Medieval Magic Excalibur Complejo

Long but fair and honest review – family of 5 (2 adults, children aged 11, 4 and 1). If you book a large, busy, family-focused All Inclusive in Benidorm, you need to go with realistic expectations, and I think ours were about right. Arrival Reception wasn’t rude, but wasn’t particularly welcoming or helpful either. We arrived late at night and were given very little information. We then spent around 15 minutes walking around with three tired children and our suitcases trying to find our lodge. Another guest eventually helped us and mentioned that guests are usually taken to their accommodation by cart. This would have been really helpful, but unfortunately wasn’t offered or even mentioned. Accommodation It was cleaned daily bar one day we got missed - fresh towels and bedding, and the mini fridge was restocked. We regularly saw the cleaning team working around the resort, so no complaints there. Sleeping arrangements worked for us, with me and our two youngest in the double bed and my husband and 11-year-old using the bunk beds. However, families with younger children may want to consider the layout, as the bunk beds are beside the main entrance and the door doesn’t lock from the inside. This wasn’t something I was comfortable with for our younger two being by the door without an adult in the room but we found an arrangement that worked for us anyway. The air conditioning worked well, the hot tub was clean and we were lucky to be at the end of the street, so had very little passing noise at night. Activities & pools Nobody told us this at check-in about the app/link– we found out from other guests and had already missed the medieval show by then which we were hoping to see. Once we knew about it, though, booking things was easy enough. The main pool is loud and busy, as you’d expect from a resort this size. The foam party was brilliant and the kids absolutely loved it! Probably the highlight of the holiday. We personally preferred the smaller pool towards the back of the resort. It was much quieter and had a lovely family atmosphere , with a better splash pool for our 1-year-old and a larger pool for the older two. We bought pool floats but were then told they weren’t allowed in this pool and could only be used in a very small part of the main pool, which was a bit frustrating. The kids enjoyed the skate park, arcade and outdoor park, and skate equipment was available to hire. Taxis into Benidorm were also quick and easy to get. The soft play definitely needs an upgrade it looked old and grubby, with ripped netting and exposed metal poles. Would be a great addition to the resort but I didn’t feel it was safe for my younger ones. Food & Ultra All Inclusive Food wasn’t great for me. It’s standard large all-inclusive buffet food – mass-produced and repetitive. Kids were happy during the day when it was mainly things like burgers, hot dogs and kebabs. I know the type of food to expect at all Inclusive resorts however we did all really struggle and had to order/go out most nights. We paid extra for Ultra All Inclusive but, for us, it wasn’t worth it. The restaurant food felt very similar to what was available elsewhere, just in a different setting. You can also visit some of the other hotels, but we didn’t end up doing this. In hindsight, standard All Inclusive would probably have been enough for us but if you’re going to utilise all the extras then you’ll probably get your money worth. You can have pizza delivered to your lodge, but the latest slot was around 9pm and you have to be there to receive it. The kids’ mini disco doesn’t even start until 8:30pm, so the timings weren’t particularly convenient rushing back to the room. Entertainment generally started too late for us as a family with younger children. Our 11-year-old would happily have stayed up, but by then the 4 and 1-year-old were ready for some peace and quiet away from the loud and very warm entertainment room. One thing to watch There did seem to be an issue with guests taking other people’s belongings around the pool. We had something taken within about 10 minutes of buying it. Obviously this isn’t directly the hotel’s fault, but I’d recommend keeping a close eye on your belongings. Overall We had a good holiday overall. The kids had fun, were entertained and enjoyed themselves, which was the most important thing. The accommodation was clean, the pools were good and there was plenty for the children to do. A week was just about the right length. We’re happy we went and certainly didn’t have a bad holiday. Personally we probably wouldn’t return. For the amount we paid, I think we could find somewhere a little better or simply more suited to our family next time.

Visited for 1 week in August. Had a great time. Pools were great and the selection of original drinks made the additional cost compared to what we would usually spend worth it! No imitation spirits etc. Entertainment was ok, however the indoor area was too hot Food was good Room was good, although we did have some makeup and perfume stolen. Reported this to the reception but had no response. I've later read this happens quite a bit. It wasn't anything expensive so no harm done. Location is a put off for me next time, I like to walk about every day but it was kind of isolated, and towards the end I felt a bit trapped in Sherwood forest. 7 out of 10 holiday i'd say. Depends what your after, some will love it, some wont.

We arrived just after midnight when everything was obviously closed so no access to food/drink, yes there’s a vending machine which is very expensive. Reception staff wernt very helpfull and was told to come back in morning. The lodge its self was good but we paid extra to upgrade for a third bedroom rather than using sofa bed. After a couple of days family members were getting ill with sickness/diarrhoea. We were all inclusive, there was a selection of foods but not always cooked thoroughly ( pink meats) and there were other places to eat but you had to pay separately . Some of the advertised activities were not available and upon request we were told they wernt available for past couple of years, The pool was freezing cold and lifeguard seem to live there whistles but when actually needed they wernt interested. Also found out the previous week to us coming, after the cleaning had been into your rooms item were missing there were a long list of items including: parfume/aftershave, money, laptops etc . And since reading the reviews I noticed they’ve now disappeared. Also complex is situated @10/15 taxi journey to main Benidorm itself costing just under 15€ each way depending on taxi driver pricing . Nearest shop is @20 mins walk to Albir. On day of departure we had to leave our lodge for 10am but cleaning lady comes along at 9am tapping her watch, but the annoying thing is out transfer wasn’t due to collect us till 7:30pm so what was we to do for a whole day ??? Out wrist band stopped working at 12 lunch time so no access to food/drinks So all in all was t the best experience and I’d say we won’t be returning