Barcelo Fuerteventura Castillo

We had a fantastic 11-night family holiday at Barceló Fuerteventura Castillo and came away extremely impressed with the resort.

Our one-bedroom bungalow was spacious, modern and absolutely spotless. Housekeeping maintained an excellent standard throughout our stay, cleaning daily and keeping everything fresh and tidy. The sofa bed was comfortable for our two boys and our location near the seafront on the marina side was perfect. We had one minor issue with a blocked shower, reported it through the app and someone was with us within minutes to sort it – excellent service.

We stayed half board and originally planned to eat out several evenings, but genuinely didn't need to. Being able to use the restaurants at both Castillo and Mar gave us loads of variety. The evening food changed every day and breakfast had something for everyone. For an 11-night stay, we were really impressed that it never became repetitive.

The pools were another highlight. There are several to choose from, plenty of sunbeds and all the areas were clean and well maintained. The daytime entertainment was excellent for the children, while my wife really enjoyed the aqua aerobics and aqua biking. The entertainment team got the balance just right – plenty going on but absolutely no pressure to participate.

Evening entertainment was equally good. We loved being able to move between Castillo and Mar depending on what was on, and there was always something enjoyable for the whole family. The location is fantastic, right by the beach and marina while also being an easy walk into Caleta de Fuste. Staff throughout the resort were generally extremely friendly, helpful and efficient.

Overall, this was a brilliant family holiday. Great accommodation, excellent food, lovely pools, plenty of entertainment and a fantastic location. After 11 nights we still weren't ready to leave, which probably says it all. We would definitely return and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to other families.

The most horrible hotel we ever stayed at. It is old, badly kept, walls peeling off inside and outside, scratched mirrors and taps, bad smells from bathroom every morning, ants everywhere (I even woke up one night witj ants crawling over me), couch ripped and foam sticking out. Absolutely horrible. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to my worst enemy. I trusted the name, that's why I booked and didn't check reviews. It is barely a 3* but not even a 3, more like a 2*. Avoid!

We’ve just come back from a 9-night family holiday at Barceló Fuerteventura Castillo and had a really good time. Overall, we'd happily recommend it to families looking for a relaxed, easy all-inclusive holiday.

A few tips before you go. If you have an early flight, pack your swimming gear and sun cream in your hand luggage. We arrived well before check-in and rooms aren't available until 3pm. The good news is you can use the facilities straight away. Once your room is ready, the app becomes really useful as it shows all the facilities, activities and entertainment schedules across both hotels.

There's also a small shop on site which is handy for bottled water, drinks, snacks, toiletries and holiday essentials, as well as pool toys and goggles. One thing to note is that inflatables aren't allowed in the pool and the lifeguards do enforce this.

We stayed in room 4069 on the ground floor, which had a lovely large outdoor space. The apartment was clean and tidy throughout our stay. There were tiny ants around the kitchen area and occasionally elsewhere, but honestly only if you were looking for them. It wasn't a problem for us at all. We asked for extra blankets and reception were friendly, helpful and sorted it quickly.

The pool is salt water, so goggles are worth bringing, especially for children, although everyone got used to it after a day or two.

Some reviews have mentioned the fobs not working. You’re given a wrist band with a fob attached to access your room and the gates around the complex at both the Castillo and Mar. Ours did stop working after a week, but a quick trip to reception and they were replaced. We found if we turned the fob over, they would work better too.

🥗🍹Food & Drink

Breakfast gets busiest from around 9am onwards, so if you prefer a quieter experience, head down earlier.

The food in the buffet restaurant was decent. There was always something to find, with pizzas, burgers and hot dogs at lunch, a good salad counter, plus freshly cooked meats at lunch and dinner. Some of the dishes were a little random at times, but everything we tried was perfectly enjoyable.

You’re seated for lunch and dinner and a drink order taken. There’s no where to help yourself to drinks. Drinks can be brought to you by the waiting team.

One thing anout the restaurant, and it’s completely a personal thing, but the sound of the chairs being pushed in and out started to grate on us. Would be great if they could pop some little pads on the bottom of the legs.

If you fancy eating at the Mar buffet restaurant you need to book this (on app) or, they let you in after 9.15pm.

The snack bar is easy to miss at first. It's accessed from around the back of the pool area, up the steps and through the rear of the buffet restaurant. There you'll find burgers, hot dogs, nachos, sandwiches, fruit and pastries available throughout the day.

The all-inclusive drinks offering was good, with Cruzcampo on tap and most premium spirits included. The sports bar is also part of the all-inclusive package and is a good place to watch football and other live sports. Check the app to see what's showing.

If you fancy eating out, there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance. We ate at Fado one evening and would recommend getting there before 7pm as the queues build quickly.

🎤Entertainment

Definitely download and use the app as there's entertainment throughout the day and evening across both the Castillo and Mar hotels.

The evening entertainment at the Mar takes place in the Green Room theatre and was our favourite venue. It's table service, has plenty of seating and offers a much better view of the stage. The entertainment at Castillo was perfectly fine too, but it's a smaller area around the bar and not quite as good a setup for watching shows.

📍Location

The location is great. Use the back gate by the pool and you're straight onto the beach. The rocky areas are ideal for snorkelling and hunting for hermit crabs with the kids.

There's also an easy walk along the seafront to the Mar hotel and into the town, where you'll find plenty of shops, bars and restaurants.

We had a late flight home and checked out at midday. The hotel lets you continue using all the facilities and there are shower rooms available, which made the last day much more comfortable.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable family holiday. We probably wouldn't return ourselves simply because there are lots of other places we'd like to experience, but that's no reflection on the hotel. It's a clean, well-located resort with friendly staff, good facilities and plenty to keep families entertained. We'd definitely recommend it to other families looking for an stress-free holiday in Fuerteventura.