Iberostar Waves Club Cala Barca

For an iberostar hotel it was very disappointing. Would rate this a 3 star hotel. It did not have the elegance, comfort, style expected for an iberostar hotel!

BEWARE OF PAYING EXTRA FOR A “GARDEN VIEW” FAMILY ROOM We booked a 7-night family holiday at Iberostar Waves Club Cala Barca through Jet2, travelling with our 2-year-old son. Unfortunately, what should have been a relaxing family holiday turned into a very disappointing experience. We paid extra for a family room with a garden view, and quite honestly, we feel completely ripped off. The “garden view” from our balcony was absolutely awful. We were looking directly onto the back of the hotel grounds, with unmaintained land, rubble and rubbish. This is not what anyone would reasonably expect when paying extra for a garden-view room. In our opinion, this type of view should come with a warning before booking so customers can make an informed decision about whether the upgrade is worth paying for. The room The condition of the room was extremely disappointing and, in our opinion, nowhere near 4-star standard. The room was dirty and poorly maintained, with grubby walls, dirty skirting boards, worn furniture and tired fixtures and fittings. We have photographs showing the condition of the room. The air conditioning leaked consistently, the TV was broken, and the room was full of flies. There was also a very strong smell of cheap cleaning products and air freshener covering mould. To make matters worse, there was no cot provided for our 2-year-old son when we arrived. This was particularly frustrating because our room was already 1.5 hours late being made available, and we were told this was because the room was being “set up for your family”. Yet when we finally got into the room, there wasn’t even a cot available for our toddler. We reported all of these issues to reception. To their credit, they did eventually provide a cot and partially addressed the leaking air conditioning, but the overall condition of the room remained extremely disappointing. The resort and pool areas The cleanliness around the resort was another major concern. During our entire 7-day stay, we did not see the pool area properly cleaned once. Every day we came to the pool, there was dirt on the floor and underneath the loungers which appeared to have been left from previous days. Ants were everywhere, particularly around spilled drinks, old lemons from cups and food. We also found plasters on the floor first thing in the morning! The sun loungers were grubby, discoloured and looked far from sanitary. With so many families and children using the facilities, we found the lack of visible cleaning and maintenance particularly concerning. Food and restaurants The food was mediocre at best. There was very little variety between the restaurants, and the main buffet had absolutely no luxury or 4-star feel to it. It reminded us more of a school cafeteria than what we expected from a supposedly 4-star all-inclusive resort. The other restaurants were also far too small for the number of guests staying at the resort. This resulted in huge queues and what felt like a cattle-like queuing system. It was not a relaxing or enjoyable dining experience in any of the restaurants. The drinks machines were also constantly broken, and we encountered dirty cups. Illness Unfortunately, our son became ill during our stay, and both adults became ill after returning home. We obviously cannot say with certainty what caused the illness, but given the general cleanliness and hygiene issues we experienced, it certainly did nothing to reassure us. Overall We genuinely don’t understand how this room and the experience we had can be considered 4-star. We paid a significant amount of money for what we expected to be a quality family holiday and paid extra specifically for a family room with a garden view. Instead, we were given a room overlooking rubble, near rubbish and an unmaintained area, along with a dirty and poorly maintained room, leaking air conditioning, a broken TV, flies and no cot for our toddler. The resort itself also fell well below our expectations in terms of cleanliness, particularly around the pool areas. We appreciate that every hotel can have the occasional issue, but this wasn’t one isolated problem. It was a combination of room condition, cleanliness, maintenance, food, overcrowding and hygiene throughout our stay. We have photographs of the room and facilities to support what we have described. We will absolutely not be returning to Iberostar Waves Club Cala Barca and would not recommend it to other families looking for a clean, well-maintained 4-star holiday resort. If you are considering paying extra for a family room with a garden view, we would strongly recommend asking exactly what you will be looking at from your balcony before paying the additional cost. For us, the upgrade was a complete waste of money and this holiday was a huge disappointment.

We had a pleasant stay overall, but unfortunately, we would not return. The hotel felt far too overcrowded and busy, particularly in the evenings. The Pros * Spacious & Clean Rooms: Our room was really big and remarkably spotless! (Note: It could use a few minor updates, such as fixing some broken furniture and installing a proper bathroom door). * Fantastic Pool Selection: There were loads of pools to choose from, which made it fantastic for kids. * Great Kids' Activities: The kids loved the nice playground, the ice cream parlour, and the bouncy castles by the pool on one of the days—a huge hit! * A la Carte Dining: The Mexican restaurant was by far our favourite dining option during our stay. * On-Site Shops: Having nice shops right on the property was very convenient. The Cons * Overcrowded Main Restaurant & Samey Food: The buffet food felt repetitive. The main restaurant layout funneled everyone into one small section, making it feel extremely congested and giving it a noisy canteen vibe. * Food Quality Concerns: Main options relied heavily on chips and burgers, which were often overcooked/burnt, and the meat quality for the burgers wasn’t great (the hot dogs were better). * Evening Bar Setup: The evening bar area was far too crowded. It was the only main bar with outdoor seating, but because it sat directly next to the stage, there was no alternative area to enjoy a quiet, relaxing drink if you didn't want to watch the evening show. * Lack of Bar Menu: There was no drink menu available, so you had to guess what cocktails they could make, though choices seemed fairly limited anyway. * Poolside Hygiene: Parts of the pool area needed a good hose down at times. In particular, the sunbeds situated beneath the trees were quite dirty from birds. Summary: Perfect for families looking for plenty of pools and kid-friendly entertainment, but let down by evening overcrowding, restaurant layout, and average buffet food.

My wife and I stayed at this resort at the end of September/beginning of October, and overall, we had a lovely holiday! The resort and rooms The atmosphere is great, and it’s very clearly a family-friendly hotel. Our original room was lovely and had a glimpse of the main stage, so we could relax on the balcony and watch the entertainment in the evenings. We did end up moving rooms after I took a tumble on a tiny step at one of the restaurants and ended up on crutches with a grade 2 ankle sprain. The team moved us to an accessible ground-floor room with a wet room. This was much bigger than our original room, although it did seem to retain more damp from the shower. One thing to note about the accessible rooms is that there is still a small step leading out to the ground-floor balcony, and the door itself is quite narrow. The staff and facilities The cleaning team are amazing and work like a military operation, efficiently turning over the restaurants and keeping the rooms clean. There is also an incentive for choosing to have your room cleaned every two days rather than daily, although I genuinely cannot remember what it was! The pools were great and refreshing, and we found they were generally quieter around lunchtime. They do close at around 6 pm, so it’s worth bearing that in mind. We also took part in the rifle shooting and axe throwing, which were great fun, although they can get very crowded. The team running these activities were brilliant, really fun and able to speak multiple languages. At the spa, I had a facial, which was lovely and relaxing, while my wife had an anti-stress massage that left her feeling very sleepy! We also joined the Starfish dolphin-watching trip, which was an experience, to say the least. Pretty much everyone ended up getting seasick! However, if you have a stronger stomach than we do, it looks like great fun. They also make another stop where you can get into the sea for a swim. The on-site doctor was also lovely. She used a translation app to communicate with us, but was still incredibly funny, kind and reassuring. Now… for the part that matters. Food. Coeliac edition. Everything is buffet-style, which, as someone with coeliac disease, I found quite terrifying and overwhelming at first. However, once you have a proper look around, everything is clearly labelled. If you speak to one of the chefs wearing a navy hat, they can advise you on what is and isn’t safe. They can also prepare gluten-free food separately, including things like pancakes and pasta. There are also freshly cooked options served at individual stations, including fish, chicken and pork chops, which is always reassuring when you’re trying to navigate a buffet. I was understandably nervous about eating from the buffet, as you are ultimately relying on other people’s common sense when it comes to cross-contamination. However, I found my sweet spot was either right at the beginning of service or closer to closing time. Food is regularly replenished when it has been sitting out for a while or when a dish runs out, which helped put my mind at ease. I’ll add some pictures of the food I ate as well, to give other coeliacs an idea of what was available! I did unfortunately get glutened at one of the restaurants. I noticed that a dish contained something different from what had originally been stated and decided to risk it. Spoiler alert: I should not have done that! The on-site supermarket is pretty cool, although I didn’t spot many gluten-free options. There were a few biscuits, though, which is always a bonus. The café is open throughout the day and offers gluten-free muffins. At breakfast in the main restaurant, you can also get gluten-free croissants, pain au chocolat and some cakes, all individually wrapped. This was a lovely touch and made breakfast feel much less restrictive. Overall We had a really good holiday, and the staff genuinely made it special. From the chefs and entertainment team to housekeeping and the spa staff, everyone we encountered was lovely, helpful and welcoming. Multiple languages are spoken across the resort, and you really do feel that the team wants to look after you. For fellow coeliacs, I would say that there are definitely options available, and the chefs were helpful when approached. However, as with any buffet, you still need to be vigilant about cross-contamination and make sure you ask questions. All in all, a fantastic holiday with a wonderful team of people who work incredibly hard. Thank you for looking after us!

We started our holiday in a family room (located in block 45) it was dirty, dingy, and the air con was completely broken. What can only be described as a dungeon…my son got ill so we decided to pay to upgrade to a junior suite (block 52) WOW! Completely changed the holiday, incredible room, clean, balcony looking out onto the main stage so we could enjoy drinks whilst our toddler slept and the air con actually worked! The facilities and activities at the hotel are great, so much going on all day. It’s definitely a family resort, I wouldn’t recommend coming if you don’t have kids! The food was mediocre, our favourite was the star cafe for a morning coffee and pastry. Spanish restaurant was the best for breakfast, Mexican for dinner. Didn’t rate the food vans in the day, you’re better going to a buffet. Ice cream parlour was great, just wish it was open a bit later!