Barcelo Isla Cristina, Isla Cristina

Visited June 2007. We had stayed 4 times in the Barcelo,Costa Teguise & loved it. So we thought we'd try this Barcelo in the 'unspoiled' Andalucia region. The hotel has good decor & is spotlessly clean & room cleaning excellent. Pool area excellent.The food is average - good salad bar but the hot food was mostly lukewarm, lack of vegetables. However,this hotel caters mainly for long-weekend Spanish holidaymakers. Mid-week the hotel is very quiet with very little entertainment. The pool bar does not open until 12-1, so no coffee/soft drinks available between breakfast & then. No poolside activities except for water aerobics. Very little English spoken,so communication difficult - even at reception. English,German etc holidaymakers complained of boredom after a few days. Only 2 day trips offered by our tour rep - but can book a few others at reception - very expensive. One English speaking employee did admit that this hotel catered mainly for the Spanish & confirmed that other holidaymakers were quite critical of this. This resort is not yet ready for tourism. The roads are strewn with rubbish and dog dirt & graffitti everywhere. There are no 'tourist type' bars. The nearby bars/ cafes are small with a few tables on the pavement and frequented mainly by the local Spanish older men. All in all - very disappointing. None of the British tourists that we spoke to said that they would return or recommend to friends. Unfortunately nor would we.