Camping Playa Joyel (4 estrellas) — Hotel in Noja

The actual campsite, as far as caravanning is concerned, cannot in its essentials be faulted. It is well maintained, has good sized pitches in the main, many of which are shaded by mature trees. It has a range of provisions and amenities..a restuarant , bar, shop,swimming pool, laundrette etc etc. And an animal park which is open on a limited number of days, depending on the season. The campsite is located next to a glorious beach which provides excellent surf and to which there is direct access. The toilet and showers blocks are of the highest standard and are spotlessly clean, airy and modern. Among the very best we have encountered .But in common with many sites there is a lack of sufficient hooks for towels, toilet bags, clothes, particularly in the ladies toilets. A quirky feature of the toilets needs mentioning. Anyone using the toilet is required to determine in advance just how much toilet paper they will require and to collect it from dispensers located outside of the cubicles. A system I have encountered only once before in 46 years caravanning. Just what the reasoning is for this arrangement is hard to determine but it can hardly be an economic one....it is more than likely that most people will take more than they will actually need or use, just to be on the safe side! That oddity aside, the facilities are excellent and as a campsite I can recommend it. But it has to be said that I cannot see how the campsite can justify their charges. With a special deal... before even the LOW season started ..we paid 29 Euros per night for a caravan, 2 persons and electric. It would normally have been 36.50...... BEFORE the LOW season! LOW season it would be 45.50. In HIGH season, for a family of 4 with 2 children over 10 year s of age the cost per night is 80.50! Astonishingly, they also charge for WIFI. We stayed at 6 other sites this trip.None of them charged for wifi and the most we paid per night was 22 euros. Though the campsite cannot be faulted, other than in small details noted above, I would not pay such prices. They seem to me to be exhorbitant. But that is for others to decide. Finally...and most importantly...the campsite bans dogs. Sufficient in itself to almost warrant the high tariffs! Freedom from barking dogs and their indulgent owners who treat them as if they are human and fail totally to train them. For this relief, much thanks, Playa Joyel. Just one final criticism...the recycling provision is very poor. Non existent.The recycling BIN was outside the campsite, by the entrance. It was full and overflowing for a week . Nowhere in the paperwork provided on arrival is this stated. On the site there are only green general waste bins and people were putting recyclable material in these bins. Either because they did not know, not having been told that there were recycling bins available, however limited, at the site entrance, or because they were too lazy to walk to the entrance to recycle . Or did not care. The management should address this issue urgently. It is quite unacceptably irresponsible . It reflects badly on them. Frankly, it is dispiriting, for those who ARE committed to recycling and are concerned for the environment, to find such disregard for environmental concerns, on the part of...

Fantastic Camping, with a chaotic parking situation

We absolutely loved this campsite! The mobile homes, activities, dedicated staff, excellent facilities, vibrant atmosphere, and superb beachside location were all outstanding. Every aspect of our stay was wonderful, with nothing to fault...

... until it came to the parking situation.

The campsite has well-thought-out rules, diligently enforced by their attentive staff, which greatly enhance everyone's enjoyment. One such rule prohibits vehicle access between 12 AM and 8 AM. For those needing to leave during these hours (e.g., for an early flight), staff advise parking "just outside by the access barrier."

However, the campsite doesn't provide any parking there. This "spot" is a small, council-owned public car park that's almost always full, used by the general public, campers with multiple vehicles (only one spot per pitch is allowed inside), and other camping visitors e.g. suppliers.

Adjacent to it is an unmarked field used as "overflow" where cars are parked haphazardly, trying not to block each other on a best effort basis.

The alternative is to park further into town, which is also busy and metered.

This creates a chaotic early checkout experience:

The evening before departure: You'll need to move your car 500-600 meters away (based on the location of our mobile home, it could be nearer of further) if you're lucky enough to find a spot by the barrier, or over 1000 meters into town (with associated parking fees) if not.

Morning of departure: You'll face a walk with your luggage to your car, which is inconvenient, especially with young children, babies, or in bad weather. Packing your car the night before to reduce the stuff you have to carry also means leaving it unsupervised in town.

While the staff were consistently helpful and genuinely wanted to assist, I was informed there was nothing they could do about the parking situation. Their hands seemed tied.

In summary, we had a fantastic time at the campsite. However, if you anticipate needing to leave early for any reason, we would advise seeking alternative...

We stayed in a mobile home for two weeks. I have only two complaints about them: they are very close together so there is only privacy when you close the curtains. There is literally no place in the mobile home where you can change your clothes without closing the curtains, everywhere there are either neighbours or passersby who can easily look in the rooms. The beds are too short (I am 1.87m and my feet were sticking out the bed) and the mattresses have that cheap plastic camping-vibe. Sleeping was not relaxing, as it should have been. Furthermore the beds in the childrens rooms are very close together, so the rooms are very, very cramped.

The mobile home is adequately equipped.

The camping is located at the beach front and the beach is only a few steps away, we loved it! Furthermore, the beach also has a very shallow part where small children can swim without being affected by the waves and where the water is warmer and there are schools of small fish.

The swimming pool is ok, although you have to wear a swimming cap. Strangely there is no footbath when you enter, so people walk with their sandy shoes right up to the pool side. The small pools are full of sand at the end of the day. Seems way more unhygienic than a few hairs of people not wearing bathing caps...

The staff at reception is very friendly, helpful and cheerful. Loved them!

We rented a bbq for only 5 euro's for our entire stay, which is very cheap and great to have.

All in all we were happy with the camping, although the mobile home could have been better, especially the beds and the...