Catarina Playa Hotel

just got back from a great weeks hoilday, hotel was very clean, food was very good, great location,every one very friendly, good bus service near by, would go back with out a dout.Plenty to do and see near by or if you just want to lay by the pool alway loads of sunbeds.

1 reader found this review helpful

as a single dad travelling with a teenage daughter we loved this hotel so much in october 2009 we rebooked for aug this year , we have just arrived home and i must addmit the hotel is just the best we have ever stayed in , the staff are lovely and the rooms spotless , the food selections are massive and there is always somthing you fancy , we truly love this hotel ,

we have just come back from a weeks holiday at the caterina. the hotel is excelent the rooms are very clean but maybe the beds could be a little softer but apart from that the rooms are very good.. the food was excelent and plenty of choice no matter what time you went down for your meals..the entertainment staff and hotel staff are friendly and helpful.the only - on the holidays was there was to many germans who thought they had the right to push in every where and was rude but apart from them we had a great time and would definatly go back there

3 readers found this review helpful

The hotel Catarina was a good hotel. Rooms were a great size for 3, and everything throughout the hotel was spotless. The pool area is not large, but a really usable space, with lots of garden terraces for sunbathing. The pool is certainly big enough for a decent swim, but if you just like to cool off in some water, there are three jacuzzi's dotted around the hotel, so plenty of choice.
We stayed half board and the food was excellent, although choice a little limited. It was disappointing that tables aren't laid - grab your own cutlery etc., but the quality of the food made up for that.
We felt the hotel was perfectly situated, less than 10 minutes walk via a beach promenade to Playa del Ingles beach, which is beautifully maintained, and has a wide variety of shops, bars,restaurants (and games arcades for the kids!) to keep everyone entertained both day and night-time. The only issue is that there are a lot of steps/ramps, so if you have more than one child in a pushchair, or someone in a wheelchair, you'll need to be feeling very fit!
It is said in many brochures and by reps that Playa del Ingles is very popular with the gay community, but during the day and into early night, it is just a wonderful holiday resort with all the amenities you could wish for. We were advised that things get a little wilder late into the night, but as we're there for the sunshine during the day, we aren't out partying after midnight, so no problem!
We have been to all the Canary Islands, Lanzarote is our all-time favourite, but have to say this comes a close second - thoroughly enjoyable holiday.

4 readers found this review helpful

Just got back from gran canaria and the hotel catarina was lovely, very clean (no cockroaches running around lol) the rooms were very nice and cleaned daily. We got told that you can request a fridge but might not get one but this is not true as every room has a small fridge in so thats very handy.
The food was excellent quality, none of of us got poorly so that was good, the only thing I would say is it was a little bit repetative and not too good for kids as I have a little boy and he would only eat chips and i know a couple of other people were struggling with there kids too. that being said the puddings more than made up for it lol, they were gorgeous lots of different cakes and icecream and allsorts.
There are quite a few pools and they are very nice and kept clean, the kids area is abit of a fight to get near as the germans and spanish kind of mark it as there territory but that didnt bother us too much. The hotel grounds were beautiful, there is lots of different areas where you can sunbathe whether your wanting somewhere peaceful or want to be near the pool.
The only thing for me which let the hotel down is the entertainment, Im not sure whether its the time of year or not but to me that shouldnt matter. There wasnt really anything to do on a nighttime, the hotel is quite out of the way and playa de ingles caters more for gay people which made it quite boring on a nighttime for us as we wanted maybe a few family bars to go to but there were none, however puerto rico is good on a nighttime but its 5euros on the bus then about 20euros in a taxi to get back. It is quite expensive in gran canaria so make sure you have plenty of money.
I would recommend going to palmitas park, its a lovely day out or for more fun, aqualand and at this time of year there arent any ques for the slides lol.
The weather was great, we had one cloudy day but it was still very warm, the temperature was around 25-28 C.

3 readers found this review helpful

We booked our holiday via a travel agent and then looked at the reviews.
We arrived late in the evening but there was a cold buffet available.
Check in was painless and staff cheerful and attentive. The breakfast was the same throughout, but a wide choice of hot or cold was available. In the evening,there was a variety of hot food,salad, fruit etc and the most gorgeous desserts. The hot meals in the evening were differnt every day.The times when the Rep was in attendance were well posted.
The room was kept very clean, and you could have a change of towels every day if required. The beds were quite firm (I prefer that) and we had a baconey view of the pool. The evening entertainment was a bit hit and miss, but you are not far from the yumbo center for pubs and clubs. You are only a 10 min walk from the sand dunes but walking on them can be tireing. There is a shuttle bus during day to the other more populated part of the beach. Would we go back?
We have already selected our dates! If you want winter sun, good food and service then the Hotel Catarina will not disappoint.

1 reader found this review helpful

Just returned from the hotel Catarina in Playa del ingles with my husband and 8 year old son, it was fantastic. The hotel well deserves its 4 star rating if not 5. The food was good with plenty of choice, some of the staff in the resturatnt were friendly (the small minority that could understand a little english that is) The pool area was brilliant with three to chose from. Plenty of sun terraces too although on arrival we read that it was not permitted to reserve sun beds, only to find this was not the case if you wanted to be beside the main pool. The location was great with just a 2 minute walk to the sand dunes and a 10 minute walk to the yumbo centre, (Ricky’s bar and Vavette's is a must). Be warned though, this is the gay capital of Europe which became very obvious at the yumbo centre at nights, lots of fun though. I would definitely recommend this hotel, the grounds are immaculate and well maintained its brilliant for kids and couples alike. I would say we found it to be predominantly German occupied and found out later that it is situated in a German area, we did feel this should have been explained in the hotel information on line, (not that this would stop me returning). Also give Garbos and soux City a try they were both well worth the money.

2 readers found this review helpful

We booked The hotel Catarina on line after searching for several days to find a good value hotel in Playa Del Ingles.
Upon arriving we were greeted with a warm welcome from the hotel reception staff who spoke very good english and checked us in quickly.
Our room was clean and very modern and had plenty of space with a seperate seating area which you don't normally get. The room was cleaned every day and the towels changed.
The food was good and catered for everyone and had plenty to choose from, the salad bar and desert bar had a good selection. The waiting staff were very pleasent and efficient at cleaning plates away.
The pool area was clean and was cleaned most mornings, there were plenty of sunbeds and not only the germans raced to get sunbeds everyone did, but there was enough to go round.
The only bad experience was the disco under the hotel and I could hear it at 5.00am in the morning, however when I asked to change room the hotel moved us in half an hour which was great, so avoid room 156!!
All in all a great hotel, which was clean and well looked after, I would go back again.

2 readers found this review helpful

We chose the Catarina because of the high rating on the reviews and we were not disappointed.
My requirements of a good hotel are
Cleanliness: The hotel is beautifully clean (I have a cockroach phobia). I only saw 2 'roaches, neither were in the room/bathroom. The room is cleaned daily, All the public parts of the hotel are clean. The gardens/pool are lovely.
Food: The hotel food is very good and there is so much of it! A minus is that sometimes the food is not very hot, (there is a microwave) but there is something for everyone's taste and the quality was very good.
The majority of guests were German and although some people seem to think they are pushy and rude, we didn't find that at all. It made for a lovely quiet holiday. They did do the towels on the sunbed bit (even though the hotel forbade it), but there were loads of beds.
The downside was that we were given a room facing the street, which was a bit noisy. When we asked to change to a room with a view of the pool/gardens, we were told that because we were only there for a week, this wasn't possible. I think was a lie. Next time I book, I would request a pool/garden view.

1 reader found this review helpful

Lovely hotel, friendly polite helpful staff. Food excellent in buffet restaurant. Room spacious, cleaned every day, fresh towels if required every day. Location for me was perfect, quiet and peaceful with the beach just a fifteen minute pleasant stroll away. If I was feeling lazy the hotel provide a bus service to the beach, excellent.
I would highly recommend this hotel.