Barceló Cabo de Gata — Hotel in Almeria

Let me start by saying I would definitely go back. ||I went with my daughter 31st May - 7th June to celebrate her 21st birthday, and end of uni. ||We booked package deal with Thomas Cook, but you could easily do it yourself as the flights were with Easyjet.||We booked a private transfer from the airport, no more than 10 mins journey, so reception was empty when we arrived and we sailed through. Reception staff were all delightful. They tell you to scan the QR code (they are everywhere) and that gives you details, you can also report problems via the app, we didn't use it, so not sure how effective it is.||I emailed the hotel the week before and asked for a 'nice, quiet' room, they delivered, we were in room 321, which is bit of walk, but worth it for the large balcony with loungers, if you can see past the car park, you overlook the nature reserve, and the sea and you get the sun all afternoon, and the most amazing sunsets every night. We arrived around 11am, but was told our room was ready which was great. As we were unpacking, we had a knock on the door and they delivered a bottle of prosecco, card and choc for my daughter for her birthday, a really lovely touch, thank you Barcelo. :)||The Room: the bed is massive, and super comfy. The room is lovely and clean, had everything you need, including a fridge, tea coffee making facilities, plenty of sockets. There was a bottle of water, but once that was gone, they didn't replace it, so we just grabbed some from the lobby bar on our way up of an evening. If you are taking lots of hanging stuff, there were about 10 hangers between the 2 of us. Note the balconies did not have privacy screens between them. Fine for us as we were on the so only had one neighbour, who was lovely. :)||The bathroom is lovely, the shower is big, reasonably powerful, and hot water seemed plentiful. They provide shower gel / shampoo / conditioner / hand soap / toothbrushes and a small box containing cotton buds and cotton wool pad (not sure how many, small box, didn't open it). There is a full length mirror opposite the bathroom door.||The TV : only has spanish channels, you could probs take a firestick if you wanted to, I didn't check the back of the TV so don't know what ports are on there. We preferred to sit on the balcony and either read or play cards of an evening (there was NO evening entertainment provided during our stay) which was fine for us, we were only there for a week so weren't that bothered. We did sit out on the terrace area a couple of evenings and had a drink.||The safe: you have to put the code in twice, press A after each time, the instructions don't tell you that, we had to call somebody up to help! ||The Aircon: no instructions, we couldn't figure it out, but the ceiling fan was great and gave enough of a breeze for us. ||Any issues: dial 9 from the room phone and somebody is with you within 5 mins (we were out of season, it may take longer in high season). On arrival we noticed our patio door wouldn't lock, we called them and somebody arrived within mins and had it fixed.||WIFI - not great, better(ish) in the room/bathroom(!) than the balcony, also slightly better by the pool, but overall not brilliant - probably worse in high season. ||The hotel : staff, all super lovely, and helpful (with the exception of one moody barman)! Lovely and clean everywhere, although the ladies loos could do with some TLC, and some air freshener! ||The lobby bar : I asked about snacks on the second day and was told they only had nuts or crisps. We found out on the second to last day that if you are AI and ask for 'food' they have a whole menu that you can pick from, with burgers, pizzas, chips etc!! Or they have another menu for non AI, if you want to order from that you get 30% discount. Note about ice creams, only some little pots are included in the AI deal, all others magnums etc, you have to pay for.||The restaurant: they could do with some new food labels (and more of them), but everything we had was tasty and fresh, just wasn't sure what it was half the time! Drinks in restaurant, bit hit and miss if you get offered any, and be aware you can only get soft drinks, water, beer or wine, if you want G&T for example, we were told to get it from the bar beforehand and bring it in with us! ||Beach towels are provided by reception for a €10 euro deposit per towel. You can change them for clean with the lifeguard at the pool. ||The pools - only top 2 were open when we stayed, both lovely and clean, plenty of loungers....best bit....pools do not open until 10am, they are blocked off so no stupid o'clock lounger reserving required. It was super quiet when we were there, but imagine it will be heaving and probably a lot noisier during school holidays. One thing, they could do with more small tables by the loungers, we only saw about 3 or 4 in total! There are signs around the pool saying no food or drink (seems odd as doesn't everybody have a drink by the pool on their hols?) Anyway everyone ignored the 'no drinks' sign, but I didn't see anyone eating around the pool area. At the lobby bar they ask if you want drink for pool and will give it to you in plastic glasses. Also, they advertise 'pool service' by scanning the QR code, it wasn't available during our stay, maybe that's just a thing for high season time.||The snack bar wasn't open when we stayed, I don't think the spa was either, but we didn't enquire so can't be certain. We got all drinks from the lobby bar.||The beach: is shingle, it was practically deserted, we popped down most afternoons for a paddle or a meander, or just to sit on one of the benches with a drink or an ice cream, it's a short walk down a path. Take note, when you go out of the hotel gate there is a sign with the entry code to get back in! We didn't venture further, but I know that there is a lovely boardwalk to stroll along if you so wish.||And finally, if you've got this far......my advice, I would definitely go back, possibly not in the school holidays if you want a nice, quiet, relaxing holiday doing nothing, but reading, eating, drinking and people watching! ||Final note to the hotel : on the whole our experience was fantastic, but I would recommend that you perhaps include some instructions for the safe and air con on the app or your website, and links to menus for AI and non AI customers, other than that I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you for...

Just returned from a lovely week and need to give opinion on the mixed reviews here. |1 - Food. Excellent variety, high quality and very varied. During the week we had American, Spanish, Chinese, Mediterranean, Indian and Mexican nights. Each day freshly grilled meat and fish options alongside casseroles etc. it can be less than boiling at times but not cold. If you have a bad allergy, you will struggle. Labelling is very poor at times and there are not enough serving spoons so they are shared across dishes. |2 - buffet service. The dining room and eating areas have waiters who serve drinks to the table. Meals open at 13:30 for lunch and 20:00 for dinner. |3 - All inclusive. This option includes many branded drinks including Coke Zero, Fanta, Cruz Campo and Amstel alongside other options including cocktails. During the day the snack bar serves salads, ice cream, bottle drinks, burgers, nuggets, pizza, hotdog and chips with a small variety of sandwiches. The downside is there is no a la carte option unless you wish to pay for it at lunch time and no option at all on the evening. All inclusive excludes access to the spa unless you have a premium room. |4 - Bar service. On the evening there are two bars, the lobby bar and the trailer bar near the entertainment. At some points later on (post 10pm) there can be queues at both. Maybe extra staff would help at this time, but we only found this a few times over the week. |5 - Rooms. Very clean, spacious, well decorated. No issues there. Air con and fan with fridge. Kettle in the premium rooms. |6 - Spanish. Yes, this is a Spanish hotel. We had no problems with anyone and no issues feeling second best either due to being all inclusive or English. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. |7 - resort. Not much happens in the resort until post 9PM. There are about half a dozen bars/restaurants in a 5 min walk and then another clump another 5 min walk in the main centre. We felt we would struggle for more than a few nights if we were half board. The beaches have some pebbles at the water edge but lots of space and sand. Beware of sea urchins. |8 - children. There are some families at the hotel and the kids do use the kids pools. We used the big middle pool and never had an issue with beachballs and kids jumping in etc. at mealtimes it was OK although the room does echo and can be noisy at busy times. Go for main meal at 8PM and/or sit outside for a quieter experience. |9 - buses - reception kindly helped us use the buses, but the 31 (express) and 30 both stop outside the hotel and cost just over a euro to get you to the centre of Almeria. ||All in all we loved our holiday here. Top marks to the staff who helped us and if this is the standard of Barceló we will use them again in future.||To the Hotel - if you want to contact us for some small suggestions to improve, we would happily...

Just simply stunning! I don't usually do Tripadvisor reviews, but in this instance I feel compelled to voice my opinions on some of the recent negative comments made. Travelling as a family with 2 kids (5&6) - naturally the feedback was left lingering in our heads until we got to the hotel. I've summarised below so I hope this helps...||Hotel/Facilities - Clean, spacious, modern - what you would expect from a 4*||Swimming Pool - AMPLE sunbeds available, pool/poolside area cleaned and sprayed down meticulously everyday, plenty of bathrooms, lifeguards present, 3 pools with different depths! Nothing to complain about - it was perfect! Note, the pools are NOT heated, but in 40 degree heat, this did not make an ounce of difference!||Beach - Although not a private beach, direct access from the hotel to the promenade with step free access down to a clean beach. Toilets and showers on the beach. Although a mix of stone and sand, the calmness and blue waters overshadowed any concerns I had there.||Food - OK, so people have complained about not enough choice. Put quite simply, that's the biggest load of BS i've heard. Everyday different food options for lunch and dinner. Hot/Cold starters, hot meat/grill stations, deserts, fruits, cakes - there is so much option you don't know what to have! For those who have said not enough food options, there is even a chips and nuggets counter to please you! Even with the huge ample amounts of food options, the quality is even better! Fresh grilled steaks, fish, meat everyday, how can you complain? I would strongly suggest the half board options as I suspect those who have complained about food are probably on breakfast only and are moaning about having to buy lunch at the snack bar. The clue is in the name - SNACK BAR!!||Drinks - CHEAP as anything! 3 euro for a pint of Cruz Campo, 6 Euro for a Hendriks and tonic, come on, how can you possibly complain about that? Top shelf options available, free water machine on site. Half board options includes free soft drinks in the rooms topped up daily. ||The area is simply stunning, as you will read the Cabo De Gata is a UNESCO world heritage sight, so if you are going expecting a strip full of bars and clubs, this IS NOT the place for you. There are 3 hotels on a mile long road which leads to a local town with 2 small supermarkets and a few tapas bars. The area is unspoiled by tourism. Recommend you visit San Jose for the golden sands and blue water beeches, specifically El Monsul and Los Genoveses. Also recommend hiring a car as due to a world heritage site, taxis and busses will only take you so far.||In summary - I respect everyone has there own opinion, however this review is simply challenging that opinion because the place is nothing short of stunning! Kudos to the team at Barcelo - well mannered, welcoming, clear happy to...