Seaside Los Jameos

"First, if you are going here please be reassured you will have a good time. The hotel is in the best position, extremely clean, lovely staff, good food and fabulous gardens and amenities. Very accessible from airport, close to bus stops, great flat walking along the promenade in both directions. Can walk into Arricife or Puerto Calero if you want long hikes. Small shops,bars, restaurants and supermarkets nearby. Quiet resort, nice long beach. This was our 5th visit so this review is really a comparison as to what it was and what it is now, and think we all understand how things have changed across the hotel sector. After lots of holidays this hotel became our benchmark of ticking the boxes from location, food, cleanliness, surroundings, staff, atmosphere, everything. Los Jameos Playa had it all. The first time we booked it was rated the number one hotel in PDC on Trip Advisor it's now number 11. (I am aware that you can't always rely on this these days but it's a fair indication of the changes) We booked very early in 2025 for a holiday in November 2025. Like a lot of guests we were quite apprehensive especially due to the all the set backs and moving dates but felt confident that everything would eventually resolve. We booked a Superior refurbished room, having been before we had a rough idea of what the different rooms and blocks offered and we had always had excellent rooms. Our first room wasn't good, overlooking the dining room extraction ducts and a broken toilet but we were moved immediately and upgraded to a deluxe room. (This had fabulous views but was noisy to the early hours ie 3.00am by the bars outside however we were happy to put up with this! ) There was still work going on, ie drilling at breakfast in the actual dining area, by the pool, the dust was everywhere, but again we overlooked this as know this work needed to be done, (the milk bar, the paella restaurant, the children kiosk was still not open in November.) The food quality and choice though has drastically changed. Maybe this is only apparent if you had visited before but previously one of the main highlights or draw of this hotel was the quality and high standard of the food. Sadly this has declined big time. The outdoor stations just don't work. Half empty, cold food, it just isn't a great experience. Lunch times food buffet very small. Always something to eat but not huge choices, there was a better selection of cold meats at breakfast. Dinner lots of burgers and sausages replacing the meat cuts. Pizza and Paella station but this was actually lukewarm and cold by the time you got back to the table as stone cold plates. Good to see more outdoor seating and finding a table was easy but unfortunately it wasn't weather proof so unusable when it rained. It was great to see some of the original staff and they work so hard and although still friendly when greeted, some of them did seem to have lost their spark. On the whole, the staff in the restaurant didn't seem happy or engaged. We didn't see Beattie the manager this time, a small thing remembering her from being the assistant manager every year she was visible at all times engaging with residents, answering every query under the sun, smiling, chatting to everyone making you feel welcome. (Was suprised as to what a difference this made as we aren't really that sentimental but we did miss her being at the helm!) It must have been a very difficult time for all staff during the closure. The grounds are as beautiful as ever, some replanting of lots of cacti and dry plants rather than the palms, assuming because of watering and notice that cactus is now the new Los Jameos symbol. We never had a problem getting a sunbed although you had to lug your own mattress about. The hotel seemed very quiet compared to previous visits, maybe it was because some of the blocks were still being refurbished plus it wasn't school holidays. Realise there has to be progress for hotel businesses to move forward but I am not really sure what the new target market is now for Los Jameos. It definitely has a long long way to go before it could claim to be a 5 star (eg, the food, the service, no door staff, no-one in the lobby, no security). It needs to concentrate on keeping it's 4 star. I am sure new guests will love it as it is a good average hotel. Sadly for us it just didn't have the same vibe so we wouldn't return."

"This was our 5th Xmas/New Year visit to the hotel so clearly we have enjoyed it very much in the past. The staff remain exceptional but standards have really dropped in other areas. The new kids area is great for small children and I'd recommend it any time for under 10's but there's nothing for teenagers - the manager suggested our 12 year old son could go to the gym instead yet it bans under-16's. The only area intended for teenagers is a shabby "amusement arcade" with expensive machines which are often broken: who wants their children to hang out in this sort of environment? There used to be a sandy corner with beach volley ball and football nets where kids could hang out but this has been removed. The hotel promised to build new tennis courts in 2025 but nothing had been started by Jan 2026. This was a huge disappointment. In fairness they offered to book courts and taxis to another hotel court for free - this was a nice gesture but I did not take them up on it. There is one court over the road from the hotel which was available but it is a desolate concrete bunker by the side of a road. I hope the hotel can recover the previous club atmosphere and excellent tennis provision which I used to enjoy very much. Sadly the food quality has taken a real hit this time - previously it was really high for the star-rating and price of the hotel. This is not helped by the new layout of the restaurant which forces you to walk through dining areas to access the cold foods and then queue for ages in the opposite end for hot food. The once pleasant terrace for eating al fresco has become a dark hole thanks to exceptionally bad design of the hot food stations which block any natural light yet offer no protection from rain or wind. One morning I tried to use tables immediately outside the dining area so I could enjoy the sunshine. I was told I'd have to get my own cups/cutlery if I wanted to sit there. The next day the same tables were set up for service correctly. The following day they were left unattended again and plates were left to pile up - I cleared a table and went to get a coffee - when I returned it had been taken over by some people smoking right next to the food. The next day I secured a table but was told to leave it by the manageress because of pigeon problems. A total farce and certainly not a 4 or even 3 star experience in this respect. Cold vegetarian dishes/salads were placed in front of meat dishes on buffet counters so that meat was inevitably spilled into the veggy plates - really poor planning. The new vegetarian hot counter was a positive change but staff were seen using it to fry meat sausages and the hot vegetable offerings were bland/repetitive... basically just side-dishes for the meat/fish. Croissants and bread rolls were often hard/stale. You have to creep under counters and between people's legs to find plates. New coffee machines are good quality but providing only 3 for this many guests is bizarre and one is made to queue with the staff to get a hot drink. Tuna sashimi once per week was really good but the absence of tuna steaks on the fish counter was disappointing, as was the absence of other higher-end produce such as carpaccio etc. I felt that the hotel was focussed on savings instead of upping or even maintaining their standards for food, such a pity. There are two bars in the evening. One is very much for the mature piano bar crowd and does not encourage kids, the other caters for the under-10's after dinner and until 9pm and then puts on a show 6 out of 7 nights. The shows really weren't worth waiting for. Smokers sit directly outside of this bar so that smoke wafts all evening inside through the open doors. If you have young kids below 10-ish (and bothered to read this far!) I'd recommend the hotel, staff are kind and the place feels secure. I hope the hotel improves the restaurant and does something for older children - spending 100 euros on a pile of board games from a charity shop to put in the unused "library" area would be good, a small teenage cinema room with sofas and pop-corn would be another easy addition. When we booked our room we were promised so much to justify the price-increase from last year and I felt the hotel failed to deliver on their promises. The room had new furnishings and air-con but the bathroom was still shabby and old. I did complain to the manager and received a 5% refund which was a kind gesture but it was not commensurate to the under-delivery. I do think the hotel care about their guests and it saddens me to write this review. I'd stay again, but will wait a year or two for them to hopefully deliver on their promises and check reviews before booking."

"Great location very close to beach with direct back entrance access. Super pools, separate one for kids. Rooms very nice. Staff very friendly. Breakfast has incredible selection of whatever you want from pancakes freshly made to lots of cured meats and cheeses. Beautiful hotel lobby, and overall design of hotel. Nice spa. Hotel very clean. Very few criticisms, there are at times not enough staff, especially at the busy times at breakfast and in the main bar at night. There were quite a few leaks in the roof after rain, and they were collecting it in buckets in the main restaurant area. This wasn't an issue but odd that it had not been fixed. And quite a bit of noise comes through the bedroom walls, even though they are solid. We would still stay again!"