Bahia Principe Explore Fantasia

"Just got back from an amazing 10 days at this hotel. Want to leave an honest review of our experience for anyone planning their holiday here. We travelled for the first time as a family of 4 (two adults, one 4.5 year old and a 6 month old). We absolutely loved our stay from start to finish. I did lots of research prior to visiting, to make the most of our stay. Top tip, download the app to book shows/restaurants 10 days before and join the Facebook group for tips and ask any questions beforehand. Staff: The staff at the hotel were amazing. Nothing was ever too much trouble. All so friendly and accommodating. From the cleaners, to the waiters, the entertainment team and the bell boys, everyone we met was fantastic. They were all so friendly and made a fuss of my 4 year old and baby everywhere we went. We couldn't walk past without a high five or a little tussle of his hair. It was very heart warming. Even on our first day, I asked a cleaner who had very little English where the baby changing area was. She not only lead me to the pull down table in the nearest toilets, she kindly lead me around the other side of the hotel and showed me the designated feeding/changing room by the indoor play ground. I was very grateful to her for going out of her way to do this. The entertainment team are phenomenal with the children. They work so hard and look genuinely happy to be there, keep them engaged and entertained all day. My little one only went to the actual kids club for a couple of hours one afternoon, but staff are very present around the hotel and there's lots of activities to join in with throughout the day. They are amazing and the kids look like they are having so much fun. It's also very safe. They wear air tags and pink vests so the children can be identified and take parent contact details at drop off. Facilities: The hotel is spotlessly clean. Staff are cleaning morning and night all over the hotel. Rooms are beautiful, well equipped and again spotless. The kids club is fun, modern and well maintained. The teens club/arcade are a brilliant addition. Bars, restaurants, pool snack bar are brilliant. So inviting! There's shower facilities in the club house if you want to use the pool on your last day after you've checked out of the room too. Food: Lots of variety and plenty to choose from. I wouldn't say it's necessarily five star standard and it can get a bit repetitive, but like I say there's enough choice there to have something different each day if you're not too picky. Plenty of pizza, pasta, meat and fish dishes, salads, bread, fruit, delicious desserts every day. All fresh and tasty. The A la carte restaurants were lovely. We ate at the Italian once and the steak restaurant twice. My little one loved making his own pizza. Food was nice. Well presented and overall better standard than the buffet restaurant which is what you want. Was a nice change and felt like a treat to "eat out" of the main buffet restaurant. We also visited the Indian restaurant across the road from the hotel. Now the place itself is very ordinary looking (so don't get excited like I did to go to a fancy restaurant), but brilliant service, clean and really delicious food! Worth a visit if you like a nice Indian meal. Shows/entertainment: We saw Toy Circus, Carnival and IMOX. All shows were fantastic. West end quality. Very talented singers and dancers. The tree show on a Wednesday was outstanding too. I didn't realise until one of our last nights that on the hotel TV there is a channel with a little cartoon showing the story which explains the theme behind the hotel, about the dragon and the tree with golden apples and the castle etc. We enjoyed that and it all made sense! In addition to the shows, there's a mini disco every night at 7pm. Same songs and dances etc. every night, but they have different mascots and different themes each night. Lovely for children under 6 I'd day. I was concerned about being bored in the evenings due to the lack of traditional hotel evening entertainment every night, but to be honest, we were always rushing to fit it all in. By the time you go to the mini disco, eat, watch a show, go to the sports bar to catch bingo, quiz, karaoke etc it was time to go to bed! They also have singers on the terrace and in the lobby bar too and the nightly castle light shows which are lovely! We were non-stop the whole 10 nights. Pools/snack bar: Pools are lovely. Well maintained. Can be chilly, but fine once you're in! Be careful walking as tiles are slippery, but you get used to it. Sunbeds were never an issue. My partner put towels on around 8am in the morning, only because we liked to sit in the same spot if we could- but plenty of beds around at a later time. Lots going on around the pool. Water polo, aqua gym, pool carpet and foam party. Lively music played throughout the day, but quiet periods too. We loved it! And there's a lady who sells beach wear next to the pool once a week who does a fashion show showing all her merchandise. All I can say is fair play! 👏 The lady has confidence and looks amazing! The candy man and team are always around the pool and hotel entertaining the kids with tricks and handing out sweets. So lovely! There's a little show on at 4pm by the snack bar too where the candy man does a bit and the entertainment team to activities with the children. All can join in, not just kids club. My 4 year old loved parrots birthday party. They did party games and had chocolate cake. It was great. There was also a magician show on one day too- this was brilliant! Mcdonalds style snack bar-nice. Typical nuggets, chips, chicken burgers, chicken wraps etc. Wasn't a fan of the beef burgers personally, but there's other choices available. Nice fruit, salad and small dessert section too. My 4 year old loved it and enjoyed helping himself to the little tubs of ice-cream as well. We went into San Blas for the day. Go out the back gate of the hotel, turn left and keep walking along the sea front for about 10-15 minutes. You'll come out at San Blas square. Couple of nice restaurants, souvenir shops, small super market, perfume shops etc. We ate at Plaza Breeze which again was lovely. Staff were great and nice selection of food for the more British palette (ribs, pizza, pasta dishes, fajitas etc.) We also did Loro Parque and the Monkey park. We booked Loro Parque through the excursions desk at the hotel. Easy to arrange. Long bus journey (about an hour and half) but brilliant day. Loads to see and do-but non-stop to fit it all in. The monkey park we booked a taxi at reception and paid on entry to the park. The taxi was literally there before we even walked out of the hotel doors. Took about 20 minutes to get there, around 30 euros each way. Great day out! My 4 year old loved feeding the guinea pigs and interacting with all the monkeys and animals they have there. The overall look of the hotel is beautiful. We honestly loved it and would definitely go back when my youngest is old enough to appreciate it. Fantastic hotel for families with younger children, but I'm will sure it will be enjoyed by all ages. We had an amazing time and I'm sure you will too!"

"We have just returned from a 5 night stay here and absolutely loved it, the hotel is stunning and has so much to do for kids. The pool options are great, we spent most of our time at the kids slides and the little ones had a ball. The staff & lifeguards are all so friendly too, they really went abovr nd beyond for us all week, including giving us a fantastic room in a great location after emailing them in advance of arriving. Plenty of entertainment and live shows to keep you going at nights too The food was good but not great however, we tried the talian restaurant which was nice but felt we were being rushed in an out as fast as possible, and the main buffet is 3 or 4 star at best, but still plenty of options! The sports bar was a bit annoying too, for some reason they didnt open for the Scotland game.on a Saturday afternoon and instead crammed us all into a corner in the lobby with a small TV you could barely watch, we also waited until after the football finished on Sunday night to go try the karaoke, only to be told by thr DJ that all the spots were already full 10 mins after it started, so that was disappointing as our group and the kids had been looking forward to it all week Minor issues aside though, this is a great hotel and we'd defo return again next year"

"We recently stayed at Bahia Principe Fantasia Tenerife and, while it was an enjoyable holiday overall, I don't feel the hotel justifies either its 5-star rating or the premium price tag attached to it. The hotel itself is clean, modern, and well maintained. We stayed in a Junior Suite, which was spacious, comfortable, and equipped with useful amenities such as an iron and ironing board, room safe, mini fridge, shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner. Water refill stations on every floor, along with the reusable water bottles provided, were a great touch. However, I was surprised that there were no bathrobes or some of the smaller luxury amenities you would typically expect from a 5-star property. The biggest disappointment was the food. The main buffet restaurant offered a fairly limited selection, and the quality was average rather than exceptional. As an all-inclusive guest, I expected a wider range of options and a more varied dining experience. The hotel included two à la carte restaurant visits during our stay. We tried both the Steakhouse and the Asian Restaurant. The Steakhouse was excellent, and I couldn't fault the food or service there. Unfortunately, the Asian restaurant was less impressive, with a limited menu and additional charges for sushi, which felt disappointing given the all-inclusive package. Another area that could be improved is the bar service. During the day, only one staffed bar offered cocktails, which resulted in long queues and slow service. Most of the poolside bars were self-service, with a limited selection that included soft drinks, slushies, beer, house red and white wine, and sangria. The patisserie was also an additional charge rather than being included as part of the all-inclusive offering, which was another surprise. Entertainment was fairly limited, with only one show per week during our stay. While this may be sufficient for some guests, I felt there could have been more variety considering the hotel's rating. We hired a Balinese bed for €50 per day, which proved worthwhile, particularly on the windier days as it provided reliable shade without worrying about parasols blowing over. Late checkout was unfortunately unavailable. The clubhouse facilities were adequate, and I appreciated the availability of fresh towels, although the open-plan shower cubicles offered very little privacy. Where this hotel truly excels is in catering for families with younger children. The facilities are geared towards kids, and the snack bar has a fast-food style offering similar to McDonald's, which younger guests will likely love. Having previously holidayed in Turkey, I couldn't help but compare the experience. In my opinion, the Turkish resorts I've visited have consistently outperformed this hotel in terms of food quality, service, value for money, and overall luxury. Would I return? Possibly, but only if I found a particularly good deal. While the hotel is modern, clean, and family-friendly, I don't believe it offers the value for money or level of service that its 5-star rating suggests. Summary Pros: Clean and modern hotel Spacious and comfortable rooms Excellent Steakhouse restaurant Great facilities for young families Convenient water refill stations Cons: Average buffet food with limited choice Additional charges for some food items Limited cocktail bar service resulting in queues Minimal entertainment Lacks some expected 5-star touches Poor value for money at full price"