Playacálida

This is the only English review you should read. We got back yesterday after a 7-day stay at this hotel, and the only negative I have is that we didn’t stay for longer! I’m going to talk about our experience and then address many of the unfair English reviews. Food: Absolutely fantastic! The selection was amazing, fresh, and varied. I tried so many new Spanish dishes that were absolutely incredible. At every mealtime there was freshly cooked meat, usually a couple of fish options, along with both red and white meat. There was always a great selection of fresh salads and breads. This is the best food I’ve ever had at an all-inclusive hotel. Location: Yes, it’s quite remote, but we loved that as a family. We didn’t want to be close to clubs and bars with people partying all night. The town of Almuñécar was just a short €10 taxi ride away and has such a traditional Spanish feel. It was like stepping back in time, and we absolutely loved it. Staff: Some staff members, such as those on reception, speak perfect English, while others speak more limited English. However, they always spoke enough for us to understand each other, whether it was the bar staff or restaurant staff. I found every single member of staff welcoming, friendly, and helpful. Pools: These were the star of the show for me! The infinity pool is huge and beautiful, offering such a relaxing atmosphere. There’s also a lazy river with slides, and my kids and I spent countless hours having fun there. Entertainment: The entertainment team were incredible. The mini disco every night was a huge highlight for us! My girls absolutely loved it, and you could tell the staff genuinely enjoy their jobs because their enthusiasm was 10/10 every single night. The evening shows and entertainment after the mini disco were always great and very enjoyable. Rooms: The rooms are very spacious and well maintained. Our room had a bath with a shower over it, as well as a separate walk-in shower, which made getting ready each evening so much easier. The toilet was also separate from the bathroom, which was a great feature. The views from the balcony were absolutely breathtaking. Now I want to address some of the negatives that other English travellers have pointed out. Location: If you didn’t check the location before booking, that’s on you. It’s not like you booked it and then the hotel moved! It is quite remote, but we loved that. It’s the perfect place to relax and unwind. Language barrier: Again, do your research before you travel. You’re not staying in a major British tourist destination. It’s very narrow-minded to expect everyone in a foreign country to speak perfect English. I learned some basic conversational Spanish before I went, and it paid off massively. That said, every member of staff spoke enough English to understand what we needed. Food: You’re not going to get endless English junk food here. Instead, you’ll find a wonderful selection of freshly prepared Spanish and international dish

We have just returned from a fantastic week at Playacálida as a family of 9, ranging in age from 6 to 59. Before travelling, I'd read a few reviews saying it wasn't the best hotel for British guests, but that couldn't have been further from our experience. Everyone we met, both staff and other guests, was incredibly friendly and welcoming. We made an effort to greet people in Spanish, and it was always appreciated with a smile. We never felt out of place. One thing we actually loved was that the hotel was mainly Spanish and French guests, with very few other British families. It gave the holiday a much more authentic Spanish feel, and everyone was incredibly friendly. There isn't a big nightlife scene nearby or groups of people out drinking until late, which suited us perfectly. Instead, the hotel was full of families enjoying quality time together, creating a relaxed, safe and welcoming atmosphere for both children and adults. The entertainment team were brilliant, especially with the children. The evening mini disco was a highlight every night, and the energy of the entertainment staff was amazing. Our youngest preferred staying with us rather than going to the kids' club, but our older child absolutely loved the teenage club and made some great holiday memories. The food exceeded our expectations. There was plenty of choice at every meal, with something for everyone. We had both a very fussy eater and a vegan in our group, and neither struggled to find something they enjoyed. Our rooms were spacious, comfortable, and cleaned to a high standard every day. The pool areas were spotless, the views were absolutely stunning, and the children spent hours enjoying the slides. The hotel is in a quieter, more remote location, but honestly it had everything we needed, so we never felt like we were missing anything. One moment that really stood out was when we had difficulty getting back from a nearby town because of local festivals and road closures. Taxis were impossible to find, but the hotel stepped in and arranged for two taxis to come and collect all nine of us. They genuinely saved the day, and we were so grateful for their help. Overall, we had an amazing holiday and wouldn't hesitate to return. Thank you to everyone at Playacálida for making our family holiday so special!

Paola was an absolute dream she was so incredibly lovely! Had some problems at check in and she was so helpful and understanding. Great property and food.

A mixed experience. Positives first because its a lovely hotel, beautiful location, the pools are fantastic with plenty of sun loungers and sun deck space, excellent food, the rooms are lovely and everything is very clean. Unfortunately some of the management and communication isn't great which let it down slightly, and the all inclusive package is absolutely not all inclusive, as a very large number of drinks and snacks have a supplementary charge. It would be more fairly described as full board with slightly cheaper drinks. The spa treatments looked lovely and my partner intended to treat herself to a massage and possibly a few other treatments, however when we went in on our forst evening we were told that they were fully booked until two days after our holiday finished. Whilst they can't help being busy, if we'd known this would be the case we could've booked well in advance, but this information wasn't available so we didn't know we needed to and missed out. Another communication issue was that the all inclusive package works differently to most hotels, and this wasn't explained. Rather than getting a wristband, you have to present your room key at every transaction and you need to check whoch drinks tou can habe to avoid extra charges, which have to be paid for on the spot meaning you need to have your bank card with you. This is slightly inconvenient and wasn't explained at check in, so for the first afternoon we didn't have any idea how to order a drink without being charged until we found a barman with good enough English to explain it to us. This could be partly a language barrier issue and obviously it's my problem not theirs that I don't speak good enough Spanish to have this conversation, however there are evidently enough English speaking guests for there to be an English language information sheet given at check in, so why not explain it on there? Another communication issue - we had a very late flight back home so on our last day weren't due to leave the hotel until 8pm. We asked a few days before about paying for late checkout. We were told this wasn't possible because the rooms were all booked (but it was still being advertised on a board at reception despite not being available), however we could leave our luggage behind reception and still make use of the hotel facilities until we left - a standard arrangement that I've used at all inclusive hotels many times before. However when we checked out we were told that drinks were still included for the rest of the day but food wasn't, which due to the isolated location made us a bit of a captive market for having to fork out nearly 60 quid for lunch in the same restaurant we'd previously been told we could still use for free. On top of that, it turned out that drinks weren't included either, as I embarrassingly found out at the bar when my key was rejected and I had to run back to my lounger for my wallet with the drinks sitting on the bar. If the arrangement is that after

10 perfect days in paradise. great service and people that work to make your life easy and your holiday perfect. great swimming pools and near the sea. easy to reach places with cheap taxy. good food and nice rooms. really perfect

Lovely hotel. Rooms were as expected, after reading other reviews prior to going, I brought my own travel kettle, pleased I did as no kettle in room. Could do with a little refresh as some items appear a bit ‘worn out’. Location wasn’t great for us, no ‘mini market’/shops near us to buy snacks etc, but taxi to local town was easy to sort so did that a few times. Made a difference to our holiday going to the local town, otherwise we’d have been a little bored. Food was ok, smaller selection than what we’re used to at other all inclusive hotels. If you’re a fussy eater, you might struggle….the pizza saved it for my kids. On the couple of days when there were none, they struggled a little. Breakfast wasn’t as great as I expected after reading reviews, but still ok and we all found something we liked each morning. I wouldn’t return to this hotel, not because of the hotel itself, as it was lovely overall and despite the language barrier, staff were always friendly, but because of the location really. We still enjoyed our holiday so thanks to everyone at the hotel.

Not really sure where to start. Possibly the worst holiday ive had. Worst part the hotel is extremely remote, we like a walk and there was nothing to walk too unless you want to walk 45 minutes to lidl. The food was awful and the all inclusive drinks also very limited unless you upgrade and pay 50 euro per day. Long walk to my room felt unsafe walking there on my own. Staff are very pleasant speak little English but try there best. Guy on reception when we arrived lovely but the information about the hotel given very limited. We booked for nights but I changed our flights and left after day 3 there was absolutely nothing appealing about this hotel for us. If you want very remote and littlr to do in the day and bland food this is your place.