Malibu Playa - la Vila Joiosa

... why do people run a guesthouse, even though they obviously have no joy in their products and even less so in their customers? Or is it better to ask why a functioning competition allows such a sad existence at all? Be that as it may, Villajoyosa is a popular holiday destination in August on the Costa Blanca in the Valencia region of Spain, and like all these places, it has a wide range of gastronomic offerings. What is consistently astonishing is the usually high level of professionalism and friendliness of the hardworking people there, as well as the excellent quality of the products for a simple but fitting cuisine. Therefore, in the worst sense, it is almost a feat not to have both of these lovable qualities as spectacularly as this establishment. From the frustrated unfriendliness of the owner to a largely inedible meal that is on the verge of spoiling, this place has unbelievably fallen short of all the standards that are otherwise present for a simple beachside cuisine. Which leads back to the question of why such places still exist... A failure of competition? A still underdeveloped sense of quality and taste among tourists, despite good alternatives available right on site? At least thanks to this experience, I am thinking about these questions again...

Wow, stopped in for a little late lunch, early afternoon, snack, salad, and burger… What a disappointment! Salad was warm, so proprietor informed us that the wait caused by the preparation time of my partner’s (very mediocre , hamburger delayed the arrival of the food causing my salad to warm unnaturally quickly. Did I mention that this was a tuna salad? Big no-no, even if tuna is from a can; which we all know it is. It should at least give the impression of some kind of refrigeration/freshness in total, especially as there are about five other ingredients in it for a typical Valencian (or regional tuna salad. These would be: lettuce, onions, olives (OK, they can be warm sometimes , carrots…Telling your clients that are, as we are age-wise, not necessarily greenhorns, that the taste was probably influenced negatively by the very vinegar they have standing on the table… Not a good message. I had no problem with the vinegar or the oil. But (possibly tippy tuna and otherwise very warm salad components make for unattractive eating. If not fear of worse. Certainly not suitable for the proprietorship to explain to the customers how basics like a Valencian tuna salad, which is not with mayonnaise (in this case, especially, I would say, thank goodness! just lettuce and above mentioned ingredients, should taste. PS they forgot the french fries for my partner’s burger, for which we are very thankful. PPS we paid the entire bill as we did not want you involved in a long conversation with very argumentative unfriendly staff member. PPPS Just had to wash down our anger and disinfected inside and out in a very nifty little bar just a few meters away, with good local wine and friendly staff – and also a better snack in our future here.

Best prawns ever! Lovely staff, overlooking a beautiful beach. What a sweet place, they were so welcoming! My hubby had the burger and said was really great too.

Servicio muy bueno y amable y delicioso.

Buena comida, buen lugar y dulce anfitriona.