Palmeras Playa

It’s our third time at this hotel and once again it was great! The rooms are spacious with plenty of room. The food is excellent, absolutely lots of choice and many deserts! The pool area and facilities were good considering the time of year! Could’ve done without the thunderstorms!

Parking a massive problem in the area. Had to park a good walk from apartment. For this reason. Would not suit someone disabled or not so able bodied. Street can be very noisy at night. Which disrupts sleep. Give it a miss.

We visited Tenerife from 7 to 18 Nov 2017. I hope this review helps future guests make a balanced judgement on whether to stay at Palmeras Playa, Avenida Venezuela – or at least ask the right questions before booking. We booked last minute and believe we were misled by our Airbnb host regarding the swimming pool. The 'bedrooms' in this former hotel (?shut 2015?) have been sold off to make individual studio apartments, which seem to be owned by a number of private individuals. There is no reception and no hotel facilities. The former facilities on the first floor, including café, pools, sports court, kiddies playground, sauna, etc are closed. We understand there is still a laundry (coin operated) although we didn’t see it. The common parts are cleaned (we saw cleaners in action) and we saw what we assumed was a night security man mid-late evening. The accommodation at Palmeras Playa appears on several of the usual websites. The studio we rented was through an Airbnb host, a foreign national now resident on Tenerife. It was clean, modern and well equipped. Plus points: Palmeras Playa is very convenient for the town, surfing beach and Lago Martianez and everything is in walking distance including a large supermarket and patisserie. There is an underground car park (our garage was only wide enough for a VW Polo - so check with your host!). The views from our balcony (which faces the dual carriageway) were great - sea & mountains. The building/neighbours were very quiet. There were a handful of other tourists and perhaps some long term residents. Not many studios were occupied. Minus points: The swimming pool is CLOSED for refurbishment. Our host included it in the apartment’s Amenities and other owners of studios at Palmeras Playa (advertising on Trip Adviser and other sites) are still showing photos of the adult and children’s pool full of water – they are EMPTY! This means there is no communal outside space for relaxation, sunbathing & socialising. There were no workmen round the pool, and no notice in the lobby saying how long it would be closed. The nearest hotels don’t allow non-residents access to their pools – we checked. The alternative is to pay 5.50 Euros each to use Lago Martianez – open ‘winter hours’ from 10 am to 5 pm (sunset 7.00 pm). We killed cockroaches in the kitchen, wardrobes and bathroom throughout our 11 days, despite disinfecting the cupboards and sealing all food items. There were traps, ultrasonic devices and spray, so our host was aware of the problem. The studio was clean when we arrived, but I understand cockroaches are a problem on Tenerife – and it is not a new building. It was an unpleasant experience. The road noise travels up and the road is active 24 hours a day - it's an arterial route. We expected some noise, but we live in the country at home & found it difficult to sleep. The sea is understandably noisy if it's windy and there is a swell, which compounds the problem. The alternative is to close the balcony door, but it's the only secure ventilation - other windows open onto the landing, but we didn’t feel comfortable having them open at night. We were not informed of the evacuation procedure in case of fire and it’s a 12 storey building – so make a note of your nearest exit etc. There appeared to be wired in smoke detectors in the apartment and on the landings. Our apartment had no fire extinguisher, but there are some on the landings and emergency alarms. Whilst not a problem currently the building behind Palmeras Playa is completely derelict and may be refurbished/demolished at some point. In summary, everyone is individual and has different requirements from their holiday. We stay fairly active and our hols usually include a few pre-breakfast lengths to wake us up; and a dip at the end of a day’s sightseeing - swim, beer, relax . . . luxury. We booked a pool and expected a pool. Our host has not been particularly sympathetic and claims it was our misunderstanding combined with Airbnb’s use of the phrase ‘shared pool’, which the host understood meant a nearby public pool or the sea. Puerto de la Cruz is lovely, well worth a visit and we would not hesitate to return.