Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa All Inclusive

The place was perfect for us. Amenities, entertainment, foods(loads of them) and the amazing staff - can’t thank them enough, they made our stay more enjoyable. During our 7 days, we’ve been out for walk along the beautiful beach which is only a few meters away.

We had the most amazing dinner at Martinete Spanish restaurant. Food was so delicious (especially Gambas!). Tolo who served us was the best waiter and full of great recommendations and made sure we were looked after and pleased with our experience. And sangria was 10/10!

Just superb, faultless, very comfortable rooms, wonderfully friendly staff. We loved it all but especially the beach bbq.m and the Sky bar, a perfect holiday destination, so well organised and huge investment in the refurb and the staff training which made it such a pleasurable stay.

The food, staff and facilities are absolutely brilliant. A particular mention for Victoria at reception who was absolutely wonderful for our entire stay. As was a blonde lady on reception but I didn’t get her name. The hotel is of a very high standard and every detail is considered. However, both this hotel and the adjoining Albufeira playa are one and not separate as the different names and placements on their website suggest. This means there are an absolutely humongous number of young children and families about the entire property. We were one of very few couples without children and we found the overwhelming numbers a little tricky to relax in amongst. They even were in abundance at the roof pool (sky bar) despite there being no child friendly facilities up there. Because of this, we upgraded to prestige which meant we could use another rooftop area. The pool here is a small infinity pool (more of a plunge pool than a swimming pool) but this transformed our holiday. It was quiet and peaceful up there, giving us the much needed chance to relax and read in peace. I’m certainly not adverse to children but the number at this hotel was just too much to deal with. In fact, I think that’s why they were everywhere - the parents were trying to escape the overwhelming number of other people’s children, too. Having said all of this, as always, Iberostsar do what they do so well and I can’t fault what was on offer, from food, to entertainment, to customer service. It’s important to add that the beach is also stunning and very shallow, calm water. Take some bread under/next to the boardwalk and see all of the fish! We shall return to Iberostar next year but perhaps to and adults only hotel.

To be clear, the hotel itself is a 5, pools, food and Staff - amazing. However, it’s so incredibly crowed that it’s just not a relaxing place. Kids running everywhere. Even at restaurants, you must hold your plates tight….and be ready to pause while walking - lots and lots of kids average age 3/4yrs old. Restaurant reservations are impossible- all booked every night. So buffet every day it was for us:/ The beach chairs - what a nightmare. They don’t belong to the hotel so we had to get up at 7am put towels down, run for bkfast then run back to wait for the guy to come around to charge us. If you are not there, he throws your towels on top of the umbrella and gives the spot to someone else. This happed to the fam by us one day…. Two moms almost fought over the chairs and umbrella. Not relaxing at all. I guess it’s high season- never again. To busy / too stressful / one and done

I stayed here for 4 nights at the end of May with my sister and our niece (12 years old). We had the best time, and we wish we could have stayed longer. My sister is a wheelchair user, so staying somewhere that can accommodate her is essential. This hotel went above and beyond. We had a lovely accessible room, the hotel was easy to navigate, nothing was too far, and the staff helped us with everything. I've visited a few all-inclusive hotels, and this is the best. The 2 buffet restaurants were delightful, so much choice and variety, and wonderful chefs ready to cook your steak exactly how you like it. My sister and I love good food, and our niece is very picky... we were all pleased. We particularly liked the lunchtime restaurant on the terrace, which served bbq. We also loved the Mexican restaurant (where we celebrated my sisters birthday). The food and cocktails were fabulous. The ice cream parlour was also a massive hit with the 3 of us. The cherry on the cake was that the beach had 2 (one adult and one child) beach wheelchairs. They're by the lifeguard station on the wooden walkway, so we were able to wheelchair down and get into the beach wheelchair. This enabled my sister to go in the sea, something she couldn't have done otherwise. The lifeguards were so helpful, I wish I knew their names to say a proper thank you. It really made our holiday. The hotel is 2 joined together, although the only giveaway is 2 receptions, because the design and flow of the hotels is excellent. It also smells amazing. There's always something for the children to do, and always sunbeds around the quieter pools for relaxation. The rooftop pool and bar are divine, I highly recommend. There's stunning views of the beach, sea and mountains. Often the cocktails at all-inclusive hotels are full of sugar, but here they're made properly. I loved the mojitos and margaritas. The bar staff really know how to make a good drink. I could go on and on because we truly had an amazing time. 5 stars for a 5 star hotel (it's 4 stars, but should be upped to 5). Thank you to all the staff for a wonderful few days. We will be back.