| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Bunts from Fife travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Thomas Cook
on a friends holiday.
There were 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2009 |
Bunts rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: On arrival, pleasantly surprised, clean and spacious public areas and quick and efficient check in. Our room was looking onto a wall on 3rd floor so we asked for a swap and were told to come back the following morning. We did, and got a room on the 5th floor, overlooking the pool and with sea views. Much nicer. Food was good although i personally always get a bit fed up of hotel food when away and there were some nice restuarants nearby (Bentleys on the front,for 2 for price of 1 breakfasts and lovely home-cooked food and The Wigan Arms around the corner,for good quality and value for money food, served by very friendly staff). At both lunch and dinner you had to wait to be seated by the waiter who would then get you drinks, much more civilised than scrambling for a table or clearing tables yourself! Restuarant staff very efficient..they certainly earned their wages. The drinks were good and in the evening we normally started by having drinks outside where there was waiter service...we always tipped a few euros each round and were well looked after. Entertainment staff (Azzu and Andrea) were good and very friendly and got everyone taking part in the activities through the day. We went out at night so can't really comment on evening's entertainment. Harley's pub/diner up the road had a great live band on (KOL etc), and the frozen Pina Colada's were excellent along with the barman's Tom Cruise-esque floor show!
All in all, we would definately go back....nice hotel, fab location, friendly staff, good food and drink. I believe a holiday is what you make it and with this hotel you are onto a good start!
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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David & Jacqui from Livingston travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2009 |
David & Jacqui rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: At the Esmeralda in late June / July of this year. Hotel was great. Rooms attended most days by the maids , the bar and restaurant staff always cheery and attentive.Our main gripe was the AI package. There are no snacks during the day other than some "left over" cake from lunch and the ice cream is in small tubs and really for young kids. The drinks are as expected and advertised the local hooch and the rum and vodka were ok but the bar service at night can be slow especially at the end of the 12 hour AI period and the hotel tended to keep a couple of barmen on and let the others gather glasses thus you could be waiting up to 15 mins for any last minute drinks. The food was very repetitive , albeit well cooked and generally pretty good. I think some others complained about both the lack of variety and it's lukewarm condition. I must admit I nevre had any food which wasn't hot and as for the "lack" of variety I don't have an issue with fish , chicken or pork most nights. The veg as per normal in hotels does tend to be a bit mushy if you don't get in there first. All in all I would go back but I would reconsider the AI part , unless they change the package.
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Kat from Blackpool travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Going places/Thomas Cook
on a family holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2008 |
Kat rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Our party was Me (18) my boyfriend (20) my sister (28) my sister's boyfriend (28) my mum (48) My mum's 2 friends (41) & (60) my autie (58)
On arrival at the hotel if you are all inclusive you get your photo taken and it printed to a card which you will have to hand in everytime you get a drink or go for food. We were happy with the rooms as there was plenty of room in the wardrobes, however, the rooms and doubles, so you have a door between 2 rooms, a door on each side, it was ok as there were lots of us so me and my sister got rooms next to each other and had our doors open, very handy if you forget your room key! Obviously the door cant be opened from the other side, only someone in your room can open it. The rooms were cleaned everyday except sunday and the maids always said ohla. The balconies were tiny, not big enough for sunbathing but there's a small plastic table and chairs out there so you can watch the sunset. The shower and bath working well and nicely clean and modern.
One thing that we didn't like was every now and again all the electric would turn off, or the water would go off, when we ring reception they say they are dealing with it. i heard people saying it was nothing to do with the hotel though, it was problems out of thier control, and it was never off for more than 30 minutes, very annoying if your in the middle of a shower though and the water goes off.
The food was rubbish, but i am a very picky eater and have stayed at Calendonia park twice before and can say Esmeralda's food was better, but i think all 3/4* hotels in tenerife have the same types of food. they always have chips, some night's i just had a plate of chips and looked forward to having meals out! We normally went for breakfast on the promenade near the beach. Lunch times were the best, it's an outdoor area where you eat and the food tended to be better so i filled up at lunch as the food at dinner time wasn't so good.
The animation team were brilliant. whilst entertaining the children they made the adults feel welcome and got them to join in. The hotel is non smoking (although they still put ash trays on the table with no smoking signs in them!) so if your smokers be prepared to sit outside by the pool, you can't really hear the entertainment as it's not near the outside. There are pool tables outside so we just played pool and watched the entertainment on occasions. The bar staff very friendly and gave you the time of day. We tip well so we got a really good service. You'd be surprised how far a couple of Euros gets you. They were always at the table with fresh drinks and often remembered what you were drinking so you didn't even have to go to the bar. The were very chatty and even learned me a bit of spanish when i asked!
On a whole the hotel is fantastic. My autie had a bad accident scuba diving whilst on a trip. me and my sister and our boyfriends hadn't gone on the trip with them So when we found out about the accident we asked the girl a reception to help, They were very helpful in helping us contact the hospital and one of the team who spoke english even offered to translate whenever we needed it.
I would highly reccomend any one going to tenerife to visit Siam Park, Loro Park, and go on the Jet Blaster. You will get to see all the attractions when you get there as a lot of people offer you them on the street. I would advise not to book with the tourist operater as they over charge, go with the touts, but find one that has a shop, get prices, go away and think about it. We got offered to go on the Jet blaster for 50 Euros by tourist operators, with the touts it was just 12 euros. We went on a lot of trips and booked all with the same shop, so we got a discount. We dont think Aqua land is worth visiting as it's all salt water, where as siam park is clhorinated water so it's much better. There is a wave pool in siam park that is a must! it's an artificial beach and like a sea. every hour the waves come out and a 30 foot + wave comes for you. its Brilliant, we all loved it and were amazed as we didn't expect it.
BE WARNED: There are touts who give away scratch cards and you win, they then say they will take you to get your prize and you go in a taxi, or thier car to a centre where they don't let you leave until you sign up. They are everywhere, and once i told one of them to Leave me alone and stop trying to scam me, so he told the other one to "smack me" and then followed us up the beach and threatened to put blocks on our feet and throw us in the sea! We told the police, as they're illegal in what they do anyway, but it really scared me and my sister. The police were very helpful and moved them on. we didn't see them again. One good tip to remember though is you have to be British for them to be able to scam you, so the first thing they ask is "are you british?" so just answer with French or Dutch or something, they just apologise for bothering you and move on.
If your up for a good night of partying go up to the patch, it costs about 10 euros in taxi and is 5 minutes walk from the famous veronicas. The bar we always revisit is the full monty bar. they have an amazing jamaican "lucky man" DJ who is really talented and can really entertain. there is also another comendian/DJ, its a really good night. we always make sure we go up there at least one night on our stay.
There's loads of places to shop. There's a Mango outlet in san euginio shopping centre, they have some gorgeous clothes! Torviscas market is on on Thursday, it's good you can pick up all your souvineers and bargains. It's only about 15 minute walk from the hotel.
I'd recomend the Idian just down the road from the hotel, i forgot what it's called, there's an all you can eat chinese on the corner and you walk down the side of it and there's an idian restaurant, you won't miss it as there's a little old man near to the chinese giving out menus. the food is amazing and it's really cheap! If one day your sick of Tenerife food and just want a taste of home there's a macdonalds 5 minutes walk away and a burger king 10 minutes walk away. i went a couple of times when I really could cope with another night of hotel food.
I would highly reccomend Tenerife and Hotel Esmeralda. The only reason we're not returning to that hotel this year is because it's changed it's board to self catering only now. we always go all inclusive so we've chosen Hotel Isla Bonita this year. i hope it's as good as Esmeralda. Happy holidays!! :-)xx
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Geoffmick from Herts travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Monarch
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2008 |
Geoffmick rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The entrance, reception and lounge areas to this hotel are very impressive with all of its marble work. The room was clean, comfortable, air conditioned and well presented. A couple of cracked tiles in the bathroom, but nothing to spoil our holiday. Although our room was to the rear of the hotel, we still had a good view of the sea, pool area and the mountains. The restaurant had a choice of hot or cold food, with show cooking and choice of desserts. The staff were very friendly helpful and efficient, with no evidence of favouring paying customers over the all inclusive as stated in other reviews. There was plenty of sun loungers and parasols by the 3 pools. A good entertainment program was provided during the day, but the evening entertainment was probably not to everyone's taste. The hotel is in a good location, just a few minutes walk to the Toriviscas beach, with many restaurants, bars and shops close by. A very good hotel which contributed to a very enjoyable holiday.
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Sharon from Sutton Surrey travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Cosmos
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2008 |
Sharon rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel Esmeralda Playa was very nice. The Hotel was lovely and clean. The food was excellent loads of choice and hot. Location was excellent you could see the sea from our room and from the outdoor eating area, and from the reception it was amazing. Staff all very polite especially restaurant staff and bar staff. Entertainment rather poor I would say, but the Hotel had a lot of older people staying there so i think it catered for them to a certain extent. I would not take a family there especially teenagers as they would be bored, it was ok for very young children but I think if you were looking to keep the kids entertained you would need to go elsewhere. The Hotel was very relaxed we were all inclusive and had no problem in getting drinks also no problem in racing down the pool to get sunbeds either. Each pair of sunbeds had their own parasol which in that heat was brilliant. Maid came in everyday to clean. All in all i would say this is a good hotel, yes it does need refurbishment in some places but that can be overlooked as it made up for that in other ways.
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Jo n Andy from Huddersfield travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Direct Holidays
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
Jo n Andy rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Upon arrival we waited for 20 mins in reception while the staff talked amongst themselves, we were eventually allocated 2 rooms.
The rooms had been cleaned but still looked dirty the bathroom was very old and tired looking with a mouldy ceiling. One of the bedroom spolights was hanging off the wall with bare wires showing.
Unfortunately we had arrived in time for evening meal which was a disappointment to say the least. The food was luke warm and the selection was terrible. Take a warning if you are not first down to dinner the bread roll on your table may have been there from the previous guests.
The staff were unfriendly and made you feel like everything was a problem or too much to do.
The best part of the stay at the Esmerelda was on the third day when we had ourselves transfered to another hotel.
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sharon from wales travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
thomas cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2007 |
sharon rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Very lovely hotel in an excellent place. This was my 4th visit to tenerife and have stayed in the same area every time. The first night we got to the hotel we were allocated our rooms very quick and were very impressed with the service, However when my partner and I walked into our room there was already somebody sleeping in our bed. I was a bit taken back as I have never experienced this before. We went to reception to see why this had happened but they did not really help much and said that we had to stay in another room just for that night until they got it sorted. After a VERY long journey this was the last thing we needed.
That was fine though as at least we had somewhere to stay, but the room was tiny and we knew we couldnt settle as we had to be moved again. We went back to reception in the morning and they allocated us a room again. Finally we could rest and get unpacked.
As we wasnt leaving until late on the last Friday of our holiday we asked our rep if we could keep the room on an extra day as a gesture of good will for the trouble but she told us that the hotel were not prepared to sort anything like that out for us and to just fill in a complaint form when we got home.
All in all this was a really nice hotel and I understand mistakes happen, it was just the fact that nobody seemed bothered that it happened. That said I would return to this hotel hoping that this was just a one off mistake. As on speaking to the couple we walked in on they told us that it was the 2nd time they had been walked in on that week.
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Joanna from Nottingham travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
MyTravel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2006 |
Joanna rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Upon arrival thought this hotel looked fab.
At reception we found out that our room had been allocated on the top floor right at the back of the hotel which wasnt served by the lift, but this wasnt a big deal. Went up to the room every thing seemed okay. It was a little old fashioned and could have done with a lick of paint but other than that everything seemed fine.
We went to reception to ask about the TV which was supposed to be in our room and was told to come back tomorrow. When we got back to the room we found out why we didnt have a tv, the socket in the wall was hanging off with all the wires hanging out and also there was water dripping from a hole in the ceiling which I thought was very dangerous especially as there were wires hanging out of the wall! The lighting in the room was very dim and 1 of the bedside lamps didnt work. Another thing wrong with the room was that there was a nail sticking out of the floor to stop the door from banging into the wardrobe and also our room was part of an interconnecting room which I didnt like as all that was seperating our room from our neighbours was a door!
To use the fridge in the room you need to obtain a key from reception, I went to ask at reception and again I was told to come back tomorrow. Went back the next day and was given 2 keys as they were unsure which one worked. After opening the fridge we found that it didnt work and the inside was all mouldy. Went back down to reception and they said they would send someone up to fix it later on (which they did, probably got sick of seeing my face!)
On to some of the better things, the food in the hotel was quite nice, breakfasts were lovely although the bacon and sausage werent too good but there was a great selection, fried, cereals, pastries, fruit etc. Evening meals were nice, catered for everbody, and also the restaurant staff were very friendly.
The hotel was located in a lovely area and close to the beach. The hotel has its own entertainment team but during the day all they ever seemed to do was ping-pong! There was also entertainment at night but we never saw any of it.
The hotel catered mostly for its German guests (but was funny when the entertainment staff played I am the music man!)
We wouldnt recommend this hotel to anyone British as it is not catered towards us.
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karen from oswaldtwistle travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
booked independantly
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 |
karen rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel is really nice and food very good.
The staff very friendly in restaurant great selection for breakfast, ok not the best bacon or sausage, but there are cereals toast fresh fruit, juices etc we were all inclusive lunch was great. Plenty to choose from salads, hot meals usually 4 choices hot and various soups every day and were very nice, sweets again plenty to choose from. Evening meal again good with a chef cooking on a hot plate every night steak fish chops etc.. The only down side to the food was no snacks during the day so if you missed breakfast you had to wait till 1pm for something to eat which for me was ok but the kids !!!!
The bar staff are not the friendly type and make you feel like your are putting them to a lot of trouble asking for a drink which I don
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jacky shaun from stoke on trent travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
cosmos
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2006 |
jacky shaun rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: First time in Tenerife. Hotel very clean. Staff helpful friendly.
Food good plenty to chose from. We went out every night to the Bay view bar great entertainment with Julie, John Tracy. Also Bentley is a great place to eat if you fancy some home cooking food say hi to Ann if you go.
Hoping to see them all again in 2007 .Had a great holiday .
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Ken &Sue from Hull travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2006 |
Ken &Sue rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very clean maids cleaned every day
clean towels bed changed on regular basis.
All the staff seemed very pleasent and helpful I would say that the rooms could do with updating.
The restaraunt was clean and never really over busy my only complaint in this department would be that the food never seemed to be hot !
Overall I did not think that the hotel lived up to its rating I would have rated it a 3 star at the most we looked forward to this hotel and in truth were disapointed.
Would we stay here again I dont think so.
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lorraine from Lancashire travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
travelrepublic
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2006 |
lorraine rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Nice clean Hotel,good location
lovely view from 5th floor balcony.room nice, simlilar to travelodge room.
Food not bad at all.
Pool area could do with a bit of TLC but on the whole a good holiday base. We enjoyed it, being our 10th visit to Tenerife. We would go back to this hotel.
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paul from glasgow travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2006 |
paul rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just back. Lovely hotel , always cleaning.
Great location,food okay ,hotel staff very nice except bar staff twice had a pint there and saw 2 arguements over drinks, plus 2.90 euros a pint very expensive.
Entertainment okay during daytime, usual games but at nightime laughable. Glad I was not all inclusive. One professional show all week rest made up with rubbish singers and shows, ended up going out everynight,but it still was a great holiday would go back no problem to this hotel.
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Hazel from Northampton travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
N/A
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
Hazel rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The whole object of our holiday was to have a relaxed stress free time over christmas....... we got it! We were there for 10 nights on an all inclusive basis.
First impressions of the Esmeralda are Wow. The reception is huge, spacious, clean, and very high ! The reception staff, although not brilliant in English were helpful and polite.
At the time of arrival, there were only two lifts with a third being fitted, this was done with no noise or mess to the floors or reception area.
We had a room on the 5th floor, which overlooked the pools and restaurant area, with a view of the neighbouring hotels pools and the sea to the left, to the right were views of the mountains. The room was clean and average sized hotel room, you have to pay 2 euros a day if you want to use the fridge. The bathroom again, usual hotel sized bathroom, the room and bathroom were cleaned daily along with clean towels. Hot water was constant apart from about 5 ish each evening when the hotel was busy and then it was just a matter of being patient for about half hour.
The food, this is difficult. The food was hot and plentiful but repetitive. You certainly could not fault the selections that were available to you, and you wouldn't go hungry, breakfast covered everything from cereals, continental, to full English. The rest of the meals were a selection of salads, and a selection of fish and meat lunch and dinner with a variety of sweets, there was a chef to cook steaks and pork if you chose but there was nothing outstanding but we must stress it was good food, the times we just couldn't face another salad, we ate out to break the monotony up.
The restaurant did seem a little hectic at times, as you have to wait to be seated, then your drinks are ordered, then you help yourself to the buffet, but there was the occasional delay to be seated if you got there at a busy time. There was no Christmas gala meal. The restaurant staff again were friendly and helpful, and they worked their backsides off.
The Entertainment, you must bear in mind we were there at christmas, we don't have children and we are mid thirties. There are two entertainment staff, that spend their day asking if you want to join in the various games around the pool, they are not pushy and are very polite, and with fairness had a lot of people joining in. The evening entertainment was very hit and miss, they had the clowns and flamenco dancers but they also had some terrible bands playing. Christmas Eve was a big surprise, they shut the bar and entertainment at 10.00 so the staff could go home !
The all inclusive, is not as it sounds. You can have the soft drinks and local alcohol drinks from 11 - 11. There are only ice creams and cakes available after 4.00. The bar will not serve you more than one drink at a time, especially near 11.00. You can have a bottle of wine as well as the other drink options with your meals.
After reading the reviews I must admit to having reservations about going to the Esmeralda, but we had a good time, the hotel was clean, the food was good and all I can say is, if you want everything to be 100% as you like it, then stay at home cos you won't get it on holiday. The staff are not rude, they may seem a little abrupt due to the language difference, but also don't speak to them any different than you expect to be spoken too, there were times we were embarressed to be English !
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Matt & Lin from Merseyside travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Booked on internet
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
Matt & Lin rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Booked this as a post op treat for my husband and can only say that this is NOT a 4* hotel.First impressions are excellent, grand entrance and foyer and very good location.
Our room had a good view but quite small and dimly lit (even by continental standards). Rooms cleaned regularly and towels changed,however towels were smaller than usual and quite worn out.
Hotel rooms need a face lift. Food was fairly boring and bland.After 6 days we moved out into a nearby apartment and enjoyed remainder of our holiday.
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Mr Noble from Glasgow travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
independant
on a singles holiday.
There were 4 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
Mr Noble rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel very nice, impressive reception area rooms very clean, maids 7 days a week including New Years Day.
Staff at check in very helpful maids also very good. Only problem I had was with the bar staff who tried to give me a local produce whisky which is for all inclusive patrons instead of Johnny Walker red label at 4 euro 20 cents and another time I complained of the measure I was told to take ice to fill it up - be warned of the bar staff !
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Dave Illman from Nequay cornwall travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
self booking
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2005 |
Dave Illman rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: My wife and I stayed for 11 nights on an all inclusive board from 4/11/05 to 15/11/05, we have stayed in a lot of all inclusive hotels but this one must rate as the worst by far.
A 4 star hotel this is not, hotel decor etc very nice, but as for service and food no way. we were there for 11 nights, breakfast was nice but other meals very poor we only ate dinner in the hotel twice, we had to eat out because of the lack of variety and quality of food shame after paying for all inclusive board.
Staff were very ignorant they seem to ignore the all inclusive guests in favour of the half board guests (tips)... no snacks available apart from toasted sandwiches for purchase, just small tubs of ice cream for all inclusive. Very poor variety of drinks no coktails etc.
Room cleanliness was not good sand was left all over the bottom sheet of my bed and the top sheet just pulled over top. We had no towels for two days despite asking at reception 3 times. We had no soap in the dispensers until the 8th day not really 4 star service I think.
It is a very nice hotel in a good position if it was run properly it could be a top hotel.
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Grant Fairweather from Falkirk travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Fly Globespan
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2005 |
Grant Fairweather rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: On arrival at the hotel, it looked very promising. The entrance is very grand and the reception area is spotlessly clean. Reception staff seemed nice. We were given a room on the seventh floor overlooking the Port on Colon. Nice views, shame about the room.
It was very small and in need of an overhaul. As we usually go self catering, we expected this but we were disappointed. The handle to our patio doors came of in my hand! The room, however, was very clean. New towels everyday. We hired a fridge for the week which was useless as it was obviously a mini bar in a previous life and none of our bottles would fit in it. The air con also didn't work.
Next came dinner. The food in the restaurant is horrible. Absolutely no variety and nothing is labelled. I was a hit or a miss! I'm vegetarian and I was not catered for. Even the pasta had ham through it. I ate salad for 3 nights and then we never returned for dinner. Breakfast is fine. The usual fruit, toast, cereals etc. The restaurant staff were miserable though. Absolutely no interaction.
Down in the hotel bar the staff there were friendly enough but the cost of drinks was something else. 10Euros for 2 drinks!!!
The entertainment team were very up beat but their program is very child orientated. Everything stops at midnight too.
The location of the hotel was the saving grace. It is right in the heart of the resort and the beach is on your doorstep, so are the good restaurants that you'll need to go to in order to get good food.
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gemma and vikki from blackpool travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
mytravel
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 |
gemma and vikki rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was nice, the pool great, staff funny but the food was awful.
We went half board for 10 nights and had to eat out 7 nights because the food was inedible. It was cold and bland and the chicken looked under cooked, so I just nibbled on a stale solid bread roll. I was shocked as we had paid for the meal and then had to go out!!!!!
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Burn from Hemel travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
cosmos
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 |
Burn rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The location of the hotel is good. Opposite the market and the beach, bang in the middle of the resort facilities.
Pool is excellent, plenty of sunbeds available. Communal areas are quite grand.
Food good, really nice selection.
What lets the hotel down are the rooms which are tired, and a bit dark and dingy for a 4 star.
Make sure you get what you ask for at the bar as well!
All in all though, the hotel has a nice feel, and they have started to update it now.
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B. Hunt from Worsley, M/C travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Comos Travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 |
B. Hunt rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I think many people pick far to much as to what they want to get out of a hotel - if you want a luxurious, relaxing stay where you are treated like royalty, lets be honest, Tenerife isn't the place. Try a cruise or the Caribbean. However, if you are young, or young at heart, then Tenerife is the place.
The hotel is lovely, people are there to have fun and enjoy their stay. Kids and adults would love this hotel, it has everything you could want, especially in high season.
It is a fun hotel with nice food and close to all the amenities. A bonus feature is that by being out of the centre of Las Americas, you are away from all the rabble, unless you want to find it!
Go here, you'll love it.
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Eileen from Edinburgh travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Going places
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 |
Eileen rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We had been in Tenerife last year and liked the look of the Esmeralda and decided to book for this year. The location was perfect for those who don't want to walk very far for entertainment, meals, shopping etc. The market is a couple of minutes from the hotel so is ideal for those who like a bargain.
The hotel reception areas were always spotlessly clean including the toilet areas both inside and at the poolside. We never had any problems getting a sunlounger no matter what time of day.
This was our first half board holiday as we usually do self catering but we were impressed with the choice and standard of the food and didn't eat out apart from a sandwich for lunch. I had read the reviews of this hotel after I booked and was not expecting the food to be very good and was prepared to eat out if necessary.
The hotel room was smaller than we expected but we usually have an apartment so expect this is normal. The room was cleaned and we had fresh towels every day. The room was spotless but we felt it was probably not quite 4 star and could do with a facelift.
I cannot really comment on the entertainment as we went out every night. There was something to take part in every day by the poolside for both adults and kids (we were too lazy) and every night we heard the kids entertainment and they seemed to be having a ball. Some nights when we came in we had a look to see what was on and it always seemed to be packed and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. We found a few bars with live music near the market so spent most nights down there.
We would definitely return to this hotel.
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Andrea from Durham travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Holiday Med
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 |
Andrea rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We had no complaints about the food - plenty of choice everyday. Wonderful lunches outside on the shaded patio. Excellent waiter service day and night.
The hotel was spotless in both public areas and in bedrooms. Clean towels every day. Never a fight for a sun bed and the three pools were cleaned daily.
Hotel is only 5 minute stroll to beach and twice weekly market. Never queued for a drink day or night, and the Bar staff were polite, friendly and a good laugh and thought nothing of joining in the dancing etc. entertainments team worked hard.
My daughter (aged 12) was entertained all day and all evening - darts - pool - boules - tennis - volleyball - water polo - various fiesta games, and won countless tee shirts and certificates. Evening entertainment not great but with free drinks and a lovely area to sit in who really cares?
We had parrot show, snake show, profesional dance acts etc plus a couple of in house shows to which we got dragged up to make fools of ourselves.
Worth every penny (book through holidaymed - loads cheaper.
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Tracy Wallace from Castleford travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2005 |
Tracy Wallace rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: After reading all the bad reviews about this hotel I was a little aprehensive. I think some people have used this web site to complain rather give a review. So heres my review in the defence of the hotel.
My husband and I (37, 34) stayed at the Esmeralda in April 2005 and found the hotel to be spotlessly clean. Upon arriving at the hotel its entrance is very swanky with a long marble entrance and marbled floored reception. Many aspects of the hotel are of 4 star quality. The rooms are clean, fairly spacious and are very similar to a room what you would expect from a Travel Inn or Travel Lodge except you have added bonus of tiled floors and a balcony. They have twin beds, dressing table, mirror, bedside cabinets, hair dryer, chairs, large sliding door wardrobe with drawers and safe (2 euros a day) etc etc. plus a fridge what you are expected to pay for at a cost of 2 euros a day. The bathroom is tiled floor to ceiling, good sized bath and shower - with constant hot water.
The rooms were cleaned daily and bedding and towels changed daily.
The pool area was always clean as was the pool. Plenty of sunbeds and mattresses.
Entertainment was provided everyday and evening, geared at the older end through the day but from what I saw the evening entertainment was geared at both ends, but this was april and kids should be at school. Inside the hotel (badly signposted as the toilets!) was a gym/fitness room, squash court, pool tables, arcade games etc and a childrens room geared out with toys such as little tykes slides etc.
Outside was a tennis court, volley ball court and possibly a 5 a side court.
The balconies to one side of the hotel (tennis court side)gave a clear view of the sea and probably the best side to be on as the evening sun would be on your balcony.
My first impression of the food was a little poor but got better each day (but each to their own). It was a little cold some days but I dont think you can expect anything else from a buffett.
At breakfast there was an english breakfast with a chef within the restaurant frying eggs. Plus there was an oven in the restaurant which baked croissants and pastires contstanly. Plus ther was a choice of the usual continental food. Plus all the usual cereals, fruit and yogurts. constant tea and coffee and fruit juices.
Please note - If you are half board you have the choice, and can alternate this to have either lunch or dinner.
On the whole I liked the hotel and would probably come again. The location is spot on. I was under the impression that with the hotel being 2km out of the town centre that we would be out on a limb. The hotel is situated within 200m of a very long stretch of bars, restaurants, shops etc etc. the choice is imense.
The market (thursday and poss saturday) and beach is just over the road. There are several bus stops outside the hotel with timetables as is a taxi rank.
A taxi to the hotel from the airport should cost no more than 25 euros. A taxi to Los Christianos (far end near to the market) will cost 5 euros.
Hope you enjoy
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Eileen Cowen from Leamington spa Warks travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
Cosmos
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2005 |
Eileen Cowen rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Visited half term week with grandaughter aged 6yrs. No entertainment for children. Although price was hiked up for this week. Hotel should be honest and not take children bookings.
All Inclusive was a joke, treated like second class citizens. No ice cream after 6pm!!!!!. Lower grade drinks including wine.
Hotel staff very rude especially if you were all inclusive. Restaurant staff very power crazy.
Entertainment did not start until 9.30pm for older clientele.
My advice do not take children, do not go all inclusive,
do not go if you are unable to climb stairs as only 1 lift works at a time.
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Lucy Kirk and family from Chester travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
MyTravel
on a family holiday.
There were 6 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 |
Lucy Kirk and family rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was kept pretty clean and the reception area was very nice. However, the rooms could do with some maintenance work!
The food was horrendous!! We arrived on New Years eve for the gala meal and were not given two of the courses. We did not get to the hotel until the evening because of late flights and were told that they were serving until 22.30, but we went down at 21.30 and were spoken to very rudely by the restaurant staff who said we should have been there earlier and would not listen to us when we tried to explain that we were still on a plane when they started serving!
The food that we did get was cold and this was the case every other time we ate at the hotel. The breakfasts were the worst, definately not worthy of the hotels 4* rating and they literally took everything away dead on 10am!
We have stayed in a few 4* hotels in tenerife and the staff here are the rudest we have come across by far. I cannot speak Spanish, but rolling your eyes at someone when they ask a question is universally rude!
The location of this hotel is very good and i will be returning to this part of Tenerife again, but definately not staying at this hotel!
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Dave from St Helens travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
My Travel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 |
Dave rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The location of this hotel was fantastic, just a few minutes walk to the beach. Guests who stay at this hotel were generally older couples, who often frowned upon families who make a little noise!! This was reflected by the entertainment that was put on in the evenings (never was any good at doing the waltz!!).
Bingo was an absolute nightmare (5 different languages) took an age to get through it. There is no care club or entertainment for the kids, we usually went out in an evening to other hotels that catered for families (cost a fortune in taxis though!!). The majority of the hotel guests were either German or Dutch (few english). The pools were kept very clean but absolutely freezing cold, too cold to swim. One of the pools was meant to be heated, not sure which one this was as they were all too cold!
Food was OK, sometimes a little cold, I'm a fussy eater anyway but there was always something that suited my taste.
The hotel rooms were OK, we had a sea view which was fantastic, the room we had also had a seperate bedroom, according to the floor map our room was much bigger than the other rooms (end room). Rooms overall needed updating, air conditioning never worked throughout the whole holiday!
Overall, the hotel was very clean, and maintained to a reasonable standard. I would not stay here again, purely & simply because they DO NOT cater for families, this hotel would be fine for older couples looking for a nice relaxing holiday (with no noise!).
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mrs shanks from cleveland travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
travel bargins
on a family holiday.
There were 6 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2004 |
mrs shanks rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I had to write this for anyone going to this hotel who is worried by reading the other reports.
This hotel first of all is very clean, the staff can't do enough to help you and the food has a large choice and is not cold. I over looked the air-conditioning pipes although no noise came from there and it didn
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Kate Thacker from Stoke on Trent travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
med hotels
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2004 |
Kate Thacker rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We were at the hotel for a week over New Year and had an excellent holiday - were really pleased with the location of the hotel, the cleanliness, rooms & linen were spotless. The worst thing was the slowness of the lifts, as one was being upgraded. (Although it was good exercise for us to walk up the stairs after all that food!)
Reading the previous comment about the New Year's Eve Dinner, the service was a bit slow, but the staff were feeding about 500 people in one go. No mean feat!! In general, we thought the food could have been hotter, but there was an excellent choice at all meals.
The staff took a bit of getting used to - at first we thought some of the bar staff were a bit off-hand, but when we took the trouble to speak to them (& smile!!) they were great. They worked so hard & many guests seemed to treat them in a discourteous manner, so no wonder they were not always sweetness & light!
The pool area was good - tho many guests seemed to sneak down at dawn & reserve the beds in the sunniest spots. (There was a sign asking you not to do this.)
The entertainment staff worked very hard, but we weren't really into that sort of thing.
All in all, a good value hotel in an excellent location - would definitely go back.
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paul from london travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
thomas cook
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 |
paul rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I only wish I had looked at the reviews on here before I went. It was a total nightmare from start to finish. I can only add that if i had booked for 2 weeks I'd of found somewhere else.
The staff acted like everything was such a big deal, we had water coming through the roof it took 3 days!! for anyone to sort it out. The toilets smelt and were very dirty.
I had high hopes for this holiday but was let down. I agree with all that has been posted about this place and it reminded me of the film the lads out of the Young Ones did when they run a rundown hotel!
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GARY HUBBARD from ELLESMERE PORT travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
BOOKED PRIVATE
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 |
GARY HUBBARD rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: After reading the two reports on here, this Hotel must of gone down hill.
1, When we checked in the Receptionist did not greet us just gave us our key and told us where to go.
There is no concierge
2, The room 404 was ok, but equivelent to a 3 star with a TV, which has ITN and a super movie channel with Arabic Subtitles.
The Balcony was very small and faced the air con pipes and generators, so there was a constant buzzing all night.
The Air con was very good in our room we had a 3 way setting, but other people in other rooms were complaining that theres was not working.
3, The Pool, the Following morning we got up a 9am and went to look at the Pool area People were there putting towels down, but not in a major way.
The sunbeds needed replacing most were broke and only lied flat and dirty, the whole area looked if it could do with a major refurb, the pool did not look clean at all, a kid my son had met got a ear infection possibly from the pool.
We Decided to not sunbathe there and went to Parque Santiago III.
4,THE FOOD, If that is what they could call it.
First morning we went for breakfast, there was your usual continental style, and the usual for us Brits Sausage Bacon and eggs, we got a plate full each and it was freezing, the bread seemed a bit stale i made the toast with too, got too admit though the Coffee was quite nice.
Hence we ate out for Breakfast After that.
Being brave we tried Evening Dinner,when we went to the restaurant desk this man come up to me and said ticket, i said i dont know what you mean, he then shouted Ticket again, i showed him my door credit card type key, and then he shouts Ticket, then i realised that we did get another ticket when we checked in and did not realise it was our food ticket it had no explanation on it,and we did not use it for the so called breakfast, or in the room info booklet,
After all the Ticket Business, we were showed a table that still had crums on from the people before, we were asked what we wanted to drink, I ordered Torres Vino Sol, and got a bottle of Valentino,I had drank half a glass till i realised so just left it.
If you like Cold fish in Batter, cold fish fingers, and burger that were in gravy with a slice of cheese on that looked sickly, and was cold too, you would be happy here.
The Bread Roll on the Table was the only thing i ate and my son ate a slice of Melon, off too Mcdonalds we went.
So we never ate there at all again, ive styed in 3 4 and 5 star, this place for food would look bad in a 2 star.
The Hotel offered a upgrade for 20 euro a day to go all inclusive, we declined and i could tell by the end off the week the restaurant was getting emptier and emptier, my son made German Freinds and they said the same the food was bad.
AND THE WORST NIGHTMARE OF THIS HOLIDAY IS WHEN WE GOT CLEAN TOWELS ON THE SECOND DAY, AND THEY HAD SOMEBODYS POO STAIN MARKS ON THEM, I THINK THEY HAD JUST BEEN DRIED AND SENT BACK OUT TO ANYONE THAT GOT THEM.
It was not worth complaining because no one listened.
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andy jones from chester travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
private booking
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 |
andy jones rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This has got to be the hotel from hell!!
I've never been treated to such rubbish food in all my life, the breakfast was ALWAYS cold no matter what time you got there i had a go of the evening meal and i took it back to the chef and told him it was cold and unfit to eat i complained to the manager who didnt seem to be bothered.
When looking into the kitchen i noticed the floors and work tops were filthy with flys everywhere!
I paid good money for a 4 star hotel and i would of had a better time in a 2 star hotel!!
The pool area was a joke with major work needed. All in all i wouldnt send a prisoner to the hell hole and advise people to stay away untill this is sorted out no wonder people would rather go to turkey, greece ect!!!
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ondrea from nottingham travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
alphabeds
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
ondrea rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Everything was great except the food.
Would go back but self catering instead of all inclusive
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dave siilcock from wigan travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
lunn poly
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2004 |
dave siilcock rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel clean, food average. Apart from one waiter in the dining area the staff were surly.
One of the bar men made a pass at my partner...asked to go out with him! I was only in the toilet. Not going back.
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tina horsfield from sheffield travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
thomas cook
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2002 |
tina horsfield rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: the food was excellent and the room was very clean the pool was a little small but still plenty for us the staff were attentive and entertaining.
The location was good far enough to be out of the nightclub noise but near enough for us to walk there if we chose.
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Lee Jones from Manchester travelled to Esmeralda Playa Hotel with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 5 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2002 |
Lee Jones rated the Esmeralda Playa Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Fantastic position on the seafront at the quieter Fanabe end of Las Americas.Although classed as Las Americas it is about 40 mins walk to what I would call the centre ie the dreaded Veronicas area.This hotel is extremely clean.The pool is on the e small side as is the terrace around it,however there are 2 beaches very close by,one 200 metres over the road and down a slope to the right,another about 500 yds left out of the hotel.There are dozens of bars and eateries on the doorstep.The food was good as was the service.The waterpark is walking distance.The area of Fanabe is up and coming so building work is always ongoing nearby but not near enough to affect this hotel as its location is well established.The weekly market site is 100 m across the road.I dont think this place is particulary good if you have young children as there is nothing organised for them, ideal for couples.The entertainment was pretty poor with bi lingual hosts who repeated everything in half a dozen languages making it dis jointed.However with so much nearby no real need to stay in.The rooms are well proportioned,ask for a seafront one as we had,great views and sunsets over La Gomera.
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