Iberostar Waves Club Cala Barca

“Good family holiday”

Just came back, would like to first mention how hard the staff work, they are a credit to the hotel, and the room service, again can’t fault, always clean rooms and clean towels every morning. Hotel in great location, activities for the children great from kids foam parties to kids dyeing their own… more

Just came back, would like to first mention how hard the staff work, they are a credit to the hotel, and the room service, again can’t fault, always clean rooms and clean towels every morning. Hotel in great location, activities for the children great from kids foam parties to kids dyeing their own shirts. Food was good and plentiful, lots of options, only problem was not all hot food was hot enough, as in luke warm. The pools were great, only problem was towels being placed on Sun beds at 06:45, when pools were open at 09:00 so if you want a great spot, get up early. Entertainment was good, some nights better than other but generally all good. Bus stop right outside hotel, and try to explore the small beaches around the area. Overall we had a good family holiday, would I go again??? yeah I would. Thanks to all the hard working staff x

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“60th Birthday”

We went as a group of 21 to celebrate a 60th birthday. It was busy but we were always able to find somewhere to make camp. Good choice of food and wide range of drinks. The staff are brilliant, especially Pani, who looked after all our group bookings. Rooms are clean and we did not find anything to… more

We went as a group of 21 to celebrate a 60th birthday. It was busy but we were always able to find somewhere to make camp. Good choice of food and wide range of drinks. The staff are brilliant, especially Pani, who looked after all our group bookings. Rooms are clean and we did not find anything too far away.

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“Family travel in heat of Aug 2026- overall, great place for a family get away or multiage friends gathering.”

Closely examine room options if you are traveling w family or friends to ensure choosing what you want. We were in single unit apartments block 12. The apartment is clean and fine- think an average hilton room that is outdated and in need of some minor work: bathroom and living room patched in a… more

Closely examine room options if you are traveling w family or friends to ensure choosing what you want. We were in single unit apartments block 12. The apartment is clean and fine- think an average hilton room that is outdated and in need of some minor work: bathroom and living room patched in areas, clunky doors etc but usable. There is not lift, plan on carrying suitcases up stairs if not on ground level. Biggest PLUS, the rooms in need of repair have NOT had newer AC installed so rooms cool beautifully to lower than 21 deg c. Poor AC was a big complaint from friends in newer centrally located rooms. The location of block 11/12 is excellent for the beaches, w one small pool/food truck right outside. 5min walk to main restaurants/entertainment. Golf carts by staff are technically available if you request, plan on a bit of a wait. Walk is fine for kids /adults who do not mind a bit of a walk/slight hill and stairs… parents, the main walkway is an internal road for cars/parking, not just golf carts. Beaches: If you continue in the road past blocks 11/12 you will run into other housing/resorts. This is where the best beaches are- on the coastal map- beaches 3 and 4 away from the resort ( these 2 are not linked w iberstar) are the most beautiful, spacious, and sandy. The rock walk way to the right of beach 3, reaches all the way around to beach 4 (our favorite). Tip- park at beach 3 parking lot and walk around rockway to beach 4 is shorter than the 20-25 min drove by car as it takes you in a wide loop to get there. The beach closest to iberstar (w the restaurant) has many large rocks and is advisable to wear water shoes. There is a nice ladder for rock jumping and a small cave at this location. Food overall was average. Plenty of seafood options, a different grilled meat choice each night. Pretty much same food in each restaurant on site w minor changes or more/less offerings. Gluten free food is limited to meats, veggies/salad bar, fruits and one ice cream machine per place. Dairy free and GF food limitations will restrict further w almost no dessert options. The AC is poor in all eating/reception areas. Kids: teen options- soccer field, volleyball court, great gym (7/10 per my teen), pools, beaches. Kids ‘arcade room’ is nice but be prepared to pay to play pool, punching bag, air hockey, foos ball. Popcorn is 3 euros per small bag, drinks are free. 7-10 year olds- pools and daily activities. There is a store on site for any pool/vacation needs. Wifi is spotty in areas. If kids do not have a phone, another way to contact/track your children would be useful as the place is quite large and very busy. Stroller age children- technically ok, may have to walk more to find ramps to all levels. Excursions around are nice, we enjoyed the drach caves, and a boat ride/swim to wet caves. The drives around the island are beautiful. We rented a car- a must if plan on a lot of sight seeing off iberstar. Not needed if planning on staying at resort full time.

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“A very mixed experience, beautiful resort but extremely difficult with additional needs during peak season”

We stayed at Iberostar Club Cala Barca for five nights during the summer holidays with my two children. This is actually our second stay at the resort, so I feel particularly sad writing this review because our previous experience, out of term time, was absolutely fabulous. We had a wonderful suite… more

We stayed at Iberostar Club Cala Barca for five nights during the summer holidays with my two children. This is actually our second stay at the resort, so I feel particularly sad writing this review because our previous experience, out of term time, was absolutely fabulous. We had a wonderful suite, the resort was peaceful and we had a genuinely restful holiday. Unfortunately, our experience this time could not have been more different. I have a son with additional needs who cannot walk very far and cannot walk in the heat. I made this very clear in the notes when booking directly with the hotel, but unfortunately this did not appear to be taken into consideration when allocating our room. We were initially placed in a ground floor room a considerable distance from reception, the kids club, pools, restaurants and snack bars. With two young children, one of whom struggles significantly with walking, this made the logistics of simply getting around the resort incredibly difficult. The ground floor room also had no balcony and, as a single mother travelling with two children, I did not feel particularly comfortable with the fact that people could walk directly up to our back doors. To give the hotel credit, they did move us the very next day to a room right next to one of the pools, which I really appreciated. However, the new room was on the third floor and there was still a considerable amount of walking involved to get to food and drink. I asked the following day whether the hotel had a wheelchair available for my son and was told that they do not provide this facility and that I should have brought my own wheelchair. When I asked what happens if someone develops a mobility issue during their holiday, I was told that the hotel has crutches or that I would need to travel into the nearest town to hire a wheelchair. We ended up borrowing a pram as this was our only realistic option, although unfortunately it was too small for my son, so getting around the resort remained difficult. There is a buggy service which you can call whenever you need it, and this was genuinely a godsend. The buggy would collect us from our room and take us directly to reception, and I really appreciated this service. However, when travelling alone with two children, you cannot always rely on being able to call a buggy every time you need to go somewhere, particularly when you are trying to manage meals, drinks, swimming and everything else that comes with travelling with young children. I also found the resort itself extremely overwhelming during the summer holidays. The buffet restaurant was absolutely heaving. I could not send my children in to get food because the crowds and noise were simply too overwhelming, and I found it very stressful myself. It felt more like a race to get to the food than a relaxing holiday meal. There are also no dedicated quiet or sensory areas for children with additional needs. Accessibility around the resort is not always straightforward either. For example, leaving the main pool to get towards reception involves steps on one route, meaning that if your child cannot use the steps, the alternative journey is significantly longer. Sadly, there were also moments that made us feel particularly unwelcome. During one dinner, other guests were sneering at my son while he was eating, while staff were sweeping the floor around him as he ate. I appreciate that this may not have been the hotel's intention, but as a parent of a child with additional needs, these moments were upsetting and really stayed with me. We also visited the arcade one evening after dinner and unfortunately the machines swallowed our money without working. I actually had to unplug one of the machines and plug it back in to reset it. To the hotel's credit, they did reimburse us, although I had to go to reception and explain what had happened before this was resolved. I want to be very clear that there are many positives. Some of the staff are absolutely lovely and I could see how incredibly hard they were working, particularly during such a busy period. The hotel also kept our room beautifully clean, with fresh towels and sheets every day. Our lovely cleaning staff even left us a beautiful message written on the mirror, along with a little note and flower, which was such a thoughtful touch. I also appreciate that the hotel did everything they could to accommodate us once they understood the difficulties we were having, particularly moving our room and providing access to the buggy service. However, sadly, these positives could not make up for how difficult the holiday was overall. As a single mother, this holiday cost me thousands of pounds. I had saved for a long time because I really wanted my children to experience a big summer holiday, so it was incredibly disappointing to spend so much money and find the experience so stressful. I also felt very conscious of my son's additional needs and, at times, judged by other families around us. I had hoped that a large family resort would be an easy and inclusive environment for us, but unfortunately I did not feel that his needs had been sufficiently considered. For that reason, I would not recommend Iberostar Club Cala Barca for a single parent travelling alone with young children, particularly if one of your children has additional needs or limited mobility. If you are considering staying here with a child who cannot walk long distances, I would strongly recommend bringing a suitable buggy, pram or wheelchair with you and requesting a room as centrally located as possible. The layout of the resort makes this particularly important during the hot summer months. I would also strongly recommend considering travelling out of season. Our previous experience in June, staying in a main suite, was completely different. The resort was calmer, cooler and there was much more breathing room. We had a wonderful, peaceful holiday and I can absolutely understand why people love this hotel based on that experience. Ultimately, I am genuinely sad that this stay did not work out for us. I can see how much the staff work and there are clearly many wonderful things about the resort. But for our family, during the peak summer season, it was simply too busy, too hot and too difficult to navigate, and we unfortunately will not be returning.

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