Hotel Taimar

We have just come back from a 7 night stay in a premium suite at Hotel Taimar. I was a bit apprehensive having read lots of mixed reviews but I have to say we were both pleasantly surprised! We were not expecting too much as it was our first all inclusive holiday, our second holiday this year, and we had booked last minute. However we were pleasantly surprised at the attentiveness and accommodating nature of the majority of the staff. We were quite delayed upon arrival and were due to arrive shortly before dinner finished at 9.30. We rang ahead and spoke to the hotel manager who confirmed dinner shut at 9.30. On arrival, he brought us straight through to dinner so we could have something to eat before we checked in, which we really appreciated after a long journey and having paid for the first night. The rest of the staff worked very hard and most were accommodating and friendly. Our premium suite room was spacious and mostly clean, which was more than enough space for the both of us. We had an outside area and our own sunbeds/ day bed too, but we didn’t use this too much as we always found sunbeds at the pool everyday. Nothing was too much trouble when we asked the staff for extra towels and pillows. The cleaning was okay, although there was one day we felt it hadn’t been finished properly as dirty cups had been left, and toilet roll not replenished. We did also have a couple of problems in the room, with our shower flooding and the air con not working on the last night, but these were resolved very quickly and the staff were very attentive. Again, we were expecting average so this was sort of line with expectations! Having said that, the shower pressure was great and it was spacious. The pool area was fine and we always found a sunbed each day. The pool bar is also advertised as a snack bar, but my husband was disappointed as the first few days there were no snacks, just crisps or the occasional pastry left over from breakfast. So probably wouldn’t class this as a snack bar as well. Despite this, there was a wide range of drinks for all inclusive included, and the cocktails were great. It was quiet by the pool area, but depending who was on shift, there was music occasionally, often later in the afternoon. However we didn’t see this as a problem as we’d brought headphones to listen to our own music. And the silence was quite relaxing! There wasn’t entertainment at night, but we knew this having read the reviews so we weren’t expecting it. We brought a pack of cards and played a few games then went back to our room, which was fine for us! There was always music on in the restaurant so that was fine. The hotel has mini markets a couple of minutes walk away, and there are some beautiful sandy beaches within 20 minutes walk of the hotel. It’s an easy, mostly flat walk and there are buses, e scooters and taxis to get around too. I’ve got mobility issues at the moment but managed the walk just fine! The rest of Costa calma does seem quite run down, but there are a couple of beach bars and shops around. There is an African market on Sundays and Wednesdays too, which is definitely worth a trip! I was quite nervous about the food being mostly vegetarian and reading the reviews. But we were both quite impressed! There was a range of choice at every meal time and plenty of vegetables, salads, meats, fish, hot and cold selections, as well as bread, pasta and the pizza was especially delicious. The selection changed at lunch and dinner every day too. I always found plenty to eat and everything tasted very good. We weren’t expecting fine dining, or restaurant quality. I would say it’s best to get to the restaurant as the services begin though, as everything is fresh and well stocked then. All in all, we came here with pretty low expectations, having been used to premium 4 star hotels in Greece, but we were pleasantly surprised. We weren’t expecting luxury and just wanted a relaxing break with good food. I’d say this was a good 3 star plus hotel. The food, staff, drinks were bonuses for us and we definitely had a relaxing holiday. Particular shout out to Ahmed on the bar who was smiley, friendly and always kept our drinks topped up! Thank you for your hospitality, we would come back to stay!

Hotel Taimar is shocking and I advise you to book elsewhere, the food choices are very limited, the hotel itself is run down and in need of a major facelift, I have been here 2 days so far and have spent my holiday stressed and angry spending my time with the hotel manager complaining, do not believe the website photos as they are from when it was first installed and the upkeep of this is non existent. I booked the premier suite at an extra cost only to be extremely disappointed

Good points Nice rooms smoking in designated areas only no night time entertainment good pool coffee from the machines was quite nice food was ok too location very residential Bad points Certain staff could be happier at work Place needs a good clean esp the sun beds in the adult only part not once did I see the staff use any cleaning spray for the dining room tables it was a cloth from the bar that was used then put back when finished No courtesy room to get ready when leaving if you can’t get a late check out also no comfortable lounge area to wait to be picked up Would I stay here again absolutely not

Location: almost the furthest away you can be from the beach in the whole resort town. This is just a heads up as you need to know this before you book. It is about 20-25 minutes walk to the beach, if you take the walkway from the road towards Bar Africa (open to that hotel's guests only). Atmosphere: no atmosphere really as very quiet around the restaurant area and pool bar most of the times due to no music, no entertainment. Occasionally they put YouTube music on the TV in the restaurant and turn it up so you can hear it. Room: decent size, very good shower, always hot water available at all times of the day. Air conditioning in the bedroom is the only thing that really let it down the hotel experience, as the temperature seemed to be capped at 25C. With it being 30C at night in September, and upwards of 37C in the day - this meant that the room was always very hot! All Inclusive: highly recommend the drink options as all wines come out of bottles, red, white, rose and cava (very popular!!). They also do a few spirits and liqueurs not advertised including a local bitter orange aperitivo to make an aperol spritz (also popular once other people see you with one!). The staff do a great job with the cocktails - shaking the ingredients to order, including pina colada, mojito and s** on the beach. Overall: I'd only reconsider not coming again due to the location, the walk to the beach, and generally the entire Costa Calma resort being a bit run down compared to other places on the island, and other Canary islands which we frequently a lot. Food was average, drink packages above average, cleanliness was fine (daily cleaning), pool area great, lots of sunbeds etc always available - maybe the aircon situation could just be improved.

OMG THIS PLACE IS TERRIBLE! Save yourself from this white walled hell hole 😩 the food is diabolical, the cleanliness is sub standard, the pool and pool area is small but ok, there is nowhere relaxing to sit and enjoy a drink at night unless you are happy staying seated at your canteen table, it’s like being in a nursing home waiting for god 👎 no music or entertainment the hotel is situated at the back of beond I will never come back to this depressing place we stayed at the club magic life in Jandia a few weeks ago for less money and it absolutely knock spots of this place, it’s just about a 3 star and nowhere near a 4 star ??