Guayarmina Princess Hotel

Arrived at the Guayarmina Princess after a flight which felt like forever due to my 6 month old daughter crying during most of it.
Wonderful food, staff and the hotel was magnificent. The weather was glorious and you almost forgot it was nearly Christmas. Loved the fact there was Christmas trees all around whilst you sunbathed in bikinis!
Wonderful time and loved hotel.

After a fairly uneventful but cramped flight in a Thomson Sardine can we were transferred fairly quickly from the airport to our hotel for check in. The welcome was not exactly warm, having explained that the tour operator had mixed up the names and requests for a balcony sea view, the reception desk said there was nothing they could do and we would have to sort it out for ourselves, welcome to our hotel!!!
We were shown to our room for which we had paid a premium of £70 per person, a big disappointment, difficult to know where to start. Visually the room was spartan, with very poor quality furnishings resembling a cross between a prison cell, army barracks, and a toilet.
The room had not been cleaned with drink stains on cupboard doors and the balcony, much of the furniture had chipped paint. The maid service throughout the seven days was minimal, the floor obviously not swept properly and replacement of bathroom toiletries severely rationed (buy your own). In addition the hotel charges a daily rate for a room safe and mini fridge, you would expect a quality hotel to include such services within their room rate.
The rooms are at best a 2 Star standard and in serious need of redecoration and new quality furniture if they are to reach a 4 Star rating. Our room was also located under the pool bar where a singer appeared every night, with the quality of the sound proofing he may as well have been in the room. The brochure is totally misleading and the £70 premium is a total rip off.
The dining facilities are very strange, similar to lining up for school dinners, waiting for a table at peak times. The food is okay, both for breakfast and evening meals with a reasonable selection to suit most people. Then the crazy part, you have to queue to leave the dining room needing to pay for your drinks at the cashier's desk next to the exit doors, this is a dreadful system. We obtained full credit allowing us to sign on the room number, but the staff made it very clear that this is rather inconvenient and cash is the preferred payment method, total third world.
The pool, bars, snack bars, public, and sitting areas are reasonable but there is not a comfortable chair in the hotel, mainly cheap nasty rattan garden style chairs. Like the rest of the hotel very tired and worn out badly in need of decoration.
Thomson welcome talk consists of a big sell for their tours and excursions plus some information on the local area. The reps described the hotel location as truly 5 Star, obviously their standards are extremely low, the hotel is surrounded by many small bars and restaurants where you are constantly bothered by staff inviting you in for cheap breakfasts, drinks etc, the sea front area is also strewn with rubbish.
Thomson excursions are generally 50% to 100% more expensive than those available from local tour operators for exactly the same service and tour content, so ignore the pressure selling and shop around you will save a fortune.
A very disappointing 2 Star experiences and definitely not value for money.

I have just been reading some of the reviews on this hotel. Mostly very good which is what myself & my husband would say.
Firstly checking in was very quick and friendly, our room was excellent overlooking the sea from 2 windows.
The food again what can I say? We had gone thinking we would try eating in, then would almost certainly be eating out at night but no we ate in 6/7 nights - food excellent. The only thing for me is that I am a veggie. The choice was not as good, yes plenty of food but the meat eaters had lots of choice for a main meal, meat fish etc. I had to mix salad & fruit and pasta (cold dish) to make a meal. But what I had was good. If I had eaten out it would have been pizza or pasta all week.
The pool was clean, the rooms clean, staff very efficient, what more can I say? I will go back.

I just got back from my holiday there and I cried when I came back, I had so much fun there but out of EVERYTHING the thing I miss most is one of the entertainers, Elmira (who ran the mini club) she was very friendly and REALLY funny.
The hotel was AMAZING and the pool area was Brilliant, everyone I met said they wanted to go back next year and so do I. That was my second time at that hotel and also my best time. The other hotel I have been to in Tenerife was the Bahia the hotel behind it which wasn't as good. EVERYTHING about the hotel was BRILLIANT and I would recommend going there, and if you do go watch the Drifters tribute it was so GREAT (I was even asked on stage). I saw the Drifters 3 times and each time they RULED. If you do go make sure you have fun or you will have me to answer to.
P.S IT DESERVES 5 STARS AT LEAST NOT 4.

We have been to this hotel 3 times now and have always had a great holiday.
The staff are friendly and very helpful the food is good though after a week of half board you crave to get out which we did and very much enjoyed a meal at La Coeur De Lion restaurant close-by.
Accommodation is good, clean and well laid out though some of the lifts can be confusing, I swear the hotel is modelled on the Tardis!!
The only downside of this holiday resort is the 'Not Timeshare' touts for holiday clubs.
BE WARNED these holiday clubs are a complete SCAM they are worse than timeshare! They only want to part you part you from your money with false promises of 5* easily booked holidays for years to come at exorbitant cost...
PLEASE DO NOT accept scratch cards from people on the street!! Not from ANYBODY!!!
Apart from that Enjoy and Have Fun.

We have just returned from a superb holiday at the Guayarmina Hotel in Costa Adeje.
The hotel itself is first class and we were lucky enough to have a room overlooking the beach.
The rooms themselves are brightly decorated and our room was very spacious, the only downside was the bath in the bathroom. It had a fixed shower panel which made it difficult to reach taps without standing in the bath and a wall handle may have been helpful. There was plenty of storage space and the balcony was quite large.
Food was buffet, which caters for every taste and though busy the dining room was well organised.
Outdoor areas were lovely with plenty of sunbeds when we were there, although the usual "towel on empty bed" was the case. Beach towels were provided and could be exchanged for a small fee.
There was entertainment every night, Spanish tribute bands were on three nights. "The Beatles" were very good.
For excursions, we were given a leaflet at the airport for Direct Excursions and they were a lot cheaper than the tour operators. We just went on one to Icod, Garachico & Masca which lasted all day. The tour guide was excellent. These can be booked in the resort. The resort itself had plenty of bars/restaurants without being loud and busy. This however could have been because it was November. The volcanic sand beach was kept immaculate.
Hope this is of help; I always read reviews before booking and cannot fault this hotel.

First impressions of the Guayarmina Princess are formed by the imposing reception area. Checking in there was swift and problem free.
Reception staff were efficient and courteous throughout the fortnight. Checking out the evening before departure was a doddle.
The bedroom was spacious enough for 4 with a divider maintaining a welcome level of privacy between adult and child areas. There were no problems with room cleanliness and the maid service was generally good (although on one occasion the bedroom door was left open for most of the day by accident; fortunately, nothing was stolen).
The only criticism would be of the "fourth" bed which was very rickety and prone to near collapse if an adult so much as breathed on it (the slats tended to pop out of the frame).
The food was cooked well with reasonable variation from night to night. Bearing in mind the huge numbers being catered for the restaurant ran smoothly with minimal queuing. The pressured staff remained friendly and helpful.
Despite the self-service set up there was no real hassle over getting what you wanted. Drinks were ordered from the waiters and always arrived promptly.
The pool was clean but smaller than expected from the brochure description. There were a couple of occasions when it was noticeable that surrounding areas were suffering the strain of foot 'traffic' and nothing was done to remove the dirty footprints overnight.
Sunbeds were always available although putting towels out early became a necessity during the busier second week. Is there no solution to the perennial problems of, firstly, people putting towels out the night before and, secondly, having put towels out (at whatever time), and disappearing for half the day before using the sunbeds?
The Thomsons organised excursions on offer seemed expensive and we were put off by the sense that many of them would be a bit of a rip off. This may have been unfair although, anecdotally, there did seem to be some dissatisfaction (e.g., the food on the half day catamaran trip being said to be poor with half the passengers suffering sea sickness in any event).
The one trip we did take was the so called "Loro Parque Premium.” This was worth every penny. The park and the shows are superb. After watching the killer whales and dolphins in action we were treated to a delicious waiter served lunch. The included "Discovery Tour,” which provides behind the scenes insights, was a brilliant culmination to the day.
We also made the obligatory pilgrimage to the top of Mount Teide. This was done under our own steam by hire car (we did not use the Thomsons recommended company, favouring the hotel based franchise which was far cheaper with the service received being perfectly acceptable) and the telepherique.
The queuing for the cable car, despite the horror stories we had heard, was not too bad. With superb weather we were treated to magnificent views. Enjoying the freedom of our own transport, we took in the cliffs at Los Gigantes the same day. We would have been hard put to see.
Any advantage from being restricted by an expensive Thomsons organised excursion.
Costa Adeje is described by Thomsons as being upmarket. This is misleading, there being little to distinguish it from Los Cristianos or Playa de Las Americas. It takes a 20 minute walk up to Playa del Duque before matters start to feel a little less brash.
The Thomsons reps we had contact with were poor. They promised attentiveness and, to be fair, were perfectly capable of advertising and booking excursions. However, they lacked any spark of initiative when asked something out of the ordinary.
To our daughter's distress we had flown out 18 hours before publication of the latest Harry Potter book. We were brushed off when we asked if they knew where there might be a bookshop with a stock on the island. Was it too much to hope they might have been prepared to make some enquiries and at least point us in the right direction?
Overall, we had a good holiday. The travel arrangements went smoothly and we were not disappointed by the Guayarmina Princess. Thomsons were efficient but perfunctory.
Could we have achieved the same enjoyment for less cost by a little more organisational effort on our part and making the necessary bookings on a DIY basis?

My wife, 2 children (14 & 5) and I have just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Guayarmina Princess Hotel which we thoroughly enjoyed. Overall we found this to be an excellent hotel although there were a couple of things that detracted slightly.
The good bits:
The public areas in the hotel are generally excellent. The hotel lobby and piano bar make a really good impression as you first enter, and this is carried on to the lounge and terrace facing the pool. The hotel was kept very clean and tidy and some areas were freshly painted so they looked sparkling again.
We were all very impressed with the food, at breakfast and dinner, and had no problems whatsoever with queues into or out of the Restaurant. We did see queues a few times but people were seated so quickly I can't imagine it bothered them. The staff were professional but friendly, and were very good with the kids.
My wife and both children are vegetarian and were able to order their evening meals in advance at breakfast time from the vegetarian menu - just ask the Maite'd (I only wish Thomson/Portland tell you this before you arrived!). They were all well catered for and thought the standard was really high. I found the non-veggie food really good, with plenty of variation, which I would score as 9/10. The breakfast was even better!
The Animation team were really good and kept adults and kids entertained during the day. The night time entertainment came as a bit of a surprise as I'm not usually too keen on hotel entertainment, but I thought this was pretty good, and much better than going outside of the hotel - more of which later. Fair play, the animation team work really hard, are very friendly and manage to entertain in at least 4 languages which takes some doing!
I have read a few times that the drinks prices are high, which compared to the bars in the area they are, but for a good hotel I thought they were ok. They are certainly not shy with the measures, although I always tipped the waiters a little bit, which may have helped? A nice bottle of wine in the bar or restaurant was about 14 Euros (£9.50) which is much less than you pay at home in a similar standard hotel.
Our room was kept extremely clean and the maid even changed the pool towels without us asking. The bathroom looked good with no problems at all. We had a light bulb go and also my son knocked over the table lamp breaking the wire, when we reported this at reception it was fixed even before we returned to the room, which was very reassuring.
The less good bits:
We had a family room sleeping 4 and it was clean and functional but that was it. It would probably make a travel lodge look exciting and the quality of the furnishings was more 2 star than 4 star. This was not a massive problem, as we don't spend much time in the room except for sleeping or showering, however it was disappointing and did affect my overall score for this hotel. I don't know if rooms for 2 are the same, but I would be surprised of they are much better.
The pool area is very slippy, especially the pool itself, so you are constantly aware of this and cannot fully relax in these areas. Also there are lots of parents telling their children to "stop running" and "be careful" which must drive couples mad!
The worst bit:
This is no reflection on the Hotel itself (and if you are happy to stay on the premises then you will be in blissful ignorance) but Costa Adeje is succumbing to the seedier side of Playa De Las Americas. You can't walk along the promenade, which itself is ok, without being approached to: come in to eat or drink in some bar or another, or have your hair braided, or worst of all, by some scratch card tout who will try to convince you have won a wonderful prize, while quoting "its not a con like timeshares" - well it is, so don't give these people the time of day!
Generally they are very pushy which isn't a good approach in my book. To be fair its not bad in the daytime, so you can pop to the supermarket without any hassle, but even then the scratchcard touts do hang about.
There is a nice bit of Costa Adeje about half a mile along the road with a brand new and very classy commercial centre and some lovely hotels, but its all a bit surreal and I couldn't get enthusiastic about it being so close to the touting. Perhaps if I had gone there and avoided the promenade then I might have felt differently.
Overall:
If you want to stay in a really nice looking hotel, which is clean, with friendly staff, good entertainment and excellent food, then the Guayarmina Princess is an excellent choice. Ok so the rooms are a bit basic but if you can get a good deal then that will more than compensate.
I just wish I could transport this Hotel to somewhere quieter, then I would go there next year for sure!

I have just returned from this hotel and obviously the management in the hotel must be taking note of some negative comments, because my husband and I really enjoyed our holiday and had no problems.
I have been to other 4* star hotels and always had to pay for water/wine at dinner, and have always had to pay for a security box, so I don't think that is a problem.
Although I do agree it is unfair to expect customers to pay for a fridge, but no doubt the reasoning behind that is that you will spend more in the bar.
I understand how some people get annoyed at children running wild, and when I encountered that before in other hotels/resorts, I make sure I go when the schools are in. There were very few children there, and the ones in the dining room/pool areas were well behaved.
For the reviewers who had a smelly, mouldy room, and then I would have complained.
We were on the second floor under the pool, and our room was perfect. Also, we had 5 or 6 English TV channels including BBC1/2. ITV, Channel 5 and some news channels.
The food was very good; the choice was excellent and varied desserts. We did not need to queue up for breakfast/dinner as we went fairly early, although I did see queues if you went after about 19.30. The waiters always took time out to chat and made sure that each table cover was replaced after the table was vacated. Perhaps this caused the queues.
The reps had the flight details in the window, but I agree they should have been given an area in the hotel so that folk could swop books and check the information board.
I don't think the reps should encourage people to leave unfinished toiletries/sun cream etc as who knows who had it or what was in it!
The area around the hotel is OK but there are too many bars/cafes and restaurants all fighting for your custom, and it is annoying to be bombarded with leaflets showing the offer of the day, especially when you have just eaten. However, this practice is common in a lot of the Spanish resorts. Not enough customers and too many places to eat.
They have cut the prices so much that I saw 'Full English' for 2 Euros and a 3 course with several choices for 6 Euros.

This was our first trip to Tenerife and to a resort and hotel that we would highly recommend.
We chose the hotel because of its locality to the beach and the impressive swimming pool and we were not disappointed. As a family with a young daughter (Aged 4) this hotel is ideal - my daughter cried at the end as she did not want to go home - that says it all!
The hotel looks impressive from the outside and dominates the sea front promenade. The interior is very clean but a little dated in places - the most plastic greenery you have seen in your life - but you soon get over it!
The room was very spacious with a large bathroom (great power shower), two single beds, a living area separated by a small wall with a double sofa bed. The balcony was of ample size with a great view of the sea.
The restaurant was really good. The service was great and it was nice to wait to be shown to a table upon entering the restaurant, even if it meant a short wait - it’s not McDonalds after all. The food was a big plus, with plenty of choices at breakfast and dinner. Four year olds can be a bit funny when it comes to food - but no such problem here.
There are plenty of choices for your evening entertainment with 3 bars open in the evening, including the main lounge with mini disco and 2 shows.....and if you don't like what’s on offer then it is only a short walk to the many bars on the sea front or to the sister hotel the Bahia.
Overall, we had a great time at the Hotel and we WOULD go back.