Beach hotels in Canary Islands, Spain

Santa Catalina Hotel is undeniably a historic architectural landmark, but as a hotel experience it fell well below expectations. On arrival, the service felt cold and somewhat pretentious rather than welcoming, with concierge staff coming across as detached and pompous rather than genuinely hospitable. A key reason for choosing the hotel was the prominently advertised rooftop pool and views, only to discover after check-in that access is restricted to suite guests. The spa is similarly limited unless you pay €15 per person for 90 minutes, which feels disproportionate given the modest facilities. These restrictions are not clearly communicated at booking and leave a sense of being misled. Several of the lounge and communal areas were also frequently reserved for corporate events and seminars, which further diminished the sense of a relaxed hotel environment. As a guest, it often felt as though you were secondary to business groups and functions moving through the space, even in more personal hotel moments such as walking through common areas in a robe. In-room entertainment is very dated, with a non–smart TV offering only basic local and satellite channels. Room service carries a €5 delivery surcharge, while on-site dining is largely limited to high-end fine dining with little casual alternative. It is also worth noting that Las Palmas sits under a noticeably less favourable microclimate than the south and west of Gran Canaria. During our stay, conditions were consistently cloudy, windy, and cool, which further limited the enjoyment of the hotel’s already restricted amenities. For those seeking reliable sun and beach weather, the southern or western parts of the island are a better choice. Overall, despite its striking heritage setting, the combination of underwhelming service, restricted access to advertised facilities, dated in-room amenities, corporate use of guest spaces, and disappointing weather made for a stay that did not feel justified by the price and is not somewhere we would return to. The atmosphere and clientele also skew noticeably toward an older demographic.

Best 4 star hotel!! Initially we were worried about an all inclusive 4 star hotel. What if services, food, drink and entertainment aren’t good, we will be stuck! However, they changed our mind the minute we got there. As I approached the counter, they welcomed us and said they would check if our room was ready. Although it’s not, they took our bags for us and gave us a card (which allowed us to go and have lunch without extra cost) so we could start enjoying our time at the hotel. The room was clean and we loved the deco. We loved the attention to detail too! You can tell a lot of thoughts have gone into the design of the room. We love the food there too. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner every day we were there. Apart from the usual kids’ favourite, the main dishes were different at every meal every day. I particularly enjoyed the freshly cooked fish and paellas; and the Halloween themed night meal. The animación team was excellent. They were very good with my kids. My youngest was a bit shy to start with at the kids club. One of the staff gave her a lot of special attention to help her settle in. The evening entertainment was better than expected too. We really enjoyed the acrobat show. It’s not exactly BGT standard but it’s definitely entertaining enough to keep all of us happy. It’s also 10 mins away by car from the airport. We actually took the bus on the way there. It cost 1.40 eur per person and it stopped right opposite the hotel. On the way back, taxi cost 13-15eur. We also love that there is a beautiful beach right next to the hotel. It’s so thoughtful that there is a shower and towels right next to the gate so you could clean your feet before getting back to the hotel. If there’s anything to complain about, I would say the steam room wasn’t working during my stay!

We had a nice clean appartement which was very spacious. The bed is really good, very soft and we slept like babies. Bathroom was nothing special but clean which is the most important thing. Breakfast is a bit on the expensive side. (8,- for 2 small orange juice). The staff was friendly. We would’ve liked to stay longer but unfortunately it was fully booked. The only downside was the 100,- borg that has to be payed with creditcard as we didn’t have one but we got the appartement anyway. I recommended this place to others if they’re looking to relaxed without the screams from tourists. If you read this as a tourist please keep this beautiful island clean and show your respect. (We walked around with an empty bag picking up trash along the road)

Simply amazing, the best views and location. I would gladly come back again. Great service, everything as it should be. Big thanks to the hotel for making my stay so pleasant.

Lovely hotel at a very good location. Modern, nicely decorated for Christmas. Polite staff, good choice for breakfast and dinner. Christmas dinner was something out of this world( been to many hotels, but Xmas dinner now will be hard to match). Not sure if it is always like this but we were the youngest in the hotel(43&47)during the first part of holidays and only later some other younger people joined us. The average age was 60's 😁 This hotel is not orientated to children but for us it was perfect- no screaming and shouting and our girl had fun in the pool by Herself and her cousin🤣 I wanted to book Spring Hotel Bitacora at first but now I am thinking that I made an excellent choice . That said, I might try it out next time just because of the All nclusive service Bitacora provides. It was a nice quiet stay so if you expect something like Turkey, eith music around the pool, kids disco and shows, this hotel is not for you. We were half board and 4 days we ate at the pool bar and were never disappointed. Good food and reasonable prices. We didn't book UP option because we were with the kids( it's for 18+)but if I ever come without them- I will try it out! Pros: Very good location Modern hotel Heated pools( wheelchair friendly) Good food and service Cons: No shampoo in a room! It's a first for me 🙈 The tiles in the pool (mosaic) need replacement. My daughter filled probably half of the carrier bag from the bottom saw of the pool🤣 All in all- perfect stay and believe me, I am picky. It is one of the hotels I would recommend to my friends and family

We had an amazing time here the staff are very friendly, the food was very nice and a variety. The drinks are better than most 4 stars I stayed at. The location is on point, the rooms are comfortable enough, it's worth vtge prices. Thanksvto the restaurant and bar staff for working hard to please the customer. The pools are clean and well located. They also have a pool bar which is not part of all inclusive. Drinks are reasonably priced too. I will definitely go again.

Very suitable for parent-child vacation, the hotel has arranged a lot of programs from morning to night. The design details of the hotel are super beautiful and ubiquitous, perfect African style. There are 9 swimming pools, you can definitely find the place you want to lie down and relax. There is a long row of shopping festivals and small restaurants at the entrance of the hotel. The Tujiu restaurant is the most authentic and delicious. The Chinese boss behind the scenes is super enthusiastic about us every time we eat After sending a large glass of wine, take a 7-minute taxi ride from the center of the dunes

We had a great stay at sunset bay hotel brilliant atmosphere and entertainment the room was a bit noisy as we backed on to some bars and were near the main road but it didn’t spoil or holiday

Ideally located in quiet part close to old town as well as the *****. Two pool areas (one with shallow kids pool) and food available by larger pool -also small dining area just past reception (good selection for breakfast). Pool table for older kids and small playground for toddlers onsite. Very clean complex and friendly staff. Fully equipped kitchenette and lovely powerful shower in bathroom which I loved! Close to lots of shops and restaurants, but relatively steep stroll downhill to beach, fine for us but could be a workout with buggy or if any mobility issues. There was on street parking outside if hiring a car. Lots of taxis around if not! We enjoyed exploring the local areas on foot after a day of sightseeing…some great restaurants close by in the old town. No air con in the apartment that we could see (but we didn’t ask either as we stated at end January so 24 Celsius and pleasant indoors and out) - recommend checking if going at peak times. Pools weren’t heated but nice for a dip- clean and lifeguards on duty at both between 9:30 and 6pm. Relaxing short break at lovely complex, we’ll be back!

It's been 15 years since my last trip to Tenerife and the comments below are based on international five star hotel experiences around the globe. So here's what I experienced on this reservation:- Positives 1.Check in / out process fast and professional. 2.Direct beach access via the pool area. 3.Breakfast buffet with internal and external seating choices was excellent. 4.Evening entertainment between 21:00 and 23:00 Hrs was good. Negatives 1. Allocated R3101 upon arrival and entered to find the bath tub was extremely dirty and required solvent cleaning to remove large accumulation of water scale dirt around plug area (Approx 200mm in dia). Root cause of this problem is a leakage from the shower hose connection which remains to be fixed. 2. TV was on and could not be turned off. This was rectified by Maintenace changing the batteries within the remote control. 3. Sink plunger mechanism was broken and I was shown how to remove the plug on a daily basis once housekeeping cleaned the room. 4. Locking mechanism on the balcony sliding door is broken and extremely hard to open / closed. 5. Only one, yes one pool towel provided / guest at the pool via a plastic card that you are required to exchange at the pool towel bar. If you forget this card it's a return trip to the room. General Travel Tips. 1. Taxi from TFS Airport to hotel cost 25 Euro each way. 2. Hard Rock Cafe located next door (£££). 3. Great Italian, Thai, Japanese and British restaurants located on the second floor off the shopping complex across the road from the hotel (££££)