Sol Barbacan Aparthotel

I have stayed at the Sol Barbacan for a 3 weeks stay for the last 5 years.

It is the only 4 star aparthotel on Gran Canaria and deserves the award. Earlier comments about lack of fluency in the English language from Reception staff are totally out of order from my experience!!! ALL staff on reception are FLUENT in more than one language - with English being one of those languages.

Facilities are great and of a very high standard too.

If you are thinking of a trip to Playa Del Ingles soon then think of the Sol Barbacan - you won't be disappointed.

This accommodation is perfect if you are wanting away to relax but at the same time be near the shops, bars etc

The hotel was clean and the apartments were spacious with great big balconies with sunbeds. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Although we didn’t eat in the restaurant there are plenty of restaurants nearby, and to hit the clubs and pubs in the centre of Playa del Ingles only cost a couple of Euros in a taxi!

All in all I don’t have a bad word to say about the Sol Barbacan!

Amazing, what can I say? Apartments were the cleanest I have ever stayed in. Room was cleaned every day we were there, with fresh bed linen and towels. Also provided beach towels which you were able to change daily at reception. Room was also very big and plenty of mirrors, which any girl loves!

Pool area is spotless and food is gorgeous. Made us feel very welcome.

Entertainment on most night (which wasn’t to our taste), but plenty of clubs and pubs about not to far in Yumbo and Kasbah centre. Went to Irish centre which I have to say wasn’t up to much but maybe because we went so late.

If I ever go to Gran Canaria again, I will be staying in this hotel.

My boyfriend and I booked here based on other reviews and to be honest, we were not disappointed!

Apartments are spacious, absolutely spotless (cleaned every day!) and the bathrooms are modern with a fantastic power shower (great for getting rid of all that sand!) Like others who have left reviews we had only one cockroach the entire holiday which my other half was unable to catch so could still be lurking under the shower drain for all we know! - The maids leave the sink and shower drains closed once they have cleaned them so would recommend this as it appears to minimise the risk.

We liked the location as it was far enough away from all the hustle and bustle but an easy 15/20min stroll to the Kasbah and

Irish centres, the beach and even shorter for the Jumbo but the particular design of the apartments means that the bedrooms windows are facing the road (apartments are located at a junction) so there is some traffic noise although we did not hear much in the way of staggering revellers at 4am!

I agree with the previous review about the 8.30am mad dash for sunbeds however we went to the pool at various times of the day and never had any bother getting a sunbed. We personally had no objection to people doing that if they were in fact going to be at the pool however when we were there it was some Irish guests who were the worst for putting down several towels on a poolside spot and not appearing there until well into late afternoon so they had been lying empty all day. Do not be fooled by the hotel guide book in your room which tells you that this 'practice' is not tolerated!

We were self catering however opted for the breakfast and evening buffets a few times as there was something for everyone and such good value (8 and 11 Euros respectively!) The hotel restaurant is a restaurant in it's own right and if you wish to eat from the a la carte (also delicious and excellent value) then I would recommend booking a table on a Friday and Saturday evening as it's extremely popular with Canarians (what better recommendation can you get?!) Please note that if you like your steak 'medium' ask for 'medium to well done' as we think ours were shown the oven door and then placed on our plates!



The evening entertainment is aimed at the majority of Dutch guests however the entertainment staff made a point of asking everyone to join in the games (darts tournaments, archery, pool volleyball) during the day but if you wish for a hotel that provides British evening entertainment then I would consider somewhere else.

We would thoroughly recommend this to anyone looking for a relaxing break in the sun and does not want to go away to be surrounded by Union Jacks and Lion Rampants.

If there are more than two of you, you may want to consider the bungalows which looked absolutely gorgeous and are set in their own private gardens which we are considering for our next visit.

I have just returned from the Sol Barbacan Hotel in Las Palmas and while overall I would have to say that its a lovely place to stay for cleanliness, friendly staff, layout etc., I have one complaint - I don't like a race against the Dutch every morning for sunbeds. It was some spectacle to say the least. The complex doesn't allow towels to be put down before 9am but people start gathering circa 8.15 and "mark their territory" by throwing their towels down behind the beds, sitting around for nearly forty five minutes before the signal for go-ahead is given by the security guard. He won't allow you to sit on the beds or put towels down before 9am and then suddently there's a mad dash to get the prime spots by the pool. Its a total farce. The complex is primarily occupied by Dutch so the music played and nightly entertainment is mostly in Dutch. If I had known this before going I would have chosen an alternative hotel. Having said that my kids had a great time, however, my personal choice is that I won't be going back.

This was a very clean resort and may deserve 4 stars but has its bad points,

Good points are, very clean, swimming pools nice size and small pools for the kids, beautiful gardens, nice and quiet.

Bad points,

Reception staff helpful but knew little English, entertainment was mostly for people speaking Dutch, kids club was in Dutch and entertainers made no effort to involve English speaking children, kids disco was in Dutch, 2 out of 3 evening entertainment nights were in Dutch, restaurant staff were not very polite.

We had cleaners every day but could not communicate with them as they knew no English.

Gardening would start at about 8 am either mowing the lawns or cutting trees, so don’t expect a lie in!

So for this I give it one star only, I will never go back.

Me and my boyfriend have just returned from our week stay at the Sol Barbacan. We were VERY impressed with the room, in fact the whole hotel was nice. Maids come in every single day to change towels and give floors a good clean. Room was well equipped with aircon (which you can adjust youself), microwave, hobs, fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster, coffee maker.

A couple of things to remember- aircon only works when the patio door is properly shut and your room card is in the electricty slot by the door. We thought ours didn't work at first, but realised the sensor on the door was very sensitve and the door was not properly shut.

The fridge- number 7 is cold and 1 is warmer, not the other way round.

The pool area was great, no troubles getting a sunbed anytime of the day.

Only thing I would say about entertainment if you are taking young children, don't rely on it as by what we saw it looked rubbish!

Weather was very hot the whole week, 30's.

We found a cockroach in the shower when we arrived, but that was the one and only one we saw thank goodness.

Breakfast buffet is quite nice, we also tried the dinner buffet, also quite acceptable. For some slightly more upmarket places to eat, the seafront at Maspolomas is lovely.

If you are going to aqualand the water park INVEST IN SOME CHEAP RUBBER FLIP FLOPS! The heat of the ground is unbareable in places and terrain is very rough. I ended up cutting my foot.

Love this complex. Excellent location. Well maintained. Very good quality food. Spotless and very friendly. Booked this direct with the hotel. 3 time to stay here.

Got a beautiful apartment, complimentary bottle of wine, water, and fruit from the Management to welcome us back. 30 minutes from airport to the hotel. Great nightlife nearby.

If you don't want to eat in the hotel there is a good selection of restaurant in the Yumbo Shopping Centre nearby. Great shopping in Vincindario which is about 30 minutes on the local bus away.

The bus stop is just down the road from the complex. Would recommend this complex to couples, families, and singles in actual fact would recommend it to all.

Although located on the edge of Playa del Ingles with all its bustle, Sol Barbacan was an oasis of calm.

Well run and comfortable it has a good range of facilities - you can choose between busy and quiet pools.

I was struck by the cleanliness of the place - only 3* in the brochure, it surely deserves four.

I have no hesitation in recommending these apartments either to those with young children or to more mature guests.

Just got back from our 3rd stay at the Barbacan everything great as ever, breakfast, rooms, staff all first rate, the only thing as the another review noted is there seemed to be more noise in the mornings which is annoying after a late night.

Wont stop us from returning though!