Sol Arona Tenerife

My wife and I stayed at this lovely hotel for 7 days Half Board Plus, 2nd – 9th August. We normally book Adults Only hotels but booked late and ended up at the Sol Arona. Booking in was very efficient and the member of staff was super helpful. The Room – I emailed before we arrived asking if an upgrade was possible and we were given a room on the 15th floor. There were 4 super quick lifts available and our room was modern, spacious and well equipped and cleaned every day. The Aircon was excellent and kept the room feeling like a fridge in the extreme temps. The only minor down side was the balcony was tiny. There was barely enough room for the 2 chairs and table but it did have a nice beach and sea view. Food and Drink – Being Half Board plus gave us breakfast and dinner. Please take note, if going during high season if you want to avoid mile long queue’s get down for breakfast before 0830. Anytime after that it is pandemonium. The breakfast choices were really good with plenty of choice. Dinner. Again, get down early unless you want to queue. Honestly one of the best food choices we have had in a long time. Every night there was a different theme, with a huge choice of starters, salads, breads and mains. For example there were chicken, beef and seafood dishes that were excellent. The seafood night was tremendous, with large fresh prawns, salmon, mussels, crab etc etc. The dishes for kids were the usual of pasta, chicken nougats, pizza, chips etc and the puddings (inc Mr Whippy Ice Cream machine) were great. The Pool area is large and clean with plenty of sun beds and parasols available. They don’t open the door until 0915 ish but there was no mad rush to get the towels down. If you leave it much later than 1000 then you will find it difficult to get a bed. The entertainment team worked really hard but were not in your face to do everything. They had Yoga, stretching, pool aerobics every day amongst other activities for the kids. The Pool bar is well stocked with snacks through out the day and the staff again were great. There weren’t many “ CON’s” to this Holiday but I will say the following

1. The Pool snack Bar frequently ran out of water and ICE.
2. The Bins around the snack bar and the pool were left to overflow most days.
3. If you are not “All Inclusive” the price of drinks were really steep. I was charged 7 Euros for a beer.
4. If you are a couple who want peace and quiet around the Pool then this is not for you.

On the whole we had a really really good stay at the Sol Arona. I also want to add that every single member of staff were super friendly and could not do enough to help.

We travelled with 2 children (6 and 9 year old) and initially, I was concerned after a mix of reviews. However, we had a brilliant time! Hotel is kept clean and the refurb looks brilliant. Room - they are spacious and lots of space to unpack your belongings. We used the safe and had no issues with that. There’s a small fridge in there but was ideal for keeping drinks cold. Air con in the lounge and bedroom which was good as meant we could take the air pen off in the kids room but still have it on in the lounge for us. We were on the 3rd floor so used the lift now and then but I can imagine it might be a bit more difficult if you’re higher up and having to wait for a lift but there are 4. We had our room cleaned 2/3 times whilst there (7nights) through our choice. They don’t change the sheets but do remake the beds and get fresh towels. Location - took us 30 mins max to get from the airport to the hotel which was one of the main reasons we chose this hotel. It’s only a 10 minute walk to the beach and shops which was a nice way to break up the day. There’s a supermarket literally 3 minute walk away which we used to stock up on drinks and snacks throughout the day and in the room. Prices were really reasonable there too. There’s a free bus outside the hotel to take you to local attractions - we used it to get to aqualand. HIGHLY recommend this place for families. We barely queued for any slides and there’s so much there to suit all needs. Food - we thought it was spot on - there was always something for us to eat. We were half board and that was more than enough - we made sure we went to breakfast at about 9 (good time and not too busy) and then we went to dinner at about 6:30 - again a good time before it got too busy. Food was always hot and being replenished. Lots of choice, even for fussy eaters. Some nice themed nights too. I took a freezer bag with me so I could bring drinks and snacks round the pool - this saved us a lot of money rather than buying from the bar all the time. There’s no freezer compartment in the room but the freezer bag kept our drinks cool the whole day. Pool - this was my biggest concern as lots said it was small. Yes it’s not huge but it’s more than adequate - our children were very happy with it! Lifeguards are present and always walking around. Pool entertainment was good - kids enjoyed the water carpet and inflatable in particular. There were lots of different pool entertainment so depends if you want to join in or not! Yes there is a slight rush for sun beds BUT it’s nothing like other hotels where you’ve got to be up at the crack of dawn. They let you out about 9:30am to get sun beds. We only ever had 2 (one for me and one for husband) as our children were never out the pool long enough! Some people do ‘reserve’ more than they should but up to them. There were always beds available after lunch too. For example, we went on a boat trip one morning then had lunch in town. Got back to the hotel about 1 and there were plenty around. Entertainment - we LOVED the music bingo and family quiz. Lots of good entertainment. Kids club also had a great timetable. My two didn’t attend many but that’s because they’re basically fish and wanted to stay in the pool!

Overall - go with an open mind and just enjoy your holiday! ☀️

Things stolen . Don’t recommend.