Reviews of Orquidea Hotel, Bahia Feliz, Gran Canaria

I have just returned from my...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr P Smith

Comments:

I have just returned from my first family holiday at the Orquidea (20 sept 2008 - 05 Oct 2008) and had an absolutely wonderful time. The hotel itself has recently undergone major refurbishment and is a very well presented, clean place to stay. Many reviews on this website and others have made reference to poor quality food with limited choice. I must say that I did not find this to be true at all. Breakfast was excellent with choices of cold meat and cheese platters, pastries, cereals, juices, many types of bread, full cooked selection (Sausages, eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, omlettes, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes etc.), and certainly enough choice to please even the most fussy eaters! The quality was also very high, with each buffet selection being regularly replenished.

Anyone who knows me will know that as a general rule, I am incredibly hard to please and I always reserve ANY form of praise for when it is unquestionably due. On this occasion however, I was very, very happy with our choice of the Orquidea for our holiday!

The thing that really made the Orquidea a special holiday was the absolute quality and professionalism of the Thomson Kidzone and Entertainment teams. The newest addition to the entertainment team ('Baloony Ben') was incredibly hard working and 100% dedicated to providing great entertainment for children and adults alike, for 12 hours of each day. Kidzone and Babyzone at the Orquidea are of an exceptionally high standard.

The Kidzone reps at the Orquidea really make the family holiday special. Worthy of particular mention, "Emmagetic" seemed to make an extra special effort to make this our best family holiday to date! She is a credit to the Hotel and a fantastic ambassador for Thomson.

Having read lots of reviews I...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Miss A Kirkwood

Comments:

Having read lots of reviews I was bit worried about staying at this resort as we went as a couple who just wanted a chilled out holiday. However we were both very pleased with the hotel, food, location, staff, room cleanliness etc. The drinks in the hotel are quite expensive however we only had one at dinner each night and spent most nights in Frankys bar across from the hotel and the music pub which always seem to show "you,ve been framed" style clips on a loop. We only went on 2 excursions Garbo's and the Yellow Submarine trip. Garbos entertainment was fantastic, food a bit of a let down though, and the yellow sub which was very good and the little town it was situated in was even better.

Was pleasantly suprised at how great the holiday was and the resort.

Just got back from a holiday at...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms E A Gerrard

Comments:

Just got back from a holiday at the Orqueadea Hotel in Bahia Feliz Gran Canaria. What a delight. Absolutely fantastic. Hotel lovely, food excellent and staff very friendly. Am now planning to go back next year for 2 weeks and not one week as this year. Definitely recommend.

The entertainment was first class. Catered for not only children but adults also. Views are magnificent overlooking the sea. Plenty for the whole family to do.

Hotel Orquidea was great. We...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

 CS SCOTT

Comments:

Hotel Orquidea was great. We went here on our honeymoon and even though the hotel was very child friendly (which we already new and didnt take our little girl) we had a fab time!!!! We stayed in the hotel nearly every night as there was so much entertainment we didnt need to venture outside!!! Yes the drinks were a bit steep and the food was average but they catered for everyone!!!! THOMPSON THE DOG WAS GREAT and even the adults joined in with the song by the end of the week, also there were lots of funky sonds that everyone knows to make the days enjoyable, and they carry on now we are home as cant get them outta your heads. Princess Kerry, Jammer & Balooony Ben were great, the kids love them and so did we.

Also the reps were fab, couldnt fault the hotel and we would definatly go back in the near future.... Good luck at Uni Jammer xx x x



Dont wack your head off the floor in the bedroom or you will be gettin a massive doctors bill just like me!!!!



Claire & Dave Scott

An avergage 3 x star not 4 x...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr L Hughes

Comments:

An avergage 3 x star not 4 x star



We visited the hotel is September 08 for 2 x weeks, with my daughter who is 18 months, First Impressions were excellant, the rooms were tidy and clean but all the rooms are not child friendly and have 3 steps, I would advise that if you go with children make sure they are really over 2 and can walk as we couldnt take are eyes of our little incase she fell, beds are rock hard with sand bag pillows. All the rooms have an excellant view of the sea and pool but are also over the main stage so you can hear plently of noise and music until about 12 when the finished. The entertainment team were good but got abit boring after 2 x weeks espically Princess Kerry's voice it gets on your nerves. The Pool was excellant clean and tidy but the music round the pool got repetitive YMCA, thomson the dog song how annoying. The staff are very miserable and there english very poor you were lucky if you got smile. The food same old same old repetitive, chips.pizza,pasta,pork steaks etc. The beach wasent very good it was like a little cove with no sand. The resort very quite with little going on we went to the Yumbo every night where it was much busier. If we decided to stay local we stayed in Franky's bar where enrique is a sound guy.



This hotel is ideal for a week's break if you want to lie round the pool listen to the entertainment team. And watch shows every night and pay stupid prices for drinks.



Note: If you take the safe rental out for 37 euros you only get 3 euros back

Note: Building works are going currenlty going on and will be for the next few months.

Fantastic family holiday. Just...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J DALE

Comments:

Fantastic family holiday. Just returned from 2 weeks had a ball hotel staff great, food lovely weather hot. Entertainment reps and thomson kids reps were all great special mention to Big Daddy and Jammer who were the highlight of our holiday and the kids loved them. Our two boys loved going to tots which was the kids club and also visted the dop in den. There were 3 lovely pools My husband enjoyed the water polo and even managed a game of football! The entertainment on a night was great, we also played a part in a few shows my husband was sporty spice for the evening, we both took part in battle of the sexes and i even got hypnotised ! We all had a fantastic time and would defo return again next year.

A fantastic family holiday....

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Z Cooper

Comments:

A fantastic family holiday. BEWARE though, there is extensive building works being carried out all around the hotel site and on a site next door. The sound of neumatic drills all day, does start to get to you, that coupled with the continual 'lift music'.

The staff were all fantastic, food was outstanding, we stayed for 2 weeks and would happily of stayed longer.

We had a family suite which was really roomy and allowed us some 'space', we viewed a friends appartment and was surprised how small they were.

The kids were continually entertained to a very high standard, and even as adults that don't tend to get involved, we found ourselves humming the Thomson the Dog song (I am proud to say I know all the actions!) and competing for a Thomson the Dog beach bag.

The Resort is in the middle of nowhere, and we found it pricey. There is a brilliant Aqua park a short taxi ride away.

I have recently returned from...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss G Meehan

Comments:

I have recently returned from this hotel and had an excellent holiday, this was my second year to the hotel and found it was even better this year, even though I was not sure if that would be possible. There was plenty more to do in the hotel with more activities organised during the day for all age groups, rounders and kwik cricket for children and adults and games like water polo and football for over 16s. Big Daddy was brilliant during water aerobics in the morning which happened at 11:30am each day. He really interacted with everyone and made it fun while having exercise, it was very loud though so would certainly wake you up.

The clubs were very well organised and I attended Grid which is a club run for 13-16 year olds, it is on for six hours a day in two hour sessions, it was so much fun and helps you to get to know many other people, as it can be quite hard for teenagers on holidays as there is not normally much for us to do. The reps that ran Grid were brilliant, Chris and Kayleigh, they are a couple as well which was even better as they did'nt have bonding problems with each other and knew how to bounce off each other. They were great as they organised plenty of things for us to do with them and were always full of energy.

The entertainment staff again were excellent, I was very happy when I saw that "Princess" Kerry was there again and there were two other people joining her, Jammer and Boney M. Jammer and Kerry worked really well together they were always up for anything and really interacted with all the children. The reps were not just reps to us they became more of our friends and they had a great relationship with everyone.

The rooms are very clean and maids come every day. Dinner was the only downside as there was lots of food just not as much choice as last year.

Overall I had a great holiday and would definitely return next year!!

I have been to the Orquidea 6...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mr J Seifert

Comments:

I have been to the Orquidea 6 times now

and wow what can i say?

I love it there and I was in bits when I left, I even made some of the reps and loads of adults and friends cry when I left. The big change this year was that Big Daddy who was head of entertainemtn came back after two years absence, and wow what a difference it made. The entertainment side was brilliant. As a 15 year old there was always something to do from going to the Grid which was a club for 13-16 year olds that ran for six hours a day in two hour sessions- by having a session of chilling out by playing pool, singstar, guitar hero(on the playstation) and relaxing, to having a sporting activity in the afternoon doing things such as volleyball and waterslide to doing teamwork in the evening such as Gridaters or beat the Grid, it made the days pass by. The two Grid reps were Chris and ,three year running Grid Rep, kayleigh who are a couple which made things alot easier, they were more then reps, they were friends that I will keep in contact with. You then had the entertainment reps Jammer(who was there 3 years ago) and Kerry(who was there last year) who bounced off each other and were like a married couple which always made it funny. Through out the day there were activities from bowling to cricket and playing volleyball to doing a general knowledge quiz. There was a chance to do some party dances three a day with a more of an exercise regime in the morning to having it a bit of fun in the afternoon and finally getting youself al sweaty in the night by doing Samba and Big Fish little fish. The nights were brilliant from having a rep show-where all the reps get on stage together as a group doing a variety show from singing to dancing to telling jokes. Other highlights in the night include a hypnotist, Men V women and reps V guests.

No matter your age it was so easy to make friends. I had friends who were around my age to adults who were in their fourties, that i got along with. The guests and the staff are so friendly and you feel so welcomed that it is like being at home.

The one downside to the hotel was the food.

There was alot of food, but not a lot of variety.

Last year wthere were ltos of themed nghts but this year it seems to jsut be Veal and beef on the menu for the two weeks.

I have read the reveiws about the rooms on here and i would like to agree with them that they are very good rooms, even though I was not in it to much. There was a balcony to sit on in the night and a two part room as a bedroom and then a mini-lounge with a fridge and drinking facilites-kettle and cups.



All in all it was an amazing holiday treasured with the thousands of pictures that we have. I hope that I can make it a 7th time and go back next year.

I jsut want to theank the Thompson team, Big Daddy and his reps Jammer n Kerry(who was a huge laugh) and Chris and Kayleigh who ran the Grid o keep us entertained.



Thank you

and see you next year!

We got to our room about 11.30...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Full Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs K Smith

Comments:

We got to our room about 11.30 pm the entertainment was still on and very loud, when we woke the next morning the view was amazing we were on the 6th floor central to the hotel , we saw people literaly running for the sunbeds this was 8am . Breakfast was the usual stuff but loads of flies on cold meats and bread (not what you want to see on your 1st day)so i complained to the rep . hotel has 3 pools 1 for babies and 2 other pools that were deeper , got sunbeds but no parasol , at 11.30 the entertaiment staff came along with 2 speakers and about 100 people jumped in the pool and started doing ag-a do and big fish little fish this went on for half hr , we decided to check the beach out we were very disapointed so went back to the noise around the pool we kept telling ourselves it was the main weeks after all , main meal was okay not fantastic, then we went to the entertainment area where we sat and listened to the reps sing ag-a-do again we ended up going to the shops over the road and getting some drinks to have in our room , next night was the same all the entertainment was down to the reps if you have small children then this is ok but not much to do for teenages .

We ended up getting roped into going to a place call Anfidelmar with a company called Anfi this was a timeshare , we got free taxi return but they told us we would only have to walk round with a guide for 90 mins but we had walked round 4hrs all we wanted to do was get to the beach which was beautiful , we also got free tickets to Aqualand glad we didnt pay for this waterpark as it was small and not many rides . best day we had was on the camels we booked it through the hotel we got to ride on them then go for a FREE coffee and cake then back to see some baby camels

Back at the hotel we went to coco loco bar this was good they did a music quiz and other stuff this were much better for our kids to watch ,

The drinks at the hotel were very expensive and so was the food , we noticed people carring their own drinks around with them that they had bought from the shop for a fraction of the price , in the end this is what we did .

Towards the end of our holiday the hotel was getting fed up with people putting towels down on the beds at 8am and not coming down straight away they did warn us something would get done about this but if you didnt go down before breakfast you wouldnt get a parasol and with the heat you needed 1 if you had kids , then 1 morning all the towels were all put together in a pile , people were going crackers we lost 1 of our towels but we had been using these for nearly 2 weeks and they were really dirty we felt this was disrespectful to guests you dont know if some people have skin conditions and here are all peoples towels thrown together in a pile , not what i call a 4 star hotel . we had a good relaxing holiday but wont be returning

If all you want to do is sit...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs S Waters

Comments:

If all you want to do is sit around the pool and be entertained in the evening whilst being surrounded by fellow Brits, then this hotel is most definitely for you. In fact it's Butlin's in the sun.



The hotel was okay, but definitely not a 4 star. On arrival we were given our room key and then had to wait 30 minutes outside whilst the maid cleaned it, not good after being up at 4am the previous morning (and this was 4pm in the afternoon)...... Apart from that the rooms are of an okay standard, split level, very clean though - they have a small fridge, a kettle and few cups and glasses if you wanted to make a drink, there's also AirCon which is a must nowadays, a safety deposit box and a TV (you can pay extra if you wanted the British channels). We only used the hotel restaurant in the mornings for the buffet breakfast, which is average, there's not a lot of choice and the atmosphere is frantic to say the least, it's a bit of a free-for-all and very very noisy.



We tended not to stay in the resort in the daytime, mainly because it gets very packed around the pool area, and unless you're prepared to get up at the crack of dawn to put your towel on a sunbed you won't get one. We went for a dip on the first day, only to be confronted 10 minutes later with one of the 'Entertainment' staff coming up with two speakers and then proceeded to do a rendition of Ag-a-Do and YMCA, whereby about 100 people jumped in the pool to join in with the actions.....we just looked at each other - NO THANKS!



There are a few nice beaches within 10-20 minutes drive if you want to get away from all the Brits and mix with the locals. The Jeep Safari is great and highly recommended, a lovely (and exciting) way to see another part of the island and mountains, quite hairy at times driving off road along quite rough terraine, but great fun.



Bahia Feliz as a resort is tiny, there is a small square with a sprinkling of restaurants and bars, it's very pretty though, typical Canarian whitewashed buildings. We missed somewhere to walk in the evenings though as in Bahia Feliz, basically there is nowhere to just go for a wander.



So overall, for the more discerning customer I wouldn't recommend this resort/hotel, although I couldn't fault the staff (apart from the cleaning on the first day), they are very polite and helpful. Perhaps it just wasn't the sort of place we'd normally go to - last year we stayed at the Princesca Yaiza in Playa Blanca which is a different world away.....I think we'll go back there next year instead.

A fantastic holiday in all!...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J Broster

Comments:

A fantastic holiday in all! Hotel was clean and had obviously recently had a bit of a facelift. Didn't look much like pic in brochure though! Interconnecting rooms were clean & daily maid service was efficient. Thomson rep team were brilliant. Only downside was that there weren't enough parasols around the pool area, and the ones that were there were snapped up very early (like, all gone by 7.30 am!) - plenty of sunbeds though! Parasol issue could be serious for those with young children - we couldn't find shade for our kids in the hottest part of the day and ended up having to have a walk or find a nearby palm tree to get them out of the sun for a while. Also, the choice of drinks on offer in the hotel's evening bar was rubbish - white wine was undrinkable and the sangria and cocktails were all out of a bottle. Nice little bar across the road though! Breakfasts were good, but evening meals were all a bit samey and got a bit boring after a week or so. On the whole though these are quite minor issues and nowhere is ever perfect. We had a thoroughly great holiday & would definitely return.

It could not be cheap to book...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Sadly back

Comments:

It could not be cheap to book two weeks for two adults and a seven year old the day the school summer holidays began but even so, had we chosen our travel dates a little earlier we would have paid a little less. Having just returned this was exactly what we wanted - entertainment in the popular age based kids club - there were the three of them - Tots, Team for 6-8 and Tribe for 9-12. We also enjoyed guaranteed sunshine. We stayed on site more than not but did make it to Maspalomas - a little more upmarket than Play del Ingles - but the beach at PdeI was brilliant. Loads of room - great waves - felt very safe - and not too hot with the constant breeze.



The Hotel was well run. This extended to fixing things quickly, keeping the place and our room clean - we were happy to leave a ten Euro tip. The buffet meals did on occasion get a bit much but, again, there was attention to providing good quality food on having eaten out once or twice we concluded we'd happily have paid for the meals - the Ice Cream being particulaly tasty. It became more crowded during the second week and we Brits certainly seem to have taken over the race to get towels on sunbeds from other nationalities previously blamed. We chose not to race (one morning people literally ran to get their towels down) at 7.30 - but still managed to get a sunbed near the pools. Very much a place to be with other English and a sizeable group of Scandanavian people abroad.



The Thomson reps - the hotel has the Thomson TUI logo on it - were busy and friendly though not always knowlegeable about their own actiivities let alone hotel proceedures. At the beginning, following an inevitably tiring overnight flight, we could not grasp the timetable of activities described at the mass presentation the next morning. Clearer notices of what was available and pre-booking requirements to get childen a place in the kids' clubs would have helped us. However we had no problem with the hotel staff at reception so that was not a problem.



If I wanted a "what is says on the tin" holiday for sun, nearby beach (though that becomes rocky and rough at high tide - volcanic sand revealed at low tide) and not very much at all else nearby, little or no culture or history, but guaranteed sunshine tempered by a not unpleasant breeze, I'd choose Bahia Feliz and Gran Canaria again. We certainly felt looked after and had great oportunity to make ourselves feel relaxed and at home in the good size split-level room we had. Might try it again at Easter (temperatures in Gran Canaria being, we were told, fairly similar all year round) to experience summer heat when it is colder at home - but again we'll be forced to stick to school peaks so unless we plan in advance better next time, we'll probably have to pay the higher rates.



Highlights for me were highering a car for 3 days and driving up into the mountains. Slow wiglly driving and not a great deal to see in terms of towns but the views were amazing. Could clearly see Terife's Mt Teide. The dunes between Maspalomes and Playa Del Ingles do conjour images of Laurence of Arabia. Didn't get much sense of the real Canaries though. Found a lack of real food as Playa del Ingles catered for - well English and German - with Chines buffets and Indian food advertised. Turkey, Greece and mainland Spain have been much better for that in my experience. Tenerife has greater variety of climate between southern beaches, tropical hills and high volcanic peaks.



We did go on the ANFI resort promotion where you are provided with a taxi to go to the nice beach there and a free ticket to an attraction - we opted for a day at Aqualand - mainly for our seven year old - though we enjoyed it too. Of course nothing is free. The promotion is to get you to buy a share of apartments overlooking a very attractive but popular artificially created white sand public beach with private pools and other facilitates further back and a development of good quality shops and bars. The trick would be to be clear fairly early on how much of the complex you want to see - otherwise you can do as we did and spend four or five hours looking round - which if you've the time and looking round well-appointed appartments is your thing is fine.



A good hotel and a good destination.

Just returned from a week at...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs S Frost

Comments:

Just returned from a week at Orquidea with partner and 2 teenagers. The hotel was very clean and we were pleased with the size of the rooms. Only disappointment was we were on the second floor so had trees blocking view and any sun from the balcony but as week went on we realised the lifts wern't very good so we were pleased we only had 2 flights of stairs to climb. The food was very good all week, there was plenty of choice and it was always hot and replenished regularly. The two sitting for dinner and allocated tables worked well, breakfast was a bit more chaotic but we always got a table straight away. The hotel entertainment was very limited apparently the Thompson entertainment staff don't come out until later in the season. The whole hotel closed by 11pm, thank goodness for the wonderfull Holidays Music bar accross the road from the hotel where Leo and Hannah made us really welcome and made our holiday. Bahia Feliz is very small with a pretty square and a few shops and restaurants. The beach is disapointing as it is very small and stoney. You cant even walk to the next resort as the road is quite busy. I would recomed this hotel for families with children under 10 who just want to relax by a pool all week.

The Hotel Orquidea was very...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs H Sutton

Comments:

The Hotel Orquidea was very disappointing. Hotel very run down and very shabby. Bedrooms basic and bed linen threadbourne. The restaurant was very dirty, seat covers in dining room were absolutely filthy. Dishes and cutlery also very dirty you had to route through to find the clean plates etc. Food very basic but ok. We spotted a few cockroaches in the hall on the way back to our bedroom and also one in the dining room which was a bit worrying. The staff were extremely helpful, but overall the hotel was a big let down.