La Penita Apartments

Returned last night, Thursday 20 January from Puerto Del Carmen.
La Penita apartments are excellent value for money. They are very well equipped, including a hair drier, a microwave with a combined grill & a hob. There wasn’t an oven, however, so if you are eating in your range of foods are more limited. You are provided with a dishtowel, which is changed regularly, a sponge with scrubber & washing up liquid. There is also a large TV, which is free of charge. However, you are limited to a few channels.
There is a self-service laundry, within the complex. A wash is 3.50 euros, which includes your powder. The drier costs 2.50 euros. We didn’t use it, however, as the apartment is also equipped with a clothes airier to allow you to dry your clothing. You can also hire the use of an iron and ironing board from the reception.
There is a safe facility in your apartment, which is around 20 euros for 2 wks.
The apartments are spacious and cleaned 5 days per week. The towels are changed every 2nd day. You can request your apartment to be cleaned at a certain time, and the cleaning staff will try to accommodate you in their schedule.
The grounds of La Penita are very well maintained and extremely clean. The pool is cleaned every day and there are plenty of beds available for sunbathing.
The pool bar has a good menu and the food is delicious. It is also good value for money. There are plenty of tables, a TV and a pool table within the bar area. Food is not served after 5pm.
We were very impressed by all the staff of La Penita. They were all very friendly & polite. The reception staff were extremely friendly and informative. They have a folder, which they can refer to for any enquiries that you may have. We made enquiries about the cost of taxis to various parts of the island and the costs of the buses. This lets you decide in advance how you want to travel around the island, without having to haggle with the taxi drivers.
There are a few different entrances to the apartments. The complex is fenced off and the gates are locked from 11pm until 7am. You are provided with a key for the gates. During that time there is a security guard in the complex. The reception is staffed from 7am until 11pm.
We found the Netto supermarket to be the best for variety & it was very clean. To reach it, you walk out the back entrance at the La Penita sign and turn left walking to the bottom of the road. It is on the right side of the street just before you reach the main strip. If you need a haircut there is a good hairdressers/barbers just before the Netto supermarket.
The apartments are in a central location on the Puerto Del Carmen strip. When you exit the reception door and proceed down the stairs to your left you are on the main strip. The strip is about 5km from one end to the other and is filled on both sides of the road with a variety of restaurants, bars & shops.
On the opposite side, however, below, some of the shops & restaurants the beach & the ocean spreads out.
If you proceed along the strip turning to the right when you exit the apartments you will reach the Old Town area of Puerto del Carmen. There is a shopping complex with The Body Shop and Zara to name a few familiar names. You can proceed further down to the port to the harbour area, which has a variety of bars and restaurants. At night, this is lit up and is beautiful.
We ate in a variety of restaurants and tried a few bars. There are a chain of restaurants known as Lani's which are more expensive. However, all were much the same in price & offered much of the same food. Our favourite bar, however, was The Hawaiian Bar, which is to the left as you leave the apartments on the other side of the road. The staff are very friendly, and there is a DJ on Friday & Saturdays. Beware, however, of the free shots, you could become drunk very quickly!
The local buses are excellent. We travelled in to Arrecife a few times. The cost is 1.30 euros each way. Prices were cheaper here in the bars and restaurants, probably as there are more locals in Arrecife. Some beautiful sights. However, everything, apart from a few clothes shops and bars, closes at 1.30pm and opens at 4pm. This includes all the tourist attractions.
Also travelled to the market, 9am to 2pm, in Teguise on Sunday. Wasn’t that impressed with the stalls, but the local shops in Teguise are also open. These shops were more impressive. They had a variety of different goods, which were locally made. Many lovely cafes, restaurants and bars in Teguise. The buses do get full going to the market and returning, but you will get there and back safely.
I went on my own to the market and wasn’t harassed by any of the stall vendors. I was just polite and firm.
We will definitely return to Puerto Del Carmen. This time, we’ll hire a car. See some more of the tourist attractions. The roads aren’t that complex on the island.
There are lots of bike hire shops, but mainly for mountain bike hire.
The weather was a bit disappointing for us. We will not go back in January. We did, however, have 9 scorching days, but our last few days were overcast. Best time for weather we’ve been told is March to October.
Do take jumpers and thick jackets at this time of year. It is cold at night. The island is windy, but it didn’t stop us from doing anything that we intended.
Loved this holiday and will go back to La Penita.