Barceló Isla Canela — Hotel in Ayamonte

We stayed here in May as a family with a young baby and had a really enjoyable holiday.||Rooms & Comfort|The rooms were modern, spacious, and very clean. Our in-laws upgraded to a pool-view room for a small extra cost, which was worth it. The foyer felt a little dated in comparison and could use a refresh, but overall the accommodation was comfortable and welcoming.||Food & Dining|The buffet was one of the highlights. The dining hall was large and airy, with plenty of choice, including freshly prepared dishes cooked in front of you. Staff in the restaurant were attentive and helpful, and the reception team were equally friendly and welcoming.||Pools & Facilities|The pool area was a great space, with well-maintained gardens. However, the water features and floor tiling around the pool could use some maintenance to better match the modern look of the bedrooms. The pool itself was perfect for babies and children, though older kids might find the lack of activities less engaging.||The pool bar had a small, reasonably priced menu, but the options were limited. The main bar area was disappointing – service was poor, and one experience where a waiter reprimanded us for bringing in a can of Coke (after no staff were present at the bar) left a bad impression. Evening entertainment was very minimal, and there didn’t seem to be anything specifically for children.||Location|The hotel is in a very quiet, secluded area – perfect if you’re looking to switch off and relax. There are only a handful of shops and restaurants nearby, but prices are very reasonable. A couple of local recommendations:| • The corner shop at weekends for fresh pastries (locals queue on Saturday mornings).| • The small pizza restaurant next door, which doesn’t look like much but serves excellent pizzas.||The beach is long, sandy, and directly across the road from the hotel – ideal for walks and relaxing days.||For a change of scenery, you can catch a bus to Ayamonte (around €3), a traditional Spanish town with a lovely local feel, authentic shops, and cafés. From there, you can even take the ferry across to Portugal for a small cost. There’s also a land train nearby for something light and fun to do.||Guests & Atmosphere|Most of the guests were older and predominantly German. With a baby, we felt welcome overall, but we did notice a few looks when feeding solids at mealtimes. Families with very young children would enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, but older children may find the lack of entertainment limiting.||Overall|Barceló Isla Canela is a peaceful, relaxing hotel with comfortable rooms, a great pool for little ones, and a beautiful beach nearby. The buffet is excellent, but some areas of the hotel and its entertainment options could use improvement. We would stay again, knowing what to expect, as it’s ideal for those wanting a quiet escape away from the...

Just back from 10 days at the Barcelo where we had a good stay overall. There are some really nice aspects to the hotel but one or two things for us, that could be improved a little so understand some reviews on TA. The grounds are lovely and well maintained. The pool is OK but shallow and was very cold. It’s basically one pool, with a connecting strip. ||We booked a suite, which was well laid out. The bathroom was well designed with bath and a separate double shower, the bed was very comfortable and the lounge area was spacious, but a couple of pictures on the wall would make it less stark. Our patio are was rather small and we did not use it. ||House keeping was OK but the app was a bit hit and miss ordering stuff. Hand soap was in the bathroom and shower gel by the sink. Had to request a change of sheets as whilst I don’t expect this done every day at least once is what I would expect. Minor points really but they make a difference The suite was advertised having tea and coffee making facilities. But we had to ask 3 times to get it sorted, which it eventually was. ||Reception staff were ok and functional with check in and check out. We had B and B, which was a buffet style. Food choice was good. Coffee from machines was not the best and in other hotels with buffets you get served this. Possibly this hotel catering for large numbers of (predominantly elderly) customers means this is not an option. ||We did not see any activities in the entertainment area and it did look a little like a dark 1980s set up. There are other planned activities such as aqua size and there is a kids club but this hotel seemed really not the choice for many young couples or families.||We knew there was not much in Isla Canela and that was fine for us. There are a few restaurants, but watch the opening times. Puccinis was excellent with the Bomadill and Didiers worth a visit. Bus to Ayamonte is €1 .50 and it’s OK for a day trip. Be wary when planing for the siesta times as things literally shut down for 2-3 hours. The bus goes via the Marina area and you can walk it in around 45 minutes along a good walkway . It’s OK but again not much was open. Boat trip for €14 around the harbour with some shrimps and wine was good. There is a tourist train ( reception told us it was not running!) that goes to the Marina but €4 per person each way and only runs 3/4 times a day.||The beach is superb and really enjoyed walking along it literally having no one around you for miles during the week. A shame the hotel does not have a bar/ sunbeds on the beach.||Overall we did enjoy our break but would not return to the hotel/area. Much is good about the Barcelo but a few aspects ( subjective I know)in our view could...

!BED BUGS! at Barceló Isla Canela – Poor handling and lack of accountability.

We stayed at Barceló Isla Canela in May 2025 as a family of four – two adults and two young children (4 years and 7 months old). We had paid for two connecting rooms (4083 and 4084). Unfortunately, our stay was deeply disappointing and far from relaxing.

On the first night (May 21), we were woken up by bites on both children and the father around 01 am. Upon inspecting the bed, we discovered bedbugs in the bed, on the headboard, and on the wall behind the bed. They were visibly crawling around – which we documented through both photos and video.

We immediately contacted the reception and were moved to temporary replacement rooms (1111 and 1112) during the night. The next day, we were told to contact the hotel's insurance company – in the middle of our vacation. This resulted in ongoing email correspondence with Barceló’s head office, who first got in touch with us on the last day of our holiday.

To this day, we are still in contact with the head office, but the only compensation offered has been the room change and two complimentary nights for a future stay. They have also attempted to shift the blame to us, despite the fact that we were only in the room for a few hours before we noticed the bed bugs. On the day of departure, we were even asked to present a doctor’s certificate regarding the bites – seven days after the fact – instead of the hotel taking full responsibility for the very real consequences we have faced and are still dealing with:

During the vacation: We slept poorly and were constantly stressed, particularly due to the involvement of small children. The holiday spirit was completely ruined.

After returning home: We had to take extensive precautions to avoid bringing bedbugs back with us – including freezing clothes and luggage, heat treatment, extra washing cycles, and isolating belongings in sealed bags.

Fear of home infestation: Should bedbugs have followed us home, this could result in major financial costs and practical challenges.

Psychological strain: We are still experiencing stress and worry. We had expected far more from a well-known brand like Barceló. It’s true that the area was nice, the food was good, and the restaurant staff were friendly – but this does not outweigh the failures we experienced in hygiene, safety, and customer care.

At this point, we cannot recommend this hotel to others – not unless Barceló takes real responsibility, improves their routines, and shows that they truly prioritize the health and safety of...