"We stayed at Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife for our honeymoon and overall came home with some really lovely memories.
The biggest positive has to be the staff. We found the staff throughout the hotel exceptional, friendly, welcoming, helpful and genuinely lovely to deal with. The hotel was also spotlessly clean.
The Eden Pool was one of our favourite parts of the holiday. It was a gorgeous place to relax, the atmosphere was lovely and the cocktails were great.
The 16th rooftop bar was another real highlight. One member of staff in particular really made the experience for us. Unfortunately, we didn't get his name, but he was the bartender who created the cocktail menu and his passion for it was obvious. He had clearly put an incredible amount of thought and work into the drinks, even preparing and fermenting some of the ingredients and mixers in-house.
What made the experience even better was that he didn't simply stay behind the bar. He walked around the rooftop, spoke to guests individually, took orders and spent time finding out what people actually liked before making recommendations. My husband is a whiskey drinker and his recommendation for him was absolutely spot on. He was incredibly knowledgeable while still being friendly and down to earth, and you could see him giving that same attention to everyone. He genuinely added something special to our evening and deserves recognition.
Montauk was also exceptional. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding. We completely understood that this was a more premium dining experience and that all-inclusive guests receive a 30% discount rather than having it fully included. We were happy to pay extra because, in this case, the quality justified it. However, it is still a significant additional expense on top of an all-inclusive holiday.
Unfortunately, our biggest disappointment was the all-inclusive package itself. We had paid for all-inclusive as well as a suite for our honeymoon, but throughout the stay there seemed to be additional charges everywhere. Individually, many of these things wouldn't have been a major issue, but together they created a constant feeling of being upsold.
The buffet had a huge amount of choice, so variety was absolutely not the problem. Unfortunately, the taste and quality of the food itself were far below what we would expect from a five star hotel. If I were reviewing the buffet food alone, I would genuinely struggle to give it more than one star. That was particularly disappointing because Montauk and the 3rd Half Sports bar showed just how good the food within the hotel can be.
The lunchtime arrangements were also frustrating at times. At Splash Pool Bar specifically, the all-inclusive lunch service was available from 12–1pm and then again from 3–5pm, leaving a gap between 1pm and 3pm. We were relaxing by the pool and would naturally have eaten lunch around 1–2pm, so having to wait until 3pm to order there seemed unnecessarily awkward for an all-inclusive resort.
We had also hoped to try Suena Chido, but when we went to book it, it wasn't opening again until the Friday, which was our final night and we had already made other plans. It was disappointing to spend a week at the resort and not really have an opportunity to experience it.
Room service was another area where we found the experience surprisingly rigid. I asked if I could have a side portion of coleslaw, which wasn't specifically listed on the room service menu. I was simply told that because it wasn't on the menu, they couldn't provide it. I completely understand that menus exist for a reason, but it was such a tiny request that the lack of any flexibility felt strange, particularly when we were paying for both an all-inclusive package and a suite. Room service itself was also very expensive €21 for a salad.
There were also fairly ordinary food items carrying additional charges. Personally, I don't think something as simple as a Caesar salad should feel like a premium upgrade when you've already paid for all-inclusive.
We had a similar experience with the spa. A representative came around the pool advertising treatments, including a promotional massage. I decided I would book one for the following day, only to be told the promotional price was available that day only. Again, a small thing in isolation, but it contributed to that overall feeling that so many things came with conditions or another charge.
The hotel's photography service was another example. A photographer came up to us and asked if we woukd like some photos, with it being out honeymoon we said why not. We had some lovely photographs taken but the 13 digital photographs emailed to us cost €110. Under normal circumstances we simply would not have paid that amount, but because this was our honeymoon the photographs had sentimental value to us and we decided to buy them. It would be lovely to see some sort of package or reduced rate for hotel or all-inclusive guests.
Even at The 16th, which we absolutely loved, drinks weren't included within the all-inclusive package and guests instead receive a 20% discount.
My husband also paid €70 extra for the lobster at the Beach Club and unfortunately found it very disappointing in both taste and quality. When you're paying that much for one additional dish on top of an all-inclusive package, you expect it to be something special.
And that really sums up our experience. We don't expect absolutely everything in a five star resort to be included simply because we booked all-inclusive. We completely understand paying extra for genuinely premium experiences, and Montauk is a perfect example of somewhere we were happy to do that because the quality delivered.
The issue was the accumulation of additional charges, the occasional lack of flexibility and, most importantly, buffet food that simply wasn't anywhere near five-star quality. By the end of the week, the all-inclusive package didn't feel particularly all-inclusive except for the drinks.
That said, I really don't want any of this to overshadow how good the staff were. The service, cleanliness, pools and atmosphere were excellent, and some individual members of staff genuinely elevated our honeymoon. With a much higher standard of buffet food and an all-inclusive package that feels a little more generous and flexible, this hotel could deliver an outstanding five star experience."
