Barceló Aracena & Spa

One word: STUNNING The location was stunning with distant Mountain View’s and a magnificent hill top medieval castle in the foreground. Everything exceeded our expectations The staff were superb, the food excellent,the beds and pillows as comfortable as you could get. The pool and surroundings were first class. This is a somewhat rarely visited area of Spain. If like us, you are driving to Portugal, don’t miss this hotel 6* rating for Barcelo. As you will see from my previous posts we are well travelled throughout the World and don’t give such effusive comments easily!

Being in a separate self-catering villa, we didn't use the facilities or meals in the main hotel. But it was clean and well appointed, with a nice private seating area. The area is wonderful for walking and we'd very happily go back there. Also loved the town centre which is a 10 minute walk away.

Perfect place for a holiday with children. We stayed in a 2-bedroom villa for 6 nights and I wish we stayed longer. All necessary amenities were there. Place was quiet and food delicious. Swimming pool was very big and always empty during siesta hours. There were always sun umbrellas for everyone. Staff were very nice. Gym is big and with a lot of equipment.

The hotel is set in an enviable position overlooking the town below and the castle, which is especially stunning at night. The hotel is really nice with staff at reception being helpful after a misunderstanding by them with my booking where my view was spoilt by the carpark. They offered to move me and gave me a free bottle of Cava as an apology. The spa staff were amazing despite the spa facilities not fully working due to a malfunction, but they reduced the price of our 1-hour booking to make up for it. Breakfast was high quality, and the staff were engaging and professional. The pool area was immaculate, but be aware that you will need tokens from reception to get a towel, which we were not informed of. The caves and castle are worth a visit if you have time. A top tip from another contributor was to visit on your day of checkout at 10.30 a.m., and you will be back at the hotel in time to check out at 12, visit the castle the evening before and watch the sunset before walking down to the town for dinner

Very nice hotel, good view over the city and surrounding landscape.