"I agree with some of the other reviews, no it wasn’t broken, it didn’t need fixing, but now it is absolutely fantastic! Our entire experience this time was exceptional, from the booking process with Leticia in reservations to checking out at the end.
We’ve been coming to this hotel for well over 17 years, and stayed too many times to count. We first visited when our son was very young and now he’s grown up, we can’t seem to stop coming here as a couple. It has a fantastic location on the beachfront, 5 minutes from the airport, it’s all just so easy. We had last stayed in November and although we enjoyed the holiday, it was nothing to rave about. We had tried to book all inclusive premium in November but were informed it wasn’t available shortly before the stay. Neither the a la carte restaurant or the Milk Lab were finished in November and it didn’t really look as though the main restaurant was either.
This time everything was finished and premium all-inclusive was good to go. What a difference it made. Like day and night. Over the years, despite being all inclusive, we’d resigned ourselves to buying wine from the local supermarkets and having a drink on the balcony before meals because I could definitely take or leave (leave) the all inclusive wine. We book all inclusive because it’s just easy.
Now you are simply spoilt for choice for a decent drink pretty much anywhere in the hotel. All inclusive premium brand champagne is something we’ve only come across in a very high end resort like Jumby Bay in the Caribbean years ago. We were definitely sceptical and were waiting for the catch. Was it real? We weren’t sure at first and headed off to see exactly what was a Milk Lab.
Despite its unusual name, the only way to describe the Milk Lab was sublime! But it was off to a rocky start with ridiculously loud music, then two glasses of the usual all inclusive Cava arrived after we’d ordered two glasses of champagne. Ah here’s the catch, we sighed. But no, once I pointed it out they were quickly replaced with glasses of ice cold Tattinger from the wet bar. Served to our table by the really lovely, fantastic staff there, it was like Noella could read our minds. No issue with turning the beat down a notch. The service was absolutely as premium as the drinks. They have many other fantastic offerings on the Milk Lab menu, we weren’t there long enough to try them all but it was all included with premium all inclusive. I did have some lovely ice cream and fresh strawberries. Gen Z will appreciate the blended juices and protein shakes. Not getting into our generation, but we appreciated them too.
The Piano bar was just as good and this time we could enjoy a drink on the terrace before dinner. The premium wine options were obviously chosen well, and were delivered with the same friendly and attentive service as in the Milk Lab.
The food is always pretty good and varied. There’s a much better vegetable choice now and I think it would be hard to find a comparable offering at an all inclusive. Yes, with the new layout it’s a bit further to walk, I’m not keen on bending in between people to get a plate at the salads and desserts either, but the restaurant is all finished and the inside seating no longer feels like a canteen, which it did in November. It looks cosy and inviting although we still preferred to sit outside. We noticed there seemed to be more frontline waiting staff rather than lots of managers just walking around, and as a result the service seemed better. Alexis and Yolandi are so friendly and work so hard amongst many others, they all do a great job.
The hotel generally had a more upmarket feel to it with a more relaxing and serene atmosphere, while being just as welcoming. It is a shame the tennis courts have gone, and although the new children’s pool area looks like a child’s heaven and potentially noisy, we didn’t really notice it except when exploring. As a result there’s more of an adult feel around the other pools.
We only thought it was a shame that the premium wines weren’t available with lunch or dinner, so like previous stays we were back on water at mealtimes. But it wasn’t exactly hard to go and get a drink from the Milk Lab or the pool bar. We also found the stocked minibar unnecessary and we emptied out the bottles of fizzy drinks to free up the fridge for water. Might be better as an option on request. Children will probably love it though.
We’d stayed at least twice since the bathroom refurbishments which can only have been designed by someone who doesn’t use anything except shower gel in the shower. I have back problems and was not prepared to get my things from the shower floor again. This time I came prepared with my own solution see photo, £10 from Next. And talking of bad backs, the new mattresses are very good for them, we absolutely loved them. Pillow options would be the cherry on top, we’d tried and failed to get a firmer one in November.
Although we were disappointed we didn’t see Beata Sekula this time (she once sorted out a perfect pillow for me!), it is actually the first stay we’ve ever had where it wasn’t obvious she wasn’t around. Everything ran like a well oiled machine, so maybe she was there and we just didn’t see her. But we have no doubt she is behind it all.
The Los Jameos Playa has now emerged as an even shinier version of itself with more variety and high end options which are undoubtedly 5 star. I am really not that easy to please and don’t often take the time to write reviews. But I had to write this one as this time it had everything we need in a holiday such as sun, sea views, relaxation, great food, wonderful service, nice wines and champagne. Not necessarily in that order. I would be surprised if you could top the offerings here in the whole of the Canaries now. Maybe it was a one off? I’ll have to go back to check and bring gen z."
