Iberostar Albufera Playa

In summary, what can I say about this hotel?

I hadn’t stayed here before, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’d read the overwhelmingly positive reviews beforehand, but even with those expectations, the hotel was far better than I could have imagined.

From the moment we arrived, the staff were fantastic. Every member of the team we encountered was friendly, attentive and genuinely seemed to care about making sure guests had a great experience.

The entertainment team deserve a special mention. They were funny, engaging and put 110% into everything they did, whether they were performing, getting people involved or simply interacting with guests. A particular mention has to go to Adrian, who was fantastic throughout our stay and really helped make the holiday as enjoyable as it was. The whole atmosphere of the hotel was fun and relaxed.

One thing that really stood out was how relaxed everyone seemed to be. There was none of the usual madness of people fighting for sunbeds first thing in the morning. Everyone seemed to have settled into the same laid-back holiday mentality, which made such a difference.

The food was another highlight. There was plenty of choice, it was varied, and there seemed to be something different to try every day. You had enough options to keep things interesting without feeling like you were eating the same meals repeatedly. The drinks selection was equally varied.

Despite the hotel having been around for a few years, it still felt modern, clean and very well maintained. The pools were excellent, the facilities overall were brilliant, and everything felt looked after.

But for us, the direct access to the beach was a real game changer. It meant you could completely change the feel of your day whenever you wanted. One day you could relax around the pool, and the next you could be in the sea enjoying the waves. Having both options right on your doorstep made the holiday feel much more varied.

We did venture out of the hotel during our stay, but honestly, we didn’t need to. There was more than enough here to keep us entertained, relaxed and well fed for the whole holiday.

As for criticism, I’ve genuinely struggled to find one. If I’m nitpicking, there are always tiny things that could perhaps be improved, but nothing that came close to taking away from what was a brilliant holiday.

For a family of two adults and a ten-year-old, this hotel was absolutely fantastic. It offered the perfect combination of relaxation, entertainment, great food, excellent facilities and the freedom to enjoy both the pool and the beach.

We came here for our holiday, and we’ll definitely be coming back.

Thank you to all the Iberostar Albufera Playa staff for giving us such a fantastic stay. We really didn’t want to leave.

This was our second visit as we enjoyed the holiday so much last year. However, we will not be returning mainly due to one small change…. No balls allowed in 3 of the four pools. You may think this is a daft negative, read on. The one pool you are allowed is unuseable for smaller children due to it being deep in the middle. Basically, you can only throw a ball in 10% of the pool area. Last year, balls allowed in ALL pools, we never noticed anyone have a problem. The bit that really annoys me, is they say the three pools on the playa side are for a quieter more relaxed holiday, therefore no balls, but 3 hours of the day the middle pool is taken over by water polo and loud dance music for the fitness activities, a large water polo ball coming at you 100 mile an hour is far worse than one 8 year old throwing a ball to his dad 3 yards away. Didnt bother me before, does now, rules are completely illogical. Not all families want to cram around a loud kids pool on the park side, some with young non swimmers want to relax and play catch with their young ones. The playa side of the hotel has lost its shine. Shame.