"We have visited La Palma Princess several times so clearly it is a resort that we enjoy, it has so much going for it - beautiful surroundings/views. great food, lovely piano bar, but on our last couple of visits it has been really let down by things other guests are allowed to do that spoil the enjoyment of the majority.
Since I last visited last Easter it seems there have been some improvements - place was generally a lot cleaner (particularly round the poolside and the tables in the bar), all the bars were open this time which meant queues for drinks were rare even when really busy. So this was to be appreciated.
Food - Very good, always loads of variety - sometimes dishes would be empty (particularly desserts) so more effort needed to keep items fully stocked at busy times. In the second half of our stay queuing became an issue around the hot service counters with people blocking the way to things that were not being used whilst queuing for more popular items - this was very frustrating and led to a school canteen feel rather than a luxury resort! Why they don't move the queues the other way so people queue out and back towards the seating so not blocking the rest of the food I don't know. Mexican night was a particular problem as people took forever to make up single fajitas. Service in restaurant is hit and miss - they need 4 staff to show you to a table, but plates are often not cleared for ages - wouldn't staff be better utilised clearing! On our final lunch we were told we could sit wherever on entry we went to the balcony (which the doors were open to), half way through our meal a waitress told us we had to move as the area wasn't open. She then stood and watched as we were made to carry our half eaten food elsewhere - Not what I expect in terms of service!
Bars - Good service, drinks are fine, If there are a lot of people at the bar the Spanish will always be served first!
Pools - The pools are great and the pool area was much cleaner than last time we came. It is frustrating to someone who enjoys a bit of peace and quiet that the pools you used to get this at are now adult only and it has changed the vibe of the resort for us. There is lots of shade around the pool, but you need to get up super early to get a sunbed. Towels were already out before 6am! Be aware there are lots of big groups at this hotel and they will often come and take over an area later in the day and squeeze a family of 6 into a space only big enough for two.
Spa - I always use the spa at the resort for an afternoon - it is very good, but they do need to fix some of the things in the pool (they have been broken for years). Good value though, although the one hour time limit is short!
Arrival/departure - we travelled with TUI, both flights were late but generally ok. La Palma airport is poor for food so be warned if first time visitor. Transfers were smooth as was check in. Check out we had a courtesy room which was fine although 30 minutes for a family is a real rush when part of the time is spent walking to and from the room and you are reliant on the previous family handing the key back on time.
Room - Bit dated, but comfy and cleaned to a good standard daily with fresh towels/linen. Showers are very good.
Activities/animation team - Lots going on all the time, my son loved the activities and the diplomas are a nice touch. Didn't really watch the shows as have seen them all before (they are the same shows they had 10 plus years ago) and sitting in the disco meant contending with screaming children running back and forth like they are on a playground. Special mention to Flavio at piano bar - very talented!
In reply to a couple of complaints on here - bands were kept until departure and you could enjoy AI until you left - perhaps it is different boards that have bands removed. Pool towels were in our room on arrival - no deposit needed (though we have had to do this in the past)
Now my biggest gripe about the resort and the reason I always question returning. The resort management are happy to simply allow others to spoil he enjoyment of their other guests. There are 3 areas that I feel need improvement:
It was rare to be in anywhere in this hotel without hearing the tinny, irritating sound from someone having their phone on speaker. Often it would be making calls on loudspeaker, but also included playing music, watching tv or playing games. This would be common by the pool, at mealtimes, around the bars - even in the toilets and in the pool. I have no idea why people are so reluctant to wear HEADPHONES/EAR PODS and would prefer to inflict their noise on others. The worst cases were whole families sitting at diner with their phones on loud ignoring one another whilst those nearby had to suffer a variety of random sounds and a woman having an hour long loudspeaker call right in front of the pianist who was performing in the piano bar - so rude. This resort is massive and the hotel could very easily implement quiet areas where devices cannot be played on volume (one pool and areas of the bar/restaurant).
Second gripe in a similar vein is smoking/vaping - this is rife around the poolside despite no smoking signs and designated smoking areas. I saw one woman right next to the pool basically chain smoking for the entire week and despite many staff passing her not one challenged her and directed her to a smoking area. I do not bring my child on holiday to inhale chemicals - but many seem to think this acceptable. I noticed a number of smokers move away from their own family when smoking and stand next to somebody else's instead. Again there is a simple fix to this - staff need to be more pro-active in asking people to follow the no smoking signage. The red SOS staff appear to do very little around the pool so it's not a big ask.
Finally this resort is loud - don't expect to be able to relax - even in the piano bar which was generally a more relaxing space one night it was taken over by a large gang of kids demanding the pianist play a song for them. They were quite intimidating and not a parent to be seen. The pianist dealt with it well, but it should not have gotten to the stage where he had to deal with this. I recognise the hotel is not responsible for parenting the children of guests, but I think it highlights the type of guest at this resort.
I'd love to give a 4 or 5 star review but until they do something about smoking/vaping and implement something to deal with people using loudspeakers everywhere I can't as it really impacted my enjoyment and relaxation."
