Playalinda

The facilities are shared with Playa Sol, but Hotel Playalinda is definitely the better of the two. From the moment we walked into reception it felt amazing. Our huge family room had two double beds, a good-sized bathroom, and a balcony looking over the pool, slides and beach, with mountains in the distance. We were in room 320. There are three lifts, including a nice glass one. The pool is stunning, massive, with little bridges, palm trees and slides in the middle. There's also a smaller pool and a Jacuzzi. The main slides are quick, and there are two slower ones for smaller kids. The activity schedule is brilliant, with a great animation team running waterpolo, aqua fit, table tennis and more. Evening entertainment varied, some nights were better than others. There's plenty to keep kids busy. Lifeguards were all around, too. At El Patio, the atmosphere is warm and homely, and the food is generally good. Go early, since hot plate dishes can cool quickly. There were always things for kids like burgers, hotdogs, pizza, chicken breast, fries, pasta and spaghetti, along with meat and fish for adults. Puddings and cakes were good. The drinks were great: Cruzcampo on tap, lovely cocktails, and premium brands such as Smirnoff, Absolute, Beefeater Gin, Bacardi and Baileys. The bar also gave out free packets of Lays crisps, cheatos and nuts. The hotel is right on the beach, about 30 minutes from Almeria airport and two hours from Malaga Airport. Guests were about 90% Spanish and 10% British, but friendly enough, so that didn't matter much. There are lots of sunbeds, but they're shared with the other hotel and go quickly, so get there around 9.45am before the pool opens to reserve them. A really good family hotel, highly recommend.

The resort is clearly geared toward kids, with great pools and toboggans, and lifeguards all around to keep everyone safe. We spent seven days at Playalinda, and the service was excellent, which is saying something as I'm usually picky. The food at El Patio was high quality, fresh and plentiful. The staff worked hard to keep customers happy. Samuel deserves a special thanks, and everyone was kind and helpful. Recommended!

We spent 11 days here as a family of four, and the reception team was welcoming from the start. They were keen to help and nothing seemed like too much trouble. The hotel is clean, thanks to the hard working housekeeping team that keeps on top of everything. The pools were fabulous, the water was just right, and the huge slides were a lot of fun. The safeguarding team was always on duty. Food was great, with plenty of choice, and the restaurant was clean with friendly staff. The crepes station was a clever, practical idea. The bar team was brilliant. Alejandro, Juan, Victor, and Victor from the restaurant were lovely people. I hope I get to see them again someday. I already miss your coffee. Thanks for the hospitality.

The kids' entertainment was amazing, and the pools and water slides were brilliant. The staff were so friendly, and the room was spotless, with cleaners coming every day to change the bedding and towels. It was our first time in Almeria, and the hotel had everything we wanted from a holiday. I'd highly recommend it to families and will definitely be back.