Holiday Village Sun Tropical Hotel

Well - just back from a fantastic week at the Sun Tropical Apartments. We travelled as a family of 2 adults and 2 kids (6 and 2).
The rooms were comfortable but think that the cleaners need training as the floor was a bit dirty (felt like I had to wear my flip flops all the time!) and the towels in the bathroom need replacing as they were a bit worn and think they need to change from bright blue to white (look cleaner!) Suggest you take a paperclip with you incase a door gets shut in the room (we accidently locked our bedroom door and panicked, but reception just gave us a paperclip and it worked - you straighten the paperclip and push it straight in the hole in the door knob and it unlocks).
The communal areas were kept really clean, round the pools and in reception and the restaurants etc.
The facilities were excellent:
1) the supermarket on site was reasonably priced and stocked quite a good selection of food, drink etc.
2) Chicken Shack - never really used this as we found the food in the main restaurant was excellent
3) Kids snack bar - kids loved going and getting their drinks and ice creams all day (wouldn't recommend the crisps as they were full of E numbers and made the kids hyper!)
4) Poolside bar - good selection of drinks and staff were friendly
5) Pizza / Spanish Restaurant - again as the food in the main restaurant was nice we never really tried them but heard they were good
6) Kids clubs - our kids didn't want to join and as we'd gone on a family holiday we didn't push them as we wanted to spend time with them.
7) The Dome - this is where the night entertainment was. This was quite big but I wouldn't like to see this in the height of summer as they only had 2 toilets per gender (plus 2 disabled). Again the bar wasn't big enough for lots of thirsty customers. Be careful with little ones running round - a couple of accidents with bumped heads on marble steps....
8) Swimming pools - a bit too deep for kids and the kids pools were too small, it wasn't too bad for us as I'm a confident swimmer but if you're not you can't take your eyes off your kids for 2 seconds! They could seriously do with making 1 of the bigger pools a bit shallower (they've got plenty of them!) They're all 1.5m deep and freezing cold! Be careful round the pool and at the poolside toilets as the floor gets really slippy - there were a few bumped heads and bottoms while we were there!
The Entertainment in the hotel was really good, been to lots of hotels where they have had their own team of entertainers however this team beat them all hands down! We were pleasantly surprised at how good they all were, from doing the Kids Disco to singing and dancing - our kids loved it especially our 2 year old who wouldn't sit down all night! During the day they held pub quizzes round the pool and the kids clubs seemed to be on the go all day too!
The receptionists were really nice and friendly and spoke excellent English (10 out of 10 for service) and the staff in the restaurant were always friendly and polite too - made a nice change to miserable staff you sometimes get.
The location was ideal as it was close to both the main town and the Marina Rubicon (the posh end!). Well worth getting a back gate pass (only costs 10 Euros and you get your money back when you hand the pass back) as it takes at least 10 minutes off your walk into the town. There is a market behind the hotel on a Wednesday and Saturday, however the one on the same day at the Marina Rubicon is much nicer and you don't get hassle off the looky, looky men!
Playa Blanca is beautiful and laid back. Not like being in Playa de las Americas in Tenerife where you constantly get hassle from ticket touts and time share - this resort doesn't have any of that. You don't get hassle from bars and restaurants to go in and eat there either.
We hired a car for a day and travelled up to Timanfaya National Park - well worth a trip (not with tour operator excursions - rip off!) Cost us 23 Euros for the car and 16 Euros to get in which also included a bus trip round the park and the volcanos - this was fantastic and glad we did it! Driving is quite easy too and the roads aren't as bad as some people make out, if I managed it anybody can!
All in all we had a really great holiday and would recommend this accommodation for families and the all inclusive option is best! Just wish we were still there............ Enjoy!

Firstly, take any comments posted on this resort with a pinch of salt. Having read comments prior to my holiday, I was starting to dread going! Everyone has different views and different needs so I am giving my honest opinion. We travelled as a party of five - four adults and a child (7 year old).
Overall we had a great holiday but with a few minor improvements this could have been fab!
Firstly, in my opinion this hotel needs to be re-graded as I feel this is more like a 3* than 4* - not that it was that important but when advertised as 4* you expect it!
The rooms are adequate - good facilities if you're all inclusive - mainly the fridge to cool your drinks or the kettle for a cuppa first thing! The only negative we found here was cleanliness - they weren't cleaned that well and the towels were a little worn! I would recommend you take cotton wool or ear plugs as the air conditioning was rather noisey in our room and judging by the empty packet we found under the bed, the previous occupiers experienced it too.
The pools and poolside areas were great - no worries for finding a bed no matter what time of day we went there - always plenty of room around them and they were kept clean. Although, finding a bed that wasn't broken was sometimes difficult in the afternoon - which isn't a problem if you want to lie back and I suppose a broken bed is better than no bed!
The entertainment staff were fab - always so full of energy and always spoke - you couldn't ask for more. This was the same for the action team / reps - very polite and welcoming.
Definately buy the back gate pass - it's a refundable depost of €10 and well worth it. This is needed for the shops, beach and Marina. I would not recommend trying a short cut from the marina back to the hotel - follow the coastline.
If you are looking to exchange currency, when we went (came home 12th Oct) the hotel offered 1.19 and charged a small fee but we found a shop that sold cigarettes and alcohol that also exchanged currency for the best rate we found. This was on the opposite side of the road to the beach half way down the road before entering the pedestrian zone - If I remember correctly, it was the first exchange sign we saw on the shops as you walk down the town. Beware though - I would strongly advise you check on your phone what the exact amount totals as both myself and my parents were given incorrect amounts - both approx. €10 short! If in doubt, change £100 a time - it's easier to work out! We exchanged at a rate of €1.27.
The supermarket at the hotel was fairly priced - in fact some items were cheaper here that in the main supermarkets - so for beers, water, crisps etc we purchased here.
The all inclusive was a good option for us as we found it quite expensive to eat/drink here - certainly not the 'tax free' island we remember from a couple of years ago! We have always booked Sol hotels and I found the food standards here not as good as sol - nothing to complain about but not as much choice available if you've expereinced an all inclusive in the past. It's good for people who like to try different things but for people who like plain food, there isn't the option of chips/jacket/boiled potatoes everynight.
I would recommend booking the Spanish restaurant - if you plan to book both this and the Italian - book this later as it was excellent. The Italian was good - nothing negative but nothing too positive either - worth a visit but save the Spanish til last.
In the brochure there states there's a poolside snack bar but when we arrived we found that this wasn't the case. The poolside bar is for drinks only. If ordering tea please state white if you require milk as when we asked for just tea we experienced a little 'attitude' from one member of staff for asking for milk to add! Which was pitty as the other staff were all fab! The snack bar is the chicken shack. There's a menu on the bar which highlights options included in the all inclusive which consists of pizza, burger, hotdog and cheese/ham toastie.
Beware for those people who can't swim or young children. All the pools (except the baby pool) are 1.5m + which was a shame for my seven year old daughter. She was too big for the baby pool yet too small for the other pools. She and my mum were unable to stand in the big pool as they were too deep. This meant that she had to wear armbands which spoiled the fact we were planning on strengthening her swimming.
We wanted perfumes and assumed they would be cheaper on the island than in the airport. We found they were actually cheaper in the UK airport than arrecife airport or Lanzarote.
Take care on the beach as there's quite a sudden drop - you dont need to go out far to be out of your depths!
I think I've commented on everything now so if you are going, have a fab time. We had a good time and like most places there's always areas for improvement - if you're used to Sol standards or other 4* standards you may be a little disappointed in a few areas but I feel the resort and staff make up for it.

1 reader found this review helpful

just got back from sun tropical and missing it already, this place is fantastic if you have children i have 3 girls aged between 1 and 6 years old.
me and my partner have been away 3 times this year and it has been hard work with the little ones however going to suntropical was so relaxing and fun for us all that we hardly noticed they were there because they were entertained. rooms were very clean and very comfortable and you felt that you could spend the day in there as you have a large balcony and rooms are spacious, there's alot on site so you don't have to go out if you prefer not to, we went self catering and due to spending aprox 180 euro's in the first day we decided to upgrade to all inclusive this cost 24 euro per adult per day and 12 euro per child over 2 years, we saved alot of money doing this and even came home with alot of our spending money due to this , well worth it!!!!!
the only complaint i would have is that there is only 1 barman working in the dome therefore you may have to que for your drinks but to be honest the que went down pretty quickly and also i feel that first choice could maybe's change the entertainment a little to involve the crowd more instead of the entertainers competing against each other you get the impression its for health and safety reasons that they do this. all in all a fantastic holiday and would definetly consider going back.

Expensive but good value for money. 1 main swimming pool plus 2 smaller and jacuzzi. Just the right depth for good adult swimming and kids safety. Well supervised swimming areas. Water crystal clear. Excellent Kids Club with high standard of fun and education. Food in main restaurant within complex poor. I would have been disappointed if I had gone all inclusive. Sympathetic tour rep said "think yourself lucky - we poor reps have to eat here all season. They'll be a strike if the food doesn't improve." Restaurant staff generally helpful and friendly. The restaurants within the mini-market area limited but good. The reps were of universally high standard. They actually knew something useful about Lanzarote. Intelligent, interested with useful, helpful and accurate information; a world away from the usual boneheads you see on telly getting bladdered. Clean well appointed apartments with comfortable beds. Very quiet at night. Complex intelligently designed with adult nightly entertainments well away from bedroom areas. Acoustic properties inside the Dome were very poor. Good taxi service to and from from complex to resort though taxi drivers very taciturn and tourist weary (and who can blame them?). The whole complex is surrounded by unobtrusive but serious steel walls and gates. No traffic was allowed into the complex during the day. There was a good feeling of child safety. People seemed to be having fun without any evidence of lager fuelled yobbery.

Just got back from sun tropical. brilliant holiday kids loved it and loved the pools !!! Very clean appartments and clean pools, maid service was brill Entertainment was boring for the adults but kids loved it, either Bob the builder or barney come in to the dome every night to see the kids and get the picture taken my youngest loved this bit. Would go again back door pass is a must !!! only 10 Euros and you get that back when you leave. Taxis in to the town were only 3 Euros Romantica was the best restraunt we eaten in all holiday and would highley recomend!!!!10/10!!! We had a 2 Meals at Lartista, food was good but the Italian Waiter was snotty. All in All a good holiday

We loved our holiday to the holiday village.Our three yearold daughter loved going to creche and kidsclub.All staff were fantastic especially janine nicky and the guy dressed as jack sparrow.The staff always were happy to help and around the pools trying to get us doing stuff.Only thing we joined in was quiz we were too busy sunbathing.Entertainment was good for the kids but to much singing acts in the evenings for our liking.Hotel is 3 star not 4 star and food aint as good as majorca holiday village.But overall we had a ball of a time.

Just got back from our summer holiday in Lanzarote to the bleak and miserable Irish weather.We are a family of 6, ranging from 50yrs old down to 14 mnths. We were situated at the block nearest to reception, with our own pool(the warmest on the site)Which was very convenient, giving great access to reception and the main entrance, however that didn't really matter because the whole village is very easy to get around.The apartments were clean and tidy, plus nice and cool for when it got too hot for the little ones.We found the staff to be very polite and helpful, although the maids forgot about us for a couple of days, as soon as my wife brought it to their attention it was rectified immediately.When we booked our holiday we went self catering, but after eating in the main restaurant for the first few days we decided to go all inclusive, and were more than happy with the food and the service, there was something to eat that suited everybody's taste.(I put on a stone)Not to mention the savings we made by doing this, as it was costing around 150-200 euro's a day to eat in restaurants in Playa Blanca.The entertainment on site was great, especially for the kids, the effort from entertainers Niki, Jenna Liz and Michael was phenomenal, even James behind the scenes doing sound and lights was great.The almost nightly appearance of Bob the builder and Barney was ecstatic for the little ones.Niki, Liz and Jenna seemed to have more energy than your everyday cyclone, the adult entertainment was great too, getting lots of people joining in and getting up to all sorts of antics. Sun Tropical is one of the largest holiday villages on the Island, but it is cleverly divided into smaller units by the various blocks with their own pools, giving people a closer more friendlier atmosphere than you would find in a large holiday village.We met some great people this time, Chris and Dawn with their girls Grace and Aimee, and Mike and Dianne with Holly, not to mention Paul and Liam who made the holiday memorable for our whole block (whopeeeee) Our granddaughter Kasey(14mnths) enjoyed it so much, now when we sing the hokey pokey she is off dancing, ("shakin her leg")we cant wait to book up for next year.

great place, clean, friendly, lovely gardens. A little walk to town 10-15 mins but very pleasant. wonderful safe resort great for children.

This is our second visit this year!! Back in Feb the place was nice and quiet & weather was good, but August is much busier & can be a little noisey! The facilities at the complex are very good plenty to do, reception staff are excellant, friendly & helpfull. Reps were only ok this time around found them just going through the motions a bit, except for a girl called Amy who was excellant and very helpfull. Some of the stuff in the dome can be boring & very loud especially if you are staying in the Kiwi apartments. Pools are clean and well maintained as is the whole complex. Taxi's to the town centre cost 3€! or you can get a back gate pass for 10€ refundable at the end of the week, a walk to Playa Blanca is 10-15 min. Great Italian restaurant in Playa Blanca called L'Artista, really good food. For the ladies the perfume shops called Charlies have great bargins & some for the men too! As for Beeches Playa Dorada, 5 min from the town centre is clean and a good size, shops and cafes nearby with a Burger King right above the beach. Plenty of souvenier shops around the town mostly selling the same stuff. If you want to head out on excusions try Last Minute Travel in the Town Centre across from Taxi rank, a lot cheaper than Reps! Sun Tropical is an excellant place to stay with the family, very safe, clean & good valu for money. Pizza restaurant is nice, Chicken Shack ok, breakfast are excellant, self catering breakie for 4 cost 19 euro. Rooms are clean, beds a little hard! room service evry good. We are trying Holiday Village Algarve next year, but it will have some work to match Sun Tropical.

Just arrived home today 29th, this holiday was great, we read all the reviews and took on board suggestions and little concerns, and wasn't worried. The facilities for the kids is exceptional, both my two, girl age 13 and boy 11 nearly 12 attended the clubs and joined in with the pool activities. The apartment was fine although the kitchenette was small but we didn't want a 3 course meal cooking, the little shop is fine and costs virtually the same in the centre at netto although they don't sell butter so be warned!!!
The trips out are very expensive, we hired a car from reception for 40 euros including insurance and took ourselves to the volcano believe me its only 20 minutes away and straight down roads, it cost us 28 euros to get in, total 68 euros for the day, first choice charged 48 euros per person !!!!!!
The back gate pass is a must, the walk into the entre is realistically about 15 minutes and a tip eat on the top road if you can the difference in charges is vast and the food is just as good and fireworks go off from the beach at 9 every night, and arriving at the pool to reserve sunbeds at 7.30 am is also a must. Overall a good holiday and was sad to go, would we go back? yes we would very clean, well maintained and take my hat off to the reps.