I visited Villavieja 6 in Alicante last night (Sunday 03/04/2016), this was my third time in the bar and previous visits had been pleasant/acceptable. However, the treatment received last night has driven me to write this review. The bar has great decor and the clientele are a nice mix, however the staff (a barmaid with long hair and a barman with thick spiky hair) are inattentive, rude, and last night, argumentative.
There was no visible evidence in the form of posters or notices that there would be any live music last night when we arrived at the bar, there was plenty of available seating and when our table ordered drinks the staff did not mention that there would be any entertainment. Having visited before we knew that the cost of drinks was at least double what other bars charge for the same mediocre offerings and we had previously been informed that this was to cover the cost of the entertainers as no entrance fee/cover is charged. We accepted this as we usually enjoy the atmosphere. We received our drinks but no nibbles although every other table around us (and those sat at the bar) had something to snack on, not a big deal, we asked if we could have some nuts, after an hour, and half way through another round of drinks, we were finally given a small bowl of bar mix and some crisps.
Some time around 19:30-20:00 a Cuban musician began singing and playing guitar, he was EXCELLENT and I cannot fault him or his music which provided a nice background to our conversations. We were somewhat surprised later to be interrupted by a woman who appeared at our table with a hat demanding contributions for the performance, she was incredibly pushy and intrusive, when I said I did not have any change at that time she insisted that I obtain change (even suggesting I obtain change from the hat!) she made such a dramatic show of me not putting something into the hat there and than I felt she was attempting to humiliate me into coughing up. My friends grudgingly put some coins into the hat and she moved on.
When the bill arrived we saw that we had been charged an additional €3 consumption per person. When we questioned what this was for we were informed that it was for the performance. My friend challenged the fee as she has visited the bar many times, specifically for the music, and never before been charged. The barmaid declared that my friend was a liar and that she had definitely paid previously as she recognized her face! We decided to pay the additional fees as we didn´t want to prolong the argument and further spoil our evening.
The additional €3 is not much money and we would all have willing paid this amount, or maybe even a little more for the musicians, had we been informed that the Bar´s policy had changed and that cover charges were now made. The fact that we were given no choice about the charge (was not advertised anywhere inside or outside the bar and we were not once verbally informed), we were harassed at the table to pay into the hat, and the staff were so unbelievably rude and aggressive when politely questioned about the added costs, means that on principle we will not be using their bar again, nor will we be recommending to friends, colleagues, clients or associates as we had previously, which is a shame for the musicians. read more
