Bahia Principe Fantasia Tenerife

"I’ll start with the positives. The hotel certainly looks 5* It’s beautiful, clean, well maintained, etc. The rooms are stunning and really spacious. The professional shows are absolutely brilliant but it’s a shame it’s only 2 per week stay. We saw Toy Circus which is a family show but we were all blown away. Imox is our second show which is more aimed at adults. We celebrated my husbands birthday whilst we were away and arranged for a person birthday message on the castle. This cost €40 and is a great way to mark an occasion. The Italian restaurant was nice and we all enjoyed it. I did feel that they tried to rush the service though so I’d advise to ask them to give you time in between courses. The pool bar at lunch was also good with the self serve machines and everything cooked to order. Ok now the negatives. Starting with the room and the little things that show this isn’t a true 5* hotel. The towels are small and rough and there aren’t any robes. Also no coffee machine and just a kettle with a few teabags and coffee sachets but no milk. Around the pools, it was difficult to get a nice alcoholic drink. The family pool bars are self serve and only have soft drinks or beer. I had to go to the adult pool bar for cocktails or up to the lobby bar which was far from ideal. There’s a nice coffee shop downstairs which shows as serving coffee, milkshakes, etc but it was closed all week. Again, it was a trip to the lobby bar which had huge queues during the day to get these. These things might not matter to some people but I book 5* to completely relax so these things matter to me. The buffet is the big thing that lets this hotel down. Lunch was good but breakfast and evening was terrible. It’s a good selection but lots of the food is cold- even when it’s just brought out of the back. They obviously cook large amounts but don’t keep it heated in the kitchen. We also had raw chicken on 2 occasions- including from the kids station. We ate out a few nights as a result. The steak restaurant looks beautiful but I wasn’t impressed with my steak. I ordered the entrecôte steak and asked for medium but it came rare. My husband paid for fillet which was much nicer but also not cooked as requested. With regards to entertainment, my son is 3.5 so too young for kids club and the inside ‘playground’ was aimed at younger children so he was bored in there. I was told that activities would be on in that room at the same time at activities happening in kids club but no one ever turned up to run them. Definitely missing an outside playground with swings, slide, etc"

"We stayed for a week with our 19 year old son, chosen due to having a sports bar and he's a massive sports fan. Room was immaculate, as were the grounds; staff work tirelessly and it shows. We paid extra for an upper floor room by the infinity pool but in hindsight would have preferred to be closer to the lobby/restaurant area, the infinity pool was too quiet for us, preferred to be near the music and activities. Having raised 3 children it was nice to see how invested the staff are in keeping the little ones entertained giving parents a much needed break, the foam party looked good fun! This is a family resort, if you take issue with little people, this won't be the place for you; having raised a family and understanding the need for mum and dad to have some downtime it didn't bother us, they weren't our responsibility after all, but do understand it isn't for everyone. Staff were fantastic, have to mention Tyrese in the sports bar; exceptional, friendly service, always remembered our drinks order and made sure our glasses were never empty; top man and a credit to the brand. Shows were of a high quality, would recommend asking at reception which would be suitable for your party with you having to choose only the 2 shows per stay. I understand people's perspective on the food but there is such a massive choice that you're bound to find something that tickles your fancy and I've paid more for a week's B&B than we did for the all inclusive option; figured we could eat out if necessary but we didn't need to; you're never going to get the quality of a fine dining restaurant in a buffet but honestly, considering the volume of people they're catering for I thought they did well and never went hungry. If eating in the Ladon A la carte would recommend the beef entrecote; perfectly cooked steak and is included in your dining package. No complaints from us, enjoyed our stay and would happily return, many thanks from the Gray's!"

"Pros: - Room: Fantastic - Cleanliness: Fantastic - Gym classes: Fantastic and varied - Kids club: Fantastic - varied programme daily. Foam party was brilliant and the whole Family had a blast. Kids Club staff were engaging, trustworthy and enthusiastic. - Spa: Lovely environment and great massage, however not clear you have to book the pool facilities separately (which was a disappointment following my massage). - Bars: Nice atmosphere but free entertainment started late for young families. Cons: - Pools: too cold, which was a disappointment as our daughter is normally a water baby but she was reluctant to go in and got a cold during our stay. - Food: This was such a let down. I am such a foody and having stayed in other 5* all inclusive hotels, I was so disappointed by the quality and variety. The Al a carte restaurant was worse than the main buffet. Not enough fresh cut up fruit or fresh vegetables. Overall we had a great week and if you’re not bothered about food/drink and warm pools (in March) then this is a great family friendly resort."