Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa



About
Welcome to paradise at Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa!
Enjoy the tranquillity in our renovated resort next to the award-winning Playa de Muro beach. Immerse yourself in our new swim-up rooms and relax in the pools or the exclusive Star Prestige area with a rooftop facing the sea.
Relish a unique gastronomic experience with the all-inclusive in our three new restaurants and the renovated buffet, as well as a 24-hour Star Café or the Icedream ice cream parlour.
Explore the Albufera Natural Park, a sanctuary of biodiversity. Book now and experience an unforgettable holiday at Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa, the coastal jewel that fulfils your dreams.
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It was the absolute correct choice and we had the most incredible honeymoon we could have wished for and the time of our lives.
Why 4 star and not 5?
There were a couple of reasons which cost a star for us:
-Our room had a funny smell of sewage at certain times during our stay. We have no idea what it was but the hotel staff didnt seem to take us too seriously. They did offer to change our room without question but for me, I was dissapointed they didnt want to identfy what was causing this as other guests payings significant money for a holiday would be placed here. It is a shame a simple room change to silence guests concerns is easier than resolving the issue hoping the next guests dont have a problem but we were not impressed with this from such a quality hotel.
-We booked a room with a double bed but when we arrived we had 2 seperate beds side by side. We told them this is not what we booked online and their answer was to push the beds together and put a thin topper over the 2 beds and an oversized duvet explaining they only have single beds together, no double beds in the hotel.
On one side the bed was absolutely huge, on the otherside my wife and I didnt really use the middle as there was a slight gap which you could feel when you laid on it so we ended up sleeping on a bed each which was a shame as normally we sleep closer together.
-The events were brilliant with some exceptional shows performed in the evenings but shows stop at 10:00 which we found far too early.
-The sky bar shown on the website is not available unless you book Iberostar selection which costs about 100€ per night extra. This seems excessive. YOu get a few other perks such as discounts on health & spa, private reception and private dining service & seating but from my experience you certainly dont need this selection seating, its exactly the same as every other seat just in a small section at the end of the restaurant.
-The hotel has 6 restaurants, 3 all you can eat buffet and 3 al a carte (Spanish, Mexican, Greek)
Booking a table at the al a carte restaurants turned out to be impossible for us to the point we had to make a complaint there were never any booking available, even when I was up at 6:00AM all seats were reserved. Each day at midnight a new day is available for booking (3 days ahead) but unless you stay up until midnight to book a table, you have no chance.
After expressing my dissatisfaction, a gentleman call Paco called me to discuss my complaint and in fairness to this guy, he was a gentleman and a superstar and made it possible for us to secure bookings at each restaurant during our stay.
The Spanish and Greek restaurants were great, service was good and food was good.
For some reason, our experience with the Mexican was so bad it worked its way in to the worst restaurant experience we have had in many years, which is a shame as we were most looking forward to it.
After being made to wait nearly 10 mins from our appointment time, we were offered a magorita to which my wife said great yes please, I ordered a beer. But after a few minutes a waiter comes up to us and gives me my beer and my wife a half filled dirty glass of yellow stuff another waiter had on a tray behind the bar.
We soon discoverd after seeing people being served this drink in the restaurant that this was actually the half drunken remains of someone elses drink my wife was given which the other waiter had obvioulsy removed from another table.
Then as we ordered I explained the the waitress that I had a soja allergy and needed a few items checked as almost every item was listed as having soja yet non of the ingredients showed any soja except a couple. I told the waitress I didnt want the dishes with soja for obvious reasons but she didnt understand me and ordered the soja dishes. I had to be very strong speaking to this woman explaining this mistake can kill me and it took her a couple of minutes to finally understand. This is not a mistake a restaurant can make.
We were in that restaurant over 2 hours due to endless waiting and slow service to the point the waitress was so embarrssed about the soja mistake she ended up avoiding us as much as possible meaning long waiting between courses.
As we sat a waited other tables were complaining about the service. Maybe there just had an off nightm but I have no idea how this particular restaurant failed so badly on this evening.
Apart from those points above, this really was a 5-star hotel for us.
All-you-can eat buffets were delicious, the food was incredible, fresh and a fantasic selection. And free drinks....oh my days I have never experienced this but lets say full board hotels are dangerous.
I put on 4kg in 12 nightsm ate 3 times what I would normally eat and drank every day which for someone who doesnt really drink....this was an experience!! But when its all in the price, why not?
The staff at the hotel were all super friendly and the entertainment team did a fantasic job which some unforgetable shows on the main stage lead by Danny who was very engageing and super friendly organising some wonderful entertainment.
There is also a sky bar for all people to access on one of the hotels, its self service and not quite as special as the selection members get to enjoy but in fairness it is fantastic all the same with a small pool and stunning views.
The beach at this resort is for us the best beach we found in Majorca and we travelled to every coast and all the famous beached but really nothing compare to the beach outside thhis Iberostar resort.
Soft which sand, crystal clear water, no stones, most of the time no seaweed and most importantly not too many people.
My wife and I walked from alcudia to player de muro which took over 2 hours and we saw from one end of the coast to the hotel every stage of the beach and how significantly it changed and take my word, this resort really is in the best part of the bay if you like beach days.
There are many activities to do in and local to the hotel and the pools are very nice with frequent musical performances to entertain you pool side.
This resort is made up of 3 hotels connected together and on the Albufero Player side its more for couples where as the Albufero Park was more for families we found but this worked out well as the families and kids were on the otherside of the hotel campus and played around the childrens pool which meant my wife and I could enjoy time together in the calmer adult pool side.
The main stage was placed nicely in the middle infront of the main bar and each evening we would go to watch the 21:00 shows which were honestly great, Ibersostar spent good money on top quality bands and entertainment which we appreciated.
That said we heard from verious sources that couples were making complaints about bands performing at 10:00 keeping them and their families up and that Iberostar were considering cancelling evenings on the main stage and dispersing them throughout the hotel.
I hope this is not true as the dynamics of this hotel which make it special will be lost bcause of a couple of people complaining each night out of hundreds of couples who do not!
Instead, I would move families and those that want an early night to the back of the hotel and maybe place an advert on the website that certain room selection may be suseptible to music until 22:00-22:30.
Give the customer the choice to stay there knowing in advance about the music and noise levels.
Dont just change everything because a couple of Karens decide to complain about the hotel and guests having a good time until 22:00 at night, this is not late and for most of us - Not late enough if im honest!
Overall we would absolutely recommend this hotel and we will probably look to return next year. We love the location, Majorca is a wonderful country, the weather was epic between 22.9.23 and 4.10.23 when we visited, perfect weather every single day, hot, clear skys and sunny.


Good to know: this is a very very large complex of more than 700 rooms where the two hotels Albufera Playa and Albufera Park are one and the same establishment.
The very large sandy beach is a few meters away with superb clear water.
The swimming pools are all very beautiful and maintained.
We are loyal customers of Iberostar and nevertheless, we are very disappointed with our past experiences.
The Star Prestige option is close to a scam and offers absolutely nothing compared to usual. The Star Prestige rooftop has a water bath rather than a swimming pool. Besides, the other rooftop accessible to all is better!!! The room is small. No specific reception. Vaguely a few tables at the restaurant in a corner.
The Primary Location option sucks compared to usual. A vague side sea view when leaning on the balcony. In short, no interest other than paying more. There are very few rooms with a true sea view, certainly much better than taking the Primary Location option.
The All Inclusive is not at all at the expected level. In August 2023, at the Iberostar Playa de Muro hotel the All Inclusive was 10 times better: with many choices of wines (in bottles) at no extra charge. These same wines you had to pay for at Albufera.
Themed restaurants are almost inaccessible unless reserved at midnight as soon as the slots open.
Systematic coffee problems in the morning: no more cups, 1 machine in 5 working and therefore constant queues.
Otherwise the staff is still exceptional. Professionalism and smiles are there. Special thanks to Nieves, Italo, Mike and Babou, and Uvan at the pool.





Everything was amazing, the staff are first class (especially Eliana at the Terral restaurant & Rowan (aka Elsa) on the animation team).
The resort is right on Playa de Muro, the most amazing beach with beautiful fine sand & a gentle gradient into the sea which was shallow for quite some distance, perfect for families. There was also a jetty where you can go on boat excursions at various times, pedalos to hire amongst other watersports. The water was so warm & clear, there were little fish swimming around which my daughter loved.
The food was so good. We did not have one bad meal. We went out to Alcudia one evening for a meal to a highly rated restaurant and the food at the hotel was much better. The drinks were good too so don't worry about that. From the soft drinks to cocktails to beer to pink gin :) We tried the Greek a la carte and it was OK. Ice cream was good too.
The activities on offer were great. There's an app that lists all of the daily activities. So much to do for all ages from horse riding (extra fee), foam party, bath bomb making, cocktail masterclasses, aqua zumba, inflatable water slides. So much to do, by day 3 we felt like we'd been on holiday for much longer.
Entertainment was great too, our daughter loved the frozen show & we particularly enjoyed the Wednesday Addams themed show. The entertainment / kids club team were all great, so much time for the kids.
All in all it was just wonderful. If there was anything negative to say it would be that the sofa bed in the room wasn't great, it wasn't level on the ground so banged anytime someone got onto or off it. Also the sandwiches in the cafe tend to be a bit stale on the outside. All things considered, these were pretty minor.
Good to know: Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body cream) are provided & are actually good quality. There are filtered water machines on each floor & a carafe for water in the rooms. Pool towels are provided. You can shower by the inside pool if you need to checkout prior to leaving. Taxis are unreliable but there's a bus to Alcudia or Can Picafort, bus stop is a few minutes walk to the right of the hotel. I think it was route 324 & has a really easy tap in tap out payment system.



The whole hotel is perfect for families with children. Every single employee is incredibly child-friendly and knows how to deal with the little ones. Whether a cheerful high five or a few nice words – you really feel welcome. Especially the children's animation was outstanding, and we would like to thank the entire team for it.
There is always a place inside the restaurants. However, there may be waiting times outside during peak hours. Again, the staff were always in a good mood, helpful and fun to have for everyone. Special thanks to Sergio, Loly and Hasana!
We always found a place by the pool, and the hotel beach was well maintained and offered ample space. We didn't need sunbeds as we made ourselves comfortable with a beach shell in the sand. The towel change worked without any problems.
Overall we felt completely comfortable. This was mainly due to the dedicated staff, who were always there for us and provided excellent service. If the prices remain stable, we will be happy to come back!



Dream beach right in front of the hotel. 2 loungers and umbrellas for €15 per day. Plenty of free parking in front of the hotel. When the hotel is fully booked, the complex is very busy, especially at the adjacent Albufera Park pool and there are short waiting times in the restaurant. But we can absolutely recommend the hotel. Top-maintained complex with very friendly staff. We booked directly with Iberostar, great value for money, hotel super friendly and competent. Thank you Albufera Playa, we had a great stay!




You'll get the vibe from the pictures but personally what we thought made it that touch above the rest.
* The general grounds are immaculately clean and beautifully presented, there's never anything out of place.
* The all inclusive food and drink is exceptional way beyond most 5* we've stayed at especially the lunch buffets at the grill restaurant with freshly grilled beef, pork, chicken and sausages oh my those sausages 🤤😋 and 4 ala cartes as well, of which we were able to try 2 the Spanish & Mexican, these were exceptional with no limit on how much you can order (they had to roll me out of the mexican last night 🌮 🌯 🌮🌯🌮
* Special shout-out to the resort having all their soft drinks options available in a sugar free alternative as a diabetic it's my biggest moan that almost every other hotel I've stayed at has not been able to accommodate but not here and my wife who doesn't drink alcohol had plenty of alcohol free options (I made up for her not partaking they may need to order another shipment of Aperol)
* Activities were seemingly endless there was always something going on somewhere in the resort and high quality equipment being used 👌 and for entertainment lead by an in-house entertainment team it was really, really good and finishes at a respectable time for those with little ones.
* The resort is split into 3 parts, the Playa (which we stayed in) the Park which is attached and has most of the family facilities like the pool slides etc... and the adults only Prestige area in the middle of the resort with its own exclusive rooftop pool & bar area. Now I've stayed at resorts where they have had these premium areas or upgrades before and have felt like a second class citizen (I'm looking at you Dreams 👀) this isn't the way it's done here, it's executed with absolute class, everyone is made to feel special and apart from the adult only building which has no more facilities than are available in the wider resort you'd never know there were 2 levels.
Absolutely fantastic hotel the staff are a credit to the Iberostar brand.



Most of the staff friendly, food with lots of quality and thank you attention with requests for children.
Clean room and hotel spaces impeccable.
Less favourable points:
- is not a quiet hotel for a relaxing family holiday; this is not the concept you will find here;
- the hotel is very large, with a lot of people and at various times of the day it is evident:
- meals: the restaurant is very crowded, has tables very close to each other and for too much care it becomes exhausting;
A special attention to employees who are always repairing the food and who irreproachably is fresh and well-conditioned; impeccable! It's a tranquility.
Some less friendly especially at dinner the boss who rushed the employees to collect everything quickly when it was time to close...
Tip: Why do they close one of the restaurants for lunch? It was much more comfortable if people shared for another place, since the hotel was virtually crowded at this time. Although there was already the restaurant near the beach open this was always in line;
- crowded pool which leads to keeping the sun loungers (they ask not to do it but it is inevitable), on the first day did not have a single place to put the towel! On the first day there were no pool towels on the respective site and they sent me to pick up at the reception...
There is a lack of support in the pool: do not control who Reservation sun loungers, collection of glasses and other things is done with little regularity;
- for an IT I did not find meals/snacks throughout the day except in the cafe reception which has some basic quakes and sandwiches; drinks, yes, has a lot of offer and in many places;
- to finish, the last day, which was the worst, I had to leave the room at 11 o'clock, it was not possible late check-out, which I understand, but the hotel has no conditions for those staying there the rest of the day, for example, for having a flight at night. There is no courtesy room! Bathrooms that offer: one was not in suitable conditions to go for a bath and dress up before the trip (used by those who are in the pool or coming from the beach, all wet therefore and with sand); another, in the indoor pool, is not well a bathroom...it has a shower and a bench in front of the pool...and as there was a lot of people it was not possible someone to change there! Therefore, from guests with open bags at the reception to exchanging at the place where they store their bags (yes! I had to wait to get the suitcase because there was a lady changing there!) ... it seems to me that this type of hotel, the Iberostar chain should give another treatment to the guests!
I've been to other hotels in the chain and I've had some other kind of service...
Therefore, many positive points, Iberostar quality that does not disappoint as in the food and cleaning of the rooms, but much to improve...
After the great work they have done, they have transformed the hotel into a type where quantity and not quality prevail.
We have lost service at night at the Tamarindos restaurant where we enjoyed the restaurant's location and excellent quality food in an excellent grill. That has disappeared.
Theme restaurants have low-quality pre-cooked food that will look great on a marketing level but leaves a lot to be desired for the customer.
Tourism is mostly foreign and family tourism for which “all inclusive” is very profitable.
I also found it very surprising that there were many waitresses who didn't know how to speak Spanish...! I thought the Balearic Islands were in Spain, to practice languages I go to other countries.
National tourism is not taken care of, as year after year we pay more for poorer quality services and food more typical of a 3-star hotel than a hotel that wants to put the word “selection” in its name.
The “quality” of having table service in the bar area that is open in the general area has also been lost.
For meal time, the open dining rooms were insufficient since having only offered the “all-inclusive” option as the accommodation regime, there was incredible overcrowding that, with so many people in the restaurants, the noise level was uncomfortable.
The space between the tables was insufficient to be able to move comfortably around the buffet.
They have increased the number of linear meters of buffet counters but the quality of the food was very poor.
I insist it is a hotel that is designed to generate money, not satisfaction, for the Spanish customer.
It is clear that this hotel will have a high occupancy rate from clients who are managed by a tour operator from other countries that what they offer is “sun and food by weight.”
On the other hand, what saves the hotel is the people that I have known for so many years and who have managed to make my 16-night stay more pleasant, I will surely leave a name for myself.
These people are:
Mikel
Kike
Juan Carlos
Ibra
David
Willy
Snow
Tolo
Malen
Pedro
Nico
José
Karina
Dolphin
Daniel (animation)
And finally, I would like to mention Omar and Cristina, who from management have done what they could, but it is clear that the guidelines they must follow are very far from what I “fell in love with” the first year and what has made me repeat and recommend this hotel.
I don't think I will return to the hotel and of course I will not recommend it.
Where before they used to eat grilled sea bream, it is now like grilled “fish”.

"A few more sunbeds around the pools or even on the grass below reception might help as there didn't seem to be as many sunbeds as guests. "Read full review
"The rooftop terrace is a must and definitely download the Iberostar app. Crisps are available on request from the bar"Read full review
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