Barceló Playa Blanca Royal Level - Adults Only

We woke in the middle of the night to find a stranger in our room. An intoxicated guest had been able to unlock our door with their own key. The hotel’s key system does not seem reliable, since another guest could get into our room. When we told management, they denied it and didn’t communicate properly or help resolve the problem. The hotel has CCTV footage of what happened but refuses to share it, and has taken no responsibility for this serious security failure. It feels like they would rather hide evidence than fix a critical flaw. I would not stay here if you care about your safety.

We’ve stayed with Barcelo hotels for 10 years, so we had a good idea of what to expect. After paying for the hotel’s most expensive room, an ocean view deluxe suite with half board, we expected something special, but the stay disappointed. The restaurant food was average. There were no chefs cooking eggs or omelettes to order at breakfast, or meat and fish in front of you at dinner as we’ve seen at most other Barcelo hotels. You had to order dinner and wait, sometimes five minutes, sometimes 20. Our wardrobe door sensor light was broken and took five days to repair. Turn down service with chocolate or a gift happened only twice in our eight nights, while other BARCELÓ. hotels have done that every night. In the evening there was no entertainment or outdoor music, and the only open bar was inside the restaurant, where you had to order without table service. The pool and balcony sunbeds were basic and had no cushions, and there were no balinese beds by the pool. Royal level didn’t feel any better than the family side, despite costing around £700 more per room. Alessandro, the pool bar barman, kept asking us to pay cash instead of charging our drinks to the room, which felt odd and intimidating since we were half board. We don’t think we’d return unless things change or prices come down.

The staff made the holiday, from reception and the bars to the restaurant, spa, and housekeeping. Everyone was incredibly friendly. We loved the food at magical restaurant, where there was lots of choice and the menu changed each day, and koi restaurant was a real treat for both its food and setting. Drinks, alcoholic and non alcoholic, were great across the bars and in the minibar. Our swim up suite was spacious, had lovely views, and came with a fantastic private pool. The room was cleaned and fresh towels provided every day. The huge infinity pool had amazing views and some poolside entertainment, which was a nice extra. The spa also had great facilities and a lovely view, and its staff couldn’t have been friendlier. We’d recommend the hotel to anyone. It was fantastic from arrival to departure, and we can’t wait to come back. Thanks to everyone who made it such a great holiday!

A guest who was intoxicated managed to enter our room using their own key in the middle of the night on the last night of our stay. We were terrified and called reception straight away. I could have overlooked the hotel’s other shortcomings, but this was a horrible experience at a place that calls itself premium. We reported it when it happened, to the “experience manager” at checkout, and by email. They keep saying nobody entered the room, even though security camera footage exists. This is a serious concern. The consequences could have been worse if, for example, a woman had been alone in the room and the intoxicated guest was a man with less positive intentions, or if someone had reacted badly in the panic. What worries me most is that either the system is failing and they see no problem, or they’re hiding the truth about a critical issue. If you care about your safety, choose another hotel.