"Our holiday was booked Sat 03rd Jan to Sat 10th Jan,cost around £2800. We that's serious value for money.
Booked a package of meet & greet security fast track and executive lounge. Around £165.00 on offer. Worth every penny. Greeted at the barrier via intercom told where to park, dropped the keys at the reception, straight over to check in bag drop. Jet two self check in luggage drop easy to use and well staffed. Straight through security into the executive lounge. Lovely service great choice of hot and cold food as well as alcoholic and none alcoholic drinks, worth the money. It was a bit chilly in the lounge but the weather outside was even colder so wrap up well. Jet two departed EMA on time. Arrived Las Palmas on time. Excellent onboard service, nicely chilled champagne set the mood and at £35 a good price.
Seamless transition through border control. The machines are easy to use and there's help on hand as well as a stamp in your passport, a throw back to the olden days of travel. Preferred to be in the EU but just got to get on and go with the flow, which flowed very well.
Met in arrivals by Jet two team. Directed to the private transfer booth just outside the airport main doors and across the road. Great welcome and our taxi driver was waiting, a nice black Mercedes beautifully clean and well appointed. We and our luggage were loaded in for the short 20 minute transfer to Playa del Inglés.
Warm welcome from the receptionist who explained about our stay, pool towels etc. she also changed some larger denomination euros into smaller ones very graciously. Our room was already available which was excellent news. Up we went to the 8th floor in one of 3 lifts, our luggage was brought up to us, within 5 minutes. The room had a large bed (two pushed together) sheets were clean, room was also spotlessly clean as was the bathroom. The room had a tv, cd player and a fridge in the sideboard. We also had two chairs at a table and one at a desk. We had a junior suite, big terrace with two chairs and a table, walk in closet with shelves, hanging space and a mirror. Lovely view onto the palm tree fringed pool area.
Christmas decorations were still out awaiting the three kings and epiphany for traditional Spanish celebrations, it was rather lovely. The poinsettias in the garden and individual fir trees in gold or red pots on the tables in the restaurant and the hotel rooms, nice touch.
We already knew that All Inclusive drinks are offered between 11am and 11pm, perfect for us. We also knew that snacks by the pool were extra. The All inclusive drinks offer is excellent, a lengthy bar menu available including Campari. There's also a smaller section of drinks not included but available at a reasonable price. We thought the value for money exceptional.
Jet Two had also provided information of noise from building work opposite the hotel. If you sat by the pool it was not really too intrusive, just rather noisy on the veranda terrace. We had a few days of peace as our holiday was over the epiphany period so a bank holiday for some. All in all not a spoiler.
Breakfast
Excellent choice, fruit cheese cold meats 5 different loaves to carve yourself, bread rolls pastries, fried eggs scrambled eggs, create your own omelette. Bacon baked beans sausages the list goes on, it was spot on to start the day along with different fruit juices, tea coffee and for a decadent start to the day a glass of rose or white wine fizz.
Lunch
Buffet style with pasta sauces garlic breads numerous salads chicken and beef or chops cooked to order , fries and assorted vegetables, the small round carrots were amazing, fish cooked to order, cheeses cold meats and a wide selection of desserts. The soup is also excellent. Coupled with red white rose wine or beer and soft drinks. Great choice and food quality spot on.
Dinner
Themed each day eg Mexican Italian Canarian. Salads canapés cheese cold meats hot beef chicken fish vegetables sauces eg bernaise for beef, lasagne, the list goes on. Hot and delicious or cold and delicious as you like. Two choices of soup as well as gazpacho with all its accompaniments. The same All Inclusive drinks are also available as at lunch. Also available is an extensive wine list with some real stars in the rose with an excellent Faustino at around €25 and some real special whites one of which is in the photos. Again around €20 and upwards. Served in an ice bucket.
Pool Bar
We never ate there but the drinks service was superb, you can get free nibbles like peanuts and popcorn. The drinks flow either in quality glassware if you drink in the social area immediately around the bar, or quality plastic ware for by the pool or on the veranda terrace.
Entertainment
We never participated , we like an early breakfast lunch and dinner. However, two ladies gave a fantastic fashion show around the pool on two days and on one other lunchtime a superb violinist entertained us, I wish I could remember her name it really was a joy to listen with the sun beating down and no sound of building works at all. That was on the Thursday. The animation team were always present be it with their roles looking after guests or taking shots around for a tasty alcoholic or none alcoholic tipple as well as fresh fruit skewers and popcorn.
Location
Perfect, 5 to 8 minutes to the beach, you can access the hotels car park entrance via the steps at the end of the veranda terrace or through the restaurant. This leads onto a road to the beach as well as to a really well stocked supermarket, you can even buy the same Faustino rose wine that's available in the hotel restaurant for around €7.00, you will need a cork screw, we had the mini fridge too so that was perfect. The supermarket has everything fresh milk, water snacks fresh bread really great place with lovely service too.
The Yumbo is a ten minute walk from the main reception entrance, top of the road turn left and it's a bit further up on your right. The Cafe de Paris has superb coffee, I recommend the cortado grande, as well as beautiful cakes.
Nearly at the end of the review. The team, wonderful people. Friendly and engaging, polite and humorous. Names I'm not good on I wish I had recorded them. From the start to the end of the day they maintained service at the highest of levels. They have clearly been welcoming the same guests for many years, from England, Germany, Spain and around Europe. No language barriers at all, dirt class communication skills, across every person that we came into contact with from housekeeping to the pool attendants , they had a pride in their job roles and delivered them to an excellent standard.
Finally, the flight home, slight half hour delay, but, excellent inflight service from the team a really pleasant experience, thank you.
P.S. we've been to Gran Canaria about 30 times since we've been together which is over 45 years, the Sandy Beach hotel knocks spots off the service and food quality at the likes of the Lopesan Gran Hotel Costa Meloneras. It's been a really great experience"
