"We had visited Puerto del Carmen several times before, although we'd always stayed further along the strip. This time we chose Gloria Izaro Club Hotel in the old harbour area, and overall it was an excellent stay.
Location:
The hotel is situated in the old harbour area, around a 10-minute walk to Biosfera and another 10 minutes to the seafront, coming out near Burger King. A Hiperdino supermarket is also only about five minutes away.
The walk downhill is easy enough, but the climb back up is fairly steep, so it's probably not one to attempt in heels!
Hotel:
Gloria Izaro is a fantastic hotel, spread over three main levels with ramps, a stairlift and a lift, making it very accessible. There's also a basement level with courtesy rooms for departure day, a laundry room, a basketball court and a small fitness area.
Room:
We booked half board and were allocated a top-floor room on the third level overlooking the pool. It had both a balcony and a large terrace complete with two sun loungers, plus a table and chairs.
The bedroom had a large wardrobe and a safe. The only disappointment was that the safe incurred an additional charge, which really feels like something that should be included.
The open-plan living area was spacious and bright, with air conditioning, a dining table and chairs, a fully equipped kitchenette with microwave, fridge and small freezer compartment, plus a large sofa, chair, coffee table and TV.
The bathroom had a good-sized shower and a full size hairdryer. The only slight downside was the vanity area, which could have been a little larger, especially when trying to accommodate toiletries, skincare products, brushes and hair straighteners.
Housekeeping was excellent. Our room was cleaned every day throughout our two-week stay, with fresh towels provided daily. The hotel also supplied bathrobes, slippers and pool towels, which could be exchanged whenever needed.
Wi-Fi was free throughout the hotel and consistently fast and reliable.
Food:
The buffet restaurant, located on the first level, serves both breakfast and dinner.
We had originally planned to eat out several evenings, but the food was so good that we only missed one dinner - and that was purely because of the England match kick-off time.
Breakfast offered an excellent selection of continental meats, cheeses, salads, fresh fruit and yogurts, alongside cereals, juices, smoothies and even Bloody Mary ingredients if you're feeling rough!
There is a coffee machine serving really nice cappuccinos, cortados, espressos and more, along with tea and hot chocolate. Fresh bread, rolls, pastries and cakes were available, together with a toast station.
The hot breakfast included everything you'd expect from a full English, as well as freshly made churros and American-style pancakes with Nutella and syrup.
Dinner was equally impressive. There was always a wide selection of cold meats, cheeses, pâté, olives, capers and salads, along with plenty of accompanying sauces. They also had individual aperitifs, dates wrapped in bacon was a fave.
Although we don't eat seafood, there appeared to be an excellent variety available each evening.
There were always wedges, chips, rice and vegetables, along with plain pasta served either hot or cold with a choice of sauces. Fresh pizzas were constantly being prepared, and large joints of meat were carved to order—the gammon was a particular highlight.
The menu changed nightly, but there was always something suitable, even for fussy eaters. Everything tasted freshly prepared, food didn't sit around long and empty trays were replenished quickly.
The desserts were excellent. If you enjoy marzipan, definitely try the green ice cream!
The only thing worth noting is that evening drinks are not included with half board. Drinks can either be paid for by card or charged to your room and settled later in cash at reception. We charged everything to our room, kept the receipts to monitor our spending and then settled once after the first week and again on departure.
Most evenings we just shared a bottle of still water with dinner before returning to our terrace to drink and relax.
* Bottle of still water: approximately €2.50
* Glass of rosé and a pint of lager: approximately €6.50
The hotel itself was so lovely that this became one of the few holidays where we happily spent most days within the complex, only occasionally wandering down to the seafront or Biosfera for a few hours on an afternoon.
Pool & Sun Loungers:
There are cabanas on the second level. We spent some time here and it was always quieter there, and the loungers are huge and comfy.
On the days we spend around the pool, we usually arrived between 8:30 and 9:00, straight after breakfast and relaxed whilst catching up on YouTube before the sun became too intense. We never had any difficulty finding loungers ourselves but some large families were reserving them in advance and not returning until around midday.
The staff did not remove the towels, which created a shortage of beds.
The hotel appears to not have enough sun loungers for the number of guests that will be there in the height of the summer. Thankfully, many considerate families only occupied enough loungers for the adults and older children, having the younger children share with them.
Considering the English and Welsh school summer holidays hadn't even begun, the pool area was already close to capacity.
The entertainment team runs organised pool games throughout the day, which is great. However, outside those sessions, and due to the pool being on the smaller side, I feel the pool should be left for guests to swim or relax without constant ball games that disturbed those wanting to swim or float and repeatedly hit and soaked those poolside with books, phones and Kindles.
The pool at its deepest is maybe 6ft deep and has clear "no diving" signs that weren't enforced either - the main offenders being larger grown men - again, disturbing everyone else trying to relax.
There is a separate, shallow children's splash pool beside the main pool, separated by a low glass barrier.
Although the pool issues didn't personally affect us, I do think management should enforce the pool rules regarding sunbed reservations and diving, and ball games need to be restricted to allow all guests to enjoy the pool equally, as they were clearly affecting other guests' enjoyment.
Pool Bar:
The pool bar has a covered seating area, and the food here was also excellent.
The menu includes pizzas, sandwiches, salads, pasta and other light meals.
As with the restaurant, purchases are card only or can be charged to your room.
We often ordered takeaway to enjoy lunch on our terrace before spending the afternoon sunbathing there.
The portions were very generous. A freshly made pizza costing around €7 was easily enough for two people, and we couldn't finish it. We also shared chips topped with bacon and cheese sauce for around €5, which again was more than enough for a lunchtime snack.
Staff:
Aside from the lifeguard's reluctance to enforce the pool rules, every member of staff we encountered was excellent.
Although we didn't participate in the daytime activities, the gentleman leading them was always cheerful and friendly.
The restaurant staff were consistently welcoming, the gentleman with glasses working the hot counter was full of personality, and José deserves a special mention for his exceptional friendliness and service.
Overall:
Gloria Izaro is a superb hotel with spacious, modern, well-equipped rooms, excellent food, spotlessly clean facilities and genuinely wonderful staff. We enjoyed our stay so much that we spent more time in the hotel than on almost any previous holiday.
The only real negatives were the issues around the pool. Issues that could be improved quite easily.
Sadly, Puerto del Carmen itself isn't quite the resort we remember from around 15 years ago. The atmosphere and clientele has changed considerably. Although we did visit The Mint Company, Adidas and Druni a few times on the front, and we had lunch at a very beautiful Asian restaurant (opposite Burger King).
I doubt we'll return to the resort itself and if we did, we would likely choose a child-free hotel. However, this is entirely personal preference, and I would absolutely recommend Gloria Izaro to anyone looking to visit."
