Reviews of Gran Canaria Princess Hotel, Playa Del Ingles, Gran Canaria

We went as a group of six,...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Faulks

Comments:

We went as a group of six, looking for lively nights out, with a nice hotel to recover the next day. Gran Canaria princess hotel was perfect for this.



It’s located right in the middle of restaurants and a one minute walk from all clubs and bars.



The pool area was great there were lots of different sections to the pool so it wasn’t crowded. You had to have your sunbed reserved before breakfast, as they would all be taken any later.



The only thing that let us down was the food breakfast was the same everyday, which got a bit boring. Evening meals were nice but seafood was on the menu most times a few people in our group didn’t like seafood, so had to have the same dinner most nights, desserts reminded me of school dinners.



Apart from that the hotel was fab, clean, and friendly and our holiday was everything that we wanted it to be.

I and my partner really enjoyed...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

H & N James & Taylor

Comments:

I and my partner really enjoyed our holiday. We are 21 and were looking for a nice hotel without lots of drunken people and no noise, and Gran Canaria Princess is a great hotel to avoid that!



It was lovely it was mainly couples and families but there weren't lots of children, which was good the children that were there were generally well behaved and didn’t seem to bother anybody! There was no outside noise at night and even though the entertainment is on till midnight it isn’t excessively loud that you can’t sleep!



Food: The food was great you can have a different meal every night even if you wanted salad every night you can always have something different with it, and would also suit anybody who was dieting or vegetarian. Lots of choice and the puddings were great with a selection on fruit and ice cream every night and cheesecakes gateaux’s jelly mousse there was lots!



Rooms: Really clean and really nice the air con in the room is very quiet so it is working if you can't hear it!



Only downside I would say is that after the 3rd night the bed was not that comfortable and I was waking up with back and neck ache every morning however I do have an orthopaedic mattress at home so some people might find the beds fine, however I did book a Swedish massage in the hotel on our last day and I would definitely recommend it!! Bathroom was lovely marble and so clean!



Entertainment: I really enjoyed the shows lots of acrobat shows which were very good to watch however I didn’t really enjoy the live music beforehand but it wasn't really bad just wasn't my taste.



Pool: Loved the pool it was really nice to be in there when it got just a bit too hot and you wanted to cool off! They do aqua aerobics every morning as well in the shallow end of the pool.



Sunloungers were great it does say you can't reserve the sunbeds but by 7.30am the majority of them had towels on already and it was quite frustrating as sometimes people would save them and wouldn't even go on them until after lunch!



Bars: Drinks are a bit pricey for a southern comfort and lemonade it was 6euros 20 which are what you pay in the UK but the cocktails were really nice and were cheaper they did non alcoholic ones too, which were also really nice!



We would definitely return to Gran Canaria Princess and are planning to next year but think we would go all inclusive as we spent 1000euros between us whilst out there and the majority of it went on water!

My husband and I have been to...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S M Barber

Comments:

My husband and I have been to the Gran Canaria Hotel 4 times to date.



We travel with a party of golfers. The hotel is not as modern as some but the service cannot be beaten. All the staff are so helpful & friendly. It’s a short walk from the Kasbah and centre of evening entertainment but far enough away to be very quiet at night.



I think the reviewer who gave her comments must have got the wrong hotel as she said it was at the top of a very steep hill? There is only a very flat road!



I now book it direct by fax and pay at the end of our holiday.



I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

We found little fault in our...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

May 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr G Sparkes

Comments:

We found little fault in our visit. The hotel and room was clean and bright. The food excellent, and the choice left nobody wondering what they could have, a varied menu.



The reception staff were helpful, and the waiting staff helpful and very professional. Rooms were cleaned to highest standards.



The old thing about the 'Lifts' was however a bit of a bother at mealtimes. Considering the size of the building, 3 lifts are inadequate. But we did not let this spoil our holiday.



We noted that the only mains electric point was in the bathroom. When charging mobile telephones, it is a bother when you need a shave/hairdryer! Whether this varies from room to room, we will never know.



Overall, a great hotel, and worth the 4 stars.

I am 18 and went to the Princess...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss Dani Mort

Comments:

I am 18 and went to the Princess with my mum and step dad and two younger brothers and had a fantastic time!



The hotel was amazing and clean, I felt a bit like royalty the way the waiters and reception staff treated me. Everyone was brilliant here, although the reps weren't very helpful sometimes.



We had asked for two rooms next to each other with an inter connecting balcony so as my mum and dad could stay in a room and my two brothers could but mum could still keep an eye on them and they couldn’t sort this out.



The entertainment at the hotel at night was amazing, we stayed in most nights until the shows had finished then we would venture out.



The local pubs aren’t very child friendly as it is full of 18-30s clubbing scene, although if you walk to the beach the bars are very nice and child friendly.



The food was very nice, something for everyone, well saying that I had to ask for chips some nights because I am a very very fussy eater and there was nothing but fish and I am allergic to fish.



I told the waiters and they were very helpful and asked the chef to make some chicken breasts and chips for me and it was delicious!



The only thing I felt wrong with the hotel was the fact that you had to keep the key card in this little box behind the door to work the electricity, and if, as we did, you hire a fridge this means when you leave the room for the day you take the key card and then the electricity is switched off.



Therefore the fridge does not work so it is a waste of money really! Also I tried to be resourceful and use my blockbuster card in the box but the maids would pull it out!



Rooms were very very clean.



All in all this was a fantastic holiday, although I would not return to the resort I will be staying in a Princess hotel again



Hope it helped xxx

In my opinion Gran Canaria...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Trotter

Comments:

In my opinion Gran Canaria Princess makes a very good 4* hotel. It took approx 20mins from the Airport to arrive. The beach is only about 10mins walk away.



I found the hotel to be very clean, bright and a security guard present at the accommodation to start with.



Food was excellent through out with lots of choice on the evenings.



Waiters where quick and efficient when clearing tables for the next guests and always very friendly, we didn’t experience any queues.



Me and my girlfriend where placed in a sixth floor room on the front which had excellent views, was spacious, had an extremely comfortable bed and the maid did a great job changing towels daily and leaving chocolates before our final day.



The lifts where tiny, 3 all in working order fit a maximum of 6 per lift but even this was tight.



Maintenance is slow, 2 of 3 pool tables where never repaired even in a week.



Drinks are on the expensive side at the bars and the Internet charges work out costly compared to local amusement outlets.



I found the receptionists very helpful, fluent in English and very polite.



Pool area is very spacious, however in high season that may well be very different story.



Overall I enjoyed my stay at the Gran Canaria Princess and would recommend it to anyone.

First class holiday, only gripe...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

thomson

Submitted By:

 Mr Mccullough

Comments:

First class holiday, only gripe was paying for the fridge.



My wife and I have been here the last two years and we had a lovely time although in September you don't expect rain on your VIP cruise.



Hotel spotless staff very good food was good if a little repetitive on a two week holiday. Had room on second floor overlooking the pool an end balcony which is much bigger than middle rooms.



The pool area is great. Plenty of room and nicely laid out. The hotel has the added advantage of being central to all aspects of the resort.



I would recommend it to anyone. As for meal queues - eat early.

The Gran Canaria Princess is not...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss J Young

Comments:

The Gran Canaria Princess is not a 4 star hotel. It barely rates a 3. We were sold a Platinum Holiday by Thomsons. The hotel was past its best in the early 90's.



One socket was hidden behind the fridge in the brightly coloured 80's style bedroom, chrome had long gone from the taps in the dull bottle green bathroom.



We asked for a quite room at the time of booking. We were given a room next to the main road and the loading bay for the delivery trucks.



The walls are so thin, the guy next door almost blew them down with his snoring - and kept us awake the whole week.



Three very small coffin like lifts, usually only two of them working, serving 500 guests.



The dinning room always had a long line of guests waiting for a table, very much like school dinners! The food was ok if you liked Pork and Veal.



The hotel was very clean and the staff friendly enough. Do not book this hotel if you do not like hiking, it is at the top of a very steep hill.

Upon arrival hotel looked great,...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Pm Savage

Comments:

Upon arrival hotel looked great, reception area clean and bright it took a while for us to be allocated our rooms but to be fair it was busy. Lifts are small and it can take awhile for them to arrive. Our room was lovely very clean and the bathroom very clean too.



Pool area immaculate. Dining room very busy but very much under control the waiters, were watching all the time and tables were cleaned as soon as we finished eating. Entertainment on a couple of occasions excellent especially the tribute to the tramps. Drinks are more expensive at the hotel but there are bars serving much cheaper drinks close to hotel.



Piano bar in hotel is very pleasant to sit and relax in. And thanks to the holiday reps we did manage to avoid being pestered on and around the beach. All in all a very enjoyable holiday.

The swimming pool at this resort...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr P Crossdale

Comments:

The swimming pool at this resort is great - But mind bumping your head when you swim under the bridges!



The drinks at this hotel are overpriced! Try the bars round the corner 'maccas' or 'big bens' where you can get a pint for a euro!



The food at the hotel was of a good quality, but vegetarian food was not clearly marked, and there was sometimes a very limited choice! Also the waiters can be a little slow in taking your money for your drinks!



The evening entertainment is quite good with numerous shows of a good quality, but the mini-disco at half eight is so frustrating! Same songs over and over again every night! Also the so called 'live bands' were miming and you could not even hear some of them!



The rooms were nice and cleaned well every day with clean towels. Very limited TV channels on the TV though, there is only so much BBC World you can watch! Plenty of German channels though!

The holiday was booked to...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss E E

Comments:

The holiday was booked to celebrate my 30th birthday and I traveled with 3 friends, my first impression of the hotel was very good. Nice clean, bright reception area (even though it was 2.30 am) check in was very quick and we were in our rooms in no time.



The rooms where very nice and had great air conditioning if the balcony door was closed properly. The only downside of the rooms was the lack of plug sockets. The only one being in the bathroom unless you unplugged the TV or fridge, which you had to pay for. Not what you expect from a 4 star hotel. The breakfast was ok but did cater more for the German market evening meals where nice the staff in the restaurant however where a bit abrupt.



We did 3 trips one to the black and red casino which was ok. One to the capital which was not. If you are going don’t take the trip offered by the reps get a taxi it will be cheaper and the last was a VIP cruise this was worth every penny the best boat trip any off us had ever been on. the resort was nice, another must is cafe la belle in the Yumbo centre, wont spoil it by saying too much but get there early and sit at a table (we went about 4 times in a week it really is a must).



Overall the hotel was ok only real concern was the lifts as there are only 3 and they are small so ask for a low floor if you have trouble walking.



The biggest problem of all was the flight home it was delayed for 13 hours the reps where no help in the end we paid to get home on our own.



Would definitely go back to the resort and maybe even the hotel as its so central but would not book with Thomsons again as I think the reps where just after you booking a trip and they did not want to help or seem interested in helping at the airport.

What a great holiday.

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs B  Lamb

Comments:

What a great holiday.



First impressions of the hotel were good nice bright reception area with very nice, smart friendly staff and they were there 24 hours a day. Didn't think you should have to pay for the use of the fridge, safe etc but needs must. The rooms were large and airy and very clean. The bathroom was very clean too and the towels changed every day. The piano bar was my favourite (especially happy hour 5-6pm) the staff in the piano bar were great and very friendly. Mario the piano player was gorgeous, and most of the other players were very good too.



The restaurant was very good and the food was excellent with lots of choice (I am known to be a fussy eater), but I always found something I liked. Wasn't too keen to begin with the staff they weren't very friendly but they soon starting smiling and being friendly after a couple of days!!



My daughter who is 12 made lots of friends and I hardly saw much of her she was always in the pool or on the internet with the other children. The pool was fantastic but there was the usual struggle for the sun beds each morning at 8am so no lie-ins for us!!



The only thing I would say is that the hotel could do with a bit of refurb things were starting to look a bit tired. I also wouldn't class it as a Platinum hotel more like a 3 star really, but I would most definitely go back again.



Enjoy

When we arrived at the Gran...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss H J Scott

Comments:

When we arrived at the Gran Canaria princess and walked through the doors me and my partner thought it was absolutely lovely. The lighting was perfect and there was so much marble but it was very nice.



Reception - The men at reception were always helpful, and very kind, and always well presented, which was good to see.



Rooms - When we arrived in our room we didn’t know how to get the lights on, it was only till about an hour later we realised that we had to put our door card in the slot thingy behind the door. But once the lights were on the room was great. I don't understand why they don't give double beds in hotels. There wasn’t enough plug sockets and the wiring is a bit dodgy. The room was always cleaned and cleaned very good.



Bathroom - The bathroom was lovely all black and white marble, always clean and towels were always changed which was really good.



We were on the 6th floor and had a nice view of the pool, tennis courts and the football area.



Facilities - Me and my partner were disappointed with the facilities because we didn't know you had to pay for ping pong and to play tennis which we thought were free. Also the air hockey machine is open all hours and all you can hear is it being whacked back and for but we did tell reception and then they did switch it off. All the facilities shut at 10. Mini golf was a lot of fun, also well kept well.



Entertainment - We only stayed for one night of entertainment and it wasn't very good but everyone is different.



Restaurant - The restaurant was nice I though it would be a bit different, the waiters were really nice we had to queue once and that was only for 5 minutes.



Food - The first day we had breakfast the food was cold and the fried eggs wasn't cooked long enough because the white of the egg had a lot of the clear slimy stuff which put us off. But after that the dinner and the breakfasts for the rest of the 2 weeks were absolutely to die for you must have the duck in the orange sauce lovely!



Overall the Gran Canaria princess is a nice hotel, but we don't think it should be a platinum hotel compared to the other platinum hotels. Also me and my partner and another couple we went with are in our 20's and don't think it is for the younger people. The situation of the hotel is great only about a 15 minute walk to the good bars and clubs. The Irish bar is a good and cheap bar to go to, you will be paying a lot of money if you go to the clubs. The beaches are lovely and night life is good.



All though it was a good holiday I don't think we will be going back to the Gran Canaria princess.

I found the princess to be a...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss Nadine Stokes

Comments:

I found the princess to be a great place to stay. The restaurant was fab and plenty to choose from on the menu! We stayed half board and even if we stayed full board I would have been happy as the food was gorgeous, waiter service excellent!



The entertainment in the evening varied from parrot shows to cabaret to fashion shows but entertaining and very good! Maid service was brilliant we were a group of 2 girls and left a mess and they always tidied up!



Playa de ingles itself is ok, but beware of people trying to sell you things drag you into clubs and restaurants! Beach is nice and lots of sun beds.

My husband & I have been to...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs B Summers

Comments:

My husband & I have been to this hotel many, many times over the last 13 years.

We love the familiar friendly staff, the fabulous swimming pool and the totally relaxed atmosphere in the hotel, especially the "piano bar" where it's good to have a bit of a banter with the waiters, (and no, we're not OAP's). The pianist/sax player is really good too.



We didn't use the outside evening entertainment as we preferred the comfortable seating in the piano bar but each to one's own taste.



We never had to queue once for meals and always found the food to be ok. We really enjoyed the smoked salmon, salads, king prawns, various hot soups, fresh strawberries.

You could even have champagne at breakfast if you wanted!



Over the years we have noticed some changes (some good, some not so good) but the one thing I have to say is.



We don't really think it should be a platinum hotel anymore and we may not be returning, due to the resort areas not being as clean as they used to be. We didn't really appreciate walking to the beach one morning and seeing the remains of someone's vomit all over the pavement, yuk!



Also, be very wary of the "foreign looking" group of women trying to sell you a bracelet. Not to be trusted we heard.



We got a taxi to the platinum Maspalomas Princess hotel one evening just for a change. It looks far superior to the Gran Canaria Princess inside and out. The pool area is amazing and the whole place was immaculate. Didn't seem quite so friendly though.



All in all though, the Gran Canaria hotel itself is great and it is also brilliant for wheelchair users. We would recommend it but maybe next holiday we'll try somewhere different.



Happy Holidays!