Magic Tropical Splash: My Honest Review After Staying (Water Park Hotel in Benidorm)

We came to the Magic Tropical Splash , a 100% family hotel in Benidorm, designed for travelling with kids. We chose it because it’s considered one of the best hotels with water slides in Benidorm and the whole province of Alicante. We wanted to see what it’s really like inside, how the pools are, the apartments, the food, the all-inclusive plan and, above all, whether it’s actually worth it.

We spent 3 days here and in this article we’ll tell you everything good, everything bad and which types of families we’d recommend it for . Because on paper it looks like a hotel for kids of all ages, but there are nuances worth knowing before you book.

My quick verdict

We give it a 7.9 out of 10 . It’s a very practical hotel for families: spacious apartments, lots of pools, slides for all ages, a fairly complete all-inclusive plan and one of the best snack bars we’ve seen. But not everything is perfect: the themed restaurants were disappointing , the soundproofing in the apartments is thin and the morning sunbed reservation thing is a real problem.

Pros and Cons

The hotel: what it’s like inside

Magic Tropical Splash is an apartment-style hotel, with two large building blocks, several pool areas and loads of facilities designed for families.

It doesn’t have a theme as strong or as well-executed as other Magic chain hotels like Magic Robin Hood , Magic Natura or Magic Pirates Island . The theming is nice enough, but it’s not the main selling point . This is a practical hotel above all: big apartments, lots of pools, water park, entertainment, bars, snack bar, food trucks and kids’ activities.

The buildings are tall, so lifts play a big role. They’re not the fastest in the world, but not the worst we’ve used either. They do the job, though at peak times you might wait a bit.

Pools and water park: the highlight

Let’s start with the best part: the pools and water slides. This is probably the main reason most families choose Magic Tropical Splash.

The hotel has several water areas. The main one is a large lagoon-style pool , with several beach-style entrances and shallow zones perfect for toddlers. There’s also a barrier section to stop kids wandering into the deeper end, which is reassuring if you’re travelling with little ones.

In another area there’s a small splash park with water buckets, jets and two slightly bigger slides, aimed at kids up to about 8 or 10 years old. Surrounding it are plenty of sunbeds and a spacious sun terrace.

The zone for toddlers

Apart from the main pool, there’s a quieter area with a pool that’s barely 10 to 15 centimetres deep and a mini splash park for babies and very young children. It’s nice if you’re travelling with toddlers and want a calmer spot without having to be at the big pool the whole time.

The big slides

Then there’s the larger water park area, with three main slide towers. One section has faster slides, some for racing and others with a near free-fall sensation. Another section has slides you ride on rubber rings, with more height, more speed, more curves, designed for teenagers and adults.

One of the most striking is the Great U . For me, it was the most fun because it has that thrill and adrenaline factor you look for in a water park.

The good thing is that some slides let you ride with your child on a double ring. So it’s not just a zone for kids to go on their own — you can enjoy it with them.

Overall, the slides are one of the best things about this hotel .

The apartments

The apartments are spacious, functional and well-suited for larger families. They’re roughly 45 to 50 square metres: living room, small kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom and a generous terrace.

The kitchen is there, though honestly, if you’re coming here you’ll probably go all-inclusive or ultra all-inclusive, so we doubt you’ll use it much.

The bed was really comfortable . In fact, one of the most comfortable beds we’ve slept in at this type of hotel in Spain. The pillows, on the other hand, are just okay. They do the job but nothing more. The bathroom is also fine: functional, nothing fancy, but sufficient.

All-inclusive vs Ultra All-inclusive

Here’s an important part of this review: at this hotel, we wouldn’t always recommend the ultra all-inclusive .

At other Magic hotels, the ultra all-inclusive is usually great value because it gives you access to excellent themed restaurants, nearby parks or really strong extra experiences. Here, it’s different.

With ultra all-inclusive you can book à la carte restaurants depending on how many nights you’re staying. The problem is the themed restaurants disappointed us . The service was very good, but the food was really underwhelming. Both the pirate tavern and the Italian were poor. We actually liked the normal buffet much better.

And that’s a problem, because at other Magic hotels the themed restaurants are usually one of the big highlights.

Food: buffet, breakfast and snacks

The buffet

We liked the buffet overall. It’s not spectacular, but it has good quality and plenty of variety.

There’s an important trick: try to go early or halfway through the service . On our first day we arrived quite late and you could tell some of the rice dishes, pasta and other items were overdone or a bit dry. When we went earlier, the food was noticeably better.

Dinner has different themed nights. We saw an Arabic night and an Asian night. Some dishes didn’t quite hit the mark (frozen gyoza, pretty basic sushi), but there were good things too. There’s variety of meats, salads, desserts and hot dishes. Overall the buffet does the job pretty well.

Breakfast

Breakfast is a bit weaker. There’s a good variety of sweet options and the pastries are nice. But the savoury side is heavily geared towards a full English breakfast : sausages, black pudding and that sort of thing. We missed healthier options and a live omelette station where you could choose ingredients like cheese, ham or tomato. For us, that makes a real difference at a hotel breakfast.

Bars, snacks and food trucks

One of the things we liked most was the snacks and drinks setup. The hotel has two bars open from 10 am to midnight where you can order drinks and cocktails. And even if there’s a queue, they’re fast. You’re ordering within a minute or two.

The snack bar is one of the biggest we’ve seen. Good variety: hot dogs, burgers, nuggets, chips, salads and even paella. The nuggets reminded us of McDonald’s, honestly. You know it’s fast food, but they were tasty.

There are also food trucks for ice cream, waffles and doughnuts with toppings, though they only open at certain times during the afternoon. On this front, the all-inclusive felt very complete.

Kids’ facilities

This hotel is clearly designed with kids in mind. Beyond the slides and pools, there’s a kids’ club with long hours , roughly 11:00 to 20:30, where the entertainment team runs activities and games with them.

There are also outdoor playgrounds, soft play areas, a small indoor ball pit, arcade machines and a Game Zone. For the Game Zone you need to book through the app, and inside there are PlayStations, Xbox, Just Dance, racing games and VR experiences. Kids tend to love it, especially when they want a break from the water.

Adult facilities

For adults, the hotel doesn’t have that much. There’s a small spa, fairly cheap, but nothing spectacular. The gym is practically non-existent: two 5 kg dumbbells and three cardio machines. You can’t seriously train here and you’d need a lot of imagination to make it work.

But you have to understand what kind of hotel this is. Magic Tropical Splash is clearly aimed at families with kids , especially British guests who come for the all-inclusive, the pools, the cocktails and the activities. If you want a hotel with lots of adult facilities, we’d look elsewhere.

Entertainment and nightlife

The entertainment is fairly complete. During the day they do activities, games, crafts and entertainment around the pool. In the afternoon, around 5 pm, they start clearing the main sunbed area to set up the show.

The evening show starts around 8:30 pm and usually includes performances, dancing, acrobatics and songs with good production quality. After that there’s a mini disco for kids. And later the Tulum disco opens on the minus-one floor. It’s not an adults-only club as such, because kids can go in too. It’s more of a large room with music, tables, a bar and a family-friendly vibe for a bit of dancing.

Poniente Beach

The nearest beach is Poniente Beach , about a 10 to 15-minute walk away. That said, there are hills, so bear that in mind if you’re going with small kids, a pushchair or in the midday heat.

Poniente Beach is more family-friendly and quieter than Levante Beach. There’s plenty of space, kids’ playgrounds, areas to play and a less party-oriented atmosphere. If you’re coming with kids, between Levante and Poniente, Poniente is the better fit.

Staff

The staff left us with mixed feelings.

At the bars, the bartenders were fast, efficient and good fun . Some of them were particularly friendly and made the atmosphere better. At the themed restaurants the service was also very good, even though the food didn’t deliver.

At the buffet, on the other hand, clearing plates could be improved. Sometimes plates piled up on the table and took quite a while to be removed. Reception was fine: correct and friendly.

Overall, good service with some room for improvement.

Who stays here

Something worth knowing: this hotel is heavily geared towards British guests . We’d say around 80% of the guests were British. This has advantages if you’re coming from the UK, because the food, atmosphere and the other kids your children will meet are all quite adapted to that audience.

If you’re watching this from Spain or elsewhere, keep it in mind. If your kids don’t speak English, it might be a bit harder for them to play with other children since most of the kids will be British. In that case, you might want to look at Magic World , which tends to have more Spanish guests.

Scores and final verdict

Category	Score
Cleanliness	8.5
Bed	9
Pillow	7
Bed and pillow (average)	8
Bathroom	7.5
Breakfast	7.5
Lunch and dinner	8
Themed restaurants	5
All-inclusive	9
Beach	8
Pools	9
Kids’ facilities	9
Adult facilities	7.5
Staff	8.5

Overall score: 7.9 out of 10.

My Honest Opinion

The Final Verdict

For whom do I recommend it?

Perfect For

• You want a hotel with spacious apartments , water slides, lots of pools and a strong all-inclusive in the Benidorm area.
• You're travelling with kids aged 3 to 12 who'll make the most of the water park, entertainment and Game Zone.
• You're a British family looking for a hotel that matches your holiday style.
• You want a complete snack bar with hot dogs, burgers, nuggets, salads and paella available almost any time.

Skip It If

• You care about good food at themed restaurants . Here the normal buffet is better than the pirate tavern and the Italian.
• You want a hotel with a proper gym or spa . Adult facilities are very limited.
• You're bothered by thin walls or noise from neighbours with kids running around.
• You want a hotel with mostly Spanish guests . Here 80% of guests are British.