"Booked for 2 weeks in early May with BA Holidays travelling to/from Gatwick. Took the option of a shared airport shuttle as a BA add-on both ways.
Arrived early afternoon at the hotel (50 mins by shuttle including several stops) located between the centres of Playa d’Ingles and Maspalomas in a very quiet but well landscaped area.
What makes this hotel stand out and made the holiday such a relaxing break was the staff that work there as well as the food, bar, entertainment, overall cleanliness and hotel condition.
The staff work so well as a team all the time and it is their attention to detail in everything they do that made this such a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.
Reception team are very welcoming and offered a free glass of sparkling wine at check-in. Wristbands are used for ID and the RFID chip also acts as your room key. There is a very small mini-mart within the Reception with reasonable prices and can be charged to your room and a self-serve ice-machine. A small number of free to use mountain bikes with helmets are available – just a simple waiver to sign. The hotel offers a free shuttle to the centre of Maspalomas (beach and/or shopping) with 3 departures in the morning, returning in the afternoon.
The hotel is all on ground level with the exception of the Spa and Gym located on top of the main restaurant. Accommodation is mainly bungalow type – we chose a junior suite which make up the majority of the rooms.
Junior Suites have a separate lounge area from the bedroom and a shower room. Initially the rooms felt ‘compact’ but were actually well designed and extremely comfortable. Most of the Junior Suites are in blocks of 4 and all have an open patio area with a table, chairs and 2 sun loungers. You enter (using your RFID wristband) through patio type doors into the lounge area which has a sofa, large TV, fridge, kettle and coffee machine (Dolce Gusto). Standard set-up was 4 tea bags, 4 coffee capsules, milk capsules, 2 large bottles of water – all replenished daily. Each suite has it’s own wi-fi router which was free and fast (also throughout the hotel). Shower room has a walk-in shower with overhead rain showerhead, toilet and wash basin with fixed hairdryer to the side. Fluffy bathrobes provided, towels changed daily. Bedroom had a large double bed – very very comfortable. There is no wardrobe which seemed strange – but there is an open clothes rail with 15 hangers, another fold down rail that can hold 8 hangers, 3 medium drawers, a shelf and a room safe. Good quality pool towels provided. The rooms are ‘compact’ but cleverly designed with mirrored sliding doors separating the 3 areas. Some Junior Suites have fully enclosed gardens with jacuzzi for a supplement. Daily housekeeping service and full time maintenance of the hotel grounds.
The bungalows surround the large salt water pool which has a sectioned 25m swimming lane available. There was never any problem getting a sunbed – in fact there were so many sunbeds nobody reserves them. Even at 11.00am less than a half of the sunbeds were in use and never ever saw more than 70% in use (and we spent every day at the pool). Also worth noting there is plenty of space between pairs of sunbeds with each having a parasol and table. In addition to the sunbeds (adjustable and comfortable) are some low level heavily cushioned beds and some fixed beds within the pool itself.
The main restaurant and bar are located at the shallow end of the pool and is designed as part inside / part outside (shaded) as well as some seating options in the full sun. There is an open air stage within the restaurant / bar area where local acts and tribute acts perform every night – they are to a good standard and we enjoyed all of them. The bar acts as the pool bar during the day and restaurant bar at night. A separate area is dedicated for smokers (not permitted in main bar and restaurant). Large TV screens in the bar and smoking area showing live sports in the evenings.
Our plan included breakfast – WOW! a fantastic buffet selection and so many choices with daily specials. Good quality coffee and multiple healthy choices. Sunday morning included a brunch type set-up too at no extra charge. Evenings in the restaurant is a buffet with themed evenings – we never ate in the evening but a lot of guests did. We frequented the bar every evening and the evening buffet choice looked as good as the breakfast choice in terms of quality and presentation.
Dress code in the evenings is smart casual, tailored shorts permitted but no open-toed footwear for men – was never an issue and guests generally dressed up in the evenings. Also noted that very few people wore flip-flops or swimwear at breakfast either.
The pool bar offers a very good daytime menu until 4.30pm and then this menu is available as room service in the evening. We used this 3 times either during the day around the pool or as room service – you won’t be disappointed, large portions well presented.
Pool bar prices for drinks and food were very reasonable for a hotel and there was a large selection of drinks including cocktails and wines.
Evening entertainment concluded around 10.00pm - never any noise issues.
Above the restaurant and bar is the Spa and Gym – very nice area which includes a huge jacuzzi, cold water plunge bath, mixed sauna and steam room. There are also sunbeds on this level too. To the side are spa treatment rooms (not heavily promoted, no cold calling or upselling) and a spacious well equipped gym that appeared to be constantly in used but never by more than 2 or 3 guests.
The hotel offers a yoga class 3 mornings a weeks and an aqua exercise class in the pool 3 lunchtimes a week – very subtle, doesn’t disturb and no pressure to take part. There are also 2 workshops a week on local cuisine / culture. All of these are free.
But what really made this holiday special was the staff and the way they work together. It is so clean and well maintained. They clear tables and tidy furniture immediately – considering the restaurant is mostly open-air, we did not see a single bird or fly in the area. There were subtle changes to furniture layouts for breakfast, daytime and evening; crockery and glassware were to a high standard; restrooms immaculate. Nowhere was crowded or cluttered – essential signage only, any notices discreet and minimal. Staff showed genuine interest, engaged in conversation, got to know you and remember your drink preferences.
Worth mentioning, there is very little within the immediate area (15 mins walking zone) of the hotel to do. Taxis are easily available and the local bus service looked to be reliable.
Overall this was the most relaxing and rejuvenating holiday I have had in many years and will definitely be returning, most probably next year."
