Sol Barbacan

“The almost perfect hotel”

I’m staying at the Sol Barbacan at this very moment as I am writing this review. This is the second time I have stayed here with my husband and it is a pleasure to stay here again after one years' absence. The hotel was built in the 1970s by the father of a Dutch lady called Barbara, hence its name… more

I’m staying at the Sol Barbacan at this very moment as I am writing this review. This is the second time I have stayed here with my husband and it is a pleasure to stay here again after one years' absence. The hotel was built in the 1970s by the father of a Dutch lady called Barbara, hence its name. The hotel has undergone several refurbishments and improvements over the years but it's clear it has been made to very high standards right from the outset. Our half-board accommodation comprises a large sitting room with sofa bed, a large double bedroom, separate toilet, bathroom and shower, and a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave and small hot plate. There are two large pools and a couple of smaller ones for the kids including a jacuzzi. The main pool nearest the rooms is very efficiently heated, meaning its temperature is perfect making it possible to swim even if the day is on the cool side. Our breakfast is very good, it’s a buffet type breakfast with a huge amount of choice. The evening meal is also presented on the same lines with the addition of chefs cooking for the guests there and then whatever is fresh on the day. But what makes this hotel so special are the people that work in it – from the reception desk to the room maids, all the way through to the people who work in the restaurant (and even some workmen going around doing their jobs now and then) everyone is super friendly, polite and so kind it almost seems like you’re in a dream world. Our room maid, Noelia comes every morning and she is so lovely I just want to take her home with me! She is always smiling and seems so happy to help, it really makes our morning time that more special. All the other ladies who do the cleaning are also lovely but for us, our interaction with Noelia, is what we love every day. Over the years I have stayed in dozens of hotels in many different countries, including America and France where politeness and welcoming seems to have passed them by. This hotel surpasses all of them in every way! If I had any constructive criticisms to offer for this hotel, there would only be one; it concerns the entertainment that is presented every evening. It would be nice if at least some nights it had a Spanish theme such as flamenco, and for music / singing acts to be appropriate for the tastes of majority of the guests who are of the older generation. Now all I have to do is win the lottery so that I can come to the Sol Barbacan more often and spend time surrounded by its lovely workers.

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“Really good hotel but Playa Del Ingles is run-down & seedy”

Really good hotel - 1 bedroom apt spacious & clean. Staff & swimming pools excellent. Breakfast selection good but poor quality bacon & sausages.

“Fantastic, friendly staff”

The staff at this hotel are excellent ... reception, restaurant, cleaners, entertainment team... they are all brilliant, seem to work extremely hard and welcome you with a smile on their faces. We stayed in one of the hotel rooms (rather than a bungalow) and they are very spacious and well equipped… more

The staff at this hotel are excellent ... reception, restaurant, cleaners, entertainment team... they are all brilliant, seem to work extremely hard and welcome you with a smile on their faces. We stayed in one of the hotel rooms (rather than a bungalow) and they are very spacious and well equipped, and kept clean and tidy. The only slight negatives in our opinion were the following: a) Our room was 277 and sadly the balconies on this stretch of the hotel don't get any sunshine. Our room was also just above the evening entertainment but to the hotel's credit the music and singing tended to stop before 11pm. This though would not be any good if you had young children trying to sleep b) The hot food at breakfast was rather limited and, unless you had eggs or omelettes, was not freshly cooked and was lukewarm. The coffee was also lukewarm and weak. That said, the fresh fruit and nuts section was one of the best we've seen in a hotel. We were on B&B so ate out each evening and the restaurant options within easy walking distance are numerous and varied. Overall we had a lovely week at the Sol Barbacan and would recommend.

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“nice hotel, very family friendly”

We have just returned from a visit to sol barbacan, we stayed in room 573 which was great, good size and very clean the only negative was the balcony never got any sunshine which was disappointing, had i known this prior to booking I would have booked the other side of the hotel, which is important… more

We have just returned from a visit to sol barbacan, we stayed in room 573 which was great, good size and very clean the only negative was the balcony never got any sunshine which was disappointing, had i known this prior to booking I would have booked the other side of the hotel, which is important for future travellers. We stayed half board, there was a good choice of food however i would say the hot food area is a little small for the size of the hotel and also much smaller compared to similar sized four star hotels. The staff were all very nice and pleasant, and the waiter Elroy was our particular favourite. We stayed for new year, and the GALA dinner was fabulous, a great choice and the tables decorated lovely. We also loved that the hotel gifted each room a lovely bottle of cava for NYE, a very nice touch. We normally prefer an adults only hotel, so we enjoyed the small and peaceful adults only pool. The hotel is in a great spot for the yumbo centre and around a 15-20min walk to the beach, which kept us fit. All and all we enjoyed our stay, but would highly recommend booking the sunny side as that did impact our stay, fabulous for families but not really for couples. I have stayed in several Melia hotels, this didn’t feel like the usual Melia brand, we missed the level touch and more modern decor.

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