"Last year my wife and I decided we had had enough of England in January so we would escape to the Canaries. Last year it was 4 weeks at a 3* in Maspalomas, this year 3 weeks in the 4* Regency CC, both booked through Jet2. It was a noticeable step up in quality. So I am writing this review from the standpoint of self catering here for three weeks and going out and about during most days. First impressions are good when you arrive. Impressive and spacious reception area and efficient and welcoming staff (well done Bruno). The suite, on the 7th floor, was comfortable, well equipped kitchen with 4 electric rings, oven, microwave, kettle and toaster. A bar to eat breakfast, coffee table (very useful for jigsaws), balcony overlooking the pool and a view to the ocean, with two sun-beds, table and 4 chairs. Lounge area has a sofa bed, foot stall, 32” TV with excellent reception for BBC 1 & 2 and ITV1. Very good wi-fi, no buffering when we watched Netflix and You Tube on our i pads. Comfortable large bed, plenty of storage space. Bathroom with toilet, bidet, corner bath with jets and a shower attachment and two sinks and good worktop space for storing toiletries. Bathroom could do with a refresh, three holes in the wall over the bidet where something had been attached but had fallen out, rubber stoppers in the bath for non -slip purposes, 5 out of 10 are missing, plugs that don’t properly stop the water in the sinks and bath, pedal bin with a broken pedal - small details, but could be easily fixed.
Catering. The menu for the on site restaurant, Pura, is conveniently given to you in your welcome pack. We went down to eat on our first night at 7pm, three other tables were occupied. My wife asked for the minestrone soup, waitress replied “sold out”, so she asked for the fish sticks, “sorry sold out”, so for starters we both had vegetable soup. For main course my wife requested a vegan burger (she doesn’t eat meat), and, yes you guessed it, “ sold out”. What is this, Fawlty Towers! It would be a good idea for the staff to say in advance what is not available, rather than go through this charade. When the soup arrived it was lukewarm so we sent it back to be reheated. My salmon with lemon oil and canary potato was ok but uninspiring. The fish could have been cooked in a microwave, the lemon oil added nothing to the meal, a thicker sauce was required for the bland potatoes, and at €17.50, the dish should have included vegetables. My wife had an equally average rice with vegetables. They have an arrangement at the hotel that if you put a sign on your door saying room service not required on that day, you can get 15%discount in the Pura restaurant. Our advice - get daily room service and eat elsewhere. Room service was very good, sheets and towels changed regularly, bins emptied, beds made, floors swept and mopped. You have to do your own washing up.
Location. I had done homework on this and could see it was out of the main drag. It is 5 minutes to Los Christianos if you have a car, but it is not walkable if you don’t fancy walking on the hard shoulder of a fast A road (there is no pavement for a good prt of the route). There is one shuttle bus per day that departs at 10.30 and returns at 5.30. It drops you off at the bottom of Finlandia St, which is fine if you want to walk along the promenade to either Los Christianos or Playa de las Americas, but not much use if you want to catch a bus to Costa Adeje or go further afield. So two suggestions for management, first - given the hotel’s location, 1 shuttlebus return journey is clearly insufficient. I would like to see two or three returns per day. Second, the shuttle passes quite close to the Christanos bus station on its way to Finlandia, - I am sure you could arrange for it to make a stop near the bus station for guests wishing to make onward journeys.
Having read a number of previous reviews, I would like to make one very important point. Although this hotel is best suited to those hiring a car, you DO NOT have to use taxis every time you leave the complex. There are two bus routes, the 418 and the 480 that run to the Los Christianos bus station from Rotonda Mojon stop which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Admittedly the frequency is not the best (the 480 about every 40 minutes and the 418 half hourly, this route continues on past Los C bus station to Playa de Las Americas terminating at Adeja bus station). The timetable for these buses can be a work of fiction so use google maps to check arrival times at the stop before you leave the hotel. Fare is €1.45 for local journeys, but if you load money on to a 10+ card, you get a 20% reduction on the fare by tapping the card by the driver - but don’t forget to tap off by the back door when you alight or you get charged for the whole route.
I have put €40 on the card since we arrived and that will last us for the three weeks we are here. If we had used taxis the cost would have been around €300.
Also, you can eat local to the hotel - Molus Evolution is a 5 minute walk away next to the very useful mini supermarket Udaco. If you really want to treat yourself, restaurant Alma in Hotel Estefania (also a 5 minute walk) is haute cuisine and superb. Starter 10-15 euro, mains 20-25. Further up the hill in Chayofa (about 15 mins up a very steep hill) are Treehouse Bar ( Sunday roasts are a speciality) and La Tasca del Arte has a good tapas selection.
We are not sun worshippers so did not use any pool facilities or the pool snackbar and the entertainment held no interest for us.The 12 hole crazy golf is thoughtfully designed.
Overall, very good if you are hiring a car - not so convenient otherwise. As my foreign driving days are over, we will probably not be returning for future winter retreats."
