My wife and daughter (22) spent a very restfull weeks break at the Playa Gaviotas w/c 12/11/11. We have stopped in Iberostar hotels before and we were not disappointed again this time, great staff, good food and always spotlessly clean, all in all value for money. The hotel itself is about an hours walk along the beach or 10mins by taxi, but they seemed to be digging most of it up when we were there so nothing much was missed.
The only downside to the holiday was the appalling way we were treated by Thomas Cook, the bus to take us back to the airport did not turn up and the local rep in the office was no help whatsoever, even to the point of putting the phone down on both our party and the hotel desk manager, how about that for customer service!. The situation was retreived thanks to the hotel staff who arranged for us last minute taxis at 90 Euros, gulp, and we just made the plane !
All in all value for money and a hotel i would recommend especially if you wish to brush up on your German, as they make up 90% of the guests, but this we found not to be a problem as we had a great time with them.
Just a word of advice, dont rely on the local Thomas Cook organisation if you get into trouble, no wonder the company is struggling if they treat their cistomers anything like they treated us!

This is the second time we have stayed at the Gaviotas the first visit was three years ago in June 2009 and we promised to come back. We did in September 2011 and brought a couple of friends who had never experienced "all inclusive" before. They loved it and want to go back next year and we also loved it. The staff are excellent from Receptionists to Bar Staff and Room service. They were all very helpful and eager to make sure that our stay was enjoyable. The range of food did seem to be a little down on our first visit but it was still excellent value for money and very tasty. We ate in the themed restaurant twice during the week and really enjoyed the food, we did ask for the lights to be dimmed to improve the atmosphere but the staff were not able to help. In the main restaurant we sat outside on most evenings and took our time to enjoy the food. It was almost like being in a private section out of the hustle and bustle of the main hall. Even on the last day our friends were still saying "Are you sure this is all free!" We will all definitely return. The bar overlooking the beach was amazing!

This hotel pretty much does what it says on the tin. A very relaxing stay for the family with decent food, decent mini club, fantastic beach and surfing and acceptable entertainment.

This is very much a German hotel and I was impressed by their excellent manners and general behaviour. They really do put the British to shame.People were sober (despite all inclusive) and in the restaurant took what they wanted to eat rather than pile their plates to the sky.

A few negatives;

The pools are not heated,
The information provided is dreadful (eg a deposit of 10 euros is required per towel and has to be got from reception. The deposit can not be added to the bill and they don't advise you about the deposit before you get to reception!!?
The restaurant that can be booked has a very limited menu.
The beds were the worst I have come across in a 4 star hotel.
The tea was poor but compensated for by the fact that the coffee was excellent.
Coffee and Tea are only served in the main restaurant at breakfast.
The gymn has no access restrictions and as a result much of the equipment has been damaged by children. No weights, no excercise mats, only one treadmill.
There is not a single TV channel for children in English

A few tips ;

If you want to use the internet go to the shops. 1 euro for 30mins vs 1 euro for 7 mins at the hotel. When going to the shops follow the hotel path as opposed to following the road it cuts the trip to 10 mins instead of 20 mins.
The Pina Colada was the worst I have ever tasted so don't go there.
Don't bother searching for a light switch for the patio it comes on automatically at circa 7pm.
The transfer time from the airport is actually 1 hour to 1 hour 15 mins in a cab.
Don't bother getting a car there is nothing to see. People we met got a car and only used it once.

Lastly a big thank you to the staff at the mini club for giving our children such a lovely time. My overall impression of the hotel was good and that with a few tweaks it could be better and more welcoming to UK holiday makers.

We stayed for a week at this hotel and had high hopes for it. On arrival the staff are really helpful, the rooms on level six are what they call "Economy" but we had a good view of the pool area as do most of the rooms, the décor and furniture are basic the only problem was with the bathroom it was so dark in the shower area and with no windows in the bathroom this was an issue.

The location is really great only a short walk to the lovely beach and yes there are NUDE people on the beach, but they all mix really well.

This hotel and resort are mainly aimed at the German market I did know this when we booked but it was not a problem in fact by the end of the week I found myself saying "Danke" for everything.

FOOD!!!!
This was a big problem, I know this will go against the consensus, I am no "Chips & Egg" man and I do love German food but this was a international mash up for cuisine. The quality of the ingredients seemed poor. The layout of the restaurant is poor, you find yourself running up and down for the basics. Can be like a cattle market at times. If you like fish you are well served.

Around the pool there was no problems getting a lounger the only thing is the water is so cold you are better going in the sea as it is warmer.

The entertainment is of the usual "Butlins" kind, so we gave this a miss, there seem to be a lot of bored teenagers on a night time hanging around the public areas. On one occasion we went into the stage area, we were welcomed by one of the entertainment staff with some abusive name calling (Hello Kn**head) thinking we would not understand English.

Having said all of the above we did enjoy our stay at this hotel.