|
 Sunny Says there
are 152 visitors online
Sunnys' Hints: Did You Know.....You can view hotel reviews by choosing a region from the homepage? |
|
| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Darren from Stafford travelled to Biarritz Bungalows with
Thomson
on a friends holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2005 | rated the Biarritz Bungalows as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Having read good reviews previous to booking these bungalows, on our arrival we were really quite impressed with the size of them inside. They certainly need a bit of renovating as some of the sockets were hanging off the wall and paint was flaking off the walls.
The location was fantastic, about a 5 minute walk to the Yumbo Centre where we spent nearly every night as it's probably one of the best commercial centres in Gran Canaria.
The Bungalows are also in a quiet location, the only downside to that being the birds. You almost feel like your living in a bird sanctuary. They can be very noisy at times.
The walls are not very sound proof. You can hear people in the bungalow next door as we experienced when we were woken at 7.00am nearly every morning by a very noisy German singing at the top of his voice. It sounded like he was actually inside our room. It would have been better if the bungalows were detached.
The staff were very helpful. When we arrived they put us in a one bedroom bungalow, even though we booked a 2 bedroom one. They quickly realised their mistake and rectified it.
We heard loads of horror stories about cockroaches but we only saw one in the 2 weeks we were actually there.
We never actually ate or drank in the restaurant on site but it did look quite nice.
We'll definitely be staying at this complex next year.
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
| | |
Angela Whale from Halifax travelled to Biarritz Bungalows with
Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 | rated the Biarritz Bungalows as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Having been to Playa Del Ingles the year before we decided to try a self-catering holiday at the same resort and booked a week at Biarritz Bungalows last October.
Initial impressions are good, the bungalows look good and the gardens and pool area are great, however first impressions can be deceptive.
The holiday was booked for 3 adults. The 3rd and 4th beds are however only sofabeds, but they are not suitable for anyone over 5’9”-5’10” in height although they are not labelled as for children/teenagers in the brochure. The sofabeds double as sofas in the daytime and are really uncomfortable making a ‘bad’ back a real possibility after a week. The main bedroom has twin beds but these are also narrow, short and also really uncomfortable. There is also only 1 wardrobe and 5 drawers for storage, which is insufficient for up to 4 adults.
The main problem with sleeping there however is the lack of ventilation. There are ceiling fans in the main room with sofabeds and bedroom, but these are run on a timer and only circulate hot air anyway. Getting up in the middle of the night to re-start the fans quickly gets to be a habit. The night-time temperatures remain high, and opening the windows is impossible as some bungalows adjoin a road Avenida de Espana that is busy through the night with buses and cars, plus a regular noisy dustbin lorry collection at 4am too. Also closing the bedroom door soon makes the room stifling, but leaving it open means there’s no privacy, so it’s no good for 2 couples – no good night sleep was possible for us the entire week, and unless you happen to be a insomniac or out till dawn will be difficult for most in the ‘summer’.
The bathroom is great, the kitchen less so having no window to provide ventilation, just a door, the range of equipment provided could be better too – there was no can opener, corkscrew or bottle opener for example. Main problem was with the fridge however. When we got there we initially did a shop for essentials, only to find 3 hours later the fridge wasn’t cool. A quick trip to reception to complain elicited the response “It’s working – just defrosting”. So we hurried back to investigate, a half-hour with a knife removed enough ice to sink the Titanic that wouldn’t have defrosted by itself for several days without help from us. Would have been nice if reception had bothered to check back if the fridge was working too.
There is a small table and 1 chair, the rest having to use cushions on concrete bases so don’t rely upon comfort if you want to eat in regularly, alternatively the garden area has a good table and chairs but sadly no parasol to keep the heat off.
The garden area is one of the best things about the bungalow, being nice and private and the loungers proved more comfortable than the beds. If tempted to use them as impromptu beds please note the sprinklers come on around 4-5am!
Maid service was very good, the bungalow was always left spotlessly clean and they were all polite even if conversation barely stretched beyond pleasantries, hard to tell if the linen was changed though.
The pool area and gardens were kept really well clean and tidy, though keeping the side entrance gates padlocked might keep out intruders having to lug shopping right round by reception every day and then back to the bungalow rather than the gate a few feet away was a pain.
There is a bar and ‘restaurant’ onsite but we found the choice limited and expensive, on our first day we had 3 toasties, 2 chips and 3 soft drinks and got no change back from 20e which we thought expensive, the menu was German orientated and the bar was deserted at night, nice if you fancy a quiet drink by the pool though.
The rep is there Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Handy as when we checked the room set aside for tour companies for information there was nothing apart from departure times for the next journey home, no resort guides, handy hints or details about the rep if you needed to get hold of them quickly. The THOMSON ‘Welcome Pack’ also missed out on this information, just their ‘Highlights’ package of excursions.
The ‘Welcome Meeting’ began with the rep saying how much she was looking forward to leaving Gran Canaria which was worrying, after a few hints which assumed everyone wanted to do the bars and karaoke’s of the English or Irish Centres there was the usual hard sell of excursions – these seemed at least ¼ dearer than when we saw the same ones the year before.
Great thing about the bungalow is its central location, beach might be 5 minutes away for Kelly Holmes but for the rest it’s a 10-15 minutes gentle stroll. However, there are a lot of steps between the upper promenade and the beach, and there’s no way to avoid these except by taxis which are plentiful and cheap. The beach is great, busy around the main access points but quieter once you get past the rows of sunbeds and parasols waiting to take your euros off you, quieter still towards the dunes of Maspolomas which are worth exploring though beware the German nudist beach if of a sensitive disposition. There are plenty of café’s and bars along the main promenade serving all manner of snacks though as it was quiet when we were there the staff kept pushing menus in your face as you walked past. Also beware the yellow jacketed ‘INFO’ people pushing local bars Africans selling sunglasses, most have a smattering of English and seemingly not much idea of the concept of ‘No’ – try learning ‘no’ in an obscure language which works wonders!
Shopping is easy, both CITA and YUMBO centres are an easy 10-minute walk away with a full variety of shops, café’s and bars. Other centres are a bus or taxi ride away. YUMBO had 3 café’s doing a full brekkie for 4e, and it was possible to get all manner of meals for under 5e. When we went they were unseasonably quiet which meant it was impossible to window shop without being harassed by staff too pushy for business, good shops for leather goods, perfume and electricals/electronics etc but haggle hard, start walking and the price plummets. YUMBO especially provides a good start if you want a night out but beware the higher the level the ‘gayer’ it gets.
Ordinary shopping has a CUSTOM SUPERMARKET on Avenida de Alemania open 7 days 7.30-9.30 which is 5 minutes away. It’s large, and it stocks most things except any medicines or first aid things but most of the brands are definitely geared towards Germanic tastes, prices are competitive. CITA Centre has a SPAR and NETTO – just check the best-before dates carefully on anything perishable.
There’s a choice of eateries in YUMBO and CITA centres to suit all tastes and pockets, plus the beach promenade as well. We liked Los Porches on Avenida de Alemania though, good staff, great food and excellent value and its only 5 minutes walk.
So would we go recommend Biarritz Bungalows? Well, not unless it’s bought online or heavily discounted as a late availability package, THOMSON rate it 3 stars with a Gold badge and priced it accordingly and sadly we didn’t! Unless you go in winter remember to pack a portable air-conditioning unit and earplugs so you can open the windows!
| | |
Collette O'Keefe from Coventry travelled to Biarritz Bungalows with
Tui
on a friends holiday.
There were 5 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 | rated the Biarritz Bungalows as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I stayed with my partner and three friends in the Biarritz bungalows in August 2004.
We had an excellent time. The bungalows were ideally situated close to the yumbo centre which has fabulous nightlife and restaurants. There was plenty to choose from for people of all sexualities. It was a bloody good laugh!
The beach was about 15 minutes away which is downhill on the way there but uphill on the way back which isn't a problem because it's about the only exercise you'll do all week.
As for these moaners about ceiling fans yes they were on a timer, but if like me your hardly in the place then it wont bother you.
My partner friends and I are going back to the same place this year we loved it do much. It was a lovely place and there isn't anything to fault.
| | |
cathy from borehamwood travelled to Biarritz Bungalows with
vacation time travel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2004 | rated the Biarritz Bungalows as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Although the bungalow we stayed in was spacious enough for us and the cleaners were great, the bungalows are very old.
The ceiling fans made no difference at all and they cut out every half hour or so because they are on a timer switch. This means that you have to keep getting up and switching them back on again, even during the night.
There is no entainment whatsoever on the site, not even any background music to listen to whilst sitting by the pool.
The staff were very friendly and helpful and helped us find the different shopping centres and restaurants situated within walking distance.
The beach is lovely and to be honest that is where we spent most of our time. We got very bored and apart from swimming in the pool there was nothing else to do.
It's ok if you want a very, very quiet and very peaceful break.
As I have already mentioned, the bungalows are very old and do need redecorating and refurbishing urgently.
| | |
|
|
Lee Tagg from Chesterfield travelled to Biarritz Bungalows with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2003 | rated the Biarritz Bungalows as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We had a mixed time at the Biarritz.
The apartments were superb, very, very spacious and as big as we've known abroad. Ceiling fans in the living area and bedroom although to be fair they didn't make much difference. Bathroom was a good size with all expected amenities plus hairdryer and large mirrors. The bedroom was very sizeable, large wardrobe space, mirror, dressing table and safe available via a deposit at reception. The dining area was good with table and built in seats and the living room was on the level below with ample seating, coffee table and tv although only BBC World and CNN in English. The kitchen was kitted out with fridge, kettle, toaster, microwave, oven, cooking rings, plenty of cutlery, plates etc and loads of cupboard space. The kitchen led out to a small, high walled patio with washing line and pegs to dry out those beach towels.
The site was wonderful, nice pool running through the site in a sort of U shape. Two larger areas at each end joined by a strip of pool running through the site. Tennis courts and mini golf were available if you felt that energetic in the 90 degree heat although the mini golf could have done with a bit of maintenance. The maid service is fantastic, didn't speak English but all very friendly.
We could not have been more pleased with the apartments and location but it was somewhat tarnished 2 days before the end of our holiday. We nipped to the supermarket in the morning and came back 10 minutes later to find cockroaches all over the doorway, many more than we had seen before and when we got in the apartment they were all over the hallway floor, bathroom floor and bedroom floor. We regularly saw roaches near the hedges and in the artificial grass but nothing to trouble us(a lot of roaches all round Playa Del Ingles come to that).
We reported it to reception just as about 15 other people were doing the same. It seems they spray the site hedges once a fortnight and it brings all the roaches out for a couple of hours before they head back to the hedge. With our apartment being next to a hedge that ran alongside the front of the site we took the full force of it. The roaches were getting under the building via a hole in the wall and coming into the apartment via a gap at the bottom of the toilet bowl that had not been sealed. The manager helped us fend them back and had the gap sealed after a couple of hours but outside the front door was snided and we could not get past, especially as my girlfriend was hysterical by this point.
The Thomson rep was alerted at 12 but was not on site until 5pm on his daily rounds. He said to wait at our apartment and he'd come to see us but 20 minutes later I saw him drive off. More irate calls later and he came back at 7.30 and had us moved immediately, seems he didn't think it was too bad when got the original call hence it took him 7 and a half hours to see us! Funniest moment was when he bent down outside the building to view the hundreds of dead cockroaches in a pile that he seemed petrified of, his mobile phone rang in his back pocket and he fairly lept 6 foot in the air. We were moved to a fantastic apartment in Maspalomas but lost the penultimate day of our holiday, which we were compensated for eventually and were now further out of where we wanted to be. To be honest it was only a couple of euros back into Playa Del Ingles by taxi though and we only had one day left anyway.
But, I don't want to sound like an old fuddy duddy as this was just one of those things that could of happened to anyone at any location at any time. Our gripe was mainly with the Thomson rep and the loss of one day of our holiday when we should have been making the most of our last couple of days.
Silly as it sounds, despite our ordeal I would highly recommend the Biarritz as the site is lovely, the apartments are great and the location was fantastic.
Despite the bungalows being so close to everything you'll be amazed just how quiet it is. Just around the corner is a supermarket although we were met with the usual shop assistants attitude of pointing to the value of the shopping on the till display and our change placed on the counter. As with many places abroad the things from home cost a packet but the local stuff is cheap enough and more than adequate to keep you going until you stroll to that restaurant at night.
When we went the travel agent informed us the apartments hadn't been in the Thomson brochure long as they had previously been a German orientated location and there was a 50/50 split of English and German with the odd Dutch thrown in but all nice folks, why shouldn't they be.
We're heading back to Playa Del Ingles in November as a sort of second honeymoon but staying at Rebecca Park this time as read some good reviews about it on this site and it's next to the Gran Chaparel. Get married in Cyprus in August but family and friends will still be there after the wedding so as we like Playa Del Ingles so much have decided to head back there in November for a bit of time alone. Hopefully it'll still be lively as our only worry going at that time of year is the risk of places being closed. From what I can gather reading on here and other sites though it is still as good.
Despite our cockroach ordeal I would definitely go back to the Biarritz and recommend them to anyone wanting quality apartments close to everything yet quiet at the same time.
| | |
 Subscribe For FREE Updates Click Here To Add A Review On This Hotel
Can't find an answer?
Ask other holidaymakers by clicking here!
Click Here To Go Back To Gran Canaria Hotel Listing.
All postings on this website are the responsiblity of the original poster. Once posted all information becomes the copyright of Holiday-Truth.com.
Holiday-Truth.com and our moderators accept no responsibility for the content and / or the accuracy of information contained within this website. Holiday-Truth.com monitors all postings and may, at our discretion, edit a posting to remove obscene or abusive language, edit grammar or correct spelling.
© Holiday-Truth.com V0.96b
Privacy Policy
|
