This was a good hotel, but very big, the restaurant got really, really busy at breakfast and dinner, get down to breakfast before 8.15, and dinner before 7, otherwise you wil be wanderiing up and down looking for a table, the food was excellent, though some of the hot food was in fact cold. we were there 25th january to 5th febuary. the rooms were spacious, but the bed was rock hard. People are still reserving their sunbeds, one British couple reserved theirs every morning at 9.30 and didn,t come back till 2.30 in the afternoon, absolutely terrible. Walk out on the causeway to La Isla an sit there and have a drink, it,s lovely. Bill & Marie. over 65. Cumbria

We stayed here for one week (29th Jan - 5th feb). We are a young couple in our early twenties who weren't looking for a party week so this was perfect. We were warned by other travellers on trip Advisor that our room would not be ready if we arrived at the hotel before lunch time, so it wasn't a massive shock. It was fine though as it allowed us to explore the surrounding areas and grab some lunch from a fantastic cafe/restaurant a two minute walk from the hotel right in the middle of the sea on a little island at the end of a jetty.

The hotel was overall really great - it was very clean, modern, and had a friendly atmosphere. Our room was a good size, massive king size bed, modern bathroom, with a pool/sea view. There are not mainly FULL sea view rooms, with many being pool facing with a side sea view. It's definitely better to be higher up, as the lower level rooms are often blocked by trees/general shrubbery so could be dark. Our room rarely got the sun, but this didn't matter as when it was sunny we were outside sunbathing or wandering around and not in our room.

The food was good, could have been warmer, but obviously it's difficult catering for many people. The staff were friendly and efficient in the restaurant, however, the tables often took a while to be made up - especially at breakfast where we had to often search around for cutlery. The restaurant was best at later times, we ate breakfast at 10am most mornings as at 9am it was HEAVING, and people were queing for coffees and juices. Again, dinner was better later on, going in 8.30pm missing the rush.

Entertainment/leisure activites were good - animacion team were friendly, and there was always something to do whether it be aqua gym or a game of tennis if you wished. The evening entertainment wasn't great - there could have been more professional shows, but the couple we saw were good/rather funny. Personal favorite being Celine Dion and Robbie Williams!! It must be VERY cramped in the entertainment room during school holidays/the summer so you'd want to get there early. The entertainment starts at 9.30pm and lasts less than an hour.

The bar area was excellent, and not bad value. We were half board so we purhcased pre and post dinner drinks at the lobby bar. 3.5euros for a pint of local beer and 6.5euros for cocktails. No spirits in restaurant though. If you were looking to head out to bars outside the town you could. 15 min walk away along a nice promenade into the purpose built village. Nice for lunch and some mini golf too if it got cloudy. The Spar right by the hotel means, if you are on half board, you can purchase some drinks for your room (there's a fridge) and some snacks if you wish.

Airport is so close - we had transfers book but taxis would be cheap. Be warned, planes do fly over your head when you are sunbathing, but they don't disturb you at night.

Overall we had a brilliant stay here, a great quick getaway for the winter, and good value for money.

We stayed at Elba Sara from 28 Jan to 4 Feb. Room was excellent , ask for it Room 530.
We had a fab sea view from the top floor. Hotel was very clean. Bedroom was very big as was the bed, hugh!!!!. Very nice bathroom with everything very modern. The only real problem was the food. I would say the food was excellent but the problem was that it was not that hot!! By careful selection I was able to get thing a bit warmer. There is a micro to heat thing which tells it own tale. I would go back but with fingers crossed that things are a bit warmer on the food.

Stayed at Elba Carlota 28 Jan to 4 Feb. We are a couple in our early 40's looking for a week of chilling out, and winter sun whilst our daughter was away with school.
We've stayed at similar hotels and apartments across Spain and The Canary Islands so hopefully our review will be given constructively and with a little bit of experience thrown in.

Firstly the negatives:
We arrived and noon but couldn't have our room until 3.00pm which was a bit disappointing as the hotel clearly wasn't full. But, as Caleta stalwarts we knew where to go and find something to do whilst we waited.

The room was cold. Facing north it got no sun at all. Nice view of the pools and harbour in the distance, but our tip would be to ask for a south facing room. I suspect even in summer there would be no sun on the balcony, and with the cool wind that blew late January it was a bit uncomfortable, especially as the air conditioning didn't seem to warm up when requested.

Next, the other guests were predominantly French. I have never seen the French in Caleta before in significant numbers, so it was a big shock to see them so dominant in the hotel. They were all very courteous and we had no problems, but I don't think it is always a good idea to have one nationality so dominant.

Next, nearly everyone was an OAP. Whilst it meant for a quiet time at night as they all shuffled off to bed at 10.00pm, we couldn't find anyone of a similar age to chat to which was a shame. I guess it goes with the territory of going away in the winter that most working people with families are stuck with going in the school holidays.

Music. Wherever you are in the hotel, whether it is reception, by the pool, in the bars, in the restaurants, there is constant music from 8.00am to 10.00pm. Why they feel this is necessary I don't know. Please switch it off from time to time and give our ears a rest!

Finally, we were a little disappointed with the food. Having been to many similar hotels we knew what to expect, that is your typical buffet, but you just got the impression that there wasn't quite enough choice. Minor gripe really. However, what was upsetting was the sickness and diarrhoea we both came down with half way through the week. Maybe it was a bug doing the rounds, and not the food, as we both ate different things, but one can't help but think that someone needs to come up with a solution to the hundreds of hands that have to touch all the utensils potentially spreading germs from people whose personal hygiene is perhaps not as good as it should be. I suppose this is an issue for thousands of hotels worldwide and there probably isn't a solution. Apologies to the people in the room next to us who would not have been impressed by the sound of throwing up two nights in a row in the small hours!!

But enough of the negativity. The hotel is lovely and clean with very helpful and friendly staff. Maid service was excellent. The pools are lovely and plenty of sunbeds to go around though it didn't stop some people reserving them as soon as they were unlocked each morning.

A nice touch also was fruit and Cava waiting for us in the room when we checked in.

The hotel is on the outskirts of Caleta, about a fifteen minute walk into the centre either by the promenade or the road out front. Next door is the Atlantico Centre with a modest selection of shops, restaurants, bowling, and the cheapest supermarket around.

Caleta itself is a lovely family orientated resort with plenty of bars and restaurants to please most people. Our recommendations for bars would be El Capitan which is opposite the Barcelo Hotel main entrance. Fabulous tapas, very traditional feel, friendly staff, cheap drinks, live music and happy hours in the afternoon and 8.30pm to 10.30pm. Two large beers for 2.5 euros, whats not to like? Also, the Wine Bar which is down the side of Caleta Gardens complex, opposite Crazy Corner. Nice atmosphere, comfy settees and sensibly priced drinks.

We also did a nice walk to Las Salinas, which is about 1.5m south. Turn right out of the hotel (from the promenade) and follow the path across the dunes/wasteland. Past the Salt Museum which is worth a visit too, and into the little fishing village where the one bar/restaurant is a lovely place to while away an hour.

We've stayed in Caleta many times before and wouldn't hesitate in recommending the resort. Would we stay at the Elba Carlota again? Yes, we probably would, but we would ask for a south facing room!