Barceló Benidorm Beach - Adults Recommended — Hotel in Benidorm

A very reluctant 3 star, really wanted to give it a 5. The staff were really nice and helpful during our stay. We stayed for 2 nights and had a sea view. The view was incredible, and it didn't matter how long we looked at it, it looked unreal! (Even the window in the bathroom!)

The reason for dropping the first star is because of the heat in the front rooms, we had to report that the A/C was not working but turned out it was on but due to the heat coming through the window the system would not work.

We visited at the start of March and the temperature at night time was 24-26 degrees. Luckily we brought a couple of portable fans because if it wasn't for them we would of had to ask to change room. We weren't offered any stand alone fans to cool us down even though the staff knew we were struggling with the heat in there. The 2nd technician who spoke some English said that it just happens as we are at the top and the sun coming through, and to open the window and patio doors at night time, this made us feel a bit unsafe so we just used our fans. Due to this we didn't sleep well either night even though we had been up since early hours of the morning travelling. This was in March - I would dread to think of the heat in there when it comes to August and September!

We had half board and we are Vegetarian. The first evening we had just ate our so we weren't very hungry, we told the member of staff who showed us to our table and he introduced us to the chef, Simon who said he would make us omelettes, this was really helpful and even though we struggled to eat at first we were really greatful we could have something fresh and hot. There were some "hot" options like potatoes and vegetables but these weren't hot like other reviews have mentioned.

The 2nd dinner we were able to have broccoli soup which was absolutely beautiful, there is loads of break so we were grateful of this. There were kebabs being prepared so not Omelette that evening (maybe if we had asked?) We had cakes and lots of dessert which was lovely, we found this night much more successful.

For the drinks in the evening there is no drink menu, we believe the drink price is outside of the half board so we chose not to have anything.

For the breakfast, as everyone else says it is an amazing selection, pastries, cakes, churros, cheese, hams, yogurts, fruit, sausages, hash browns and so on. The best thing is that you can have eggs cooked in front of you, they are so fresh and hot which really changes the breakfast, you can have fried, omelette or pancakes! Yummy

The breakfast selection did change slightly each day.

On our first night we walked in to a champagne bottle with ice, absolutely perfect! We didn't open it the first night as we had been up since 2am travelling and didn't want it to keep us awake so we were going to enjoy it the following evening, however it was cleaned up when the cleaning staff came in... We thought this was actually quite rude as it was clearly unopened. Perhaps they thought we didn't want it but I think this should have been asked.

We visited the roof top, the pool was a lot smaller than we imagined and it absolutely stunk, it looks like it was being fixed at the time. The windows around the roof top were very dirty so we stayed up for five minutes and then returned to our balcony.

I wanted to end my review here, however I have had to drop a second star due to the lack of communication. I lost my phone on the way out of checking out (just outside the hotel) I called the hotel 45 times (on a different phone of course) with no answer, very strange as when we were in the hotel there were always staff at the desk. I have since messaged them on social media platforms and emailed. I didn't receive a response for 2 weeks. I feel like customer service should cover you through your whole visit and afterwards as well. Yes it was my fault I dropped my phone but if they had answered then I would have more likely have gotten it back, I even sent a find the location to them where it showed them on Google maps...

A coach transfer won't take you directly to the hotel, it will drop you at the bus stop on Calle Primavera, you'll have about a 5 minute walk to the hotel from there.

Check in at the hotel was simple, just like most hotels you give them your passports to take a copy of and then fill in a small form with contact details, they'll then ask for a credit or debit card to be kept on file which I think is pretty standard these days. You get given your wrist bands if you're staying on a board basis, we were half board.

We had a room at the back of the hotel. The room was very spacious, absolutely massive and very comfortable bed, nice long sofa/sofabed, big TV with plenty of British channels as well as french and German and of course Spanish too, plenty of storage space, a safe, kettle, small selection or tea and coffee, a fridge with 2 bottles of water in it and there is a hairdryer in the room too. The Bathroom is a little strange, there's a sink directly as you enter the room, a glass door for the shower and a sliding wooden door with the toilet in there, not a lot of privacy but we're a couple so it didn't bother us. We had a very small balcony looking onto what I think is a school, we didn't really spend a lot of time in the room so the size and position of the balcony didn't really matter to us, but if you want a bigger balcony then book a side room or a sea facing room.

The breakfast at the hotel is the best hotel breakfast I've had in benidorm, Lots to choose from and there's two types of bacon and really good sausages (I always judge breakfast on the meat). Dinner is really nice too, not a lot to choose from but what is there is done really well but if you're a fussy eater you might struggle a bit.

The location of the hotel is right on the seafront of the old town, which is perfect for anyone who loves being in the sea (me).

There is a rooftop pool, I didn't use it because it's quite small and I like space to actually swim, it's probably more of a lounge pool.

As with every hotel there's good points and bad points and I think it's good to talk about both so here's the bits that annoyed us during our stay.

The cleanliness of the corridors isn't the best. For two days there was a paper bag of rubbing and half a boiled egg sat on a sofa which the cleaners seemed to keep ignoring, they also don't seem to vacuum the corridors because there was a clump of hair, a ticket stub, a wire cable tie, a feather and a few other little bits of rubbish on the floor for the full 4 nights we were there. The rooms were cleaned to such a high standard that it's a shame the corridors weren't the same.

The lifts are really annoying, the prioritise going down, so if you do want to go to the rooftop pool and bar then you'll have to go down to go up.

That brings me on to the rooftop bar, it's has nice views and it's reasonably priced but all the tiles move and it doesn't feel too safe walking around up there in case one of them moves too much and causes you to fall over.

The food in the hotel restaurant was really good, but the service to get a drink was absolutely awful. On our last night we waited over 20 minutes to be served for drinks, they kept serving tables which arrived after us before us, we eventually said something and got served, but it still took one 10 minutes from us ordering the drinks to actually getting them. It wasn't just a one time thing either, it happened on our first night too, but we weren't waiting as long. One of the waiting staff in particular seemed to deliberately ignore us.

Overall it's a very nice hotel in a great location and the things that annoyed us aren't that big of an issue, we'd gladly stay there again...

The hotel is in a nice location, with a small supermarket next door, directly opposite a beach (which can get busy so you need to be there for 7:30am to get sea front loungers), and in the old town for nicer restaurants and nicer streets etc. The hotel is clean and tidy, with well cleaned rooms and each room is large and comfortable. The room service staff are friendly and offer room service daily. The roof-top bar , seating area, pool and sun bathing lounger area is impressive and will be a major selling point for guests, Offering complimentary clean towels and a good selection of drinks and food. The breakfast is of good quality, freshness and a large choice from traditional English sausage and beans etc. Through pastries, fruit, salad, cold meats and cheese, cereals, breads, juices, proceccio, coffee and more. Great so far, and I have to say it is a very nice hotel to stay for a few days but with a few problems.....

1. The Spanish cold shoulder! Its well known that the Spanish would like to be rid of British tourists, and as most regular travelers will know, they just ignore you. Spanish people will be taken from behind you in queues to a free reception desk. You will be ignored at the rooftop bar and despite 3 people working, they will serve everyone else and then go and do something else like fold towels before they serve you 🙄. This is pathetic, and whilst I understand they blame British tourists for not being able to buy houses in local towns (much like UK media can focus the blame on anything but the real causes), it is best to do them (and yourself) a favour if you are British and avoid staying here!
2. The lifts are crazy! - A door opens and you ask if they are going up or down? Everyone says "we're not sure, but we want to go up (or down)", so you have to get in and go in the opposite direction before starting from a place where the majority want to go in your direction!😅
3. The roof terrace is very busy. This is par for the course so not a surprise really. Just get up there early to reserve a bed.
4. The roof top bar drinks are probably twice the price of drinks in near-by bars, so probably better to try and get onto the beach if early enough and you are on a budget!
5. The doors make a loud slamming noise. This is good as you know it has closed behind you. However, when they are slamming one after another in the middle of the night it gets a bit 😑 😒.

In general. This is a nice hotel, but you are not welcome if you are British. In general Benidorm is not particularly welcoming any more except for the main strip. However, this was really quiet in August 2025. Usually always busy, the bars were barely a quarter full. The shops have taken away most of the smutty tat (which may be good or bad, but is an observation I made, and a sign of the traditional Benidorm tourist being undesirable now). Prices are relatively high - not the bar and restaurant's fault, but definately not a cheap and cheerful holiday any more! Its still somewhat cheerful, but that is rapidly diminishing too! In short. Barcelo Benidorm beach is a nice enough hotel if you aren't an evil British holiday maker who is responsible for the ills of the...