Iberostar Waves Club Cala Barca

We spent the last week of the summer holidays here - 26th Aug - 2nd Sept 26. My 10-year-old daughter has coeliac disease so needs a strict gluten-free diet. I'm going to do a general review and then specific gluten-free/coeliac traveller review underneath. GENERAL REVIEW: We had an absolutely fantastic holiday here! We are a family of 4 with 10-year-old twin girls, and it was perfect for our age. Nobody got sick or anything, and we were in and out of the pools constantly. The pools were great, lots of choice and variety. We were able to get 2-4 sun loungers every day with no real problems. The pools were mostly quite clean, though the floor area around were a bit grubby at times due to people walking around. I'd just ensure that you wear sliders/flip flops in the vicinity. The pools are busy but there are always quieter spots you can find. The only pool that sometimes got intolerably busy was the athletics pool because it would sometimes have a polo match on which took up half the pool. There is a hidden gem of a pool right up at the top which is nice and quiet. Pay 20 euros deposit for the towels and you can get a fresh one every day. The beach on the resort was okay, good to have there but there's not really anywhere to put your stuff. On windier days it's gross with loads of seaweed but on sunny days it's nice. The main issue was that it was just full of rubbish. Rather than hang out on the beach, if you want to go in the sea you'd be best to set up camp at the main pool and then go down for a swim in the sea if you fancy it. Cala Borgit is a short walk away, 5 minutes from the top pool, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Highly recommend going there. Our room was great. It was clean and well-maintained, and the cleaning staff came every day to clean it for you. The air-con worked well, it wasn't really cold but it was cool enough to sleep with no problems (and I am someone who hates sleeping in the heat). We were in block 42 and we found it was well-located. 5 minute walk if that to the restaurant and entertainment. The staff were absolutely fantastic and the entertainment was great. There was always something to do and the evenings were lots of fun. One day, we were chilling by the pool and they came round with coconuts for everyone (the adults could have theirs topped with rum) which was a lovely touch. My girls didn't really use the kids club but it did seem quite chaotic and if your child is prone to running off I definitely wouldn't be using it! however, they did put on a lot of great activities for the kids. The food was great, the restaurants were mega busy but well-managed. I'm a vegetarian and I was never short of options (other than at the beach restaraunt). Overall, it was a brilliant holiday. This place is not a luxury resort by any means but they do a brilliant job in my opinion. GLUTEN-FREE/ COELIAC SPECIFIC REVIEW: Overall, I'd say this hotel was great for gluten-free, particularly for adults. My daughter did feel like she had to miss out on quite a lot of stuff, and whilst adults would be more accepting of this she was really upset on the first couple of days. The restaurant staff were absolutely fantastic. When we arrived, the manager spoke to us and brought us over to a lead chef who gave us some information. Some of the staff didn't speak great English; however, learning a few phrases such as sin gluten meant we were all able to understand each other well! Every restaurant is a buffet and allergens are clearly labelled. However, with it being a buffet, there's a huge cross-contamination risk. Even just people using the tongs and putting stuff on their own plates with gluten on. However, if you ask the staff, they will make you fresh versions of anything. The staff were also vigilant with regularly clearing food and bringing fresh dishes over. One issue we found was that it was hard to know what was actually available. For example, at breakfast we asked for gluten-free breakfast, and sometimes they brought a pain au chocolat, sometimes a croissant, sometimes a cake. It wasn't particularly consistent. Towards the end I decided to ask if they could make pancakes for breakfast and they replied "of course!" My daughter was delighted... But if we hadn't have asked, we'd never have known it was an option. As I said, staff were always friendly and accommodating; however, as many other reviews mention, the restaurants are SO busy. It's a bit difficult to get a chef's attention as they're always busy, however we always managed eventually. We found that avoiding busy times was the best idea - for example with breakfast, if you go before 8.30 it's not too busy. That's when we felt comfortable to ask for the pancakes as we knew someone would have time to make them. Even in busy times they made sure they were accomomdating us, the head chef actually brought my daughter's food directly to her table some evenings! We tried all of the restaurants and I'd definitely say your best bet would be the main restaurant for options. The other restaurants weren't quite as well-equipped. Outside the restaurants, you'll struggle with gluten-free stuff. None of the food trucks have gluten-free options at all. The ice cream shop was a big disappointment, they only had one gluten-free ice cream option and no cones or anything. The staff outside of the restaurant don't really understand gluten-free that well. For example, we asked if the slushies were GF and were told they weren't. However, I went back and asked to see the ingredients and there was no gluten in there at all... it just didn't explicitly say 'gluten free' on it. There is also a nice chocolate milkshake that we were told wasn't gluten free, however I wouldn't be sure that this was true either. Overall, I think it's a really good hotel for coeliacs and the restaraunt staff are fantastic. Just be prepared that certain things won't be available to you. Thank you Iberostar team for making us feel so welcome :)

On arrival the hotel looked great very busy. Took us a while to check in and also wait for a buggy to take us to are room that was in block 12 quite away from the main area. When we got into are room it was OK not like it was advertised no microwave like advertised and to be honest quite dated. Then I realised we were put were the staff stayed.i whent onto the balcony were a young man was smoking weed turns out he was a staff member. Then on one of our days we were relaxing around the pool when some of the staff decided to have a little party having a drink playing there music to be honest making a right racket. The tv in our room did not work but they repaired it the phone did not work never got repaired so had to talk to reception via the app may aswell have talked to the wall. The hotel itself was nice the food was great some staff were excellent drinks and snacks on tap really good plenty to do for kids weather amazing beach cove great. Just odd things that spoilt it.

From the moment we arrived, the Iberostar team made us feel so welcome. At check-in, we were warmly greeted and even offered sweets and refreshments. There were water dispensers near reception with different flavours, as well as alcoholic drinks, which was such a lovely touch and perfect for staying hydrated after a long journey to the hotel. We were then taken to our room by buggy, which was especially convenient with children and luggage. To be completely honest, the room itself wasn’t the highlight for us and could probably use a little updating. However, everything else about the hotel more than made up for it. Our room was in a very convenient location, close to the restaurants and all the facilities. There are four restaurants, including one right on the beach, as well as a supermarket where you can pick up anything you might need, including souvenirs.There’s also a clothing shop and an ice cream shop — and the ice cream is included in the all-inclusive package, so you can enjoy as much as you like🍦 The hotel also has several different pools, which was great because you have plenty of options depending on what you’re looking for. And the beach was absolutely lovely! 🏖️ It wasn’t overly busy during our stay, which made it feel really relaxing and enjoyable, especially with children. The only downside for us was the sunbed situation at the beach. The sunbeds have an additional cost, and they only become available from 10:30am, which felt a little late for us. We liked to spend some time at the beach early in the morning and then head out to explore for the day, so being able to get beach sunbeds earlier would have been ideal. The sunbeds are also secured, so unfortunately you can’t take them until 10:30.This is a small downside, but definitely something worth knowing if you like an early morning beach session. For families, this hotel is fantastic. There are several different play areas for children, which was a lifesaver when it came to keeping my little one entertained. There were also so many activities available throughout the day, from yoga and painting to games and organised activities for children of different ages, as well as plenty for adults. We also really loved all the little extra touches throughout the stay. At different times, employees would come around the hotel areas offering complimentary drinks and ice cream, all included as part of the all-inclusive experience. On one of our evenings, they even came around offering Corona beers while we were having dinner — such a cool and unexpected touch 🍺 These little moments really made the all-inclusive experience feel like more than just having food and drinks available at the restaurants. The food here was also very very good, plenty of options for everyone. Another thing we absolutely loved was the hotel app. It makes everything so easy — you can see restaurant opening times, the daily entertainment schedule, activities and pretty much everything you need to know, all in one place. And the evening entertainment was incredible!!! Every night there was something different planned, from a fire show and karaoke to silent disco and flamenco. There was never a dull moment, and it really made the evenings feel special. Wow, wow, wow!!! We absolutely loved our stay ❤️ A huge thank you to the entire Iberostar team for taking our holiday experience to the next level. The service, entertainment, facilities, pools, beach and especially the amount of activities for families really stood out to us. Despite the few small things mentioned above, this was genuinely one of the best hotel experiences we’ve had so far and we would absolutely love to come back 🌴☀️

Very disappointing third stay – serious concerns over how an accident was handled This was our third time staying at Ibrostar Cala Barca, which probably makes this review even more disappointing. We clearly liked the hotel enough to return twice before, but unfortunately, this stay has completely changed our opinion. There are still some positives. The food remains good, and Cala Mondragó is absolutely worth a visit and is only around a five-minute bus journey away. The entertainment team were also good and worked hard. However, the hotel itself is now starting to look tired and run down. A number of the facilities are in need of investment, maintenance and a general refresh. More concerningly, we also found some members of staff, excluding the entertainment team, to be borderline rude and extremely unhelpful. But the real reason for this review is the way the hotel dealt with a serious and extremely traumatic accident involving our daughter. During our stay in August, our daughter had an accident on the water slide and unfortunately lost one of her adult teeth. This was an incredibly distressing experience for her and for us as parents. What concerns us most is that there was no lifeguard present at the water slide. There were simply a red pole, but no clear literature or information explaining the risks, procedures or what to do in the event of an accident. We immediately went to the hotel's in-house doctor for help. We were advised to take our daughter to a public hospital. At this point, we were relying on the hotel to provide some basic guidance and support. Instead, the experience became increasingly chaotic. We were told by the hotel that they would arrange and pay for our taxi fares. This did not happen. The first taxi journey resulted in an incredibly awkward and embarrassing conversation with the taxi driver because, despite what the hotel had told us, there appeared to be no arrangement for the fare to be paid. We eventually arrived at the public hospital, only to be told that our daughter needed to see a dentist. This raises a very obvious question: why were we sent to a public hospital in the first place when the hotel should surely have known that a dental emergency required specialist treatment? At no point did anyone from the hotel properly take control of the situation or provide the level of assistance you would reasonably expect when a child has suffered such a serious injury on their premises. Even more concerning, no proper accident/incident report was completed at the time. We were told that the hotel would reimburse the taxi costs. We are now still waiting for this reimbursement and, despite repeatedly chasing the matter, we have gone from being told it would take 3–5 days to now being told it could take a month. We have also experienced delays and a lack of transparency when trying to obtain information regarding the hotel's insurance company. We should not have to repeatedly chase a hotel for basic information following an accident involving a child. The whole experience has left us feeling that once the immediate problem occurred, we were largely left to deal with it ourselves. Accidents can happen. We fully understand that. What is unacceptable is the lack of organisation, communication, assistance and aftercare following the accident. This could have been handled completely differently. Someone from the hotel could have taken responsibility, completed an incident report, arranged appropriate medical assistance, organised the taxis as promised and kept us informed throughout. Instead, we were left navigating hospitals, dentists, taxis and insurance matters ourselves while dealing with a distressed child. Having stayed here three times, we are not people looking to simply criticise the hotel. We know what Ibrostar Cala Barca can be like, which is why we returned. Unfortunately, though, the hotel is no longer living up to the standard we experienced previously, and the way our daughter's accident was handled has completely overshadowed the positives of this holiday. Good food and a good location are not enough when, in a serious situation involving a child, you don't feel that the hotel is there to support you. After three visits, this will sadly be our last.

Just arrived home from a fabulous family holiday. The staff were very friendly, attentive and eager to please. The food choices were excellent. The cleanliness of the rooms were spotless. The entertainment was fantastic. Options for all ages all day long. My only criticism if I had to have one were there are quite a few steps all around the complex which could be a problem if you are a wheelchair user or have a baby in a buggy. We spoke to Mirriam many times who is a Manager in training. She went over and above to accommodate us as my husband has bad knees. So she offered us to call for a golf type buggy to pick us up whenever we needed it. She couldn’t have done more for us. She couldn’t have done anymore for us to make sure we had a fabulous holiday. Which we did. Thank you