Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa

"Having read the mostly positive reviews of this hotel, we were wondering if they were exaggerated. However, we were quite impressed overall. The place is spotlessly clean (there are always people working to keep standards high both inside and out). The food standard was high in the buffet and the various a la carte restaurants. Unfortunately the grill restaurant was shut, so we didn't get to try that one. We stayed in a Star Prestige room and for us it was perfect. The separate pool area was nice and quiet with good facilities. Overall, we would recommend the Iberostar and would come back."

"read before booking as a couple! ​We recently completed a 10-night stay at Iberostar Selection Playa de Muro Albufera. There is so much to love about this hotel, but also a few important caveats for prospective guests depending on what type of holiday you are looking for. ​The Highlights: ​Exceptional Staff: Every single staff member we encountered was warm, helpful, and attentive. Special credit to Tolo, Antony, and the housekeeping team—the service here is a real credit to the management. ​Food & Facilities: The food was top-class and consistently impressive throughout our stay. The facilities are brilliant—the rooftop Sky Bar is a fantastic spot—and the entire property is kept spotlessly clean. ​Location & Room: Situated right on a stunning, easily accessible beach. Our room was spacious and well-appointed. ​Points to Consider: ​Room Location & Noise: We booked a Deluxe Twin at a premium price, but our room was situated directly above the main bar. Expect zero chance of sleep before 11:00 PM. On 5 of our 10 nights, groups were drinking, shouting, and laughing outside until 1:00 AM. For a premium room, this was really disappointing. ​Not an Adults-Only Vibe: The marketing suggests a clear separation between adults in the Iberostar Selection and families in the Park/Waves side, but in reality, there are families with young children everywhere across both areas. ​Who it’s for: If you are a family with young children, this hotel is a superb choice. However, if you are a couple traveling without kids looking for a quiet, relaxing getaway, I’d suggest looking elsewhere unless the hotel introduces dedicated adults-only areas and evening entertainment tailored for couples."

"We booked with Jet2holidays for a week at the end of September and for £3.5k for two, it was reasonable value on balance, although we probably won’t come to this hotel again. We arrived on a Sunday and having hired a car found that the popularity of the Muro beach meant there was no parking close to the hotel, I squeezed into a space a ten minute walk away, post the weekend the parking issues eased but the hotel does not have any of it’s own parking for guests. On check in Marta was lovely, and took us through everything as you’d expect. We opted for a Star Prestige room when we booked to have some adult-only space to relax, and the rooms occupy the top floor of the block directly under the Star Prestige roof terrace. Reaching the room involved walking out of the reception front and going around to a lift in the next block which took us up to our room 5301. There are no signs opposite the lift door opening, so we walked halfway down the floor to realise our room was the other way out of the lift. The room is small overall to what we’ve experienced with other star prestige offerings, and ours in particular was overlooking the hotel entrance so is noisy especially when they’re emptying the bottle bins! Apart from being small and having a balcony with no cover or sun loungers, the room is lovely and clean and well decorated. Personally - avoid the lower room numbers on either block 4 or 5, due to their position, 5305 / 4305 and above are fine though. The Star Prestige terrace is very mixed. It does not have sufficient sunloungers or Bali beds, and everyone “reserves” them with towels for the full day, so it’s impossible to have any time on them. The worst thing is the hotel don’t care at all - they told us we’re not allowed to reserve beds with towels but equally they were not prepared to remove towels or challenge those doing so; instead preferring to tell their paying customer to do it as the situation “was delicate”. So essentially, put towels down; the hotel don’t care. The bar here is staffed on the roof, which is great for getting cocktails, and they provide call buttons to allow you to order from your lounger - but no-one seems to use them. The staff just look bored up here and the attentiveness falls away the further you are from the bar for glasses being collected etc. The main Mistral buffet restaurant is exactly as expected, with a fantastic selection that rotates every day. The reserved section for star prestige guests is located at the back of the restaurant though, giving quite a long walk to tables and you’re right next to the kitchen wash-up door, which makes it a poor experience when you’ve paid a premium. Staff again were lovely, but given the location and layout of the premium section, they were not able to be as attentive as you’d expect and we found that meant the hotel’s main offering was actually better attended by the staff than the premium offering. Finally, the “a la carte” restaurants…that is a stretch at best. The food ordered in the Mexican tapas was small portioned, looked like it had been made hours before and we left there hungry. The worst part - and we’ve come to expect this - was the vegetarian offering - the mexican menu had plenty of dishes that could have been vegetarian or optionally with meat, but they chose to give so little here that my other half was left with either patatas bravas, another potato dish mostly the same and an aubergine dish. It really was atrocious and if you paid money for it - you’d feel robbed! Stick with the buffet, or at least only treat these side restaurants as a novelty. Overall, the hotel should stick to what it does best - catering for families. The premium offering is not worth it and often results in you experiencing a lesser level of service to everyone else."