Stayed at Playasol with my husband and child. Pool facilities are excellent, the water slides really made by 4 years holiday! Beach very close but "gritty" rather than sandy, so not much fun for building sandcastles. The hotel was very dated, stuck somewhere in the 70/80s, room very small for 3, clean but in desperate need of renovation. Meal times are very spanish and dinner at 8 is quite late for most young UK children. Entertainment starts at 10pm, again late, and all Spanish with no interpetation for the Brits. Also very amatuer. Childrens club ran by Spanish entertainers that speak no or very little English which meant that none of the english kids attended so it wasn't used by us. Bar staff not too friendly but waiting staff in restaurant were brilliant, making a real fuss of the kids. Had a fab holiday but wouldn't return to the Playasol again, just too spanish for us, timings and entertainment were a let down.

We have recently returned from a 3 day break at Hotel Playasol and found the hotel very nice and the Spanish people very pleasant.

A bonus at the hotel was that new beds were being delivered so we had a nice clean fresh bed. The rooms looked recently painted though admittedly some of the decor looked alitte tired, but not off putting. Some of the pool area was receiving a make over but that is a credit to the hotel, there was no inconvenience to the guests and plenty of other room by the other pool to relax-subject to the weather (it was cool when we visited).

At first we felt disappointed by the food, then realised there was another room where the chef was cooking fresh food and there was plenty of choice - always pasta and spahetti but the meat/fish varied with about 3 choices per night. There were potatoes and chips, salad, veg and plenty of sweet choices.

With regards to the drinks, we did feel that the drinks were abit on the high side but we hadn't had a holiday in Spain for a while so maybe that is inflation/the euro. We found the Spanish bar by the hotel very friendly and enjoyed 2 for one drinks till 11.00 (the hotel also does that till 10.00).

The hotel is located well for the shops and bars and by the sea. The beach is just by the hotel and a nice walk along the edge of the beach.

We found the staff at the hotel and surrounding bars very nice, English wasn't always spoken, we don't speak Spanish but that is all part of a holiday.

The marina next to Roquetas was nice for a drink and a meal especially "altamar".

Overall an enjoyable break.

As somone has previously mentioned the road that leads to the hotel is a dead end at the beach so be prepared to take your own luggage approx 100m which doesn't sound too bad, but if you are pushing a stroller and wheeling cases it can prove to be a bit tricky.

Hotel - The hotel was very nice. The reception area was lovely and clean as was the majority of the hotel. The pool area was fantastic and one of the best points of the hotel. The rooms were clean but a little cramped and due to the location of the beds the door leading to the balcony wouldn't open more than half way. The cleaners were fantastic although they did not clean the balcony - so if you have a small child that spills alot (crumbs, drinks etc) you have to clean it up yourself. We were in room 532 which had a fantastic view over the hotel grounds and beach. Rooms are well air conditioned. So well I was cold!

Food - Wasn't too impressed with the food on offer. ALthough there is a wide selection of foods they are mainly foreign and do not really appeal to small children. My son lived off Sausages (salami) and chips for a week! Also be aware that as the spanish eat their dinner later, the dining rooms became very busy from 9pm onwards. You may also struggle getting the waiters attention to get your drinks. Watch your drinks bill aswell as they charge this to your room and at the end of the holiday we had a 100 euro bill. I think this was ridiculous considering we were half board and we only ordered diet cokes! We chose to eat out alot as the food seemed to be much the same each day.

Resort - This resort seemed to be Blackpool for the Spanish. There are alot of Spanish people that holiday here and I noticed that the staff in a lot of the bars and restaurants could not speak any English and were quite difficut and rude about trying to understand you. Good thing I took someone who could speak the lingo! The resort itself is quite poor which you will notice from the graffitti dotted around the place.

Transport - Something worth noting is that there are quite a few bus stops. We took the local bus (I think it's the number two) to the Gran Plaza shopping centre a couple of times. Its only 95 cents. Bargain. You can also catch the Number one (they may be the opposite way round - not sure now!) which is a coach into Almeria. I think this cost approx 2 euro each. Almeria and the Alcazaba castle are definately worth a visit. Fantastic views and it is free entry. The tourist information is right outside the station so just pick up a map and away you go.

Excursions - If you plan on going to the mario water park you could use the bus. It isn't too far from the Gran Plaza. I think we would have saved ten euro each if we had have done it this way. The park is great fun though. It is only approx 20 mins from the hotel.

I would definately take the trip to Granada and the Alhambra palace also. This is a little more costly but well worth it. Be warned - the palace and grounds are full of steps and cobbles and not great for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Something that our rep did not tell us! There are approx 89 steps to the gardens which I couldn't go to as I had the pushchair with me!

I would also suggest you go to Mini Hollywood. This was a great day. Again - not really made for pushchairs or wheelchairs as there are quite a number of steep hills and the main square is sand. The heat in the tabernas desert is approx 8 degrees hotter than the coast and beleive me I felt it. It was approximately 38 degrees the day we went.

All in all a good holiday. I don't think i would go back to Roquetas de mar but may well visit Costa Almeria again. Brush up on your spanish though.

Stayed at the PlayaSol in Roquetas de Mar, Costa de Almeria, Spain, from the 8th June to the 22nd June 2006.
The Good

The Reception Area and corridors were very tasteful. The grounds and lounges were quite acceptable. Views from the outside lift were magnificient. In general the staff were helpful and the cleaning staff were superb.

The Bad

The road leading to the Reception was so narrow, the coach could not gain access and upon arrival and departure, a walk of approximately 100 yards with luggage was necessary. The rooms were so small that the door leading to the balconey would only open a third of the way. The fitted wardrobes were not high enough to hang dresses, trousers etc from coathangers without the garments partially lying on the base. Some rooms had bedside cabinets whilst others had drawer space in the fitted wardrobes. At breakfast it was sometimes difficult to attract the attention of waiters/waitresses to serve you with tea or coffee, but not so at dinner when you were literally surrounded by them selling you water, wine etc and no doubt thinking of their commission. Cold plates were available for cooked breakfasts and hot plates for ice cold desserts. The quality of food was not consistent with hotel rating.

The Ugly

Upon arrival we were given room number 132 which was on the first floor. The outlook from the balconey can only be described as horrific. Two feet below the balconey was a flat roof which in the past had been coloured green, but now had a brown colouring down the middle and at one end was a variety of discarded fruitskins. Air conditioning outlets were in abundance and two glassed buildings with rusty frames took pride of place. However to be fair to the reception staff after complaining, we were given a room on the 5th floor three days later.

We would certainly go back to the resort,this was our 6th consecutive year there, but certainly not to the PlayaSol.