The Cookbook Gastro Boutique Hotel & Spa

This was short weekend visit , luckily not my holiday, visiting friends , otherwise I would be even more disappointed it. Beds - very hard (make sure you ask for toppers on arrival) Bathrooms - bath full or rust, old mouldy filler around bath, all the accessories in bathroom covered with grease and dust (assuming sunblock spray never cleaned), clearly not cleaned in ages. Floors are never washed in the room during stay so you get black feet walking around from the dust Balcony is not nice, the top of your balcony wall, soooo dirty. Old sunbeds, not comfortable. Zero privacy on the balcony , you can just look at each other as the tiny bit of glass does nothing. Breakfast total shocker, I never ever been anywhere where they cannot make an omelette. Its only continental breakfast with option of eggs . Went for cheese and tomato omelette. I have travelled a lot in my life all over the world, but hands down, this was the worst omelette . It was overcooked, dry and the cheese was hard lump of cheese in the middle, which is not suitable for omelette at all as does not melt, and large slice of tomato in the middle, what chef would even let this leave the kitchen?? Turns out there is no chef there at breakfast but your waiter will cook your omelette. I had one bite and left it, the waiter asked me what is wrong, and I have told him is not good. He then went and cooked my another one ,despite me telling him NO. His Words "give me another chance, I am not a chef" Believe you me I know he was not a chef after the 1st one ,and the 2nd one was as bad. Is not his fault but the management, who gets waiters to cook your breakfast ?? surely not any reputable hotel??? The staff was polite overall and friendly but would not stay there even if you pay me. So for £400 for 3 nights , complete disappointment.

The nearest the chef had been to the boasted Michelin was probably changing a tyre. DONT consider the HB option it's a sham. I could expand ......

My stay at Cookbook Hotel in Calpe was amazing! The staff were really friendly and made us feel at home. The food was fantastic. We stayed in a lovely suite with a terrace and a stunning view of the sea. The hotel has a cool vibe, mixing modern style with local charm. Everything was super clean and comfortable. The terrace was our favorite spot to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Overall, Cookbook Hotel is a great choice if you want top-notch service, delicious food, and a peaceful getaway with views of the sea.

The Cookbook has 2 good quality restaurants and calls itself a boutique hotel. Unfortunately the hotel is not boutique as this brings to mind luxury and quality when in reality the rooms are looking tired and in need of attention. On checking in, first impressions were very good, staff are very pleasant and attentive, the reception area is modern and attractive. We were offered a drink while we were checked in, which was very welcome. Unfortunately once we got to our room, we discovered that the air conditioning was not working at all, it was running but just moving around ambient air. We called reception and they advised that they would call in the engineer whilst we were out for dinner. On our return, we were advised that they discovered that the unit had broken and we would be moved to another room. The replacement room air conditioning was working as it was a brand new unit, but instead of replacing the old unit with this new one, the old unit was left in place on another wall and the new one added as well. So the room contained two air conditioners which looked a bit odd. The hotel corridors were roasting hot, it appears that either the air conditioning is not working in these either or they had been turned off to save money. Our replacement room was looking very tired in places with doors needing sanding and revarnishing and drawers that were falling out if you pulled them out too far. Using the bathroom, we discovered a couple of issues. Firstly the sink tap was falling apart. Secondly and to be honest, totally disgusting was the wet black mould that I only discovered after I ran a bath and had a close up view of the bath tap. We reported both issues to reception and asked that they be resolved. Staff assured us that they would be immediately dealt with and on our return from dinner that evening, we were told that the sink tap had been fixed by the engineer, the mould would be dealt with by room service the following day. We were reassured that staff were on top of the issues and found the sink tap now fully working in the room. We felt confident the mould issue would be resolved the following day but to our disappointment, discovered the tap in exactly the same disgusting state. As were were spending our last night in the hotel and we had already bought it to the hotels attention, we decided to not bother to report a second time, but just list the issue here for other travellers to decide if they want to stay at this hotel or not! Breakfast at the hotel was fine although there was a bit of a lack of choice which other reviewers have complained about. It seems that there was a chef shortage as the receptionist was also doubling as the cook during our stay at the hotel. He advised us that the only thing he could cook was a plain omelette or scrambled eggs. Luckily we were fine with that choice and he cooked them well. I got the impression that most of the money spent on the Cookbook has gone into both restaurants (which are lovely) and

Should you care for a slightly different experience with a truly caring team and great gastronomy this could well be a hotel for you to consider. Ease of parking, not too far from central Calpe with lots of temptations within their Spa all add to the appeal….

We only stayed for two nights but were very pleased with all. Small and calm. Fresh and clean pool. Excellent staff. Perfect breakfast where you could choose "your type" and being served, instead of a buffet that tries to please all ..or nobody:-). Short walk to the beach. Unfortunately, hadn't the chance to try the restaurants. Hopefully next time, as we for sure will chose this hotel again next time.