Barcelo Las Margaritas Hotel

This was our first trip to Gran Canaria and I must say we throughly enjoyed it.
The weather was fantastic. The hotel was quite good. Clean and nice.
Our room was confortable. As we went with a todler, we had a double bed (even though it was two singles pushed together) and also a sofa bed.
The room was cleaned everyday and fresh towels replaced but they don't replace the toileteries often (until it runs out) and there is only one bottle of each left. So for a family of three it is never enough. It will be better if they could leave more.
This was the first time that we went half board because we always travel to see places so we only go for a B&B deal. As we went with a child, we went for half board.
We were not given enough information about the half board and full board options at the hotel. For eg, if you are half board you have to pay for your drinks (soft drinks) that you have with your meal. I don't expect it to be unlimited but should atleast give one drink free. Food was nice, always had plenty of choice. I must say some time the labeling of the food is not very good. For example there was a soup labelled as potato soup and you would expect it to be a vegetarian soup. It had fried egg pieces in it and one couple who were vegans, they were quite shocked. Another example is, they always label just "pizza" and never the main ingredients. I don't eat beaf so I always avoid having the pizza because I don't know what it in it.
The labelling of food can definetly be a bit clearer.
There were a lot of activities during the day to keep both adults and chlidren occupied.
The games were well organised and conductd by really friendly staff.
The best one is the mini disco at 20:30 every night for kids(adults too).
Franzi ,Ivan and others from the animation team are doing a great job entertaining pople and their contribution towards our holiday was much appreciated.
Overall it was an enjoyable holiday and I will recommend it to family or friends

We stayed at the hotel for one week over Easter and must admit to being rather nervous having read some of the negative reports!! We needn't have worried!! The hotel is lovely, very clean with excellent facilities - I really do not understand why some people have wriiten such negative comments.
The buffet style meals were great- there was something to suit all tastes-unless you are a total fast-food junkie that is (in which case why stay in a 4* hotel?).
The entertainment was a bit average (the dance show on the Saturday night was cringeworthy) but like others have said, there are plenty of bars etc nearby. We too would recommend a trip to the lighthouse at Maspalomas.
We first stayed at this hotel in 1997, I am so pleased that we ignored some of the poor reviews and headed back there again. Go and enjoy!

1 reader found this review helpful

We just got back from the Las Margaritas Hotel! I must be honest, we only booked 4 days in advance and I was worried after reading the reviews! We had an awsome holiday! We were all inclusive. The hotel was spotless, maids in daily, fresh towels and bedding. (We stayed in the hotel there are self catering apts also) the rooms were nicely decorated and spacious. The food was great, plenty of variety. Drinks were availble until 11pm outside. We met some fantastic people! The entertainment was the down side for us however, plenty of bars around the hotel.
I would recomend a taxi to the "lighthouse" lovely shopping area, bars, waterfalls etc (4Euro) The Kasbah was a nice place, relaxing with live dancing, interesting to see, again some nice shops!. (3Euro)
Overall I was very pleased with the holiday and will be returning March next year!
Hope the review helps!

Lovely clean and tidy hotel,, good range of facilities. Food generaly very good. neither of us ever left the dining room hungry.
Inhouse entertainment a bit avg but to be fair there is so much to do withing a 4euro taxi ride who cares!
Would defo go again. Hotel has Wifi but only in reception. Main pool area is very nice with the trees and gardens looking very good. Gym is avail 8am till 10pm though most dont go near...
There is a nude sunbathing area up on the roof but I didnt venture out...
Make sure you go to Faro Boulevard for some nice shops and so on.

Hotel staff helpful, friendly and efficient. Would rate the hotel as 2/3 star in the uk. Accomodation was clean but the bathroom was a bit tired looking. The double bed was two singles pushed together, which is normal for abroad. Food typical of all- inclusive deals, plentiful but fairly poor quality. Having said that, we always found something ok to eat. King prawns and champagne made for an exotic breakfast one morning! We ate out every evening and there are plenty of restaurants within 10 minutes walk of the hotel and the beach is about a mile and a half away, (say 30 minutes ambling). Lots of reasonable restaurants. The ROMA has especially good steaks.
Mogan is a MUST visit. A very pretty fishing village with plenty of style and easy and cheap to get to on the bus. Also visit the Meloneros resort, round the bay. Stylish,lovely restaurants, not to be missed retail therapy opportunities - Would have stayed there rather than Playa des Ingles had we known. Visited Las Palmas, also by bus. 9.5 euros return. The Museo Colon is worth a visit; it details the expeditions of Christopher Columbus to the New World. Turn left out of the bus station and keep walking.
We enjoyed our holiday, but found a week long enough. The weather at the end of january was a bit variable from a cool spring day to hot summer in the uk. A bit too variable for this sun worshipper.

We stayed in the annex block which was self catering this hotel is not 4* but a good 2* maybe 3*, but cannot comment on the main hotel which is next door.
On arrival the balcony was hanging off which would have been dangerous if we had small children, rooms were clean and kept clean by cleaners they were in every day to change towels.
Cannot comment on reception staff as although they were slow booking us in, but there must have been 50 of us in one go and I don't go on holiday to make friends with the hotel staff.
It’s quite a long way to the beach 1.5km in fact too far with towels bag or if you had children but taxi's only 4 Euros. Infact it was 4 Euros everywhere Maspalomas and the Yumbo centre which is the place to go in the evenin.
But I must emphasise to anyone going to Playa del Americas in Gran Canaria, this is the nudist heaven and male gay capital of Europe and they are everywhere. To which most of them are very polite and this is a very safe place to go, we did not see any trouble what so ever only.
The men as usual trying to flog sunglasses and watches and they stopped pestering after a couple of days as they remember you.
Another thing to watch for if you walk across the sand dunes to Maspalomas which is must , keep out of the grass as it has ticks in it and they have viles disease look on internet for more info sorry for pulling the place down .
Would I go back to this hotel yes please tomorrow but not at the brochure price, we paid 250 pounds each which was about right for 1 week.
Overall a good lively holiday plus the weather was fab.

We arrived here on 31 December 2007 all ready for a great New Year, (myself, wife and 18 month old baby). The hotel is only 20 mins from Las Palmas airport and we were the first drop so that was a good start.
Upon arriving there were a number of families checking in so it did take a little while as the reception wasn't obviously equipped for a major rush. It probably would have been better if each family had been given the cards that had to be completed on the coach to fill in prior to arrival.
Anyhow this didn't really cause concern, once we had checked in we found the first room to be unsuitable with an 18 month old child (high level) so we requested a change and this was done immediately by the helpful reception.
The rooms were very clean, good sized and well maintained. The maids kept this up throughout the week that made it all the more enjoyable.
The food for the New Years Eve Gala was out of this world and thoroughly enjoyable which we thought continued throughout the week. You tend to get fed up with AI after a few days so it was nice to have a couple of meals out however this was through choice not due to the standard of the meals. The only down side was the meals available for young toddlers was very limited but then you know what kids can be like eating at times (or lack of it depending on their moods !!), so its not too much of a concern as the snacks were eaten daily.
The snack bar food and drink were very good but similar to the main bars the service was pretty poor. The drinks were fine and you could get bottles of beers in the AI but the service was very very slow. Think this was due to the lack of staff on the bars not the actual bar tenders refusal to serve, albeit paying customers did get priority at times! You can actually serve yourself with draft beer and a number of spirits if you don't want to wait.
The First Choice Rep was pleasant and it was surprising how many hours he actually worked at the hotel as he seemed to be present most of the day.
There are a couple of pools and I would recommend anyone who wants the sun all day and a more jovial atmosphere, especially for kids, to go to the pool near to the apartment block. This was much better positioned and more enjoyable.
Two playgrounds are child / toddler friendly and along with the tennis, crazy golf and football which are all free keep you occupied.
The beach, Kasbah and Irish centres are all about 20 mins stroll, there are a number of cafes, supermarkets and bars close by to the hotel though.
The weather was excellent - 26 degrees each day on average, which is much better than we expected.
Overall its certainly worth a trip out and we would probably go again albeit would think twice about AI due to the bar service / lack of it.

What can I say Xmas holiday at the Margaritas A/I we had read the reviews and were really looking forward to it.
Booking in was chaos, 10 couples at the same time and the reception went into meltdown.
The room was nice though and the maids kept it clean that was about it. The food was so disgusting we had to eat out. We’re not fussy eaters nor are we A/I virgins so we know roughly what to expect, but this was pigs swill. Every time I saw the First Choice rep, who incidentally was very good I felt sorry for him as he had a queue of guests waiting to complain.
We couldn’t get drinking water before 10am or after 11pm, we asked twice and it was refused both times by surly staff, so much for A/I. You cannot drink the tap water so you have to go without because they don’t want to give it to you, nice.
Forget the advice on saying please and thank you the staff were without exception ignorant and unpleasant no matter how polite we were to them and it wasn’t anything to do with us being English, they didn’t like anyone.
Despite spending well into four figures for the holiday we only used the A/I for a drink before we went out for dinner and that consisted of a help yourself beer pump and a rickety optics rack containing half a dozen spirit bottles, the brands of which no one will ever have heard of and cheap plastic beakers to drink from, very up market.

I expect to see one or two cockroaches in a hot country, but I didn’t expect to see a dozen of them in the ‘piano bar’ toilet. I informed the barman who shrugged and walked away. Then I informed the hotel night manager, you’ve guessed it he shrugged and walked away as well.
Reviews by their very nature are historic; our experience is bang up to date. 4 star room, 1 star hotel complete with cockroaches. I’m not squeamish about the cockroaches although they shouldn’t have been there. I am though amazed they can stomach the hotels food.
Playa Del Ingles is a great place to spend Xmas and thankfully there are loads of places to eat. The weather was fantastic and if you’re not into the sand dunes there are two great beaches. We visited both but found we weren’t hassled as much in Maspalomas as we were Playa Del Ingles by the bar owners who pester you to have a drink.
Don’t be put off Gran Canaria, we would go back tomorrow, I’ll let you guess whether we would go back to the Margaritas.

Room. We arrived in our room and it looks just like the pictures. We were situated on the first floor (reception level) with a balcony which went directly onto the sun terrace. My first thoughts of the balcony not really being a balcony were of disappointment, however I was soon to realise this was an advantage, as it meant we could hop right over to get a sun bed, with easy access to the room if needed. The pool was just down the bottom of some steps off of the terrace.
The room was very clean (I’m quite picky about these things) with the bathroom sparkling! And provided was shampoo, conditioner, a shower cap, shoe shiner and soap! The shower was lovely, really powerful which was great for washing all the chlorine off from the pool!
Left for us in the room was a bottle of water and 2 glasses which was nice.
The maids always visited when we were out, and on the one occasion we were in bed, they returned later that day (which I wasn’t expecting!)
The room was fully air conditioned, although the electricity was powered by your key card, which meant in theory it couldn’t be left to cool down whilst you're out. But if you’re sneaky you will find that any old card in your wallet will do the same job, leaving you free to take your key card with you!
As for TV (not that that’s what you go on holiday to do anyway) the only channel in English was sky news, which was great to remind us of the not so great weather we left behind!
Food.
We were all inclusive so we had lunch included as well as breakfast and dinner, as it turned out lunch was the meal we enjoyed the most. The food was served in a very nice buffet restaurant, which depending which meal it was had soft drinks, water, beer and local wine on tap.
We found that the food was catered more towards the German and Spanish guests, which was our only irritation of the holiday. At all meals bread rolls and fruit were available.
At breakfast mini pastries, eggs, bacon (German) sausages toast, cold meats and cheese, and all sorts of stuff which I didn’t have a clue what it was! Unbeknown to me I ended up with deep fried broccoli and cauliflower on my plate for breakfast, which was interesting!
During lunch and dinner salads and deserts were available, and the majority of things had cards saying what they were, unfortunately not all did though, and I’m not one for trying mystery dishes!
Lunch was out favourite meal, I think it was because the food was much simpler, with burgers and chips, thin cut steaks, chicken skewers, and it was nice to have salad.
Dinner offered much more elaborate dishes, but also staples such as pasta, which was a safe bet if you are unsure about anything else. Also soup was available for starters.
The deserts were nice, with ice cream being self service, and a choice of 3 flavours which was always changing.
What impressed me about the restaurant was how efficient the staff were, if a dish was half empty they would replace it with a full one, also if you have finished with anything on your table they are very quick to clear it for you, which is great of your are taking advantage of having 3 courses, as the table could get pretty cluttered.
Pool.
The pool was lovely and was a nice depth as I was able so comfortably stand up in it even at its deepest. There were sun loungers all around it, and a bar which had shade next to it.
The bar had a little area meant for the all inclusive guests who had self service optics, soft drinks, and a hot drinks machine, also self service ice creams. if you do go all inclusive, have a look at the bar menu, as the self service optics are all locally produced, however you will see in the bar menu that you can also get spirits such as Smirnoff included if you get them at the bar.
There if water available from coolers, however I’m pretty sure they were tap water, no worries though as you can get .5 litre bottles of water if you as behind the bar. As for previous reviews saying paying guests were favoured over all inclusive guests at the bar, I did not find this was the case, at busy times I was served when it was my turn (more then I can say for a lot of English bars at home) and the staff were very polite.
Activities.
During the day there are activities going on every hour (with a timetable on display at the poolside) such as football, volleyball, mini golf (which unfortunately was normally too early in the day for us to take part in!) Shuffleboard, ping pong, and our favourite. Water polo, which was great fun!
Every evening there was entertainment provided, which varied from dancers, to magicians, and shows provided by the hotels entertainment team. We caught the end of a couple (as we often headed out in the evening) and they looked very good.
We stayed in for out last night and enjoyed a full audience participation game similar to deal or no deal, which had people dancing, winning t-shirts, cocktails, and jumping in the pool fully clothed!
This resulted in 2 bottles of cava for us which was nice, and one prize that too many people passed up (if only they had realised) of a free weekend at the hotel! it was a good laugh for all ages.
Location.
When we were dropped off by the coach, we were the last drop off, and probably the furthest away from the beach! But it wasn’t a big deal as regular free busses are provided to the beaches (for which you’re given a timetable on arrival) but its a bit of a walk to the beach if you want to walk, and its all downhill so the walk back is a bit of a chore!
We were a 5 minute walk from the yumbo centre, which is the main gay centre. We are a straight couple, but found we always had a good night there, with a couple of nice bars, and drag shows if you fancy it!
all in all it was a good holiday, and is great if your not really interested in leaving the hotel as all you need is there, we didn’t get much of a chance to explore the surrounding areas but I’m sure there is plenty to offer.

Please note that the high rating is for the Hotel and not the resort of Playa del Ingles - the resort I only score as a 5.
The hotel is extremely well run with friendly and efficient staff - there were a few nice little touches - on arrival the 'sofa bed' was made up ready, there was a complementary bottle of water in the kitchenette and bits & bobs like shower gel, soap, shampoo, shower cap, shoe shine etc. in the bathroom (unusual for a package deal these days).
Maid service was very good with towels and bedding being changed more frequently than promised.
Our group did not take advantage of many of the entertainments on offer but we observed and commented among ourselves that those who did seemed to be having a great time.
This hotel is part of a very large chain owned and run by a Spanish Company which, I think, led to the general standards being significantly better than many other hotels used by package operators.
The resort of Playa del Ingles however, leaves much to be desired. It is advertised as being the 2nd largest purpose built resort in Europe - this in my opinion is its downfall - it is too large and sprawling.
All of the activity is focussed around several 'Commercial Centres' each with a slightly different character - these centres are dotted around the resort and tend to focus on a particular theme - e.g. the Kasbah has shops and nightclubs, the Yumbo is the focus of the Gay scene, Cita caters for our German cousins etc.etc. It seemed that we couldn't get a whole evening in at just one of the centres but had to move around a
lot.
The resort also seems to be having economic difficulties with many empty bars and vacant lots.
In general the standard of most of the bars etc. is poor (unless you love pub quiz followed by bingo, followed by karaoke! All seem to do the same with nobody daring to be different. The same tends to be true regarding restaurants - all pretty much the same fare.
I don't think we will rush back to the resort - although if this hotel was somewhere else I wouldn't hesitate to return.