Please note our writers visited Spain prior to the coronavirus pandemic
An expert guide to the best all-inclusive hotels in Spain, including the best for beach access, sports facilities, swimming pools, spas and family holidays to the Canaries, in locations including Majorca, Ibiza, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
Ibiza
Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa, Playa d’en Bossa
With a seafront location at the end of Playa d’en Bossa, this sprawling five-star resort is far enough away from hustle and bustle of the town to remain quiet, but close enough to still be among the clubbing action within a 10-minute walk. The beach itself is a long stretch of golden sand with plenty of beach clubs to lounge at throughout the day, plus super clubs Ushuaïa and HÏ Ibiza are nearby. An extensive list of facilities, including pools, tennis courts, four à la carte restaurants (must be booked in advance), and an excellent spa, are shared with the Grand Palladium Palace hotel next door – in fact the two venues are joined by a bridge. With an all-inclusive band you can help yourself to food and drink at all times of the day.
Read the full review: Grand Palladium White Island Resort & Spa
Majorca
Zafiro Palace Alcudia, Port d’Alcudia
With its five classy restaurants, 12 pools and a first-rate spa, this sophisticated five-star is as much a winner for couples as it is for families. The majority of guests opt for an all-inclusive stay which allows them access to four themed à la carte restaurants – El Olivo, Pórtico, Tastes & Sushi Bar, and La Veranda. The restaurants are surprisingly stylish, with tables dressed in proper linen and pretty glasses and, aside from La Veranda, have garden views. Of the 369 rooms, options include Juniors, Family suites of two bedrooms, and a novel swim-up suite with direct access to a patio, pool and Balinese beds. Penthouse suites offer a fabulous roof terrace with whirlpool, loungers, day bed and table and chairs.
Read the full review: Zafiro Palace Alcudia
Credit:
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Iberostar Playa de Palma, Playa de Palma
The five-star Iberostar Playa de Palma is right by the beach in a well-established resort which hugs the coastline of the Bay of Palma, immediately east of the capital. There is an attractive large outdoor pool with plenty of sunbeds, a gym and a spa, and watersports can be arranged. Guests in Superior rooms have access to a roof terrace with a sundeck and an infinity pool, whereas in the Star Prestige category have a terrace with rocking chairs, a hydromassage tub and a panoramic view of the Bay of Palma. In terms of dining, the buffet offers an excellent range and standard for a holiday hotel, featuring artisan cheeses, lots of shellfish, local and international dishes and vegetarian options.
Read the full review: Iberostar Playa de Palma
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ME Mallorca, Magaluf
A stylish hotel on the edge of Magaluf, offering glitzy interiors, a cool vibe, a fabulous beachside location, and easy access to Palma and the Tramuntana mountains. White and neutral shades contrast with metallic glitz to create the vibe of a rather cool club. There are two outdoor pools, a gym, and the SkinC beauty centre will have you buffed to brilliance. A buffet breakfast is served until 11am on the large sunny terrace. Lunch and snacks are available from the pool and lobby bar while dinner is served at Pez Playa, the modern al fresco restaurant offering dreamy views directly over the sea. The cool and laid-back open-plan space beats with music and includes a central cocktail bar and chill-out zone.
Read the full review: ME Mallorca
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Viva Cala Mesquida Resort & Spa, Cala Mesquida
This family-friendly resort hotel overlooking Cala Mesquida beach in Majorca offers spacious apartments, lovely views and facilities for tennis, cycling and water sports. Most people in the sprawling resort stay on an all-inclusive basis, as there are numerous dining options. They include several buffets for lunch and dinner, Italian cuisine, Mirablau restaurant right on the beach for grilled meat and fish, and Mexican food at La Guitarra. There are nearly 300 bright and spacious apartments – mostly one-bedroom but studios and two bedrooms are also available.
Read the full review: Viva Cala Mesquida Resort & Spa
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Lanzarote
Seaside Los Jameos Playa
Los Jameos, a collection of charming Spanish haciendas surrounding a palm-strewn pool complex, is timelessly elegant. From free cava on arrival to knockout Iberian feasts, this primly positioned four-star resort ensures a thoroughly Spanish welcome to all its guests. Borrow playing cards, pétanque balls and golf putters from the clubhouse. Or, inside the glorious timber-beamed central building, score a green baize bridge table, watch a live performance in the piano bar or tour the on-site museum dedicated to Lanzarote folklore. Adults and teens may also partake in daily sessions of pilates, aquafit, volleyball and shuffleboard.
Read the full review: Seaside Los Jameos Playa
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La Palma
La Palma & Teneguía Princess
On a remote headland, backed by mountains, in the volcanic south west of unspoilt La Palma, the most luxurious of La Palma’s hotels is a showcase to Canarian architecture and endemic flora that makes the most of its setting. A wide terrace looks out over the magnificent gardens and pools to the infinite ocean where sunset provides a nightly spectacle. Wooden walkways and steps spiral gently down to the swimming pools through terraces of sub-tropical gardens flanked by waterfalls, a brook, and small, carp-filled pools. Buffet-style dinner includes nightly themed choices and there’s a poolside pizzeria and snack bar for lunch with ocean views.
Read the full review: La Palma & Teneguía Princess
From £46 pp/pn (princess-hotels.com)
H10 Taburiente Playa
A quiet hotel with an all-inclusive option favoured by a more mature guest. Entering a lobby of mirrored columns beneath a dome decorated in La Palma’s fabled night sky, you pass through to the lower level where creepers and ferns drape in green tresses from top to bottom of the five-storey open-plan patio. At one end of the patio is a giant canvas of a waterfall in the Los Tilos biosphere of the north of the island, the sound of which is emulated by a cascade of water running into a brook and a small pool. Activities include everything from billiards to tennis, and sauna and massage treatments are available. All meals are served in the main dining room, which has a large, sea view terrace.
Read the full review: H10 Taburiente Playa
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Fuerteventura
Barceló Castillo Beach Resort, Caleta de Fuste
This is a resort within a resort. It adds some glitz and glamour to the east of Fuerteventura’s most popular destination, masquerading as an authentic-looking Canarian fishing village in the process. Gardens house 83 plant species from a (Acacia saligna) to z (Zamia furfuracea). The U-Spa has a thermal circuit and five treatment rooms. There are six outdoor pools (three for adults and three for children). Wi-Fi is free but only available in the lobby. For epic views at dawn or dusk head to the Barceló Club Royal Level’s buffet restaurant, El Ancla, located next to the lighthouse. Elsewhere, El Castillo offers weekly themed buffets with cuisines offered from across three different continents.
Read the full review: Barceló Castillo Beach Resort
Tenerife
Costa Adeje Gran Hotel, Costa Adeje
The Costa Adeje Gran hotel is an immensely popular, five-star hotel in upmarket Costa Adeje. The hotel offers a plethora of activities including tennis, crazy golf, a billiards hall, spa and a well-equipped gym. Staff are unfalteringly pleasant, attentive and professional, and all rooms are modern with generous floor space, and either sea or mountain views. Meals are mainly provided in the La Finca buffet restaurant. A wide range of good quality choices include meat and pasta dishes cooked to order and good options for vegetarians and healthy eaters. All-inclusive guests can expect an endless selection of snacks and drinks available at various bars around the hotel throughout the day up until midnight.
Read the full review: Costa Adeje Gran Hotel
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Roca Nivaría Gran Hotel, Costa Adeje
A chic, luxurious and friendly five-star hotel on a spectacular headland in Playa Paraiso. Staff are friendly, attentive and unobtrusive, and facilities include a spa, pool and tennis court. The double rooms enjoy the sort of floor space that would qualify as a suite in many hotels and feature walk-in closets, small lounge areas, king-sized beds, and private terraces with sun loungers. The central food hub is a bright buffet restaurant with an enormous ocean-view terrace. Breakfast brings a spectacular selection of hot and cold, healthy and indulgent, and familiar and exotic. Lunch can be taken poolside, either on a terrace or in a quirky, man-made cave area. All-inclusive guests can choose to dine à la carte without additional cost and have access to drinks and snacks outside of main meal times.
Read the full review: Roca Nivaría Gran Hotel
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ClubHotel RIU Buena Vista, Costa Adeje
A budget, family-favourite, all-inclusive hotel in the west coast resort of Playa Paraíso. The outside space is given over to two large swimming pools with integrated hot tubs, and a children’s pool, all flanked by sun loungers. There are tennis and padel courts, table football, billiards, an excellent gym and a nightclub. The majority of rooms are Junior Suites with full or partial sea views and consist of a lounge area with sofa bed, a double or twin bedroom, an en-suite and a second W/C. Breakfasts are plentiful, and at other meal times, family-favourite dishes are the order of the day. Staff are endlessly good humoured and very efficient.
Read the full review: ClubHotel RIU Buena Vista
From £46 pp/pn (riu.com)
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Hotel Riu Gran Canaria, Maspalomas
Meloneras in the sultry south of the island is the setting for this four-star all-inclusive hotel, and it’s located above Gran Canaria’s glitziest seafront. The bright, white, and light style employed by the architecture is minimalist by design, but aside from the basics, there’s a playful touch. An animation team offers regular get-and-keep-fit activities including pilates and water aerobics in the main pool, and there’s an adults-only infinity pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The mini club has an aqua playland.
Read the full review: Hotel Riu Gran Canaria
From €87 (£76) pp/pn (riu.com)
Rates above are guide prices per person per night, please note that all-inclusive packages can differ across hotels. Owing to the current coronavirus pandemic, these rates may change. Please check the hotel’s websites for further information on what’s included.
Contributions by Abigail Lowe, Anna Nicholas, Annie Bennett, Matthew Hirtes, Andrea Montgomery, Joe Crawley &Tristan Rutherford