Florida Hotel - Puerto de la Cruz - Tenerife Holiday Truths reviews, reports and discussion

Holiday-Truth Readers Reports

Keith from London travelled to Florida Hotel with Thomson on a singles holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2009

Keith rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Hotel Florida is located on the edge of Puerto de la Cruz, a couple of minutes walk down to the beach, ten minutes walk into the centre of town, twenty minutes walk to Punta Brava. Puerto de la Cruz is an old colonial town on the north coast of Tenerife, about 1 hours drive from the airport in the south.

http://www.heureka.clara.net/tenerife/puerto.htm

For the last few years, Hotel Florida has slowly slowly been improving. End of last year saw a new company take over the hotel and a new inexperienced manager appointed. This has resulted in a dramatic fall in standards.

People go on holiday to relax, to revitalise their sagging souls. Not possible at Hotel Florida.

Every day the same appalling music playing. It seemed to be on a repetitive loop. At breakfast the music thumping out as though in a disco! So loud was it in the restaurant that it was loud outside by the swimming pool.

Not what you want at breakfast, especially after a late night out or if you have arrived in the early hours, checked in and had little sleep. The music was unsuitable for the time of day, unsuitable for the clientele and far far too loud. Background music should be just that, in the background, barely noticeable, if at all, not as this was throbbing in your head and giving a bad headache.

One day this awful music was thumping out over the whole hotel, in reception, in the lift, on the small terrace where people like to relax with a drink. Other than in your room, it was impossible to escape from it.

The food and the service was not good.

Every morning at breakfast it was necessary to clean then lay the table. Not the fault of the waiters as they were running around like crazy. There was too few staff.

Food, plates, etc kept running out as no one was monitoring the situation. If asked, the staff would get what was missing or had run out.

For five mornings no muesli. One morning bacon put out burnt black. Two mornings barely cooked and almost raw. Bananas were often black, looked like market chuck-outs.

Several mornings ran out of glasses for the fruit juice machines. Three mornings one of the machines not working. Tea by only one tea machine. No milk by any tea machine. For milk had to use the milk urn by the cereals.

The evening meals left much to be desired.

Steaks overdone and very tough. Salmon steaks were overdone and dry and full of very sharp bones.

Twice, grilled pork served not cooked, still red with blood.

Meat running with blood handled with a pair of tongs to drop on to the grill. The same pair of bloodied tongs used to picked the meat up from the grill and drop on to plates.

Soup too often lukewarm, rarely piping hot. Cooked vegetable often brought out cold not hot.

None of the food was labelled. Even the Spanish often did not know what it was. This was more than a minor inconvenience for people with food intolerance and food allergies.

One day the grill for the meat and fish was switched around. One man who did not realise, picked up fish thinking it was meat. Luckily, just before he took a mouthful of fish, he realised at the last moment that it was fish not meat. He was allergic to fish and was very lucky not to have ended up in hospital.

Poor choice of food for vegetarians.

Rooms of reasonable size and always kept very clean. Views from the rooms are good, either out to sea or inland to the mountains.

No towels for the beach or sun beds.

If very lucky a fluffy white bath towel. Usually an off-white almost grey threadbare towel as thin as a sheet of paper, in use like drying with sandpaper. One day no bath towel, just a hand towel little bigger than a pocket handkerchief.

Shampoo and body soap dished out in small sachets. Very bad for the environment. It should have been in small bottles, as is the norm in many hotels.

A pleasant spacious lounge, but very very noisy. Very poor design as noise from adjacent ballroom and noise from TV. The ballroom and TV should be relocated to rooms downstairs.

Playing in the ballroom most nights was a duo. A man on keyboards and a female singer. The female singer had a voice like a foghorn, full marks for enthusiasm, minus ten for lack of talent. Like clockwork musicians the same repertoire of songs played every night.

Swimming pool very cold. For a couple of days it was a reasonable 23 degrees, but then dropped to 20 degrees which was too cold.

Internet access at the hotel was very expensive. 1 euro for ten minutes! There are many Internet caf

Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region

Hexter from Cardiff travelled to Florida Hotel with Thompson on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2007

Hexter rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Upon arrival, we were impressed at the apparent good standards, however we discovered this was just in appearance only. This was a nightmare holiday never to be repeated! I ended up in hospital with food poisoning and spent 10 days out of 14 in bed being ill. It is on a main road so can be noisy if you have a room on the front, however it has fantastic views of the mountains. It is a Spanish resort and none of the staff spoke English. Despite complaining to the Rep,who does not speak Spanish, nothing was done about the food, my husband cleaned the bathroom himself as the maid was cleaning with cold water only despite having all the chemicals on the trolley.
The variety of food was fantastic, however none of it was kept cold/hot it is left open to flies under heat lamps. There is little apart from salad for vegitarians. The meat or fish was always raw in the middle and never more than half cooked, the ice-cream would melt and end up liquid. All the British complained but nothing was acted upon so everyone refused to eat in the restaurant. The entertainment appeared to be o.k although we didn't stay for it. The sunbeds would all be taken after breakfast unless you put your towels on them. The bar was good but expensive with a nice balcony. The hotel has 4 stars outside and Thompson rated it a 3 star plus, we would not rate it more than a 2 star.

Gail from Stockport travelled to Florida Hotel with Thomson's on a family holiday.
There were 5 adults and 5 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2006

Gail rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Only went to this hotel for family reasons.

Food not very good very bland not much choice.

Entertainment was only for old people.

Very basis rooms, in bad need of updating.

Staff lovely.

Pool freezing.

Happy hour good, but other than that drinks very expensive. Cocktails not included in happy hour.

Only really a hotel if your retired.

Braker from Leicestershire travelled to Florida Hotel with Air tours on a singles holiday.
There were 1 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006

Braker rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

We stayed at the Hotel Florida, we found it too be really clean. I took my daughter on her first holiday abroad. We both felt safe in the hotel at night.

The food was good with a good selection.

The hotel staff were very accommodating, it had taken us 12 hours to get there through engine trouble we got there at 4 in the morning. They sorted out breakfast for us in our room. I found the hotel to be very relaxing and the staff were very attentive. The only criticism the pool was cold and as we only had 2 sunny days it would have been nice to have had a heated pool as the sea is not that warm either.

But, I would definitely recommend this to anybody who is looking for a holiday to get away from life and just to chill.

Keith from Lincoln travelled to Florida Hotel with Thompson on a singles holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2005

Keith rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Hotel Florida

Officially rated 4-star in Tenerife, Hotel Florida is rated by most tour operators as only 3-star.

A good hotel in an excellent position. The rooms and public areas are very clean, a spacious lounge.

On the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz, Hotel Florida could not be in a better location. Once overlooking banana plantations, these have long since been built over.

Nearby is the Playa Jardin. Walk one way from the hotel and it takes you past Playa Jardin into the pretty little village of Punta Brava, the other way it is but a few minutes walk into the centre of Puerto de la Cruz. Walk up hill from the hotel and you will find a local fruit and vegetable market.

What lets Hotel Florida down is the poor management. Management that seems to hold the guests in contempt, and certainly does not seem to care about the views of guests.

Good hotels listen to what guests have to say and value it as important feedback. At Hotel Florida the management tells the guests who have legitimate complaints to go and stay elsewhere.

Cost-cutting is the name of the game.

The meals are disgusting. Pigswill, school dinners, are words that come to mind. Maybe not quite that bad, but you get the general picture. Service in the restaurant is poor. Very bad at breakfast when it is busy and they keep running out of food. No one person seems to have responsibility for checking on the food. Tea machines and the toast machine frequently break down. So-called fruit juice is sugary watered down squash. Fruit is often unripe or bad.

This is the result of severe cost cutting and very poor quality ingredients. Instead of roast turkey, it is reconstituted muck, poorly cooked.

The swimming pool in winter is always cold. Yes, it is heated, by a token amount. The hard surfaces outside, around the pool and on the sun terrace, are very slippery when wet. Several people have slipped and fallen breaking arms and legs.

There are too few sun beds for the size of the hotel. Even fewer sun shades. It is not unusual at peak times to see people lying on the ground for lack of sun beds. The sun shades are filthy and stink of cat's urine.

Periodically, those sunbathing on the sun terrace are showered with oily soot from the chimney. A result of using cheap oil in a poorly maintained boiler.

The entertainment is abysmal. The same tired old group playing the same tired old numbers night after night, year after year. Unfortunately for the guests who sit in the lounge, they are forced to listen whether they wish to or not.

The lifts frequently break down. A real problem if you are on one of the upper floors. The tour reps are useless. They are also not required when there are good people on the hotel reception. Electric wiring leaves much to be desired. Wires poked into sockets with matchsticks, several plugs stacked one atop the other. A serious fire hazard. Internet service in the hotel (when it is working) is very expensive. Cheaper net cafes in the town. It is cheaper to hire a car locally, not through tour reps.

If anything is broken, expect problems getting it fixed.

Do not book tours through tour reps. There are cheaper local alternatives and a very good local bus service.

The building work to which people refer at an adjacent hotel is finished. It is though not uncommon for Hotel Florida to carry out building work whilst guests are present.

Across the road from the hotel a few tacky bars aimed at English tourists, and usually full of boorish English tourists from the hotel.

Those booking a single room are ripped off. A room not much bigger than a broom cupboard, with no balcony, for which a hefty daily premium has to be paid.

Puerto de la Cruz is an old colonial town with many interesting old buildings. It is a place where local people actually live. There are many good restaurants in Puerto de al Cruz, especially the old part of town. Better still, try the restaurants in the outlying villages. Eating out. Try El Limon, a vegetarian restaurant in the centre of town, behind the main church. The food is excellent!

Tour operators could and should be doing a lot more to improve this hotel.

The most important step forward would be to fire the management.

The tour operators should offer bed and breakfast not half-board.

Hotel Florida used to be over-booked, turning people away. Now it has 2-3 entire floors empty. That is what happens when you take your clients for granted.

A hotel that has the potential to be an excellent hotel, if only the current management were fired and the guests put first.

Tenerife is a duty free island. Local shops in Puerto de la Cruz are good for perfume, alcohol, electronic goods and cameras. Do not buy on the plane or at the airport. Local shops offer a wider choice and are cheaper.

http://www.heureka.clara.net/tenerife/puerto.htm

Chris from York travelled to Florida Hotel with My Travel on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2004

Chris rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Hotel was clean and friendly. Rooms small, bed very hard. The dining room was not pleasant however. You had to scramble for a table, especially at breakfast time. Food mediocre, salads and meat and two veg basically. Desserts lacking in everything!
Extensive building work being carried out on hotel behind swimming pool which meant you could not sunbathe, swim or sit by pool bar without being subjected to horrible noise, dust and ogling builders. It looked like the work had only just began as well.
Entertainment provided by resident duo, middle of the road music which pleased the many dancers there. Have to admit I felt out of place, very much a Saga zone (and I am 50), just amazed we didn't play bingo!
Staff very nice, especially in bar although they always rushed off their feet. Methinks more staff needed at busy times. Not a bad place but not a good place either. Rooms noisy, thin walls, you could hear rooms either side and people in corridors. Between the builders next door, cleaners in corridors and other guests forget sleeping past 8 in the morning!

marie from northampton travelled to Florida Hotel with thomson on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2004

marie rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

i managed to come here when building work had just begun, this was happening at the hotel next door. it did make a mess in the pool area but we were next door to the best beach in puerto de la cruz and it wasnt sunbathing weather anyway. really close to loroparque which is a great day out. the staff on reception are brilliant and so funny when you get to know them. the food isnt brilliant, meat, fish veg but from a 3star plus hotel i wasnt expecting lobster and caviar.
all in all a great holiday, we are relatively young in comparison to a lot of the people there. and if you dont think there is anything to do on a nightime you are mistaken as long as you can handle spanish music you can be dancing till dawn. enjoy and thanks to the hard work of the staff and rep (leanne) for a fab hol

clm from Leeds travelled to Florida Hotel with Thomson on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2004

clm rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Well, what can i say but what a truely fantastic holiday we had at the hotel florida. The hotel is absolutely spotlessly clean. you see the cleaners dotted about everywhere, ensuring that there is not a spec or dirt or dust anywhere. Rooms are lovely, very nicely decorated, not old fashioned like some hotel i

James from Newcastle travelled to Florida Hotel with Thomson on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2004

James rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

I had a fab time in this hotel...The staff on reception were the most friendliest I have ever come across. The best were Federico and Jonathan, they were always smiling and joking with me, sometimes a bit naughty but it was fun with them. The rep Leanne was nice, not as good looking as the rep in Las Vegas hotel which picked me up at the airport. But she was a very nice girl.

The food was lovely and I was a bit suprised to see a cleaner telling people hanky panky have a good day but apparently this was a joke that the reception staff started....

Can't wait to come back..Well done Florida

Donna from Eastleigh travelled to Florida Hotel with Travel Choice on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2003

Donna rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

The hotel was very nice decor, but it didn't make up for the fact that is was so boring. We're in our early 20's and soon found ourselves doing nothing much but saying, "what we gonna do" all the time.

Beach was right next to hotel, black sand like most of the island I think.

Bus service to Las Americas was easy to understand and cost about 12 Euros for 1.5 trips, takes over an hour to get there. For the bus you have to buy a card which is available from lots of shops, you pay how much you want on it and when you use it you put it in the machine when you get on the bus, say where your going and the money comes off the card, then prints a receipt and how much you have left, very good idea.

Nightlife more for the older holiday maker, tho one really good English Pub/Bar called The Buccanear, very good for all ages definatly drop in on this one! All the cab drivers know it, and so should your rep. Don't panic if you've already booked and your young and looking for nightlife, it is there, but you do need to go out and look for it.

Weather is always poor in resort due to low cloud over mountains, still wear sun cream because you still burn.

Food in hotel very clean and quite good variety.

Bathrooms in hotel like palaces!! Rooms like nursing homes. 95% Guests over 50 years old, be prepared for the cold shoulder if your 21 and want to walk back to your room in just your bikini!

Vicky from Wirral travelled to Florida Hotel with Sky Travel on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2003

Vicky rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

We had a Half board Allocation on arrival holiday which we booked through Sky Travel. We were disappointed with the hotel and the area of Tenerife. We had never been to Tenerife before and Puerto de la Cruz was not our ideal holiday.

We are a young couple in our twenties and felt totally out of place at the hotel. The staff were unhelpful and the entertainment was awful. Almost every night there are 2 men that sing and play guitar in spanish and they were dreadful.

There was building work happening behind our hotel and sitting by the pool was unpleasant because of the constant noise.

Our bed was also broken when we arrived and when we reported it they assumed we had broken it. When they had eventually fixed it it was very uncomfortable.

The view from our hotel room was of the mountains but was somewhat blotted by the residential apartments opposite the hotel hanging out their washing.

I am not generally fussy or a moaner and I have written good reviews for other hotels but I would definately not recommend this one.

frances from somerset travelled to Florida Hotel with thomson on a singles holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2003

frances rated the Florida Hotel as follows:

Cleanliness
Location
Staff
Food
Entertainment

said:

Great hotel, would use again.

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Florida Hotel - Puerto de la Cruz - Tenerife
Hotel / Apartment Reviews And Reports

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