"We stayed at Park Club Europe from 26th July to 5th August. Overall I’d give it a 6/10. We still had a good holiday, but for what we paid I really don’t think the hotel was worth the money.
The photos made it look like a nice older Spanish style hotel. When we arrived, I realised it wasn’t really old Spanish style, it was simply outdated. You can tell parts of the hotel haven’t had serious money spent on them for years.
Our room absolutely stank of damp when we arrived and there’s no air conditioning, only fans, so it gets VERY hot. The room itself did the job, the balcony was a good size and the bathroom was actually brilliant. It looked recently renovated and the shower was probably one of the best I’ve had in a hotel.
Cleaning could have been better. My partner got lipstick on her pillow on day one and the same lipstick was still there on day three. The room never felt dirty, but clearly the bedding wasn’t being changed regularly.
The whole place also feels like a bit of a money pit. They give you the bare minimum, then charge you for anything extra. My parents wanted a kettle and had to pay around €30. Want a fan? Another €30. When you’ve already paid a lot for an all inclusive holiday, it gets annoying.
The food was probably the biggest disappointment. 3/10 for me. I genuinely didn’t have one good meal from the main buffet. There was plenty of food, but it was more random pick me bits than actual meals. I tried an egg that still had jelly like uncooked egg white on it and that completely put me off. The barbecue was slightly better, but still nothing special.
The all inclusive drinks were also awful. Dorada beer tastes like wee 😂 so I drank shandy most of the holiday. The cocktails were probably the worst I’ve had at an all inclusive. Premixed in jugs, warm, poured into a cup with an ice cube thrown in. I gave up with them.
The pools are one of the best things about the hotel. There are plenty of them and we always managed to find sunbeds. If you want one right next to the pool, get down around 7am, but I definitely wouldn’t call it sunbed wars.
I didn’t like the saltwater pool though. It burned my eyes and skin and felt completely different to other saltwater pools I’ve used. I also cut my arm on one of the solid plaster type slides.
The lifeguards concerned me too. I regularly saw them eating, on their phones or sitting somewhere they couldn’t properly see the pool. With that many children around, I think they need to be much more attentive.
The kids club was brilliant. My daughter loved it and never wanted to come back 😂. The staff were lovely with the kids and genuinely seemed to care. There’s also a park, animals, fish and turtles, so there’s plenty for younger children.
The evening entertainment had some good ideas and the lighting, smoke and effects were actually really cool, but everything seemed to be done in house and mostly mimed. The music was also ridiculously loud. I like loud music and even I was sitting with my fingers in my ears. We ended up buying the kids ear defenders and eventually started going out for entertainment instead.
Most of the staff were lovely. Reception were always helpful. There was one barman who seemed rude initially, but after we spoke to him he was absolutely fine.
Ramón deserves a special mention. He was honestly the life of the hotel for me. Every time I got a drink he made me laugh and took a genuine interest in me and my family. We spoke about home, Tenerife and all sorts. He was such a lovely bloke I ended up tipping him £50. Park Club Europe needs to look after him because he’s an absolute asset to the place.
Accessibility is one of the hotel’s biggest problems. I’d recently broken my hip and was on crutches and my mother uses a wheelchair. There are no lifts and stairs everywhere. Even getting from our room to the pool felt like an obstacle course of stairs and steep slopes. If you have mobility problems, definitely contact them before booking.
The WiFi is free but annoying. It regularly disconnects and makes you validate your email again, especially when moving between different areas of the hotel.
The location is absolutely brilliant. You’re about 100 steps from the Golden Mile and the strip, but you don’t really hear it. Veronicas is roughly a 10 minute walk away, so you’re close to everything without being right in the middle of the madness.
Would I return? Yes, but only for a MUCH cheaper price.
If I paid around £700 to £800 per person, I’d consider it again, but I’d treat the hotel purely as a base. I’d use the pools and sleep there, then go out for food, drinks and entertainment.
For £1,500 plus per person, absolutely not. There are much better hotels available for less money. Last year we stayed at Parque La Paz, which was smaller with a worse pool and entertainment, but it was cheaper, cleaner and the food was much better.
Park Club Europe isn’t terrible and we still had a good holiday. It has great pools, an excellent location, a brilliant kids club and mostly lovely staff. It just desperately needs some of the money it’s making invested back into the hotel.
Overall 6/10. Good holiday, but definitely not worth what we paid."
