Holiday Village Sun Tropical Hotel, Playa Blanca, Canary Islands

Hotel Information

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User Rating:
7.5 / 10
(145 User Reviews)
Hotel Class: Holiday Village Sun Tropical Hotel Studios ReviewsHoliday Village Sun Tropical Hotel Studios ReviewsHoliday Village Sun Tropical Hotel Studios ReviewsHoliday Village Sun Tropical Hotel Studios Reviews

Hotel Description:

Picture one of the largest entertainment and pool area's on the island combined with fantastic accommodation and you are a guest at the Holiday Village. Providing great service, all your home comforts and a variety of restaurants, bars, sports and activities, the only thing you need to think about is the sunshine.
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Holiday Village Sun Tropical Hotel Reviews

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" Reading the reviews of The Sun... "

Reading the reviews of The Sun Tropical complex we were amazed to see how varied they are from the awful to the tops. The actual apartments were lovely, clean and well equipped and this aspect was the biggest positive.
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Without a doubt the biggest negative was the food we think our dog would have turned his nose up at it, it was that bad.
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We concur with most other reader’s comments that it is not the place to come if you are a couple wanting a relaxing holiday but if you have got the kids with you it is probably ideal as it is in a secure compound with numerous swimming pools. We found it too noisy for us but children will be children, we were all kids once. The evenings it does turn into a holiday camp atmosphere with the entertainment, which was sadly lacking in quality in the dome, which we found, was too crowded. When possible we tended to go out into the resort where there was plenty of variety but low key.
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The only problem at nights when the back gate was closed it was nearly a 30 minute stroll. As far as we were concerned we would not return but we can see the attraction for families. Think about your choice of board as the food is disgusting and whilst it did not happen to us we heard of several people who suffered tummy upsets as a result. There seemed to be numerous complaints about the standard of food in the main restaurant.

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  • User Rating:
    3 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Jun 2005
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" I was quite worried about going to... "

I was quite worried about going to stay in these apartments after I read some very bad reviews. We were there for two weeks and all in all we had a great holiday.

There were a number of things, which were a bit of a let down though. We travelled with our two children aged 6 and 8months. The Dome where the kiddies disco takes place every evening was just so loud that we were not able to bring our 8 month old into it so if our other child wanted to go to the disco we had to take turns at bringing her. The fact that the accommodation is geared towards families with young kids you would think that they would be more aware that it is ridiculously loud and not the sort of place where you could bring a baby.

The apartment staff overall I found were helpful enough apart from one very rude lady in the Chicken Shack! She obviously doesn’t like her job! We only ate at the apartments once and it was ok. From talking to other people we met over there I am glad we didn’t eat there as the reports were very poor and I also heard of a lot of people being sick after it!

We travelled from Ireland with Falcon Holidays (part of the first choice group) and were extremely disappointed to find out that all children travelling with First Choice on a self catering basis from the UK were given a wrist band for free drinks and ice cream but because we travelled from Ireland with "Falcon" (same thing) our daughter was not entitled to it!!!! Discrimination, I think!!

The Complex is a bit too far from the resort centre however a taxi is only €2.50 so that is a good option.

The reps were quite good with the children in the kids club, but our little one preferred the freezing pool rather than the club. Also the pool areas are lethal and there were numerous falls while we were there and one little girl had a trip to hospital for stitches after her fall. The kids just learn after a few falls that they have to tread carefully!! Terrible isn't it!

Some lovely restaurants down town, our favourite was "Cervantes" - fabulous steaks!! And if you fancy a Chinese "Jumbos" down the seafront was one of the nicest Chinese meals I have ever had.

Anyway if you are heading over to Playa Blanca, it is not as awful as some make it out to be. Especially not if you have kids. We had a lovely time and would go back again but to a different complex. We never go to the same place twice!

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  • User Rating:
    7 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:May 2005
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" This was one of the worst holidays we... "

This was one of the worst holidays we have had in recent years.
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The Sun Tropical apartments complex is very large and is more like a holiday camp and is not suitable if you like peace and quiet. It is full of children and was more like a school playground.
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The rooms were adequate but the food was awful and it gave us both stomach upset. It seemed to be constantly reheated. The apartments are 30 minutes walk from the centre and if you want to escape in the evening it is one long trek.
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Maybe OK if you have kids but in our opinion not suitable to couples or anyone wanting a relaxing holiday.

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  • User Rating:
    1 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:May 2005
  • Board Basis:All Inclusive
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" My family and myself have just... "

My family and myself have just returned from Sun Tropical. We have never been all inclusive before but I can honestly say that the food was absolutely wonderful. A big thank you to all the first choice reps for their hard work keeping the children entertained. Sam and Sophie our 2 oldest were in the wavelength club and Emma who ran it was great.
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Their is an older club for teenagers but personally I would say this holiday is for age 13 years down.
It is very much a family place. The rooms were cleaned 12 out of the 14 days we were there. Everybody was very helpful and polite. The food was of a high standard and the choice we had at every sitting was different so the chefs are working constantly to keep this up, WELL DONE.
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We will definitely be returning to Sun Tropical in the near future as it was ideal for the type of holiday we were looking for.
It is very secure and it did not feel like a Butlins holiday at all. Although they were full when we went, at times it was very quiet, which was wonderful and relaxing.
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We stayed in the avocado block, which was ideal as we have a little boy who is 23 months old and there was a small play area for him, which was fenced off. Some of the blocks have swimming pools which, if you have a little one and your on the ground floor could be dangerous so take this into account when booking.
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The only thing to moan about was the tweedy club. We booked for our son to go to the crèche and there was nobody there? We kept returning for 1/2 hr but still no sign. I heard the girl eventually showed up but it would have been nice for our son to have gone there. Hence we did not try again. As for slippy tiles, it is obvious they will get slippy when wet so all our children kept sandals by the pool. A big hello to Juliette, Sebastian and Archie whom we met the first week of our holiday.
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After reading this I hope that anybody going to Sun Tropical will enjoy it as much as we did.

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Apr 2005
  • Board Basis:All Inclusive
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" The Sun Tropical apartments struck us... "

The Sun Tropical apartments struck us as being more like a holiday camp and it was over run by children.
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The food was barely edible and if you wanted to escape in the evenings it was a 35-minute hike to the town centre bars shops and restaurants. In the end we were pleased to come home. We would return to Playa Blanca but certainly not to this accommodation.
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Steer clear unless you have children and like noise then it might be OK.

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  • User Rating:
    1 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Apr 2005
  • Board Basis:Half Board
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" My husband and myself booked a last... "

My husband and myself booked a last minute holiday to Playa Blanca at the end of March. We didn’t realise until we got to Sun Tropical that it was for families and being the Easter holidays, we were practically the only couple with no children!
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However, the apartments are absolutely immaculate, well serviced with clean sheets and towels every couple of days. Also, considering there were so many children, at night there was very little noise indeed. The weather was amazingly hot, but the pools were freezing. We didn’t eat in the complex or use the Dome for entertainment as we prefer to eat in the local Canarian restaurants, which were excellent and good value.
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Although the complex was over-run with children they were at times very entertaining and what a joy it was to see families having a great time together in a safe environment.

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  • User Rating:
    8 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Mar 2005
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" Just got back and I can honestly say... "

Just got back and I can honestly say I’m glad!!!

The hotel was geared up for kids and that is the only reason I rated it higher than zero..

All bar one of the pools were ice cold despite the reps telling us four were acclimatised, and none are heated. Only one pool was hot, very hot like a hot bath. All the pools had nice slippery tiles around them and every day you could watch people slipping and falling on them.

The food was at best 'school dinners', at worst, 'transport cafe' great if your and egg and chips person though. I’m glad I didn’t go all-inclusive! If your looking for good local food, there is a small tapas in the town, other than that, best hire a car and drive to somewhere off the beaten track.
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We found that Lani’s tapas at Marina Rubicon to be very good and very reasonable, feeding the fish was a bonus. If you get a car, go to some of the restaurants in El Golfo, they are more traditional and very reasonable on price.

This was my first holiday in two years and was supposed to be restful, it was a big let down, Greece or Turkey next time I think.

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  • User Rating:
    2 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Feb 2005
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" Operator and Date: First Choice - 2nd... "

Operator and Date: First Choice - 2nd December 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : James &amp; Julie ( 38,38, 4, 3 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

We read the reviews about this hotel after we booked and were slightly miffed by the contrasting reviews submitted. All I can say is everyone is different and we all have different standards and obviously opinions. We booked for a week of winter sun with our small boys and decided to go 'all inclusive' so that we wouldn’t have to worry about getting food in and cooking, otherwise it would not be a holiday and a little like being at home.

The check-in at Gatwick was smooth and the flight of 3 hrs 45 mins went quickly even with 4 &amp; 5 year olds!!

We obviously went in low season and the arrival and luggage retrieval was quick. Transfer to Playa Blanca was about 25 minutes and the rep gave us a full 'tour style' narrative about the villages we were passing and info about the island and where to go, which was interesting and more than we expected.

The Sun Tropical was the last of the drop offs and did have a large fence running around it as did its sister hotel, for Germans only. I had no problem about the fence, hey, security must be foremost if you have a family and you don’t want anyone wandering in!

The reception was large and marble and we received are key very quickly, this is when those on all inclusive get tagged, try explaining why to a tired 3 year old!

We trundled off to our apartment, which was in the Kiwi block of the complex, which is all two storey and looked in good shape and very clean and the gardens very green. Each block has either a large pool, Jacuzzi or paddling pool and are overlooked by the patios or balconies.

We picked up from this site that Kiwi was the best placed block so I faxed a request 2 weeks before which was successful. We had a ground floor appt with lounge with dining are and kitchenette incl micro, toaster etc, and no oven. There was a large bath with wall mounted shower attachment and big twin bedroom (with beds you could put together, say no more). The appt had a sofa with pull out mattress, which made it into a double. The room was very clean and was cleaned everyday bar Sunday.

I imagine that the food must have either got really better on the all inclusive basis or is different when the hotel is full up, AS we had fantastic choices at breakfast, lunch and dinner times. Everything was hot, fresh and there was even a smaller children size servery for the kids. It was buffet style but with waiters clearing your tables (with table cloths etc). Again I am glad we went all inclusive at this time of year as the other two restaurants had been given big thumbs down by other guest who had gone self catering. One lot had walked out of the Tex Mex having been nearly sick with the food!! Some of these ended up eating in the main restaurant with the AI guests, but having to pay for it of course. They all thought the food was excellent. Some old boy grumbled to me that there was little choice of main courses, not like the hotel he had recently stayed at in Malta, which had 8 main courses. I explained that the hotel he stayed at catered for all nationalities who all expect food they are use to where this hotel catered just for people from UK &amp; Eire. There no pleasing some people I thought.

I spoke to an English chef who works for First Choice whose job is to go round to all their hotels and advise the head chefs on how to improve etc, perhaps we had hit it right.

There was a kids club although fairly intermittent and the times where odd, say 4pm to 6pm!

The entertainment team did their bit in the Dome complex each night, we went from 8pm to 9pm where the kids did their dancing etc. We left before the bingo!?! At 9pm.

The pools in Dec were freezing although the temp outside was 73C, we still got tanned but never burnt - I am sure July, August must be really hot. The beach at Playa Blanca was really great for the kids and the water was warmer than the pools. The Resort had a lovely esplanade for evening walks. Taxi were cheap and saved the feet.

We enjoyed are week break at the Sun Tropical, we would not go there in high season as it would be too busy and probably the evening entertainment would be to much 'El Butlinos' for our liking, also we have enjoyed the hotel when it was quiet rather having to fight for sun loungers and long queues at the bar etc.

If we book again it will be an October break, when it will be hotter and the pools warmer!! But we probably won’t go again as the world is a big place.

Book a holiday here now...you won’t be disappointed......we weren’t.

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  • User Rating:
    7 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Dec 2004
  • Board Basis:All Inclusive
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" The apartments were perfect.... "

The apartments were perfect. They’re only ground or first floor, extremely clean, spacious and full fitted with all amenities for a good holiday.
The staff were very helpful but often busy. We didn’t do any tours or events operated by First Choice.
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The pools were fantastic, there were 5 big ones in total, and about 3 little Jacuzzi sized ones all dotted around the resort. Although they were very cold as the weather had been bad the week before. I imagine they’d heat up as the weather got hotter.
The courtesy bus leaving on the hour takes you to the local beach Playa Dorada which was lovely. You can walk along the coast past shops and restaurants to Playa Flamingo which is equally as relaxing. There is a new marina to the left as you meet the coast, which has lovely shops and a great restaurant called Lani's.
If we weren’t in the mood for walking we tended to get taxi’s which were very cheap.
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A small note for walking though, when you arrive ask at reception for a security card for the back gate, for a deposit of 5Euros. This will save you about 15 minutes extra walking when entering the resort and some of the cab fare should you be in a taxi.
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The resort is great for families and people with manoeuvring disabilities and the pavements, entrances to rooms and restaurants are made accessible to all.
If you’re couple without children, or friends going away for a busy holiday, this place is not for you. There was a lot of kids and young babies which make a lot of noise on the beach and by the pool. Also the resort is very quiet and in town the nightlife is limited.
It was a great place to relax and take in the Spanish way of life.
Highly recommended.

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  • User Rating:
    7 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Nov 2004
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:First Choice

" We chose a self-catering option and... "

We chose a self-catering option and haven’t eaten in Sun Tropical once, so no complaints about the food. Self-catering facilities were OK, had everything we needed (kettle, toaster). 1-bedroom apartment was specious with nice balcony overlooking the pool, very clean. Staff at reception was friendly, First Choice holiday reps were OK.
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We visited the Dome only once - it’s like being in Butlins - very tacky. Our advice - get out of the hotel and go to town where there is much more fun! Sun Tropical is about 15-20 min walk from the town centre, so bear this in mind if you have mobility problems or have small children. Free bus from hotel is available 9-6 daily. You can also get a taxi.
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There is quite a lot of building work going behind the hotel, but we did not experience any problems with noise.
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Playa Blanca is a lovely quiet resort, ideal for families and couples. There are plenty of good restaurants by the sea. Both beaches are quite small, but weren’t crowded in November. Weather: it was a bit windy for a few days but still very warm at +26-28C.
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There are some nice perfume shops and lots of camera shops but please be wary of very dodgy sellers. They lie into your face about how good their products are and exaggerate the price – so negotiate if you really want to buy something. However, you will not get a warranty from them and if you eventually decide to return your merchandise – forget about it - not a chance: customers have no rights there after they have parted with their money. Buy your digital stuff in UK even if it is a bit more expensive.
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We did an island tour – highly recommended (€45 pp including lunch and entrance to various sites). It is one of the best ways to see the island if you do not rent a car. The tour in Timanfaya National Park was absolutely amazing – never seen anything like this before! Camel ride was also an interesting experience – very smelly though! You can also visit Fuerteventura Island by ferry (€9 pp return), which is quite a nice day out and provides some lovely views of Playa Blanca. You will appreciate this once you arrive to Carraleo! We also recommend taking a boat trip to Papagayo beech (takes about 40 min, €12pp return). Awesome! Good for swimming. During our stay, we also visited Puerto del Carmen, which was much livelier (more bars, more restaurants, crowded beech) but did not have such a nice atmosphere as Playa Blanca.
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We would definitely recommend Playa Blanca and Sun Tropical. (London)

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  • User Rating:
    9 / 10
  • Date of Holiday:Nov 2003
  • Board Basis:Self Catering
  • Tour Operator:First Choice
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