The best things about this hotel are the location, the entertainment and the lovely staff. It’s not Iberostar quality, but you have to be realistic when you book a cheap package holiday - you get what you pay for and we made the most out of it and enjoyed our week in Puerto de la Cruz. We were half-board, and I don’t think it would have been worthwhile to upgrade to AI at €25 each per night each because the drinks are cheap in the hotel bar and there's plenty of cheap eats nearby. There’s plenty of variety in the hotel buffet so that you won’t starve, but nor will you say it’s the best food ever! The restaurant staff are very helpful. Much of the food is not labelled, which could prove tricky for vegetarians to navigate; I was surprised to find ham in the “roasted eggplant” and tuna in the “chickpea salad”, there was no tofu or other meat substitutes offered. There are many combinations of foods that us Brits would not put together in a dish like fish eggs and cream cheese and stir-fried rabbit, which brings me on to my next observation - there were few Brits staying at this hotel, most of the guests were German and other Europeans. Everyone we met was nice and chatty and seemed to be having a good time. Another plus with this hotel is that they remove the sunbeds at night and don’t put them out until about 10AM, so everyone gets chance to lie on a bed rather than be disappointed by the rows of vacant “reserved” beds. The outside pools aren’t heated, but there is a lifeguard on duty. The lovely indoor pool I saw on the hotel website is closed, perhaps permanently and there is the usual €10 fee to enter the spa area. I recommend that you contact the hotel in advance to arrange parking because there’s limited spaces available, and as others have mentioned there’s an extortionate €15 per night charge. There's no concierge or valet. Gemma on reception recommended we get a week’s parking ticket at the shopping centre car park which is 5 minutes walk up behind the hotel, it cost €50, so less expensive than the Bahia, but more than we would have liked to pay (it’s usually free a Spanish resort hotels), plus the parking location is impractical for disabled guests. Besides, just to manage your expectations - you have no choice because there’s slim chance of finding an on-street free parking space in the town. The first room we were allocated was located on the front, and in the middle of the 6th floor, it had a good sea view and an open balcony door, which we discovered that it didn’t lock. Gemma did send maintenance to fix it immediately, but after 30 minutes of them trying and failing to fix the door, they gave us another room, this time on a corner of the 14th floor with a wraparound balcony, again one of the balcony doors didn’t lock, but we didn’t mention it as we were tired. This room was better lit than the first and slightly larger. Both rooms were extremely basic, no shower cap, only toiletries were a gel and shampoo dispenser and a bar
Перевести