Barceló Punta Umbria Beach Resort

“My Honest Review”

My mom and I recently stayed at Barcelo Punta Umbría Beach Resort and, while we had an enjoyable holiday overall, there were several things that stopped it from being a higher-rated experience. The hotel itself is very clean, with our room cleaned every day without fail and fresh towels provided d… more

My mom and I recently stayed at Barcelo Punta Umbría Beach Resort and, while we had an enjoyable holiday overall, there were several things that stopped it from being a higher-rated experience. The hotel itself is very clean, with our room cleaned every day without fail and fresh towels provided daily. The white bed linen was a nice touch, and all of the staff we encountered were polite and friendly. The pool is a good size with plenty of sunbeds available. As we’re British, we were up early each morning expecting the usual rush to reserve sunbeds, but we quickly realised there was no need. There were still plenty available until around 10:30am, which was a pleasant surprise. There are also four buffet restaurants offering plenty of variety, and the air-conditioned gym had decent equipment. Unfortunately, there were quite a few downsides. The location is fairly isolated with very little nearby, and the hotel itself is huge (around 1km long), so walking between facilities can take a while and may not be suitable for guests with mobility issues. The entertainment wasn’t really aimed at international guests. Everything, including the bingo, was entirely in Spanish with no translation, making it difficult for non-Spanish speakers to enjoy. Entertainment also didn’t begin until around 11pm, which felt far too late for us. Meal times also cater more to Spanish schedules, with the first dinner sitting starting at 8pm and continuing until 11pm. The choice of cocktails and alcoholic drinks was also quite limited. The pool rules are fairly strict. You can only leave your sunbed unattended for 30 minutes before your belongings may be moved, and inflatables aren’t allowed in the pool. One thing worth mentioning is that you’re allocated a different buffet restaurant each evening on a rotating basis. We were able to change ours at reception without any issues, although we did speak to other guests who weren’t as lucky. Another disappointment was the lack of a comfortable indoor lounge or lobby to relax in during the evenings. Instead, everyone sits outside on hard plastic chairs, which become quite uncomfortable after a while. Overall, my mom and I had a lovely break and the hotel is undeniably clean, well-maintained, and staffed by friendly people. However, it doesn’t feel particularly geared towards British or other international guests due to the lack of translated entertainment, very late dining and entertainment times, and a few restrictive policies.

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“Nice hotel but don’t go if your British”

I have not long returned back from an 11 nights stay here and I have a very mixed opinion on this hotel. I will start with the negatives, this hotel is not catered for English customers what so ever to the point where as a family we began to feel very unwelcome here by hotel staff but also guest.… more

I have not long returned back from an 11 nights stay here and I have a very mixed opinion on this hotel. I will start with the negatives, this hotel is not catered for English customers what so ever to the point where as a family we began to feel very unwelcome here by hotel staff but also guest. The day we arrived we had been travelling since 2am the reception was very busy and had to wait ages to finally be seen when we did get to the desk the lady didn’t speak English so had to wait for her to find someone who did. We had 2 rooms and were told that only one was read and to come back at 3pm for the second (this was around 1pm). Me and my mom went and sat in the bar and got a drink while we waited. When going back at 3 we were told again it wasn’t ready. We sat waiting till around 4 when again said it wasn’t ready. After complaining a 3rd time they realised the key had be sat on the side the entire time so as you can imagine this was not a great start. As the holiday progressed it became very clear to us that the hotel was mainly for Spanish customers, every part of the entertainment was done only in Spanish luckily we weren’t travelling with young children if you are I really do not reccomend coming here as they will be very bored. The hotel does put on lots of entertainment but as it’s only done in Spanish we are not able to get involved. One of the days we tried to get involved with the bingo we were told to listen for the numbers in English but they just forgot to say them in English so we gave up. Some of the staff in the bars also made us feel very unwelcome it was difficult to even order a basic drink it felt like they just didn’t want to talk to us. One member of the bar staff told me he didn’t speak English but later that day I heard him speaking fluent English to two girls who I believe weren’t English. In saying this there was a man working on the pool bar who spoke very good English and was very friendly and helpful. While this isn’t something the hotel can manage but something worth pointing out the guest at this hotel are point blank very rude. They make it very clear they do not want the English there. From pushing in front of us in the restaurants to giving us dirty looks and staring , it got to a point where we felt very uncomfortable. We did take our concerns to the hotels guest manager a young lady and a man ( I can’t remember there names) who are the two nicest people in the hotel, they took note to our issues and really showed an understanding and to apologise they did send us some cakes / treats to our room which was a very nice gesture. I’d like to give a big thank you to them for listening to us and understanding our issues. They did say they are going to do there best to be more inclusive for English customers in the upcoming season. Now for the positives as it’s not all bad. The hotel itself is beautiful the grounds and pools are stunning with lots of sunbeds to pick from , always kept clean and tidy as well. There are 4 restaurants and you are put on a rotation of these each one offering something different which was nice as it never felt repetitive, you can also change your resturant any nights if you wish to. The food was very very good some of the best food I’ve had at an all inclusive. The rooms were also loverly and comfortable. I udnerand that being in Spain it’s not the staffs fault for not talking in English but at the end of the day this hotel is offered to English people therefore it would be nice if we were included and made to feel welcome. Oversell I won’t be returning to this hotel and if im honest due to the rudeness and hostile reception from staff and guests it’s put me off coming back to Spain. I really do hope things change here but I do think it should just be taken off English travel sites all together.

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“Great food, good gym, but some frustrating pool restrictions”

We stayed for two weeks, booked through Jet2. Overall a solid stay, but a few things worth knowing before you book. The room was fine – nothing fancy but comfortable and clean. The food was a real highlight: as All Inclusive guests we were rotated between four different restaurants each night, and… more

We stayed for two weeks, booked through Jet2. Overall a solid stay, but a few things worth knowing before you book. The room was fine – nothing fancy but comfortable and clean. The food was a real highlight: as All Inclusive guests we were rotated between four different restaurants each night, and there was always something for everyone to eat, even with different tastes/dietary needs in our group. It’s a very Spanish hotel in terms of atmosphere, which we didn’t mind at all as it’s what we expected. The hotel is much bigger than it looks in photos, and we were surprised to find that not all the facilities were included in All Inclusive – there are premium areas with their own pools, which weren’t available to us. This wasn’t made clear anywhere in the description, so worth checking before you book if pool access matters to you. The paddle courts were also unavailable for our entire stay, with no explanation given as to why – a shame if that’s something you’re hoping to use. Our biggest disappointment was being told we couldn’t use a ball in the main pool, even early morning when it was completely quiet and we weren’t disturbing anyone – especially frustrating as we’d bought the ball from the hotel’s own shop. On the plus side, the gym was excellent. Would still recommend for the food and facilities, just go in with realistic expectations about pool access.

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“Catia Pacheco”

All excelent as usual, as a repeat guest. Just a downside, we booked all inclusive and arrived after 4pm, asked if we could have lunch on the departure day as we lost the lunch included on arrival and we were told it's not possible.

“Poor English spoken in the hotel”

The hotel has some very positive aspects, but unfortunately one issue significantly impacted our stay. Let's start with the good things: the pool area is great, the evening shows are genuinely high quality and very enjoyable, and the food in the themed restaurants was excellent. These were definit… more

The hotel has some very positive aspects, but unfortunately one issue significantly impacted our stay. Let's start with the good things: the pool area is great, the evening shows are genuinely high quality and very enjoyable, and the food in the themed restaurants was excellent. These were definitely the highlights of our stay. However, the biggest problem was the reception staff's level of English communication. If you don't speak Spanish, be very careful and double-check everything you are told. During our stay, I parked my car directly in front of the hotel. Since I didn't have coins, I paid for parking through an app. To make sure I had selected the correct parking zone, I went to reception, explained where the car was parked, and showed the app to the receptionist. She looked at it and confirmed that everything was correct. Three days later, I received two parking fines because I had paid for the wrong zone. Apparently, the parking area was a different color zone, and I should have selected another tariff. What was particularly frustrating is that I specifically asked reception for help to avoid exactly this situation. I understand that parking regulations are ultimately the driver's responsibility. However, if a staff member cannot clearly explain something in English or is not sure about the answer they should ask a colleague for assistance rather than simply telling guests that everything is fine. Had someone explained that I needed to check the color of the lines painted on the ground, this would have been avoided entirely. So my advice to future guests: don't just double-check information provided by reception in English - triple-check it. A real shame, because apart from this experience, the hotel itself is quite pleasant, with good facilities, good food, and excellent entertainment. Had it not been for this issue, my rating would have been higher.

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