Sol Barbacan 

I’m staying at the Sol Barbacan at this very moment as I am writing this review. This is the second time I have stayed here with my husband and it is a pleasure to stay here again after one years' absence. The hotel was built in the 1970s by the father of a Dutch lady called Barbara, hence its name. The hotel has undergone several refurbishments and improvements over the years but it's clear it has been made to very high standards right from the outset. Our half-board accommodation comprises a large sitting room with sofa bed, a large double bedroom, separate toilet, bathroom and shower, and a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave and small hot plate. There are two large pools and a couple of smaller ones for the kids including a jacuzzi. The main pool nearest the rooms is very efficiently heated, meaning its temperature is perfect making it possible to swim even if the day is on the cool side. Our breakfast is very good, it’s a buffet type breakfast with a huge amount of choice. The evening meal is also presented on the same lines with the addition of chefs cooking for the guests there and then whatever is fresh on the day. But what makes this hotel so special are the people that work in it – from the reception desk to the room maids, all the way through to the people who work in the restaurant (and even some workmen going around doing their jobs now and then) everyone is super friendly, polite and so kind it almost seems like you’re in a dream world. Our room maid, Noelia comes every morning and she is so lovely I just want to take her home with me! She is always smiling and seems so happy to help, it really makes our morning time that more special. All the other ladies who do the cleaning are also lovely but for us, our interaction with Noelia, is what we love every day. Over the years I have stayed in dozens of hotels in many different countries, including America and France where politeness and welcoming seems to have passed them by. This hotel surpasses all of them in every way! If I had any constructive criticisms to offer for this hotel, there would only be one; it concerns the entertainment that is presented every evening. It would be nice if at least some nights it had a Spanish theme such as flamenco, and for music / singing acts to be appropriate for the tastes of majority of the guests who are of the older generation. Now all I have to do is win the lottery so that I can come to the Sol Barbacan more often and spend time surrounded by its lovely workers.