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Reviews of Camping Playa Joyel

Campsite Search > Europe > Spain > Cantabria > Camping Playa Joyel > Reviews

Camping Playa Joyel
Playa Del Ris
39180 Noja
Cantabria
Spain (Browse area)

Tel: 0034 942 630 081
Visit their website

Pitches: 900
Open: 18/03/2024 to 24/09/2024
18/03/2025 to 24/09/2025

Rating:

8/10 from 23 Reviews

Tent Pitches	Caravan Pitches	Motorhome Pitches	Small Campervans
No Glamping Units	Holiday Homes for Hire	No Statics for Sale	Seasonal Pitches
Electric Hookups	No Hardstandings	No Fully Serviced Pitches	Show Full Facilities

Who's it for
Families Welcome	Not Members Only	Rallies Welcome	Not Naturist Site
Dogs Welcome	No Dogs Allowed	Groups Welcome
Facilities
Toilet Facilities	Hot Showers	Washing Up	No Bathroom
No Baby Changing	Laundry On Site	Drinking Water	Disabled Friendly
Chemical Disposal	No Battery Charging	Gas Exchange	No Recycling Facilities
No Kitchen Facilities	No Freezer / Fridge	Motorhome Point	Wifi Access
Shop On Site	Bar On Site	Restaurant or Cafe or Takeaway On Site
Activities
Kids Playground	No TV Room	Games Room	Evening Entertainment
No Fishing	No Wild Swimming	No Indoor Pool	Outdoor Pool On Site
No Horse Riding	No Cycle Hire	No Golf	Tennis On Site
Beach On Site	No Watersports	No Boat Launch
Other Features
No Sea Views	Not Working Farm	No Campfires Allowed
Coastside Pitches	Public Transport	No Dog Walk

Reviews: 23 in total, now showing 1 to 10 Previous 10 Next 10

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Date of Visit: August 2018

Unit: Trailer Tent

Reviewer: CErrington

2 reviews from this member

Great site, right next to a beautiful beach. We stayed 9 nights with our children, who loved body boarding. The pitches are a bit cramped, but we fit our trailer tent and Ford Galaxy on. In usual Spanish style it is very noisy at night, with kids playing, but there is a strict curfew at 12, so nothing after that. The campsite has loads of facilities, pool, tennis, well stocked shop, restaurant, cinema nights, table tennis, and a massive football field and play area. There is also an animal farm at the back of the park, which opens up twice a week. The toilets and showers were very clean, and had toilet paper outside the toilets. The washing up area was very good too. Noja is a nice seaside town- nothing spectacular but there is everything you need there. Isla just down the road is very pretty, with a lovely beach and coves too. We had lunch in a very nice Italian restaurant there, and lots of tapas everywhere! There was a nice mixture of nationalities- lots of Spanish and Dutch, and quite a few Brits too, as it's very handy for Santander- we took the ferry home. The staff all speak English very well. You had to pay a euro an hour for the wi fi or you could pay for a week, but it was only really accessible near the reception.

Date of Visit: June 2016

Unit: Motorhome

Reviewer: Crwydryn

159 reviews from this member

A truly wonderful site with excellent facilities including some of the hottest dishwashing water we’ve experienced over the years camping in Europe.

Extremely helpful and welcoming staff and good sized pitches. We visited out of season and had a reduced price. While there seemed to be a lot of seasonal pitches the campsite was not anywhere near full and we can’t comment on what it would be like in the height of the season.

While wifi was available at an extra cost the signal was very good.

Beautiful beaches at the perimeter of the site. We stayed for three nights as a final stop before catching our ferry from Santander. While there are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance the town is a bit of a trek hence the location rating.

If we’d known about this site we’d have stayed for longer and will definitely use it again.

Date of Visit: August 2015

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Tracy+Charlie

27 reviews from this member

Stayed here mainly for the location, which we really couldn't fault, right next to a huge, beautiful beach with very clear water. Ideal for both body boarders/surfers and safe for youngsters as well.

Massive site so I'd advise trying to get a pitch at the back near the animal farm and playing field for a bit of peace and quite.

Toilets and showers spotless. We had the same lady cleaning them for the full 2 weeks - she practically live in the toilet block, she was always there cleaning - I was so impressed I found her on our last day to give her a tip.

Pool looked good but didn't use - you have to wear a swimming hat(available from the shop)which possibly put some people off which was just as well as it would have struggled to cope if half the site wanted to use it.

Well stocked shop and toy/camping accessories shop.

Café fairly basic but ok

Nightly entertainment held on tennis court but again didn't use it.

Huge playing field was great for kids

Animal park a little run down and not sure if it wouldn't be closed down if in England.

Town, supermarket, restaurants all within walking distance.

Site was probably 80% Spanish, 15% British and 5% other, staff all speak fairly good English though

Date of Visit: August 2015

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Campervan1974

6 reviews from this member

We stayed here in August 2015. The pitch was great. Not noisy. There were a few mosquitos so take insect repellent.

The site is quite big but fine. The toilet / shower blocks were good. There were plenty of supermarkets in town. The beach was the main attraction. I could not believe how warm the seawater was. I went swimming most days. You do not need wetsuits at all. The kids bought body boards from the campsite. They absolutely loved this. The sea water is crystal clear. At low tide the kids looked in the rock pools and caught fish and crabs.

Noja is a lovely little town. Modern but fine. We ate at one restaurant which was good. We went to Santander for the day one day. Took the car and got the ferry over. One thing which was quite unusual while we stayed at this site was that our son's eyes seemed to be affected by something. The whites of his eyes became very bloodshot. This cleared up when we returned to the UK. Overall a very nice holiday.

Date of Visit: August 2015

Unit: Motorhome

Reviewer: Sssnake

41 reviews from this member

Enormous site with direct access onto a beautiful clean, safe beach. Great for absolutely every beach activity you can think of.

Clean shower blocks but the site is so large that there were always queues for a shower at peak times.

Pitches are very small and equally very shaded which some might consider a bonus but I'd prefer to have the sun and make my own shade - each to their own. The roads around the sites are narrow which meant we felt incredibly crowded. We wanted to stay longer because the beach was so beautiful but we left after two to get some space.

Well stocked shop which was cheap as chips. We didn't visit the bar, café/restaurant so can't comment.

I wouldn't go back here despite the beach. It was expensive and the pitches felt massively crowded to us.

Date of Visit: May 2015

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Biggles.morton

6 reviews from this member

This site is in a great location next to a beautiful beach, with a number of rocky outcrops which can provide a spectacular sight if there are rough seas. In May the beach was deserted except for those taking a walk.

This is a very large (1000 pitches) site with many seasonal vans as well as a large number of statics.

In May it was very quiet, but it is obviously geared up to be very busy in peak season.

The weekends were very busy with an influx of visitors to the seasonal vans.

The cost out of season was only £16 per night and the toilet blocks were constantly being cleaned.

Date of Visit: August 2014

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Etherton

3 reviews from this member

Arrived 6. 30 to be told to walk around site to find a pitch we wanted. Chose one that was furthest away from reception, disco, swimming pool etc, but then we had our bikes. All pitches delineated by hedges/ trees. If you wanted a sunny or shady pitch you would need to choose wisely. Our pitch just about fitted our outwell Montana 6 and extension. Fortunately as it 3rd week in August there were empty pitches to the side of us, where we parked our car. There were a fair number of Brits, probably because it was only 30 mins from Santander, but mainly Spanish.

Facilities - washing machines were 5 euros, WiFi was 15 euros a week or 2 euros an hour, hairdressers, take away - chips 3. 80 euros ( medium to small sized portion), restaurant and disco (can't comment as didn't use either) and shop. Shop was well stocked and sold many different pastries/ pies, bread etc

Several toilet blocks which were always nice and clean with plenty of hot water

Recreation - swimming pool looked nice but we didn't use. Had to wear a bathing hat and life guard was on duty. Football pitch, basket ball, tennis court, outdoor exercise bikes and table tennis.

What made this site was its proximity to the beach and estuary, which was part of a nature reserve. There were 2 gates giving you access to the beach from the campsite. Can't comment on the town of Noja as we spent most of our time on the beach. Well organised site especially as large.

Date of Visit: August 2013

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: JULIED444

61 reviews from this member

Booked this online about 8 months in advance requested 2 large pitches together as we were travelling with family and this was all in order when we arrived. Pitches varied in size and with or without borders depending on what you paid. We had large hedges all round giving plenty of shade. Pitch was large enough for our caravan, awning with annex, car and washing line so very large compared to some Spanish sites we have been on.

Beach was a 2 minute walk from our pitch – cold showers just inside the site to rinse off with a large gate that closed at 11pm to avoid unwelcome visitors onto the site. You could walk to the neighbouring village when the tide was out – or swim back if it was in which nearly happened in our case – so be warned!

On site facilities were of the highest standard – lots of large toilet/shower blocks, constantly being cleaned. Laundry facilities – wifi area which you paid for, but to be honest was a bit erratic. There was a tv booster system on the electricity hook-up posts, presumably only Spanish TV, not sure.

Strict noise restrictions which were obeyed there was a nightclub for teenagers which was no problem. Swimming pool (swimming hats required), supermarket, souvenir shop, beauty salon, doctors. Outside gym, inside games room, tennis court. Restaurant and takeway – we did try the pizza but they were only out of the freezer so didn’t bother again. Chips were better value for money. Roast chickens available to buy but must order 2 hours in advance.

Just outside the site every Wednesday a fantastic market. Every 20 minutes or so also just outside the site was a little tourist train which could take you into town for 4 euros return.

Great site, would return if in the area, our only 2 minor issue would be for those campers that like their electric gadgets as on 6 amp we did find we used to pop the electric just by keeping the hot water on and then maybe putting the kettle on. The second would be no evening entertainment as it does say in the brochure for high season The only entertainment was karaoke once a week which I don’t think that can count.

Weather in August was just how we wanted it, not so hot that you couldn’t sight see during the day (Valencia last year, beautiful but just too hot!), but warm enough to sit out without putting on a jumper.

Also note, site very dark at night, so bring torches. A definite site to bring bikes. Security very good, guard at the entrance 24/7 checking the sticker inside your car.

Date of Visit: August 2013

Unit: Tent

Reviewer: Rmarshall

2 reviews from this member

Right then, family of 4, children aged 13 and 9 just returned from 13 nights from Camping Playa Joyel and wanted to share observations.

Travel & Arrival:

Sailed with Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Bilbao. There are no toll roads between either Bilbao or Santander and the site. Its a big site, approx 1000 pitches including static, campers, caravans and tents) and even though I had a larger pitch it was very tight for my Outwell Yukon River 6 + plus front canopy and car. No room to apply most of the guy ropes. My biggest recommendation here is to join Brittany Ferries 'Club Voyage' scheme, cost us about £200 to join and saved £300 on the ferry crossing plus 3 morning breakfasts for 4 people cost me all of £5 and also got 10% of restaurant bill.

Pitch:

The pitches themselves are all relatively flat, hard ground however standard metal pegs should be sufficient to hold the tent. Electric connection is close and each pitch is usually loosely separated by trees or some other natural barrier, we liked this as it allowed us to say hello to neighbours yet clearly mark the boundary. You will get a fair bit of dry dust on your tent which when it rains will leave streaks. Also the trees in our area leaked sap onto the tent roof, don't pack tent if sap is not dry. Recommend you take a tarp to go over the roof of the tent if possible. The gaps between the trees that make your boundary are wide enough to string a washing line. Main problem on the pitch though was ants! Due to the weather and the tree sap these are to be expected but keep your food sealed and you should be ok. As previously mentioned the pitches are close and there is little privacy, however for a beach front campsite the pitch size is good.

Facilities / Amenities:

The site opens at 8:00 and closes at midnight. No noise! They are very insistent about this, from about 11:45 ish the site was quiet and at midnight the street lamps went out to emphasise the fact that its time for bed.

The site is a family site and caters for young and older children. 2 tennis courts decent swimming pool (not open all day. Lifeguard siesta!) restaurant, site shop, games room, sweet shop, wifi room (you have to pay 15 euro for a week and its slow!) chicken and chips takeaway (must be booked 2 hours before required. Or else) and club are all based around reception area which gets busier as the day goes on and where all the teenies hang out at night. Our pitch was in between this area and the play park and we never heard noise from either area.

The beach has got direct access from the site however side gates close at 23:00 and only access is via front gate after that. So be careful if you fancy a late night skinny dip. There are wardens on all entrances to watch for undesirables getting into the site who arent guests.

Shower blocks are clean and don't be shy when the lady cleaner is working next to you in the gents facilities. Toilet role is provided but you must remember to take it into the cubicle with you. Showers are hotter at the start of the day and get cooler in the evening. People come off the beach about 7ish and you get a 5 minute queue for showers at this time. Given the sunshine we had I was surprised they don't make more of solar energy to heat the water rather than listening to the big industrial boiler fire up when you are in the shower.

We also hired a fridge on site for 5 euro a day. Expensive you might say but it saves space in the car and keeps the beer, butter, meat, fruit, etc chilled. Worth it in my opinion. It does come with a continental connector so you will need a converter.

Beach:

What to say about the beach. This makes the site and gives it the high rating. I have never come across a better beach. Golden clean sand, clear blue water at least up to your waist and you can see your feet, safe enough to swim in, rock pools when the tide goes out with crabs and fish, a tidal estury with a quick tide (be careful here for smaller kids) and some sandbanks, small surf good enough for body boards and 1 mile of beach if you fancy a jog. There is often plenty to see. :-)

Weather:

Before we went the weather reports were scary, average temps of 22 and rain. In reality we had probably 3 days of rain (first day putting tent up and last day putting tent down. Bloody typical!), at least half of the days were fantastic sunshine blue skies with temps between 25 and 30. Great! It stays warm even when cloudy and I rarely had to wear a jumper at night. The fan heater we used in the vendee (France) at night the previous year was redundant this year. If it does rain, it is usually drizzle and dries very quickly. Very little wind, thankfully as I couldn't deploy most of my guy ropes. I found that worldweatheronline was very close to reality in its forecasts.

Local:

Noja is ok, its a a beach town with a main street 'Av. Santander' if I remember correctly. There is a Lupa supermarket on this street with an underground carpark, however we preferred the El Arbola on the outskirts of Noja as you head towards Santander. All the shops close around 2ish and don't open until 5ish. Be aware if you are a late riser. We also spent a day in Santander, get the boat from Somo or Pedrena on the CA-141 which takes you across the bay and drops you in the middle of Santander. Nice for shopping, very expensive compared to UK and crap between 2pm - 5pm. Its all closed! Market day in Noja is Wednesday and is just outside the campsite. Food, bags and fake gear. Same in Somo on fridays.

Ice cream. Best vfm is Regma on the beach front road as you walk out from the site, recommend you have the lemon, one scoop is huge and only 2. 10 Euro

Generally I, and others I spoke to on the site, found the local spanish not very welcoming, whether this is because this is generally the local culture, Noja is geared towards a more Spanish tourist or was it due to the ongoing Gibralter crisis that played on TV in every restaurant I went in, not sure. On comparison I find the French more open and accommodating towards the Brits. Make sure you have your spanish phrase book or dictionary app on your phone, especially in restaurants to translate the menu. Food is generally good but too much pizza and chips available for my liking when what we actually wanted was more local cuisine.

Summary:

A decent site with a beach front location. What makes this stand out is the beach, I could have stayed for a few more days and would have liked to have visited more local attractions, especially the Picos mountains. Would I return. Probably but not again next year, too soon.

Sorry its a long review but thanks for reading and hope this helps.

Date of Visit: August 2013

Unit: Touring Caravan

Reviewer: Addle12

10 reviews from this member

Not for older adults looking for quiet gentility.

Booked a week for August 2013 because of previous good reviews. Driving to the site was easy. The small seaside town location may be convenient for the beach but the whole area seemed quite poor and a bit run down.

The actual site is huge, with several hundred pitches, all spaced very closely together, with narrow vehicle access paths and tight corners. Always busy, with lots of people, many families with children, many cycling on bikes along the narrow paths.

Once pitched, from our van we were face to face with the neighbours with no illusion or feeling of privacy at all which was not very pleasant.

Showers were clean enough but appeared a bit old and the water pressure was very weak indeed.

Wifi is only available at Reception - for a fee. TV satellite dish reception probably very poor as tall trees are everywhere.

Saw three nice swimming pools, a large main Reception area and several other facilities.

An expensive place for what you get. We moved on after just one night to another site (El Molina, inland near Cabuerniga).

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Common Questions

Is Camping Playa Joyel child friendly?  YES, it accepts children & has a playground  View all facilities

Does Camping Playa Joyel have a swimming pool?  YES, there is a pool on site  View all facilities

Where is the nearest shop to Camping Playa Joyel?  There is a shop on site  View all facilities

Is Camping Playa Joyel dog friendly?  NO  View all facilities

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