Noelia Playa

This was our 3rd visit to this hotel and, as before, staff are amazing. We had requested a room not overlooking the sports hall and this was not accommodated on the first night (we arrived around midnight) but room change was actioned by around 9am next day. Couple of days in new room the hairdryer stopped working but again this was replaced very quickly - both ‘issues’ dealt with as soon as could be and with no fuss - couldn’t ask for more! Agree with some comments that food is repetitive but think that’s because there’s always a good selection - always fresh salads, varied hot fresh cooked fish or meat (hake, mackerel, tuna, pork, chicken, gammon etc) and pasta dishes, paella, stews, vegetables, potatoes, pizza with different desserts, ice cream or fruits. Not sure what else could be offered! Breakfast was cereals, pastries, yoghurts, range of hot dishes including fresh pancakes so again not sure what more could be offered! Hotel/rooms are clean and comfortable and around a 10 min walk away from main hub. Entertainment is provided each evening. We will return and do recommend for comfortable stay with great staff who all work hard.

Ok hotel. Aesthetically the entrance is lovely. The rooms are a little dated but suited our needs. I would say if youre after self catering, the option isnt the best in the area. You get a hob and a fridge behind a wardrobe door. We went all inclusive and the meals were ok, choice was limited overall but there is at least a freshly cooked fish and meat option at both lunch and dinner which is appreciated. The bar is all invlusive from 1100-2300 but is not always manned so there is sometimes a wait to get a drink. And the other reviews are indeed correct, the pool is on the top floor whilst the only bar is on the ground floor. The pool can get busy and sunloungers go. Sadly they dont allow pool toys so the kids did get a bit bored. Bit of a walk into the main part of town (10 minutes) but plenty nearby. Especially the Zoo which is less than 1km away. The hotel is definitely more popular with Spanish than it is English but the majority of staff spoke good English (there was only 1 or 2 who struggled between my broken spanish and their broken english). Shout out to Alejandro who was attentive and lovely. Overall not a bad option for your money

Chosen for location being very close to the bus station as I intended to use the buses every day to explore the island. Great sized room, twin beds pushed together, separate sofa and dining table with 2 chairs, bathroom with 3/4 size bath and shower over, small kitchenette with hob and fridge. Balcony overlooked sports centre which was noisy at most times. Not disturbed too much by traffic noise but aware of buses reversing around the bus station from fairly early in the morning. Weather was poor and also out most of the day during my stay so did not attempt to use pool area. Cleaners were efficient and polite and did a good job but also respected do not disturb signs and did not clean on those days.

Some things in the room were not very practical. There was no separate hand soap at bathroom sink, only bath gel dispenser over bath. I ended up buying hand soap from the supermarket. Shampoo and shower gel attached to wall could not be reached if sat in bathtub and would have to step out of shower stream to use. Tiles throughout room can be dangerous when leaving bathroom with wet feet. Wardrobe doesn't have any long hanging space e.g for a dress. Bath towels are very small and thin. I'm not particularly tall or heavily built but the towel only just wrapped fully around me- bigger and thicker towels would be much better. Two sanitary bags were provided on day one but never replaced. I found the room very cold at night and had to get an extra blanket out of the wardrobe.

Breakfast was decent with some hot options changing daily, freshly cooked eggs, crepes always available plus choice of 4 cereals, basic pastries, muffins etc, yogurt, fruit and a few bread rolls, meats, cheese etc.

I stayed half board but found evening meals to be more mixed. Some nights I ate well and had 4 courses with soup, pasta in sauce with salad, main meat/fish with veg and dessert, but other nights options felt much more limited. Strict vegetarians (i.e those not eating fish either) would have no real main course options. There was always plain pasta, plain white rice, canarian wrinkly potatoes, salad, a type of pizza, some form of vegetables and a paella style dish and often something extra e.g pasta in a sauce or stew (self serve) but main meat/fish is served in small portions directly from the grill by the chef. Generally one type of meat and one fish on grill each night but always just plain grilled e.g nothing served with sauce or cooked in breadcrumbs or anything to make the food more filling....or any separate sauce to go over the plain pasta or rice. I stayed under 2 weeks but some items featured on the menu multiple times e.g there only seemed to be a range of around 4 soups which rotated. Storms and activity restrictions meant I couldn't do the hiking I had planned but perhaps a good thing as some nights I don't think the evening meal offering would have been sufficient to refuel from walk. One positive was drinks in the restaurant are very reasonably priced...glasses of wine and 750ml bottle water are both under 3 euros each.

Staff were generally quite good and I managed to get a few requests understood in English with no issues, although note Puerto de la Cruz tends to be particularly popular with German rather than english speaking visitors. There was a mix up one evening when my table at dinner was fully cleared (including unfinished drink) while I was at the buffet getting my next course. Fortunately it was only water but still disappointing staff were not paying attention.

Overall the location was exactly what I wanted and I would consider staying again for that convenience but would potentially look at B&B only.