"My wife and I visited the Hotel Fariones for 10 nights in mid-September. We stayed on a B&B basis and were kindly upgraded to a junior suite on arrival. The room was on the fourth floor and had spectacular sea views. The room had everything you would expect in a luxury 5 star hotel, great beds, furnishings, quality bathrobes and slippers, plus a courtesy beach bag with two pairs of flip flops.
We stayed previously when the Fariones was a 4 star hotel and loved it, so we were hoping that the hotel had lost none of its charm now that it was an upmarket 5 star. Clearly, the hotel went to great lengths to ensure that the character of the hotel was maintained and improved on, as can be seen in every item of furniture and decor throughout all areas of the hotel. It was like you were always finding something new to look at and enjoy.
For us, the thing that makes an exceptional 5 star hotel stand out is the staff, and in this regard, the Fariones excels. Every member of staff we encountered was friendly and professional and felt like they were enjoying their roles. Everything is very well run, from the buffet breakfast to the bar and food service, the pool staff and of course the room cleaning, which also includes an evening turn-down service, with chocolates.
One of the most impressive areas of the old hotel was always the pool area and mature gardens overlooking the sea with several terraces to sunbathe and lounge around. Again, they have kept all that was best about the grounds and improved on it considerably. The new infinity pool is much larger now and is a fantastic area to hang out. There are still plenty of areas other than the pool where you will always find a couple of sunbeds, with a parasol, at any time of day. Though if you want to lounge in a particular spot, you will have to get up early to bag them.
On our arrival, we were invited to join in the hotels 60th anniversary celebrations that evening by the poolside. There was music, food, fireworks and a free bar till late. This was a great start to our holiday and it was lovely to see the family who own the hotel enjoying the festivities along with all the staff and invited guests.
The buffet breakfast was fantastic, a real treat every morning. We sometimes joined a small queue to wait for a table on the terrace, which was worth it just to sit and relax and take in the beautiful surroundings. There was always an excellent choice of food on offer and tea and coffee was served to our table by the always hard working and cheerful staff.
We ate a few evenings from the bar menu, before the evening entertainment. We found the food there was also very good, and reasonably priced, for a hotel of this quality. The entertainment was low key but in keeping with the relaxing mood of the hotel. The cocktails were very well made and at a decent price too.
We also tried the BBQ evening which the hotel hosted on Fridays on the terrace looking out on the small beach at the southern end of the hotel grounds. This cost €85 each and included plenty of meat, fish, poultry, salads, veg etc. and wine that was topped up regularly, by the attentive staff. I think the white wine at least, was produced by the hotel groups own local vineyard. There were about 34 diners, divided between two large tables, and it was a great way of meeting some of the other guests. It was a memorable evening and the food, drink and service were all top notch. We were so glad we booked it.
We also tried the hotels Spa and Wellness centre. We both had treatments, a first for me, and we were very glad that we did. The staff were friendly and very professional and good at what they do. As part of the price, we also got an hour after our treatments to relax and enjoy the facilities of the wellness centre, including the Turkish bath, sauna, plunge pool and jacuzzi. It was a great way to spend a few hours towards the end of our stay.
We couldn’t fault our stay at the Hotel Fariones, it is up there with the best hotels anywhere in the Canaries, or beyond. Puerto del Carmen is fortunate to have it on its doorstep. We look forward to returning before too long."