Blue Sea Costa Bastian

I booked this holiday through Hays Travel for my first trip away with just me and my daughter (9). Like a lot of people, I read the reviews beforehand and started to worry I'd made a bad call. But I'm a firm believer in "don't knock it till you've tried it," so we went with an open mind. Here's my honest, detailed take.

Arrival & Check-in We landed around 10pm on day one. The coach drops you at the top of a short walk down to the lobby (which doubles as the car park) — my only bit of feedback here is that the pathway lighting could be better, as it's a little dark and not the warmest welcome. The lobby itself is spacious but bare; some seating would go a long way to make it feel more like a proper foyer rather than a walkway into the bar, which sits directly ahead of reception and was in full swing with the evening entertainment when we arrived. Check-in was handled by two really pleasant members of staff. Information was a bit sparse — they pointed us to a QR code on the key card for the hotel's schedule and info (more on that below) — but they were thorough on room directions and kindly gave us a takeaway bag (sandwich, fruit, crisps, water) since the buffet had closed.

The Room We had a superior double, recently renovated — worth noting the older photos online don't reflect the current rooms. It was spacious, spotless, and well laid out, with plenty of wardrobe storage, a fridge, and a safe (around €3/day plus a €10 refundable deposit). There's also a kettle with tea and coffee. We were ground floor with a patio and seating area (1st/2nd floor rooms get a balcony instead), plus a clothes airer that makes good use of the near-constant Teguise breeze. Cleanliness really does stand out here, and I'll echo what other reviews say: the corridors smell of citrus cleaning product daily, rooms are kept spotless, and the grounds are immaculate — gardeners are out regularly keeping on top of leaves in the wind.

Breakfast Food seems to be the main gripe in other reviews, and I'd put it around a solid 3-star standard — but a few small, sensible tweaks would lift it noticeably. There's a manned grill on the left doing fried eggs/omelettes, and pancakes on some (not all — I couldn't work out the pattern) mornings. A small Nutella/honey/jam station right there would help, rather than having your pancakes go cold on the walk to the other end of the restaurant. Similarly, small milk sachets at the coffee station would stop people queueing there just to carry milk back for cereal. This is where the QR code info page really falls short — loading the weekly rotating menu onto it would be a simple win, especially for vegetarians or anyone with dietary needs planning their meals.

Pool Bar This is the weakest link. From 11am it's self-serve build-your-own sandwiches (ham, salami, cheese, white or brown bread, salad), small ice cream pots, and digestives. From 1pm, hot food rotates between chips and nuggets, chips and burgers, or nachos. Drinks are served from the bar. It would be great to see a bit more variety here — pizza or grilled chicken, for example. Overall, though, the food is what you make of it. With a bit of creativity there are some great combinations to be had — grilled chicken with spinach and potatoes, fajitas, salmon salad — though if you stick to chicken nuggets and chips the whole week, that's on you!

Entertainment Another one for the QR code page — the schedule board often shows Wednesday's show on a Monday, with no clue whether it's in the auditorium or the bar area. You end up just following the crowd, which works but isn't ideal. The entertainment itself is decent — I've seen better elsewhere, but it's good fun for kids.

The Pool & Sunbeds This was my main gripe. I've never had to compete for sunbeds before, and the anxiety of missing out did put a dampener on a relaxed morning routine. Beds are stacked and locked away at 6pm, released at 10am — and yet we regularly saw people camped at their preferred spots before 9am. There has to be a better system. The pool facilities themselves are good: a toddler pool, a slide section (up to age 12), and a main pool with shallow and deep sections. Water polo, aqua aerobics, and aqua gym run through the day — the aqua aerobics sessions in particular are brilliant, everyone joins in and it turns into a proper pool party. Location

The hotel is well placed — about 20 minutes' walk to Teguise town centre, and a short walk round the cove from there to Playa de las Cucharas, the best beach locally.

Overall A great holiday resort and well worth the money. A handful of small, low-cost tweaks (better lighting, lobby seating, a proper online schedule/menu, a fairer sunbed system) would take it from good to genuinely excellent — but as a first trip away with my daughter, it delivered exactly what we needed.

Would never visit this blue sea again and actually won’t be using easy jet again over this holiday also.

Positive’s Food nice Entertainment people nice

Cons Didn’t tell us need euros for plastic cups Can’t use rubber rings in pools for kids Can’t use slides if over 12 Bought items from shop (speaker) moaned at for using even though not loud Air con broke left in room with dripping moved 16:00 to new room next day last day No umbrellas round pool had stands said to windy but had for staff Put soiled sheets on bed which were meant to be clean