Playacartaya Hotel

We stayed in this hotel for six nights. Overall, the stay was okay, but it wasn't the experience we had expected. We arrived late at night and couldn't get any drinks or food as the restaurants were closed, and we were told there was nothing they could do about it. The room was tidy; however, the bathroom door wouldn't close easily. The MDF was damaged due to water absorption. My kids didn't feel secure closing the bathroom door. We reported it, and two days later, maintenance came around and trimmed the door. They left a mess after the job. The food was edible, but the plates were dirty, and it was real roulette to find a clean one. I found a dead fly in the lettuce bowl. During meals, I noticed flies sitting on bread and cheese; that should be taken care of. The slides were fantastic, and we spent a few days sitting by the pool. However, to be able to sit or have a lounge, you would have to get up early and take part in a lounge-reserving war where you had to leave your towel and then go to breakfast. Otherwise, we wouldn't get any place to sit later. The hotel policy stated that hotel staff removes unoccupied lounges with towels on them, but that never happened. The staff were polite, but I have experienced being ignored by bar staff when I wanted to place my order. I stood there for about 10 minutes. Every time I thought it was my turn, the staff were serving someone who came after me. I've never experienced anything like this.

Nice hotel. There’s nothing around to do so be mindful if you’re going on holiday with the intention of exploring/eating out. The closest town is about 2 miles away and there’s not much there. The beach is an estuary so it’s not great. Taxis are very expensive! €45 to get to Huelva, one way! Food is hit and miss. We stayed here for a week and majority of the lunches were good but breakfast wasn’t good. Snacks aren’t the best. Seems to be just crisps but the all inclusive isn’t explained very well. There’s no menu for the restaurant! So it’s a gamble. Deserts weren’t great. Staff were not so bad. Majority of the staff aren’t fluent in English at all. Big language barrier but most of the guests here are Spanish so it’s a tricky one. Beatriz the bar woman was amazing! By far the friendliest member of staff, really chatty, despite the lack of English! Always happy and polite. The pool is very cold. Slides are great, when they’re on. It’s quite sporadic. Seems to be an hour before lunch so around 12:30/1:30 then off again until sometimes as late as 5pm. This was a bit disappointing as the slides were a big factor in choosing a hotel. To sum up, nice hotel, location is good or bad, depending on what you want from a holiday. Food is food and the staff are friendly

What a stunning hotel. From the moment we arrived, the staff have been fantastic and I genuinely can't fault a thing. We did have one small incident at the water slides where the lifeguard wasn't paying enough attention, which could have been much more serious. After we raised our concerns and explained how important that role is, the team took it seriously and the lifeguards have been much more vigilant ever since, which was appreciated. The food and drinks are excellent, the pools are spotless, and the entertainment has been brilliant. It's honestly the perfect escape for a few days with the kids. We upgraded to a suite with access to the private area, and for us it was worth every penny. Comfortable sun loungers, table service throughout the day, and food and drinks brought straight to your lounger made it feel like a completely different experience. Every member of staff has been friendly, helpful and welcoming, but Bea deserves a special mention. She was, without question, the standout member of staff during our stay. Her service, friendliness and attention to detail were exceptional, and she is a real credit to the hotel. In all honesty, we'd come back just because of the service she provided. We'd read a few reviews before booking that mentioned the hotel being in the middle of nowhere, so we hired a car. Once we'd compared the cost of airport transfers, hiring a car actually worked out cheaper anyway. The location was a huge positive for us. We've only used the car once to pop to the local shops, and otherwise we've been more than happy staying at the hotel. It really depends on what you're looking for. If you want a lively all-inclusive surrounded by bars, clubs and a busy strip, this probably isn't the place for you. But if you're after somewhere peaceful where you can properly switch off, enjoy great food, drinks on tap until 1am, and a relaxed atmosphere, then it's absolutely perfect. As someone who prefers a more authentic holiday experience rather than being surrounded by other British tourists, it was a real bonus that the hotel is mainly full of Spanish guests. We only heard English being spoken once... and went in the opposite direction! A fantastic holiday from start to finish. We wouldn't hesitate to come back. 10/10.

Very nice hotel with friendly staff and a fantastic animation team. A special thank you to Natalia for serving us delicious drinks and to Christian for keeping our whole family entertained throughout our stay. Their hard work and positive attitude made our holiday even more enjoyable. We would be happy to return!

Playacarta hotel is a good option if you want to take your family on holidays for a few days and spend some quality time with them. I am not going to comment on the usual stuff such as food, cleaning etc as these have been superb throughout our stay. But rather focus on the things that your family may be looking for on a holiday trip and you as a dad of young kids and pre-teens want to meet their expectations and make the most of their time. Swimming pools 5 ✨️ The best slides i have been to , there is enough pool sizes all the family and they are located indoors and outdoors , plenty of sun bathing space and chairs. Should the swiming pools open earlier than 11 am ? Yes, Should they close later than 8 pm ? Yes. Beach 0 ✨️ No beach close to the hotel, so if you have beach lovers in your family, they will be dissapointed as the closest beach would be a few minutes drive away from the hotel, unless you rented a car you will feel pretty much trapped in the hotel premises. Entertainment, 3✨️ This is a tricky one as the hotel offers a few activities for the public such as pool dancing, and evening shows but they do not cater for all age groups so your teens may end up sitting down the best part of the evening in one of the reception sofas looking at their phones for hours while you help yourself at the free bar feeling guilty for not being able to bring them off their phones even on holidays but wouldn't miss the free drinks for nothing in this world. Shopping/night life 0✨️ As mentioned before , unless you rented a car (which was my case) none of you will see the outer world for as many days as you have made your reservations since there is nothing and I mean nothing to see in the vecinity in terms of shops or places to go to such as night clubs or restaurants. On the positive side, you can go through a therapeutical phase with your wife and kids , as you may re-encounter yourself with the true meaning of a family life .