were expecting them.
fashionandstylepolice
Wow the bungalow looks so pretty. I would love to holiday here.
Jess Howliston
The bungalows look so pretty in the pastel colours, the site looks fab but its such a shame it wasn’t as advertised and didn’t quite live up to what you had hoped. That definitely isn’t a fully quipped kitchen especially not for a family of 5! Great that you managed to get out an explore though.