Hotel Los Gigantes
, Los Gigantes
Hotel Los Gigantes Reviews
- Advice: walk around the sea walk to neighbouring villages, go in the morning before it gets too hot.
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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12 readers found this review helpful
We have been going to this hotel on and off for 20 years now. The decor is a little faded and in need of refurbishment, but the Hotel Manager and his staff are very welcoming and do everything they can to ensure you have a good holiday. There is a Norovirus bug in the hotel and whilst there we know of 20 couples who succumbed to the problem. As we had read the reviews on this page we took dettol wipes and spray bleach with us to make sure that we sanitised all that we could. We also decided not to use the pool. We did not succumb to the bug. Yes, the hotel do know they have a problem, but they are doing everything in their power to sort it out, but they cannot allow for the people I saw sneezing and not covering their mouth which only spreads germs.
The food temperature is a problem, Most of the meals are buffet style so are kept warm over hot metal stands, but they have provided a microwave if you are not happy with the temperature plus they do cook items at each meal as you request them.
All in all, we had a great time at the hotel and the town. I notice a comment about the expensive bars, but a pint of dorada for 2 euros is not expensive. The Bamboo Bar and the Green corner were very welcoming.
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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6 readers found this review helpful
Just returned from 7 days of sheer hell.Yes if you go here you will be very ill. Very dated hotel not worthy of 4* I have stayed in better 2*. Travelled there with daughter who is in early thirties who felt very uncomfortable as average age is 65+.I myself in early fifties and felt too young to be here. Food disgusting. not properly cooked, sprayed with oil several times and left to continue cooking under warming lamps.Los Gigantes is a lovely location but please do not book into this hotel!
- Advice: do not eat in hotel
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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5 readers found this review helpful
On arrival we were handed a letter informing us about the Noravirus which was a sign of a problem at the outset. Within 36hours I had caught it and my wife followed a day later The Virus which was severe vomiting and diarrhoea was rampant throughout the hotel.A large number of guest had succumbed. We were banned from the dining room even when the sickness had stopped and our food which went it arrived uncovered was only tepid. Past history shows this virus has been in this hotel on and off for well over a year.In fact we have since found out legal proceeding were instigated again Thomsons and we believe were successful in 2010. why Thomsons do not advise customers before departure is beyond us. We have written a letter of complaint requesting compensation. We have now returned home and still feel tired and weak but all the other symptoms have subsided. All round for us the holiday was miserable and an utter disaster.
- Advice: Illness in the hotel was the overriding factor
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
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9 readers found this review helpful
We returned to Los Gigantes Hotel with high hopes having stayed there 3 years ago. What a disappointment!! It have certainly go down hill since our last visit.
It needs a total re fit,, the carpets and curtains are shabby,the bed spread have so many threads pulled I thought the room came with a free kitten. The rugs?? well they got thrown in the corner where the maid left then,, no doubt most other people did the same,, unless they threw them over the balcony?
The main problem is the SICKNESS BUG. The hotel smells over powering of lemon disinfectant,, this is because the staff are constantly steam cleaning in a vain attempt to rid the hotel of the bug .
We had only eaten 2 meals at the hotel.. using the hand wash as we entered the restaurant ( this proves that they know they have a problem ) when my hsband wa struck down by the bug.. We had been so careful too.. only drinking bottled water and beer etc..
I have never known him to vomit in over 30 years but he made up for it .. we obviously informed the hotel and the rep as we had booked a trip out that had to be postponed. We were given a sheet of Thomson headed paper with do's and donts on it and confined to room for 24hours.
We were also told several things by the rep that now know to be untrue:
1: that the whole island is affected by this sickness bug.. not true.. its not even 'rife' in the Los Gigantes area..
2: that guests are infecting hotel as its 'rife' in the UK ?? not true
3: the hotel and staff have been given a clean bill of health. and no memeber of staff is carrying the bug.. simple not possible,.Norovirus as we now know we had is passed on by touch... so only the guests were falling ill and not the staff? I dont think so .
I ill 3 days later,, another 24 hours in room. Thomsons are well aware of this problem and yet continue to send guests to this hotel. It should be closed immediately and deep cleaned properly.
- Advice: check it out first,,
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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5 readers found this review helpful
We have had 2 really good holidays at this hotel in years gone by so decided to return for New Year. What a mistake, the soft furnishings in the rooms are well past their sell by date, the room cleaning on a daily basis was poor (bathrooms not touched) and the food was like school diners in the 1960s. The real problem was the new year GALA DINNER , when booking with the head of the restaurant I informed him of my wifes onion allergy and he replied "no problem we will cook a version of the menu with no onion for her" what a joke she was offered pasta dishes with onion in as one course and Paella with onion in as another course choice. This spoilt our evening and we left the restaurant to late to buy food outside. This hotel is a joke not a gold !!!!
- Advice: stay away
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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1 reader found this review helpful
With this being a thomson gold hotel I was told this was suitable for my mum. Upon our arrival at the hotel it became obvious straight away that the lift was to small, I just managed to get my mum in her wheelchair in but it was a bit of a tight squeeze. When we finally got out of the lift after it had caught my mums feet in it, we got to our room which was a lot to be desired for. As we tried to find our way round, it also became apprant that the we would be struggling for the rest of the week. When we eventually found the main pool, this meant me having to push my mum through the kitchen to use the service lift, which was very unhygenic, it got to a stage where I refused to do this which was not fair on my mum. If anybody who is disabled and wants to go to this hotel I would seriously think again!!!
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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6 readers found this review helpful
The hotel is known locally as 'Los Geriatrics' and for good reason. It is full of OAP's, the majority of whom spend a good few weeks out there every year. One woman has her own plaque celebrating her 60th visit! As a result there is very much a feeling of clique within the hotel. The manager and restaurant manager are happy to swoon over the regulars and offer them all kinds of pleasantries and favours whilst completely snubbing the 'one-timers'. Not the kind of behaviour that would make anyone want to go back.
The food was canteen-style - perfectly suited to the English-man abroad who wanted nothing more than his home comforts. There was nothing special, interesting or particularly appetising.
The rooms were extremely basic, no tea & coffee making facilites, air-con that only worked intermittently, a trickle of a shower with a shower curtain that had a life of its own. And the beds & covers had most definitely seen better days.
The pool beds filled up by 9am, and woe-betide you if you put your towel on one of the regulars' sun loungers! They each had 'their place' and a lot of tutting, frowning and complaining happened from all angles if you inadvertantly took it...
Also, the Thomson trips are a complete rip-off and you'll spend a good 2 hours on a coach picking people up from all the other hotels - AVOID!
The redeeming factors are: The view from the hotel is stunning and if you have to go there, pay the extra for a sea view, because the sunsets over La Gomera are to die for. There's an amazing boat trip run by a company called Katrina to go and see the whales which is great value for money which leaves from the local harbour. There's a shoe shop in the town of Los Gigantes with great value for money shoes...
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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4 readers found this review helpful
My wife and I have gone to Los Gigantes for a number of years, but always self-catering. We went half board at the hotel and while it was a pleasant stay, there are a couple of niggles. It is getting a bit tired and, as others have mentioned, the carpets, rugs and public area furniture needs to be spruced up. The food was all right, just a step up from a works canteen. Food was kept under lamps, but quickly became cool to cold. Hot food was piled on top of cold, which didn't strike me as being too hygienic. The fruit juices are heavily diluted and the coffee was so bitter, we brought our own. A four star hotel should have tea or coffee making facilities in the room. Staff are ok, but can get a bit ratty at peak times. It's worth paying the extra for a room overlooking the pool. The views are amazing. Best bit for us was the all-day trip to La Gomera. After years sitting on a balcony gazing at it, it was fabulous to actually go there. Well worth it.
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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4 readers found this review helpful
Have just spent a week at the Los gigantes hotel in Tenerife and can whole heartedly say this hotel does not merit a Thomson Gold status. Having arrived 2 hours late due to storm in Tenerife, we were provide with a meagre cold salad in our bed room, when we could really have murdered a hot meal. Room was clean, but mats and bedspreads had seen better days! Air conditioning was a real challenge to operate,and was switched off a few hours per day.No ceiling fan provided. Entertainment was a joke, only one half decent act in the week we were there, a Michael Jackson tribute. Also entertainment was indoors every night, when all the guests would naturally prefered to be outside at the outside stage.( After all we Brits like to be outside when abroad, as we spend most of our time indoors at home.) Each evening, after dinner, there was a mass exodus of guests going to the surrounding bars (to sit outside) ourselves included! Obtaining a sun bed was something else! some couples had 3 sun beds, one each and one for their clothes! Not fair when some days there were no beds available, where were the sun bed police when we needed them! Shower curtain had a mind of its own! daily fight trying to unwrap oneself from its grasp! No tea/ coffee making facilities in room, if you wanted these you had to pay for upgrade. Food was reasonable,bar staff and maids worked hard. Hugely disappointed with this hotel, put us off Tenerife after only 1st visit. Having visited the Fiesta hotel in Cala Longa, Ibiza, with Thomson Gold, the Los Gigantes badly needs to take a few leaves out of the Fiesta's book, as we could not fault the Fiesta. Thomson Gold, you have to do better, or you will lose your customers. Also beware Spanish airports. stung for excess baggage (55 euros) on return journey, strange when bags were virtually the same weight as they were on the way out. Maybe Edinburgh airport is more lenient?
- Advice: Think twice about going to this hotel
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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3 readers found this review helpful
We first came to the Hotel back in 97 and had a good holiday now 2010 may the Hotel is still as good
- Advice: definately
- Good For: Beach
- Board Basis:half board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
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40 readers found this review helpful
Checking-in is efficient and fast with a welcome glass of cool wine. Reception staff are excellent! The bedside mats and bed covers must be at least 20 years old and are very shabby. Coffee & tea-making facilities for a standard room are an extra 3.16 Euro per day. (There are 2-star hotels in the UK that provide this facility as standard.) Teabags are of the cheap catering variety - take your own. You will be provided with small cartons of cream - not milk - and will have to beg for this stock to be replenished. TV in the room is a laugh. BBC1 & ITV1 both start to break up about 8pm. All that is left are sports channels and Spanish channels.
Service in the bar and poolside bar is efficient, swift and very friendly. Lunchtime snacks/meals are excellent value for money. Thanks to Javier and Carlos for being so happy and courteous.
Entertainment is so bad it's laughable. "2s Company" are the resident husband & wife duo from Manchester. He sings and plays bass guitar whilst she sits behind two keyboards and pretends to play. Yes, whilst she has a music stand in front of her she never looks at any music. All she does is tap her hands over the keys. I've studied her technique - much to her chagrin. The sound that is heard is actually coming from a cleverly concealed laptop in front of him on a music stand. When it comes to live, professional music for a 4-star hotel, these two are a complete and utter fraud - and it's the same songs every night! The Thomson entertainment reps are called Scott and Kerry. She has the most annoying voice and has a wonderful knack of talking down to people. I so wish Thompsons would engage people to do this job who can relate more to the age range of the clients and drop the 1960's Butlins-style announcements. This is a 4-star hotel and being treated as if we were all in Parker Knoll chairs waiting for death is an insult. As for cabaret acts - well again not 4-star rating. One chap decided to do a Tom Jones tribute and had two young girls cavorting around him. What a nightmare! He cleared the bar in about 30 minutes - much to the annoyance of Pepe the Hotel Manager. Another act was billed as a tribute to The Carpenters. After five Carpenter songs they then moved on to The Mamas & Papas and others and the Carpenters were forgotten. Another evening's entertainment comprised of a lady called Viktoria Anna who sang arias from operas that no one had heard of, played the violin, the trumpet, and murdered "Nessum Dorma". The best act was a local group were a tribute to The Beatles. They actually played guitars and drums, had Beatle wigs and clothes and performed one Beatle song after another. This was the only act that was professional, lively, interacted with the audience, had the largest attendance and even had people up dancing. And they gave a full hour - unlike the others. I get the impression that Thomson’s will engage acts based on price rather than quality. I've seen better quality acts on the Isle of Wight.
We were rather puzzled by a notice in our bedroom which stated (and I quote exactly as it is printed) "As you are aware from the media. The current health advice from the World Health Organisation is to avoid physical contact. Whilst all of our Hotel staff are very friendly and would love to greet you with a nice handshake or a kiss, especially our valued returning customers they have to follow to these guidelines and refrain from doing so during you stay. And for your own security and well being, we ask you please to follow all rules and respect these guidelines. We thank you very much for you understanding and cooperation." Now what is all that about? Well, there are two dispensers of sterilising gel on the ground floor opposite the lifts. There are two bottles of the gel on a table outside the restaurant. There are no bottles of the stuff at neither the poolside toilets nor the reception toilets. But why have these in the first place? There is obviously a health problem in the hotel and these are pithy ways to show that the hotel and Thomson’s are on the ball! On entering the restaurant you are kissed, cuddled and have your hand shaken so many times by Pepe the Hotel Manager, Juan Tomas the Restaurant Manager, Orlando his deputy, Yoyo (Juan Tomas' brother) that it's impossible not to be contaminated by whatever little bug haunts the hotel. I became violently ill on Feb 14th and my wife had the same problem two days later. The response from Thomson reps was that it was nothing to worry about, everything was in hand, it’s just Spanish tummy, etc.. In short, the usual Thomson rep blagging. We were informed by one of the hotel management that on one particular day, 28 guests were ill with stomach problems. This is not to be ignored. This is not Swine Flu as one of the reps said it was. This is either a viral infection or a bacterial infection existing within the hotel which should be eradicated. I suggested to a Thompson rep that the kitchen, dining room and public rooms should be sterilized overnight, that hand sterilisers should be fitted in toilet areas but was given the usual blag. I've witnessed this problem in the UK and know this is a very effective way of dealing with the problem. The reps advised that "every hotel on the island has this problem". Absolutely untrue and without any foundation. Residents in the village advise this problem was being experienced in the hotel back in December 2009 but again Thomson’s denied there was a problem. The hotel must be closed and thoroughly sterilised with health checks of all staff so that both the management and Thomson’s can then say the building and staff has a clean bill of health. It appears that Thomson Health Team have made checks in the hotel and can't find any cause, nor identify the problem. Hasn't anyone taken samples from guests who were ill?
Buffet service in a restaurant is asking for trouble unless the management are 100% vigilant - and they are not. Peak times at breakfast and dinner is a nightmare with pushing and shoving in certain areas and warm food being topped up with hot food. There are no checks made on the temperature of food being kept hot - which is a basic requirement in the UK. I never saw a single temperature probe being used. Lettuce is not thoroughly washed judging by the number of snails we kept finding in it. The coffee machines are ancient with powdered milk being mixed with hot water. Bacon is fatty, streaky and poorly cooked. Always ensure your fried egg is cooked both sides. My advice is to stick to fresh fruit and porridge for breakfast.
After staying at this hotel on a regular basis since the mid-1980's, I would accuse Thomson’s of milking it for all it's worth knowing full well that they have a good core of regulars who return year after year because of the location and its child-free status. I find that the standards of the hotel seem to have dropped since Thomson’s became part of the TUI group. Or is this a coincidence? But the time has come for the building to have a thorough refurbishment (including new corridor carpets) and for Thomson’s to create a new corporate image in the hotel. The reps need to be more mature to reflect the age group of the clients and to relate more with them. They must move away from the holiday-camp type of evening entertainment (who on earth wants a quiz every night at 9.30 which always over runs? There was even a quiz about the reps! How boring.) I believe that I have not insulted anyone in this review, merely reported on what I found and if this review is pulled then there is no justice in the world.
This is a hotel with four stars that does not live up to them anymore and after staying over thirty times we have just had our last holiday there!
- Advice: Spectacular views of the cliffs and small village.
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
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3 readers found this review helpful
Just home after a lovely holiday in Hotel Los Gigantes.
No sign of any sickness.
Food great, Hotel spotless, staff friendly and welcoming will definately return.