Barceló Conil Playa - Adults Recommended

We love taking short breaks during our 2 week stint in Malaga Provence by visiting the Costa De La Luz. This year we chose Conil de La Frontera as our destination and the Barcelo Playa as our hotel. The hotel is very spacious and well laid out with 2 very attractive pool areas to choose from. As with all ‘adults only’ hotels there is an atmosphere of calm and serenity and this particular hotel has an affluent feel about the clientele…….basically, gobby Chavs would definitely not feel at home. The staff are extremely polite, helpful and the hotel is well resourced compared to other establishments I’ve stayed in. The hotel itself is very clean and this is backed up by regular sightings of the cleaning staff continually wiping things down with enthusiastic vigour and vacuuming with bad intentions. I did notice though, and I won’t apologise for my keen eye, being in the Maintenance game myself, but there were certain parts of the complex’s building fabric that could definitely do with a bit of care and attention i.e. a lick of paint. The Hotel’s Jewel in the crown is most definitely the rooftop bar. What a lovely environment to have a couple of cold long ones, enjoying the magnificent elevated views over the Conil playa, which appears to go on for miles. There is also an added bonus of the bar being a great place to enjoy the grand finale of the day, the sunset. Now this is a bit of a double edged sword for me, yeah, I appreciate its aesthetic beauty but it does attract what I call the Instagrameratti. They turn up mostly in couples, usually all over each other, and have a crazy penchant for not sipping their drinks but incessantly taking hundreds of the same photos of each other. They then clap the dying embers of the sunset……which in my book is utter madness, something along the same lines as barking at the moon! On our final night we ventured into Conil, what a lovely typically Spanish seaside town, it has a great selection of bars and restaurants to enjoy, but because it’s so busy, grabbing a table can be similar to a game of musical chairs. Just a word of warning though, if you think that you’ll be able to fall into a taxi for a leisurely return journey back to the hotel….forget it. As a local publican informed us, when it was too late, “this town has too many people and not nearly enough taxis”. We had to walk it back to the hotel, which wasn’t really an issue until the final 300 yards where there’s a distinct lack of both a footpath and adequate street lighting. Maybe it is possible to prebook a return taxi ride to navigate around this, it’d definitely be worth asking at the hotel, as a venture into Conil isn’t to be missed. All in all a great holiday within a holiday.

Just returned from the Barceló. Flew with Jet2 and after a long transfer we were dropped at a nearby roundabout about 100-200 yards away as the coach was too big to get down the road to where reception is. On the way home, you are picked up at said roundabout but there is no seating! This needs to be addressed. Overall the holiday was great, food was really good, beds and pillows were so comfy. Drinks prices very reasonable. B- heaven is great to watch the sunset. One thing we didn’t like was the open plan room with the shower and basin area in the bedroom and only a sliding door for the toilet. This doesn’t seem very hygienic to have to open a door after going to the toilet to wash your hands. Why not have a door to a bathroom instead, feels a bit too quirky and not the best design idea. The sun beds were most uncomfortable with a metal bar sticking in your back. The lifeguard kept his eye on left towels on beds and left a note to remind people not to do it which was good. We like to read by the pool but there was 3 different types of music playing. There were speakers around the main pool, speakers from the pool bar and a very loud speaker playing 12-5pm from the fish restaurant. All playing different music. We eventually went and sat at the top pool which was quieter but it was above the staff maintenance area and there were bottles being thrown into large bins and loud noises from deliveries. We also had the awful plumbing smell that other reviewers have mentioned. Definitely something wrong with the drains. Reception offered to move us or spray the room. Overall it wasn’t as peaceful a holiday as we would’ve liked and probably won’t return

Smart hotel just outside Conil and walking distance from a couple of good beaches. Barcelo constantly good. Friendly staff and decent buffet.

A great option for a holiday in this underrated and more authentic side of Spain, which we very much prefer. Deluxe Room was large, clean and extremely comfortable bed. Hard to move in the morning! It had a side sea view. Couldn't actually see the sea from the furnished terrace but not a major issue. Few things which I would have expected such as tissues and bath robes/slippers. Thoroughly enjoyed the food offerings at breakfast and dinner. Always fresh, replenished quickly and wide choice. If you are a fan of Spanish meats you will be spoilt. The staff are extremely hardworking, professional and very pleasant. Get down early if you wish to avoid busy times. Good house wine at excellent prices and always a decent measure too. Plenty of sun loungers but more parasols needed as it can get very hot. Conil can be walked in about 20 minutes. A lovely town with plenty of restaurants and bars plus a gorgeous beach but note, no sunbeds. We had a car and so were easily able to visit Vejer, Jerez, Medina Sidonia etc. Can recommend all three. Car parking is outside of hotel and free or underground at a cost of €18 per day. The highlights for us (apart from the delights of the Costa de la Luz itself) were BHeaven rooftop bar, the wonderful staff (we Brits could learn a lot) and the general feeling of complete relaxation. Thank you all for a fabulous trip!