Apartamentos Casablanca

⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5/5) – Great apartments, fantastic location, but the restaurant service lets it down We have just returned from a week's stay at Casablanca Apartments in Puerto de la Cruz, travelling as a family group of 10 (12 for part of the holiday), including three children, one of whom was just three years old. Overall, we had a brilliant holiday and would happily return to Puerto de la Cruz. Whether I'd stay at Casablanca again is a difficult one. I'd certainly return for the apartments themselves, but I wouldn't use the restaurant or bar again unless the service improved significantly. The location is lovely, although be warned – the apartments sit at the top of an extremely steep hill! We quickly nicknamed it "Cardiac Hill" and the "Cardiac Steps." If you have mobility issues, this probably isn't the place for you, but taxis were only around €4, making it an easy and inexpensive trip back up after a day exploring. The apartments themselves were excellent. We stayed in a spacious two-bedroom apartment with a fantastic balcony overlooking the mountains. It had everything we needed: a full kitchen with hob, oven, microwave and toaster, toiletries, complimentary bottled water and a welcome bottle of wine on arrival. Being close to the lift was also a huge bonus. The housekeeping team deserve huge praise. They were absolutely exceptional. Every day they checked if we needed fresh towels or bins emptied, changed the bedding midway through the week and were always friendly, funny and genuinely lovely. They are a real credit to Casablanca. The pool was clean but unfortunately far too small for a complex of this size. I understand why inflatables and ball games aren't allowed, but it does make it feel restrictive for families. The children's splash pool was ideal for our youngest, who happily played with his little toys. The games room kept the children entertained but feels quite dated and could easily be improved with some newer games and activities. The entertainment was enjoyable but fairly limited and finished quite early. There is a large bowls green that was barely used during our stay—we saw bowls being played once by just two people and one yoga session with only a couple of guests. It feels like this area could be put to much better use for quizzes, family games, live music or evening entertainment. We actually listened to the quiz night from our balcony because, by that point, we'd become too frustrated with the bar service to stay. It would be fantastic if they used that larger space for events so more guests could take part. The biggest disappointment was undoubtedly the restaurant and bar. The food itself was lovely. Drinks were well made, portions were generous and the prices were very reasonable. In fact, we found prices throughout Puerto de la Cruz to be excellent value. Unfortunately, the service simply wasn't good enough. Waiting 40–45 minutes just to place an order became the norm, followed by another 30–40 minutes waiting for drinks or food. If food arrived, we often had to wait again for cutlery, and nobody checked whether we needed sauces or anything else. Breakfast also finished at 10:30am, which felt a little early when you're on holiday. One person deserves a very special mention—Massimo. He worked his socks off every single day and never seemed to stop. The poor service certainly wasn't because of him; it was because he simply didn't have enough support. He was constantly trying to cover both the restaurant and bar while others appeared far less engaged. Thank you, Massimo—you are an absolute credit to the hotel. The younger members of staff around the pool, including the entertainer, lifeguard and pool bar staff, were also brilliant and always welcoming. Sadly, one older waitress consistently came across as quite rude and unapproachable, which didn't create a particularly welcoming atmosphere. We also noticed that service wasn't always in the order people arrived. On several occasions, guests who arrived after us were served first, which became frustrating when we'd already been waiting such a long time. Whether this was down to communication or organisation, it definitely needs improving. While I always make an effort to learn a little of the local language when travelling, I do think that staff working in international tourism should have a basic level of conversational English to help guests. Unfortunately, communication with most of the restaurant staff was quite difficult, with Massimo being the clear exception. Reception staff were polite enough, although the welcome itself felt a little matter-of-fact rather than particularly warm. Outside the hotel is where Puerto de la Cruz really shines. Every restaurant we visited was excellent. I'd highly recommend Restaurante Jade Verde for fantastic Chinese food at great prices. We also had an incredible meal at Zicatela Restaurant & Cocktail Bar. It was a little more expensive at around £40 per person, but the food was absolutely spectacular and well worth every penny. For anyone wanting somewhere to watch the football or simply enjoy a great atmosphere, The Bee Hive was brilliant. We watched the World Cup Final there as a group of 12, including our three children, and the atmosphere when Spain won was unforgettable. The staff couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly, and they made everyone—adults and children alike—feel right at home. We'd happily return there again and again. Overall, Casablanca Apartments have so much going for them. The accommodation is excellent, the housekeeping team are outstanding, the location is beautiful (if you don't mind the climb!), and there's huge potential for the facilities. If management invested in improving staffing levels within the restaurant and bar, modernised the games room and made better use of the outdoor entertainment space, this could easily become one of the best apartment complexes in Puerto de la Cruz. We had a wonderful holiday despite the frustrations and would happily return for the apartments and location alone. Next time, though, we'll be spending our evenings enjoying the fantastic restaurants and bars that Puerto de la Cruz has to offer.

Our experience at the Hotel Casablanca, in Tenerife, has been one of the worst we have ever had. My family and I booked two rooms and, from the first day, we received disrespectful and unacceptable treatment. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, I stopped the car for a few seconds in the drop-off zone to help my mother, who has a knee problem and needs more time to get out of the vehicle. While I was explaining the situation to the employee at the entrance and asking him for just a minute of understanding, he started yelling at us in a very aggressive and humiliating way in front of other people. It was a completely unnecessary and very embarrassing situation. The problems continued in the hotel restaurant. The service was very poor during our entire stay. The waiters took orders while walking, without really listening to the requests, showed very little willingness to serve the customers, and on several occasions we had to get up from the table to look for cutlery, glasses, or ask again for drinks and even dishes that never arrived. In my case, I ordered salmon with rice on the side. After a long wait, they brought me a salad instead of the salmon. Even so, I maintained a kind attitude and told them that my son could keep the salad, provided they prepared my order correctly. The rice didn't arrive either, and we had to request it again. When they finally brought the salmon, it was cold and raw inside, totally unacceptable for consumption. I explained politely that, after so many mistakes and so much waiting, I no longer wanted to eat that dish and asked them to remove it. However, they decided to charge for it anyway, and they did so with an arrogant and unprofessional attitude. Later, I went to the front desk to explain everything that had happened, including the incident on the first day at the hotel entrance. The same employee yelled at me again, called me a liar in front of other people, and treated me in a totally disrespectful manner. The manager heard what happened, but instead of investigating or looking for a solution, the hotel sent us a letter stating that their employees had acted correctly, completely ignoring our version of the events. The most disappointing thing was not just the errors, but the hotel's attitude. At no point did we receive an apology, empathy, or a real intention to solve the problems. Quite the opposite: we felt mistreated, humiliated, and completely neglected. I do not recommend this hotel to those looking for professional, respectful treatment and quality service.

Food good, location ok, service in bar was shocking as the day went on. The lifeguard took a major dislike to us. This lifeguard she had no nametag. Very rude and made our holiday at the pool side not enjoyable. The cleaners were excellent and room were maintained very often by the cleaning staff.