Barceló Fuerteventura Royal Level

Stephen Parrott

We have previously stayed at the Barceló Fuerteventura Mar, but decided this time to try the Barceló Royal Level Adults only. The staff were very attentive. I liked the separate living room and bedroom and the little touches like bathrobes, water bottles every day, padded sun loungers were nice. Pool area was nice with a view of the beach. However, they did not make up for failings in the restaurant. Plates were cold, food was tepid, I could rest my hand on the hot plates they were very cool. Choice was limited and a few nights main dishes ran out. I spoke to a member of staff and they had already received similar comments. We ate in the Barceló Fuerteventura Mar next door for two nights and the food choices were excellent, plentiful and hot. Plates were hot and the staff very good. I spoke to the manager on our last night and he appreciated the feedback. The bar at the Royal Level is outside and was chilly most nights with limited seats. Again we went to Barceló Fuerteventura Mar to watch the show and have drinks. The airport transfers were expensive for a 10 minute transfer so next time I’ll get a cab or use the bus for €2. I gave 2 stars for Service based on the food service and not staff.

Lisa Mckenzie

What a fantastic location! I have to give a special mention to the breakfasts, we were able to eat upstairs overlooking the harbour. The day doesn't start better than that! And the food was pretty special too 😊 All the staff were as helpful.as they could be, although the different departments didn't know about the goings on of the others so booking our New Years Eve meal was problematic, we ended up eating at a local restaurant instead - which was lovely. And then return to the free entertainment by the harbour and fireworks over the sea. Fantastic. We will definitely be returning to this hotel X

Jonathan Dowen

First and foremost, this accommodation offers exceptional service and really was a class above anything else in Caleta De Fuste. Up until recently, it included an exclusive dining experience at the El Ancla harbour restaurant, with excellent culinary offerings and unique setting. Unfortunately, this restaurant has been quietly closed down this month, detracting significantly from what makes a holiday here so special. The El Ancla restaurant was a core aspect of staying here at Royal Level, and its replacement with a less impressive buffet option at Mafasca is a notable disappointment. We were originally booked to visit again this Summer, but having been notified by Jet2 about Barcelo's decision to shut down El Ancla has led us to cancel our plans and seek alternatives - with prices already significantly higher than our last stay here, it really isn't worth it. It is important for potential guests to be aware that much of Barcelo's marketing for this hotel still prominently features El Ancla, which could be misleading.

Katarzyna Wojtarowicz

We just came back from our 7-day holiday in this hotel. We had a great time and the hotel definitely has a lot of advantages but also dissapointed us in many regards. For the good parts: The Royal level rooms are big and spacious. Ours was close to the pool and the restaurant, so it was convenient. We really liked the Royal level family pool - it was heated so our kids could swim all day and it was quiet and not crowded. You could find free sun beds at any part of the day. The bar was well stocked and there weren't any ques. The drinks and spirits - high quality, imported alcohol, lots of brands to choose from. My kids enjoyed the snacks, Pringles, Magnum ice-cream, fruit - avaliable all day and included in Royal level. We greatly enjoyed the restaurant El Ancla - also dedicated to Royal level guests. Great view, not crowded and great quality of food. There wasn't great variety to choose from, but everyday the food was different and there was always something to eat for the kids. Quality of food was much better than in other restaurants. Service here was also very good, the waiters fast, efficient and kind. There are also ala carte restaurants included - we definetly recomend the Mexican. In general there are many restaurants to choose from, also a lot of choices for the kids. The hotel has great views, it's located next to a beautiful beach. You have to pay for the sun beds on the beach, but it's not much - 10 euros for two+umbrella. Our kids liked the kids club - it's great as well as the ladies taking care of the kids. While the kids were in the kids club we visited the royal level adults only pool and bar - so nice and quiet there :) sun beds in the pool, amazing drinks brought straight to your sun bed. Great buffet restaurant if you're hungry. Now, what I didn't like… The service and staff at the hotel definitely isn't royal level, not 4* either. The worst is the reception. We asked for 2 rooms close to each other and for an early check-in. I stressed that during reservation and just before we arrived. Of course I do understand that it’s not always possible. Not only did we get rooms on different floors, far away from each other, I also got my room after 4 pm due to a receptionist mistake and failure to notify me my room is finally ready. The hotel firsts sends you e-mails to ask about your preferences and then disregards them completely. The staff doesn’t care if you’re unhappy, they do nothing to repair the damage they’ve done. Whenever I came to royal level reception during my stay it was empty. They also didn’t answer the phone, sometimes it took an hour to get through to them. I often felt like a pest, not a guest there. Also the room service and cleaning was very disappointing. The rooms weren’t cleaned every day, sometimes 2 days in the row. Water was not delivered either. Both of those things you pay for. The showers in the rooms are faulty, the bathroom is always flooded after a shower, the dirty dishes we often had to take out ourselves because they were starting to smell. The waiters in the restaurants were hard to find and slow (except El Ancla), the tables not cleaned. At the pools we often found glasses from the day before. And lastly – entertainment. There was mini disco for the kids every evening, but very short. The shows for adults were rather boring and poor quality. After 21.00 there was nothing to do at the hotel. Also when the weather was bad there aren’t any indoor activities. The indoor pool is only for adults. There isn’t a kids room, nothing. The game arcades closed permanently. To sum up, the facilities are good and the hotel has great potential. Definetly worth choosing Royal level, makes a huge difference. However the staff and the service – one of the worst I’ve ever seen. If something goes wrong, you’re on your own. I do believe that the management should own up to their shortcomings and try to make it up to the guests. Room upgrades, complimentary meal or a bottle of good wine to make amends. Is it really so difficult?

A J

Overall, we had a nice holiday, but there were a few things that could easily be addressed that would push this up to 4 stars. We were sent a questionnaire before leaving and confirmed the time we would be arriving, desired room configuration, any extras etc so was quite surprised to arrive at ~11:30 am to be told check in was at 3. I'm not sure why we confirmed arrival time ahead if nothing was going to be done. As we couldn't check in, we were offered to unpack anything necessary in the busy reception, which I was not impressed by, and then we changed in the toilets - not the best first impression. No beach towels are available until you check in, so no drying off if you go for a swim! When we came back to reception at 3:15, we were told check-in was at 3 and our room wasn't ready (?). On informing them it was already after 3, I was told check-in was FROM 3, not necessarily AT 3! Apparently, the room was ready, but there was a problem with it, so we were moved to a different room. The new room was set up for someone else and had a welcome note for them, so I had no idea where they ended up! Both rooms were on the ground floor, having communicated that I did not want a ground floor room this was quite frustrating. Throughout the week, room cleaning and restocking of coffee was inconsistent, some days no coffee pods, but a knock on the door at 8pm to provide a couple of chocolates that had not been left, but still no coffee! The cocktails at the adult pool bar were very changeable depending on who made them, ranging from undrinkable to very nice. The food was nice, but there was a certain familiar element by the end of the week. I did also find that some freshly cooked chicken I had selecfrom the buffet was not cooked through, which is dangerous. For me, there needs to be more consistency across the services and greater attention to detail for this to be 4 star. The staff we interacted were all lovely, and worked long hours, with often the same people who served coffee in the morning serving wine in the evening.