Barcelo Playa Blanca Royal Level Adults only

Overall,a fab stay,some quibbles,areas that could be improved,hotter food,maybe waiter service in lobby bar saves guests having to queue,more seating in lobby bar area,maybe install water and ice machines on every floor,having to walk to bars from your room for ice is abit of a pain,as its melted before you get back to your room,Iberostar Hotels have this facility,and its fab.Hotel is huge,Royal Level is lovely and quiet we had a Junior Suite huge comfy bed and pillows ,overlooking the sea,and Marina with a large balcony with sunbeds,brolly and a table and chairs,a great experience,we booked direct with Barcelo,and gained great discounts on our stay,would definately do it again. We would stay here again in the future,but,as the world is a big place,we rarely stay in the same place twice,but thats no reflection on the hotel. Great location,lovely beach 5 mins walk away,lots of bars,restraunts and shops,and a fab market in the Marina on Saturdays and Wednesdays

Lovely location, relaxing vibes. Royal Level pool is beautiful, just short of proper evening bar. More changes in a la carte menu, should change weekly

We recently stayed at the Barceló Playa Blanca Royal Level and overall had a really enjoyable holiday, with some genuinely excellent moments, although there were a few areas that could definitely be improved.

We arrived at the hotel quite late and our first impression of the Royal Level service was fantastic. When we arrived at the Royal Level reception, the lady working there knew exactly who we were and had everything prepared for us. Check-in was an absolute dream — quick, easy and welcoming.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get her name, but she was brilliant. She was incredibly helpful and welcomed us with a glass of pink cava, which was the perfect way to start the holiday. As we had arrived after dinner service had finished, she also offered to have a picnic bag of snacks sent to our room because we had missed the cut-off. A member of staff was then waiting with a buggy to take us directly to our room. It was a really impressive arrival experience.

The Room

Our room was beautiful. It was modern, spacious and spotlessly clean when we arrived, and overall we really couldn’t fault the quality of the accommodation.

There were only two small design issues that we found frustrating.

The light in the toilet area comes on automatically, and during the middle of the night it is extremely bright. It sounds like a small thing, but it becomes quite annoying when you’re trying not to wake the other person.

The sinks are also located outside the bathroom area, so if you use the toilet during the night and then wash your hands, you can easily disturb the person sleeping.

Apart from those two points, the room itself was excellent.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping was probably one of the more disappointing areas of the stay.

It was quite inconsistent and, on most days, the room seemed to receive more of a quick run-over rather than a thorough clean. During our whole stay, I would say there were only around two occasions where the room was cleaned to the standard I would expect from a hotel of this level.

This was a shame because the room itself was lovely and the standard on arrival had been excellent.

Breakfast & Food

For breakfast, we ate exclusively in the Royal Level restaurant.

The staff were always friendly, welcoming and helpful, and the breakfast selection was very good with plenty of choice. We had no real complaints about breakfast at all.

We also had lunch there around three times and dinner once, but unfortunately I wasn’t particularly impressed with the food outside breakfast.

I should say that I’m not really an all-inclusive person anyway, and personally I found it much nicer to go out and eat in Playa Blanca town or around the marina.

For me, the quality and temperature of some of the food just wasn’t what I would expect from a hotel positioned at this level.

The snack bar was convenient for drinks, but the food was disappointing. Some items seemed to have been sitting out for quite a while and didn’t appear particularly fresh. I think this area needs to be monitored more regularly.

The pizza was absolutely fine.

Drinks & Evening Atmosphere

This was probably the biggest disappointment for us.

The Royal Level pool bar closes quite early, so if you want an evening drink you have to go to the main lobby bar or sports bar.

Personally, one of the main reasons we booked the adults-only Royal Level was to enjoy a quieter environment away from the busier family areas, so having to leave that area in the evening for a drink seems slightly strange.

On a few evenings we simply went to the Magical restaurant and bought a bottle of wine to sit outside with.

I genuinely think the Royal Level adults-only area would benefit massively from having its own dedicated evening bar. For an adults-only premium section, it seems like an obvious addition.

Birthday Recognition

One thing I was genuinely disappointed with was that my birthday fell during our stay and it wasn’t marked in any way.

At check-in, the receptionist noticed my date of birth on my passport and actually asked if it was my birthday, so the hotel was aware of it.

I wasn’t expecting anything extravagant at all, but given the cost of staying in the Royal Level, even a simple card, a small cupcake or some small gesture left in the room would have been a really nice touch.

It may sound like a minor point, but those little details are often what make a premium hotel experience feel more personal and memorable, so I was surprised that nothing at all was acknowledged.

Pool & Royal Level Area

The Royal Level pool area was incredible.

It was peaceful, relaxing and exactly what we wanted from an adults-only holiday. The staff around the pool and at Magical were also absolutely lovely and made us feel very welcome.

If you want somewhere without lots of noise, children running around or loud entertainment, it really is a little piece of heaven.

One thing worth knowing is that there is virtually no music around the pool. Personally, I think a little gentle background music would improve the atmosphere, but if you like complete peace and quiet you will love it. If you want music, definitely bring headphones.

One Final Point

On our final day, we spent some time sitting in the main hotel lobby before leaving.

It was an extremely hot day and the lobby was unbelievably warm. For a hotel of this size and standard, the air conditioning either wasn’t working properly or had been turned down/off.

Even members of staff were commenting on how hot it was.

It made waiting around before leaving quite uncomfortable and is something the hotel should definitely look at.

Overall

Overall, we did enjoy our stay and I would recommend the Royal Level adults-only area, particularly if you are looking for somewhere peaceful, modern and relaxing.

The arrival experience, room, pool area and many of the staff were excellent.

Would I stay at the Royal Level again? Yes, I would consider it.

Would I personally book all-inclusive again? Probably not.

For us, the food outside breakfast wasn’t consistently warm or of the quality we expected, and we preferred going out and enjoying the restaurants around Playa Blanca and the marina.

With improvements to housekeeping, food quality and freshness, better recognition of special occasions, and ideally a dedicated adults-only evening bar, the Royal Level could be genuinely outstanding.

Thank you for having us — despite the few criticisms above, we had a lovely holiday and there was a lot about the hotel that we really enjoyed.