“Excellent vacations by the ocean-side”

We were happy to spend our vacation in this hotel. The service was definitely great and the staff were friendly. We were impressed by the variety of food and drinks - every dish and drink was delicious. There is a large beach within walking distance, which was nice to spend time on. The hotel ha... more

We were happy to spend our vacation in this hotel. The service was definitely great and the staff were friendly. We were impressed by the variety of food and drinks - every dish and drink was delicious. There is a large beach within walking distance, which was nice to spend time on. The hotel had organized daytime and evening leisure activities in a great way, including water, sports activities, etc. Also we were very happy to get a present from the staff with my lover – a bottle of sparkling wine. The hotel is definitely worth visiting again!

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“Great few days in Barcelo Isla Canela”

Overall a good place to stay. Be aware that the ‘all inclusive’ is not as all inclusive as one would imagine. Anything other than basic drinks or snack are chargeable (although at discounted rate) However the choice and quality of the food in the buffet restaurant is excellent.

“Very nice hotel, but nothing to do in the area”

If you love sun, sea and sand then this is a perfect destination. But if, on the other hand, you also want to stroll a bit on the boulevard, then you are out of luck because there is nothing to do at all on the beach or in the town.

“Not as good as Melia”

Disapointed by the service, and made to feel I'm an inconvenience a few too many times. What's good? I've stayed in few Barcello hotels, and Barcello Isla Canela shares many of the positive features observed across the group. The location is great, the cleanliness is exceptional, the rooms a... more

Disapointed by the service, and made to feel I'm an inconvenience a few too many times. What's good? I've stayed in few Barcello hotels, and Barcello Isla Canela shares many of the positive features observed across the group. The location is great, the cleanliness is exceptional, the rooms are modern and comfortable. The hotel grounds are stunning, very relaxing and tranquil. The bad I stayed in Isla Canela a year ago, but last time I was in the Melia, at the other end of the resort. If i were to go back to Isla Canela again tomorrow, I'd go back to the Melia every time; there is no competition. Firstly, the colleagues in Melia seemed happy and couldn't do enough for you. Here, honestly I felt like an inconvenience. Melia you get a smile and a warm greeting everywhere. In Melia you walk past reception and if they are not serving you'll get a "Hola" or "Buen dia" and a smile that's warm and friendly. Here the facial expression simply never changes you get a look! In Melia, I went to reception to ask if they knew anywhere I could hire a car, 10 minutes later they've made the call on my behalf the car is arriving the following day. In Barcello, I was handed a piece of paper with Avis on it; the prices were extortionate and told "call them". Thankfully, my Tui rep was able to help and I was able to get a car at literally half the price. My wife asked for a kettle for the room, we could hire one for €10 refundable, who do you think is going to steal.a kettle? I might understand this if it was some 2 star hell hole in Benidorm, but i think you should be able to trust that you have a different level of guest. Anyway, we hired the kettle, but then there is no tea cup brought with the kettle; not a problem I got two cups for the dining room only to find housekeeping took them away everyday, why? Furthermore in Melia there is a kettle, a coffee machine and a selection of teas of coffee that are complimentary in every room. Also, water bottles are put in your room daily down in Melia, in Barcelo, you get two complimentary bottles on arrival, thanks real generous. The dining hall, I don't know if your colleagues are overworked and tired or just plain miserable, not once in seven days did I see a smile or get a warm interaction at any point. Frankly they all just give off the impression that they don't want to be there. There were a couple of maintenance issues of note, the AC in room 4132 doesn't work, the toilet seat is also broken as is the plug in the bathroom. I take the same week every year, its actually my birthday week. Last year in Melia, I got back to the room after a day out touring on my birthday to find a slice of cake and bottle of chilled Procecco in the room, I asked my wife did you organise this, she was adamant it was nothing to do with her. While obviously not expected, there was nothing of the sort in Barcelo, just another example of how far apart the service is between the two 4 star hotels in the same resort. Conclusions You have two hotels, both 4 star, both in the same resort. Yes Melia was £130 more expensive for the same week. However, I'd stayed with Barcelo in other areas of Spain and the Canary Islands (see my 5 star review for Barcelo Furtaventura), so thought I'd give Barcelo Isla Canela a go. While I had a great holiday, when I go back again in another year or so, I'll no doubts go back to Melia where the difference in service is like night and day. Yes I may pay a little more, but genuinely it's worth it. Service in Barcelo felt cold.

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