La Palma

When we entered the hotel we were met with a lovely room- although overlooking a construction sight (not the hotels fault) though slightly annoying. Everything has been fab. My concern is the incredibly poor service at the pool bar across the road. Every single day we have ordered it has took around an hour for us to get our food (while having to ask for it multiple times), and similarly with drinks we’ve had to wait minimum 40 minutes for them. When staff were questioned, they have been relatively dismissive. We noticed several people who’d ordered after us got their food before us too! What’s equally disappointing is being able to see our food sat on the side of the bar. Though our stay at the hotel has been great with a fabulous location overlooking the lake from the pool and a 3 minute walk into the little town centre, I would stick to the restaurants around the town and avoid the pool bar altogether.

My wife and I spent 15 nights here at what is a very good hotel. The reception staff were always very helpful, especially Alma who checked us in and suggested several local restaurants, and Carola who dealt very efficiently with our requests for bus and ferry trips. All the staff - receptionists, waiters, bar staff, cleaners, pool attendants and gardeners - worked very hard. We had a room at the front of the hotel overlooking the hotel gardens and lake. It had a large, comfortable bed; plenty of wardrobe and cupboard space (although some of it was too high to be of any use); an easy-to-operate safe and fridge/minibar; two bedside tables; two chairs and a small table; a large desk space with a stool beneath; and a large flatscreen TV. The hotel provided welcome cartons of water and some nibbles. The balcony had two chairs and a table and was a lovely place to relax with views of the gardens and across the lake to distant mountains. The air-conditioning in the room was probably the best we have ever had, especially with temperatures in the low to mid thirties! The bathroom was a little small but has a good shower, excellent toiletries, bath and hand towels, dressing gowns and the ubiquitous one-size-fits- all slippers (always too small for me)! The balcony window had an automatic shutter, useful at night. Breakfast was excellent. There were three fruit juices, still and sparkling waters, yoghurts, fresh fruit, a large variety of cereals and nuts/seeds, breads, croissants, pastries and cakes, (and cooked options for those who can eat hot food early in the morning in high temperatures), with a variety of teas and coffees. It was easy to get a table overlooking the attractive front gardens. The pool area was pleasant with sufficient sunbeds and sun shades, with towels in exchange for a token. We had lunch at the pool bar on a few occasions and it was good. The changing rooms, toilets and showers under the pool were excellent. Other hotel facilities include a small library behind reception, a gym and sauna on the sixth floor (neither of which we used), and the Sky Bar on the roof (which is open to the general public). I must finish with a few niggles, but not problematic enough to affect my overall rating of this hotel. 1 There were no hooks in the bedroom for hats, waterproofs, bags etc. 2 The bathroom light switch is inside the bathroom (which would not be allowed in the UK). 3 The TV kept going off which would not normally be a great inconvenience as people today use mobile phones for news etc, but it was annoying when I was watching the World Cup football! 4 The lifts occasionally had a mind of their own. 5 While staff at the pool were good, I got the feeling that people from other hotels did walk in and use the pool facilities without being checked. 6 Finally we had a late flight on our day of departure and a courtesy room was offerred but only at a cost; we declined and used the showers at the pool. The acid test - would we stay at this hotel again? - absolutely yes.

I stopped by on a Sunday as an outsider to access the beach club. Cloudy Sunday, willing to pay, have lunch, and have an aperitif. I spoke with the pool manager who gave us availability, but at the reception, they denied us entry even though there was plenty of availability and clouds! We went to the Grand Hotel next door, much more courteous and accommodating service!