I spent some time here back in January during my road trip down the coast of Spain. This is one of the hotels that I am excited about. Apologies for taking such a long time to share this, I am way behind on my schedule. The Casa Alberola Alicante Curio Collection by Hilton is a cosy boutique hotel located near the waterfront promenade of Alicante and the Passeig Esplanada d’Espanya. The location is as good as it gets. I have always loved checking out properties under Curio Collections since they are always so unique and special in their ways. It is nice that you can get the best of both worlds here, with the ability to enjoy the standards of chain hotels and benefits in terms of soft products but the hard product of something with plenty of history and culture. With this, the Casa Alberola became the third property that I check out under this brand. You can check out the Reichshof Hamburg and Renwick NYC that I reviewed previously. Let’s go to Alicante and review this amazing boutique hotel right on the promenade and the waterfront area. Each hotel comes with its character and history, the Casa Alberola have its roots in 1894 and is located in a neoclassical art deco building. It is the personal property of the Alberola family.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I book directly with Hilton and will be staying here for 2 nights. I book the base level standard room and it cost 274 SGD for my stay. Weirdly, besides booking via Hilton, the hotel emailed me to do a prepayment with the link. This is unusual. The rates were decent and fair given that it is the low season here. A couple of days out, I can see from the app that I have been upgraded to the Catalina room. That is quite a nice 3 tier upgrade. Casa Alberola Alicante Curio Collection by Hilton features only 43 guest rooms and suites spread across 8 categories. You can find the breakdown below. The rooms here are on the smaller side and most of them do not come with a bathtub since it is a heritage place. It also lacks facilities like a pool and a gym, so if that is what you are after, you should head somewhere else.
| Rooms | Bathtub | Room Size | No. of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clara | No | 22 Sqm | 4 |
| Jaime | No | 22 Sqm | 9 |
| Carmen | No | 23 Sqm | 17 |
| Catalina | No | 26 Sqm | 4 |
| Carmen with Sea View | No | 23 Sqm | 3 |
| Joaquin with Sea View | No | 27 Sqm | 4 |
| Alberola Suite | Yes | 44 Sqm | 1 |
| The Cupola | No | 37 Sqm | 1 |
Checking In
I arrived in the early evening and it was a warm welcome by Adrianna who even came out to the street to help me unload my bags and show us the direction to the parking facility. The hotel was recently renovated in 2019 and looks very new and fresh. It speaks of a polished luxury heritage style while not being over the top. We came back to complete the rest of the check-in process after parking our car. I was upgraded further to a Carmen with Sea View room. With many boutique hotels, the lobby is very intimate and there is only a small space with two counters. I do love the vibes of the place and the decoration.
On the mezzanine level, you can find more seating areas and doesn’t this place look so pretty. The space was well appropriated and designed.
The hotel does not have its in-house parking but you can find one just in the building behind. It is called, Parking Canalejas. The address is C. Rafael Terol, 30, 03001 Alicante, Spain. For 24 hours, it cost 15.30 Euros and it is an underground carpark. It is very easy to find but of course, if you have a couple of baggage, you should unload them first. The lots are a little narrow for big SUVs but not much issue with this. You will pay for the parking directly at the facility.
Carmen Room with Sea View
The Carmen Room is one of the highest category rooms here and one of the two that comes with a sea view. I was assigned room 501, located on the highest floor. It is a short walk from the lift. Common in a heritage building, the lifts are awfully small. I love the common areas and the white facade looks so lovely. The configuration of the rooms here differs in orientation and layout since they are in a historical building.
Upon entering, you have an entranceway. It’s pretty narrow and takes you to the bathroom on the right and the main space of the room on the left. I appreciate that they had a full-length mirror on the wall which is useful and great. The room measures only 23 Sqm and it is certainly a tight squeeze. We had difficulty even opening up our suitcases. Cosy would be a better word for that. I do love the high ceilings of the room given that we are on the highest floor. It helps makes the whole space less claustrophobic. The blue and white theme of the room is such a good match for Alicante.
You can find the plush king-size bed in the middle surrounded by two nightstands on either side. The bedding was excellent and I had a great rest. The pillows offer great neck support as well. I love that there are power outlets and even USB outlets to be found on either side of the bed. Switches for the lights are easily located on either side.
Opposite the bed, you can find the wardrobe and inside an ironing kit, a safe as well as bathrobes, bath slippers and plenty of hangers. You also have a luggage rack there.
Next to it is the work desk and the chair does provide rather good back support. It’s spacious and nice to work from, power sockets can be easily found too. Weirdly I was not able to get the premium wifi. I got no idea what is wrong. Thankfully, the standard wifi speed is strong. Left on the table was a welcome amenity consisting of some chocolates and panettone as well as a handwritten note from the staff! A nice touch! The high-definition tv was perched on top and it was a good size for the room.
Towards the wall, just next to the window you can find the minibar area. It is equipped with an illy coffee machine and a mini-fridge below that is left empty. Some coffee and tea capsules are provided. A kettle can be requested upon request. Carton water are provided and more can be requested from the staff.
Now the highlight and the cream de prince de resistance of the room! This is what makes the hotel so lovely, the view from the window is alluring. The Seaview is spectacular. You also have a good view of the entire promo made and Alicante’s most famous Passeig Esplanada d’Espanya.
If that is not pretty enough, the sunrise is even captivating. I was greeted by sunrise every morning isn’t it amazing to have this as your alarm clock. My eyes were glued to them every morning. I will wake up for this view every day when I am here.
The bathroom is located near the entrance and the decor is chic. The blue and gold trimmings finish looking so chic and gorgeous. Together with the white marble. Pretty! The bathroom comes with a single sink and an oval-shaped mirror. Toiletries amenities from a local brand are provided and I love the lemongrass and verbena scent. The hair dryer can be found under the sink.
The showering space is spacious and showering here is a joy. Frequently, historical buildings have bad plumbing and water pressure but that isn’t the case here! I love the rainforest shower and the handheld shower head. This is one of my favourite places in the room.
Breakfast at Restaurant Blacky
Breakfast is served from 7.30am until 10.30am. It is extended till 11am on the weekends. Breakfast is done in a form of à la carte breakfast and a small buffet line up by the bar to supplement the options. It is a nice set-up. The restaurant is located just to the side of the reception. I was warmly welcomed and the lady working the floor that day was lovely and polite. Super bubbly and cheerful.
The restaurant is chic and gorgeous. You have a choice of both outdoors and indoor seats but with it a little chilly outside at this time of the year, we went for the inside seats. It is especially charming when the sun is shining in.
Let me first share some pictures of the buffet line up which mainly consist of continental breakfast items. First up, the drinks. You have freshly brewed coffee from an espresso machine, artisanal packaged tea, organic grape and apple juice and cava. Freshly squeezed orange juice can be ordered from the staff as well. This is just up my alley. You can also find some cereals and whole fruits here.
A couple of pastries and toast can be found as well. The doughnuts and croissants were really good and flaky.
Then you have a menu that you can order from.
You can have unlimited orders and anything that you like. There are organic eggs cooked to your liking with various trimmings. The traditional Spanish breakfast toast with some grated tomato and olive oil. Everything tasted so good and fresh. You can also order some cold-cut platters. I also tried the scrambled eggs which were excellent. Throughout our stay, we tried some of the items here. No amount of buffet can beat freshly cook items. I will also recommend the Spanish omelette or the tortilla with a side of bacon, ham and avocados.
This is easily one of the best breakfasts I had during this trip and at the very least top 3. The options might not be huge but everything tastes so good and fresh. Products are sourced from the surrounding region and everything is made to order. I love the fresh OJ and coffee drinks too.
Conclusion
Great hotel and solid option in Alicante! I will recommend this to everyone travelling to Alicante or the Costa del Sol be it if you are a Hilton loyalty member or not. This is after all also the only option for Hilton loyalty members in Alicante. The location of the hotel is really good and if you need to park a car the nearby parking is decent and well priced. It is sometimes refreshing to stay in a boutique property with a local flair. I can’t wait to be back here during the summer.
Seeing The World In Steps 
One thought
Comments are closed.