Spring Hotel Bitacora

Just arrived back from a very pleasant week at this hotel. Lovely rooms with friendly staff.
Buffet breakfast & evening meals had plenty of good choice. Short walk to a good beach.
Some nice shops to wonder round of an evening, was not keen on Las America, but as Hotel Bitacora was on the outskirt we just walked in the opposite direction which was very nice.
Would definitely revisit this hotel.
Only one downfall there was a ruling of no sunbed saving, but by about 9.30 most beds were covered with towels!

3 readers found this review helpful

I have just returned from a 2 week holiday with my Boyfriend and 4 friends after visiting the Hotel Bitacora. This is the 1st time that I have visited a Spring Hotel/Bitacora and can honestly say that I would recommend this hotel to anyone.
On arrival the Hotel Staff are really friendly and give you a warm welcome. U are handed a Spring Hotel Loyalty card on the hope that you will come back (which we definitely will). Check in is really fast and there is availability to buy a safe (€42 for the fortnight with €12 deposit being returned when you check out) and a fridge either empty or full (we chose empty which was €30 for the fortnight).
We were on the 3rd floor and recommend that you get a room overlooking the reception as there is loads of comings and goings but no noise at nigh time. The rooms are massive and you could easily have a party they are that big although there isn’t a lot of drawer space but loads of shelf space. Bathrooms are lovely also and the full room is cleaned daily with fresh towels.
The pool area is lovely although not that big recommend that if you want a bed be down for about 8ish to reserve. At lunch time the pool bar is very fast and efficient the food is lovely usual food burgers, toasties, pizza etc all arrive hot!
I personally didn’t take part in the entertainment but the animacion team are really nice and always keen to play jokes on each other!!!
The restaurant in the morning & night time is efficient also and tend to see the same staff that were at the pool bar restaurant during the day (very hard working staff). The selection of food is great both morning and night time and the grill food (night time) is cooked to perfection (you let them know how you want it cooked).
The Cafe Bar (the bar where Happy Hour is between 6pm - 7pm and the evening entertainment) is a bit slow on the service side of things but that doesn’t spoil anything. What I will say is if you like to go for a drink before dinner and haven't finished it you can’t take it into the restaurant to drink with your meal company policy apparently...
There is also a Russian Masseur who offers massages for €30 for half an hour. What I will say is if you’re after a relaxing massage he's not the guy to see. He specialises in problems like Frozen Shoulders, RSI, and sports injuries and is world renowned...
If you like to try out different pubs then you have the usual Los Angeles (brill entertainment) JAGS (Scottish pub all home cooked food and brill Scottish breakfast even with black pudding). If you walk up the side of the Hotel Vulcano there is a lit lane which takes you to a row of pubs for all cultures but don’t go into the Soul Suite it'll cost you a fortune.
Lastly the Cheeky faced Security Guard he has to get a mention. One of the friendliest Spanish Men we have met, loves a flutter on the football coupons and will always stop and have a conversation with you about the games the night before!!
Highly Recommend this hotel on every level!

Stayed here for a week, anyone considering staying then please ignore the negative comments about Bitacora apts.
We found the reception helpful, safes are allocated to every room. The rooms were badly decorated but overall clean and tidy, not a cockroach in sight.
These are budget apartments and do very well. There are 3 pools and the only irritating thing is certain people up at the crack of dawn to reserve loungers!
We did have breakfast once which was 4 euro, there was a excellent selection, and the food was hot.
The hill that everyone mentions (cardiac hill) is abit of a killer but it's not that long, I managed it and I’m 6 months pregnant, it isn't nice during the hot days though, but even if you are unfit/elderly or can't be bothered to walk up the hill, taxi's are plentiful and cost 2.60 euro (bout £1.50) to take you to the apartments.
Please remember that you get what you pay for and this is very good value for money, let’s face it you don't go on holiday just to view the complex you stay in!

3 readers found this review helpful

This is out 3rd time staying at this hotel. Previously It has been fabulous getting better year after year, but I was a little worried this time after reading a few people comments about the rooms looking tired.
My fears were unfounded the hotel again completely surpassed all previous visits.
The hotel was cleaned throughout the day immaculately our rooms were cleaned and immaculate; they also looked fresh and not tired at all.
To be honest having had superior rooms and basic rooms I’d stick with the cheaper basic rooms they are exactly the same size only difference being you get a pool view, use of pool towels, tiny bottle of cheep red wine and dried prunes with the superior.
It’s simply not worth it in my opinion.
The pool area was great although it could get packed and people were lying on the grass the pools were still nice and hot with them both being heated. I have to say though some people went to ridiculous extremes for reserving sunbeds one night I woke up at 4am to find outside in pitch black people were dragging sunbeds by the pool and putting towels on them!
THE FOOD THE FOOD THE FOOD!! Oh my goodness me we didn't think it could get better then it had in previous years well they did how I have no idea but they did, I don't know how they do it but they do every time.
The staff now most of the staff are friendly and happy to help bar one particular grumpy female receptionist she has absolutely no people skills at all.
TIPS: Be sure to apply for a spring hotel card you get 10% off all your drinks plus if you put it on your room you don't end paying out a fortune I huge tips every night we got 55 euro's discount and saved a fortune on no tips.
BEWARE: The only thing I have to make people beware of re this hotel unlike other hotels you can request a sea view/pool view in the hope they might upgrade you free as many places do they won't guarantee it unless you pay, but will note the request, the Bitacora simply give nothing away for free they will just charge you on top and you will get a nasty surprise at the end of the holiday, so simply don’t ask unless you are prepared to pay for the upgrade.
I would absolutely recommend this hotel it’s been consistently fantastic we are off to the H10 Conquistador in Oct 07 but will no doubt be back at the Bitacora next year.

Just returned from a 2 week holiday with my mum, dad, wife and 2 young children at this hotel and could not fault it in any way.
Hotel was spotlessly clean at all times and the staff were absolutely fantastic, very friendly and nothing was ever a problem to them.
Food was amazing with plenty of choice and always hot!!
Drinks at the hotel were cheap and lunch at the pool bar was good.
Most people that we spoke to return to this hotel year after year and even sometimes three times a year. My children did not want to come home (me too!). We will certainly return to this hotel again and would recommend it to anyone.

1 reader found this review helpful

Location: The hotel is situated in a very nice part of town. There are nearby supermarkets, restaurants and bars which do not get too noisy. From our hotel room we heard no late night lager louts which we were very pleased with. The beach is about eight minutes away and very easy to find.
The nearest beach has lovely light brown sand and natural thatch beach umbrellas and comfortable sun loungers. The sea is not as hot as expected but once you’re in properly it makes a very refreshing swim.
The real party area is on the Veronica strip which is about ten or fifteen minutes away and makes a real wild night out with lots of free shots and drinks offered.
Hotel: It has the wow factor when you walk in reception. Beautiful spacious rooms throughout the hotel with nice water fountain features that gives it that four star feel.
The pool area is very big and there is always room whatever time of day you decide to go down for a dip in the warm pool or for some relaxing by the pool. There are two separate pool areas one which is much more for the kids so we never went in there.
The water slide we never saw being used but then again we were never in that area for long. The pool was very nice and was cleaned every night, there was some bugs floating around from time to time but nothing to worry about.
The breakfast/dinner room was massive and very comfortable. There was so much food on offer you were spoilt for choice. I wouldn't recommend eating in there every night though as there is some fabulous places to eat around town.
Staff: Very efficient and most speak very good English. The only disappointment was not being able to get a late checkout and were told to ask again tomorrow and then again the next day until the last morning we were told sorry we are full.
The price of a late checkout is 23 euros and you would get up until six o’clock in your room instead of until 12 noon. However we did get a half hour time slot in a room exactly the same as our room which was very much appreciated!
Excursions: I would highly recommend Loro Parque as it was an amazing day. The shows are a must and I would not miss any of them. Make sure you have your camera as they are very entertaining. We booked our trip through our rep and were picked up at eight and left the park at half three. It was just enough time but we could have done with another hour.
We also went on the Freebird One which is a three hour boat trip with a free buffet and unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks. The trip takes you by the dolphins and whales in their natural habitat. We were quite surprised to see that they lived in Tenerife. They say you have a 60% chance of seeing dolphins and a 90% chance of seeing whales. We did see whales but unfortunately no dolphins.
We would have liked to go to Mount Teide the highest mountain peak in Europe with a magnificent volcano that goes above the clouds but unfortunately it was fully booked.
Nightlife: Would highly recommend the world famous ribs restaurant around the corner from the Bitacora as it was the best ribs we have ever tasted! Don’t miss it!
Would say that the drinks are a bit pricey in certain parts of Tenerife. The hotels especially, the Bitacora charged 5 euros for a Smirnoff Ice and 7 or 8 euros for a cocktail. We have to say the entertainment in the hotel was very low key and finished quite early sometimes. Definitely more suited to older parties or those seeking a quite drink after a busy day.
Rooms: The rooms are very spacious i would say most rooms have a sea view and a mountain view. The rooms at the front of the hotel would probably only have a view of the hotel opposite. We didn't book a sea view room but were lucky and sill got a nice view.
We would recommend the Bitacora for families and those seeking a relaxing holiday. If you are a group of teens after a drink fuelled holiday then I would not recommend the hotel as may be a bit far from the clubs.

The Four Star Bitacora myths.
Hotel Bitacora stay 15.06.07- 29.06.07
I have just stayed at this allegedly four-star hotel for 14 very Butlins like days. In all honesty, if this is a four-star hotel I am deluded. However, I will comment in this review on all aspects of the hotel and let you make your own mind up, however I will add my comments at the end.
Reception:
Good start, very efficient reception services as you would expect because this hotel likes taking money off you. Efficient currency exchange but had large commission payment of 3 % even on Euro traveller’s cheques.
Reception staff are hopeless at this hotel if a problem arises, they refer you to the manager who only comes at a set time to deal with your problems. It really a guide to how good a hotel at how good they are at handling problems this hotel fails. Please see example below
• electric goes off and locks down the safe in your room you can’t get it open until either 11am or 6 pm, they are the only times this hotel will solve your problems.
I asked for the manger and when he arrived, he shouted at me and said, "It was not his job to open safes".
Rooms:
Basic circa 1980 design and furniture to match. Double bed is fake its two single mattresses pushed together, this produces a lovely ridge to damage your back on- classy four- star or what?
The room are not cleaned properly I had to pick up paper etc every day. I complained to the manager and he told me it was not possible.
It states in the important hotel information booklet that sheets will be change twice weekly or if they are soiled. I cut my foot and got some blood on the bed (sheets) and it took the house keeping staff 3 days to change the sheets-Dirty or what!
Nevertheless, saying this. The rooms are Large. 14 inch TV in place with TV, you cannot watch as the signal or braking up.
Bathroom:
Good- one area that was cleaned in the correct fashion. However, the shower is a joke it a cheap £1.50 pipe and head same as you would buy in Wilkinson’s. The water never gets hot unless you shower at none peak demand times like 3pm in the afternoon- I thought I was in a four- star hotel not some Greek pension.
Even if you left the towels on the floor they were not changed, just once a week new ones were put in, we had to use our own towels as the hotel’s towels were polluted with sunscreen, as you would expect.
Dining room and Food:
Not much criticism is here as the food was good and plenty of it. Only thing it was so bland. It was like eating in a school dining room where the head prefect told you where to sit and you got the one chance order to drinks, if you missed it you could never get the staff attention as they were or claimed to be so busy. I thought waiting staff were paid to wait and Serve you with drinks, correct me if I am wrong please.
Pool area and sun beds:
Pool area is fine and clean but space for sun beds is so limited. In addition, the demand for sun beds outstrips supply. I asked our rep about this and I got the reply that the hotel has 300 sun beds for 600 guests. That meant all the sun beds are gone by 7.45 in the morning, if you wish to get a quite spot (that's a joke) or near the pool you need to at the pool area by 7.00, some people sat there from 5.30 to secure their spot-sad or what!
Kids:
This hotel is for families do not believe what the holiday companies tell you. Even SAGA holiday books this as an over 55 only hotel. In the summer months it populated by feral kids who parents do not give a dam about what havoc they cause. Even down to knocking disabled holiday makers off their motorised wheelchairs, or taking delight in making everyone life a misery bar those who brought them into the world.
Bar and Entrainments:
Straight out of Phoenix nights- British working men’s club entertainments of the worst kind. Out of control kids running everywhere, as their parents get drunk on beer. So bad that at one point an act would not continue until the Kids were brought under control.
Kids stay up till 1am, as their parents get more progressively drunk. This bar is also full of cockroach’s, full king size big ones.
Avoid this bar at all costs.
Overall:
If you have children go to this hotel you will enjoy it, you can have a good holiday getting drunk, and letting your kids runs wild. You can sit there in the knowledge that you are upsetting all respectable hotel guest – but they do not suppose you are bothered because you just don’t care.
Anyone else do not go unless you like the thought of an holiday spoilt by someone else's kids.
But in any case this hotel is poor, so poor, it really need some good management to sort it, the Volcano across the run is so much better run.
Four-star this hotel is not it meets none of the basic criteria now, it shocking.

We went as a group of 5 18 year olds to stay at the Bitacora for a week. Can’t fault the hotel in the slightest, nice rooms, staff, food, and pool with good activities in the day.
Only drawback for us was that we seemed to be the only teenagers in the place. Was full of families and older couples and therefore the evening entertainment was also aimed at these groups of people.
Having said that however, it was still a fantastic holiday, it was located about 5 minute walk away from the nightclubs and bars so we can’t really complain!
Would really recommend this hotel for families and older people but not as much for younger people without their parents. But then we saw hoards of teenagers coming out the two star hotels like the optimist opposite, so you can’t have it all ways!
Very nice hotel, brilliant food and a really nice pool, not much more you can ask for really!
We were amused by the fact that people get up at Alf 7 to reserve the sunbeds every morning! But maybe we just weren’t used to this type of holiday!
Tenerife is a really enjoyable country and playa de las Americas is a top place for teenagers to stay!

Excellent hotel. Staff very friendly and welcoming. Rooms and facilities of a very high standard, exceptionally clean. Location of hotel is superb.
Food was varied and of top quality. Not stayed here before but have at the sister hotel, Vulcano.
The Bitacora has much better evening entertainment and pool area. Worth upgrading to a pool view room as you get the safe, robes, and beach towels to use thrown in also, works out at about £10 a day extra for two of you. Well worth it just to watch the morning rush for sunbeds!
This was the only downside. There are actually plenty of sunbeds just not enough space to put them although the area is large. By day 4 however I myself morphed in to one of the obsessed and got up early to grab a sunbed! Just watch for those who put towels down and never appear until mid afternoon or not at all, very annoying.
Excellent hotel and staff all the same and would most certainly stay again.

Best holiday I've ever had! First time I've ever been abroad on holiday without suffering the effects of having eaten something dodgy! Food was fantastic.
Pool area cleaned every night. Rooms spacious and kept very clean. All staff couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful.
Entertainment staff are fantastic with children. Would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone. Only slight hitch, cockroaches fairly regular sighting on site however this is more to do with the climate than the cleanliness of the hotel. A spray bought from the local supermarket all that was needed to keep them from approaching balcony/room.
Five minutes walk from promenade with plenty of supermarkets/bars etc. in local vicinity. All round great hotel.