My family decided to visit Europa-Park for Spring Break 2016 and quickly decided to find lodging…read moreoff the resort after we viewed the exorbitant prices for the Europa-Park hotels on the resort (upwards of 500 euro a night for those last-minute planners). We used Booking.com to purchase our one-night stay at Hotel EL Andaluz which was one of the only hotels left that could accommodate my family of four (2 adults and 2 children). Here is my summary of our stay (5-Star Rating Scale): 5-Star (Hotel's Location):  The hotel is conveniently located less than a 10-minute drive to Europa-Park.  What's more, the hotel has a free parking lot close to the entrance which has more than enough spaces to accommodate the guests. 5-Star (Hotel Staff):  The hotel's front desk staff were very pleasant and professional.  Check-in was very easy. 5-Star (Hotel Ambience):  The hotel was beautifully decorated. 1-Star (Room Accommodations):  We were given a room on the first floor (...room 265) which was next to the resort's monorail.  A train would pass by our room window approximately every 10 minutes, and it was unpleasant to look in the faces of the guests on the train (it was probably equally uncomfortable for them).  We could not find the room's temperature controls so we had to open the windows to cool the room.  As soon as we did we could hear the screaming from the elated fans still riding the roller coasters.  I had a terrible headache and desperately needed a nap which was difficult under the circumstances. We also could hear the conversations from the guests in other rooms.  I've stayed in too many hotels to count and this was the first room that had a bed too uncomfortable to rest in.  The mattress was hard and the pillows were made of the cheapest material; I slept better on a military cot in a field exercise.  While I didn't agree with her doing so, my 4-year-old daughter attempted to bounce on the bed and remarked, "Why is the bed so hard?????"  Normally children will bounce on any surface and she quickly left the bed for greener pastures.   Lastly, the plumbing attached to the shower was in need of desperate repair.  During my shower, the water ranged from cool enough to make "lemonade" to hot enough to "boil an egg".  I literally had to end my shower to prevent from getting a second or third degree burn.  I was very disappointed and opted to bathe my children using the sink. 5-Star (Breakfast):  Our stay included a free breakfast in the hotel's restaurant from 0700hrs - 1000hrs.  The buffet included pastries, fruit, various meats, and beverages.  I enjoyed the various teas you could make in your own personal tea pot.  The highlight from breakfast was the Europa-Park mascot who stopped to say "hello" during our meal. While we enjoyed Europa-Park, when I pay 240 Euro a night for a hotel I expect a nice quiet room, a comfortable bed, and a relaxing shower.  This hotel failed to deliver on any of these.  My husband and I agreed this was the least enjoyable experience of all of our European stays.

Most theme park hotels are massive, impersonal affairs, with lobbies filled with screaming…read morechildren, indifferent employees, and sterile rooms. Not so at Hotel El Andaluz. Europa-Park gets it right by making their hotels just a little smaller than most, to keep that personal, almost boutique feel. Our room was clean, comfortable, and had a nice view. A little lacking in closet/storage space, but probably adequate for most travelers. (We were staying for two nights at the end of a 10-day business trip, so had a lot of luggage.) As my German is virtually non-existent, I was pleased at how well the staff speaks English here. Not everyone was fluent, but everyone spoke enough to communicate what needed to be said. The breakfast buffet (included in the room cost) was solid. Definitely a step up from the average hotel buffet, but not quite at the level of amazing. A hearty selection of meats, cheeses, grains, juices and pastries. Parking was free, easy and self-service. No hassles and no crowds. They have a clever system to stop people who are not staying at the hotel from parking for free and trying to get into the park, so kudos to them for treating their guests like grown-ups. I would stay at Hotel Andaluz, or any on-park property, again in a heartbeat. I debated only giving four stars, because it is not a luxury/pampering hotel by any means, but really, I can't ding them for not being the Four Seasons, at only about $200/night.