Iberostar Albufera Playa

This is a really lovely hotel. We travelled with my husband and our 13 year old, and we all loved it. I was a little concerned after reading some reviews that it would be overrun with children. We visited during the first week of the summer holidays, so there were plenty of kids there, but it never felt overcrowded. Instead, it simply felt like a typical family friendly hotel.

The Playa hotel is part of the same complex as the Park hotel. Although each hotel has its own reception, the grounds merge into one, and guests are free to use all of the facilities across both hotels.

The hotel is located right on the beach, making it very easy to go back and forth for drinks and snacks while enjoying both the pool and the beach. The beach is beautiful and clean, and the sea stays shallow a long way out, making it ideal for families. There is also a lifeguard on duty at the beach, as well as at each of the pools.

Pools: There are multiple pools spread across both the Playa and Park hotels, all of which are available to guests. On the Park side, the children’s pool has a bouncy pillow and slides and is better suited to younger children. There are also trampolines, and other kids entertainment. Just behind this is the largest pool, where we spent most of our time. It had a great atmosphere with plenty of entertainment for all ages, including fantastic acrobatic shows, foam parties, the Octopus DJ booth, as well as activities such as yoga and aqua aerobics. There is also a small, shallow infinity rooftop pool. Because of its size and depth it often had children in it, but later in the day it was a lovely spot to relax with a glass of cava. On the Playa side, there are two more pools, one shallow and one deeper. We didn’t spend much time at these but they had a more relaxed feel, although there was still occasional entertainment, such as a live guitarist. Finally, there’s the indoor pool, which was a welcome escape from the heat. It was lovely and cool, with a jacuzzi and sauna as well. We never had any problems getting sunbeds at any of the pools. I don’t think they can be reserved before 9am, which worked well, and although we usually arrived around 10am after breakfast, we always managed to find three together.

Hotel room: We paid extra for a side sea view room, and it was nice to have a side view of the sea in the distance. However, most of the view overlooked the car park, so we didn’t use the balcony at all, which was disappointing given the extra cost. If I’d known the room would mainly overlook the car park, I wouldn’t have paid extra for the side sea view. I’d have been happier with a garden or pool view than paying a supplement for a room where the main outlook was the car park.

Restaurants: There are two main buffet restaurants, one on the Playa side and one on the Park side, both offering a wide variety of food to suit most tastes. As a vegetarian, I found there was plenty of choice, with dishes labelled clearly enough for me to identify what was suitable. There were also clearly marked vegan options. While the selection naturally catered more towards meat eaters, I never felt short of choice or became bored with the options available. At lunchtime, we often chose the BBQ grill. The vegetarian selection was a little more limited, but there were plenty of fresh salads, while my husband and son particularly enjoyed the freshly grilled steak, prawns, fish, chicken and sausages. We also tried all three themed restaurants – Spanish, Greek and Mexican – which made a nice change from the buffet. The Mexican was our family’s favourite.

Snacks: On the Playa side, there is a 24 hour coffee shop serving sandwiches, cakes and pastries. They also serve proper coffee, with alternative milks available. On the Park side, there is an ice cream parlour. Branded ice creams, including Oreo varieties, are also available from the bars, along with ice lollies, crisps, nuts and other snacks.

Drinks: For ease, there is self-serve draft beer, bottled wines, soft drinks and water. There are also multiple bars serving pretty much anything you could want. A few items on the menu are not included in the all-inclusive package, and while the price is shown, it is not always immediately clear, especially if you have sun in your eyes. However, staff do inform you if you order something with an extra charge, so there is no risk of being caught out. If I were to make one suggestion, it would be to separate the extra-charge items from the all-inclusive options, as I did order a mixed juice that wasn’t included after just scanning the menu and not noticing the price, which was a little embarrassing. The cocktail selection is good, and I think they would make most drinks on request, but because of the extra charges on some items I didn’t feel confident to ask for anything not on the menu. Some of the menu cocktails are pre-made mixes, which I found a bit too sweet.

Location & parking: There are a few shops, car hire companies and excursion booking offices just across from the hotel, all within a short and easy walk. The hotel also has parking available, although it can get very busy and we didn’t always manage to find a space easily. There isn’t much immediately around the hotel other than the beach, but it is about a 20-minute drive to Alcudia if you have a car, or you can also get a bus. I would also highly recommend visiting Coves del Drach, which is about a 45-minute drive from the hotel.

Evening entertainment: The evening entertainment was great fun. The entertainment team clearly love what they do, and there were also external performers brought in from outside the hotel. There was a real mix of shows, including opera singers, Disney-themed performances, 80s and 90s acts, rock music nights, and flamenco dancing. We were also lucky enough to be there for Spain’s win in the World Cup final, which was shown on the big screen and created a fantastic atmosphere. One tip – take bug spray, as the entertainment is all outdoors. We didn’t, and the mosquitoes had a real feast on us, which meant the itching kept us awake at night. I’m not sure if this was due to the heatwave or normal for the area, but it’s definitely worth being prepared for.

Overall: I think this is a fantastic hotel that I would highly recommend. It is suitable for families of all ages as well as couples. There is a wide selection of food and drink to suit most tastes, along with a variety of pools that cater both to those looking for fun and entertainment and those who simply want to relax. The staff were all lovely and very friendly throughout our stay, which really added to the experience. Don’t be put off by any negative reviews—we had a wonderful holiday from start to finish and wouldn’t hesitate to return. In fact, I didn’t want to come home!

Enjoyed a great week here with my family. Hotel had plenty of choice when it came to pools. We spent the majority of our time around the children's pools. We went at the Start of the summer holidays, the pool never felt too crowded. There was lots of choice with where to eat, we visited the buffet restaurants most days, we did also try the grill restaurant and the Mexican restaurant, you had to book these on the app which was easy enough. Food was delicious. Made good use of the ice cream shop too. Room was small but very clean. Loved the balcony space on an evening. Staff friendly and welcoming. Only draw back was that my son was challenged about his height on the water pillow by a life guard who said he had to be under 1.5 meters. He is under this height. He was put off using it after that and wouldn't go back. Maybe a sign with a height chart should be next to the pillow for reference. Also take some ear plugs if you are a light sleeper, people kept letting the heavy room doors slam late on an evening. Overall loved it and would visit again.

Martinete Spanish restaurant was great the garlic prawns were so tasty, Tolo was super friendly and recommended some great dishes and Aqus made us some really special mojitos … highly recommended!