Vital Suites Dunas Hotel

We booked this hotel online through Medhotels and arranged flights independently. Before travelling we tried to find reviews of the hotel on the net but could not find anything about it. This may be due to the fact that the hotel doesn’t seem to be used by any of the major British tour operators, so hopefully our comments will help future travellers.
The hotel is rated 4.5 stars and is well worth this rating. It is situated at the Maspalomas end of Playa del Ingles, overlooking the golf course. In fact the views from the hotel overlooking the course and the sand dunes beyond are quite breathtaking.
If you are looking for a place to unwind and pamper yourself then the Vital Suites (part of the Dunas chain of hotels) could fit the bill. The hotel markets itself as a 'wellness' centre and has a full gymnasium, indoor spa, Jacuzzi, sauna, and staff offering a range of other health and beauty treatments such as Reiki and Reflexology.
Not really knowing anything about the hotel other than what appears on the Medhotels website, we were surprised to find all these services on our arrival. We weren’t really looking for this type of holiday particularly but it made for a very 'chilled-out' atmosphere around the place.
On arrival it looks like the hotel is just a one-storey building. The reception and restaurant are indeed on the ground floor, but the bedrooms bar and health facilities are all downstairs. In fact our bedrooms were in the basement beside the health club.
Our first reaction was one of pleasant surprise at the facilities and quality of the rooms. There is air conditioning (which can be left on all day if you wish) and rooms are cleaned daily with clean towels if required. Another nice touch is that they provide you with pool towels so you needn’t pack your own. The pool area has plenty beds on all sides with a bar and snack bar open all day. Beware though that they don’t serve things like chips and burgers - the food is classier (and more expensive) than that. Although we arrived on Easter Monday expecting the place to be busy, there never seemed to be more than a dozen or so other guests at the pool - sometimes it seemed as if you had your own private pool!
We had booked on a half-board basis, expecting meals to be buffet-style like just about any other holiday our family has had over the years. Although a breakfast buffet was provided, dinner was a four-course a-la-carte job with waiter service. The food was of a very high standard with two choices for each course. Our only disappointment was that it was very much an ‘adult’ menu, in other words there wasn’t much of the sort of stuff kids like to eat on holiday. If we had known this we would have gone Bed & Breakfast basis instead, and picked our nights for eating at the restaurant. You could do this at a cost of 18 euros for the four courses, which I think is excellent value.
The Vital Suites is in a quiet residential area, but dozens of bars and restaurants are within a 5 or 10-minute walk away. Well worth a visit is the Yumbo centre which has three floors of bars shops and restaurants. It is also the gay capital of the resort, but don’t let that put you off. We found the atmosphere to be very friendly and relaxed, and returned most nights for a few drinks. There are also a couple of cabaret bars with hilarious drag acts!
One evening we caught the bus to the Centro Atlantico, which is a giant shopping mall about 15 miles away in the direction of the airport. You will find loads of designer shops and places to eat, and it’s open until 10pm. The bus cost only 1.70 euros each way and the stop is nearby - the hotel reception will tell you where.
The nearest beach is about 15 minutes walk away but we didn’t visit it, so cannot comment on it.
All in all we would definitely recommend this hotel. It has good facilities, high standards, and although it is quiet and perfect for unwinding, the busy nightlife of the resort is only a few minutes walk away.