HD Parque Cristobal Gran Canaria

We are recently back from a week at the hotel as a family of 4.Two adults and two children. The hotel sadly didn't live up to outpr expecting in a few areas in particular the emblem options. We arrived to an illclusive resort to be sent to the main restaurant via a toilet area entrance to find the restart was closed. After spending over 6k we did not expect our first night meal to be a McDonald's. The site itself was very dimly lit which was an added issue for me as I suffer from mobility problems. It took us almost 10 minutes to find out accomodations which we had asked to be near the main restaurant etc, it wasn't. The next morning we presented at the dedicated emblem section of the buffet to be told we needed to book in advance each day despite their being numerous empty tables. We only used the emblem section twice for breakfast and once for dinner as the choice wasn't great for children. The Italian restaurant was also a disappointment. We had chosen the emblem extras for the private outdoor space and the hot tub which tripped every time it was used the 1st day and a new pump had to be fitted. We also had faulty air conditioning in the master bedroom. Tthe dressing gowns and slippers were nice but the towels were so rough and the only Rituals toiletries in the bathroom was the hand wash. The buffet was well stocked though the choice was very repetitive and lacked imagination. This was our first time at an HDhotels property and I believe it will be our last.

An amazing holiday again Spent our 20th wedding anniversary here Staff fantastic as always bunglow lovely Staff always on hand to help you out never had a problem Big shoutout to eva and antonio helped us out a lot during our stay 10/10 Love christine and david (Leeds united)

We stayed for a week in October, overall the experience at the hotel was ok but there were also a few areas where there could be improvement. We arrived late in the evening and were checked in at reception, the welcome was warm but we were not given much information only a map of the hotel and timings for the restaurants. The map was needed to find the room, it was very difficult in the dark and we spent quite some time trying to find it – the font on the map was very small too so we struggled to read the room numbers on there! It would have been helpful to have been given some “landmarks” to look out for. There was a bottle of water in the room on arrival which was nice to see, this was not replaced throughout the stay. The rooms were really clean and spacious. It was cold in the room even without the aircon but we found a thin duvet in the cupboard which helped. The rooms were cleaned every day except Sunday, the towels were not changed even after being left wet on a dirty floor by my teenagers so that wasn’t great. There was no iron in the room, reception offered one for a charge – I have never encountered this in a hotel before and seems very tight-fisted. Likewise pool towels we gave a deposit for – absolutely fine, but then had to pay 1 euro to change these. They even said we had to pay to get a clean one for a shower on our last day when we no longer had access to our room. In this situation we could have had a (not guaranteed) late check out for 50 euros or use the shower in the spa. Had I seen the shower in the spa I would have paid for a late check out. There were two, open showers with just a shower curtain, no changing area and nowhere to hang your towel outside of the shower – fine if you want to walk around naked, I guess but most people don’t. It was hot in there and very unpleasant. Incidentally in-keeping with the theme of the hotel there was a charge for the spa and for padel courts so bring plenty of money! There is a mini-market next to the hotel, we went there to buy an inflatable for the pool – the kids hopped on and the lifeguard said it was not allowed as it did not have a hole in it – only rings or inflatables with a hole in were allowed – there is no signage anywhere around the pool to say this so this meant our money was wasted. There were always plenty of sunbeds round the pool so that was good. On the last couple of days fertiliser was spread on the grass, the smell was very unpleasant – I am also not sure how safe this is for kids who ran around on it? Drinks at the bar were not bad, self-serve wine, beer and soft drinks and you could ask for a glass for the beer if not round the pool. Water available all day so you could refill bottles as required. Evening entertainment at the bar was not great and finished around 10.30 – then there was silence until the bar closed for AI at 11pm – very early and did not create a great atmosphere. We ended up having to go out in the evening which is annoying when you have paid for all inclusive. The restaurant was one of the areas that let the hotel down a bit, there was a fair amount of choice but the food was luke-warm. Self service drinks in the restaurant so you had to get up during your meal which isn’t great. If you sit outside there are loads of pigeons and they walk on the tables which is disgusting – there doesn’t seem to be any measures attempting to get rid of these, really unhygienic and unpleasant. Unfortunately we had to make a complaint during our stay as a member of our group was a vegetarian, they had some soup which was labelled “Lentil Soup”, it did not say on the label it contained bacon which was understandably very upsetting. On reporting this to the restaurant manager they did not seem at all concerned and told us that they could prepare food especially for us, this is an extreme solution and when you want to select things from the buffet all that was required was to clearly label if something contained meat which we explained but they did not seem to take it in – really poor service. One night we went to the Italian, the food is included on AI but you have to pay for drinks here. The setting is nicer (no pigeons) although people still in the kids pool whilst we were eating. The starters were self serve, good choice and these were nice – the mains were quite disappointing, I had mushroom pasta which was tasteless, pizzas were not the best although the gnocchi was good. Staff at the hotel were friendly for the most part and everything was fine but no parts were outstanding.

Wonderful 12 night stay at Cristobal Beautiful hotel Lovely villa with private garden my favorite

We booked a five-night stay from Monday to Saturday for my husband and me, along with our daughter and 12-year-old grandson. We travelled with TUI on an easyJet flight and booked the Emblem accommodation. First impressions were excellent! From the outside, the hotel looks a little shabby and perhaps doesn’t give the best first impression. However, don’t be put off, as once inside, things are quite different. Despite arriving around 1pm, our rooms were already ready, which was a lovely start to our holiday. We stayed in the Emblem bungalows, which were absolutely spotless and beautifully presented. On arrival to our rooms, we were welcomed with two cans of organic still wine in each room (rather than the cava advertised on the TUI website), sweets for my grandson, along with a lovely goody bag containing slippers, flip-flops and a full bathroom amenities bag. These little touches made the arrival experience feel particularly special. The rooms were exceptionally well equipped, with a coffee machine, a selection of teas, a safe and a Bluetooth speaker tower. The minibar was replenished daily, and housekeeping maintained a very high standard throughout our stay. Outside, the terrace had a lovely padded double sunbed. Unfortunately, this was quite dusty and looked as though it needed a good clean. We noticed this wasn’t just the case with our beds, and consequently, it wasn’t particularly inviting to use. A little more attention to the outdoor furniture would make a difference. The Emblem experience The highlight of our stay was undoubtedly the Emblem restaurant and its staff. Everyone was lovely, particularly the Emblem restaurant team, who were always welcoming and extremely helpful. In fact, all the hotel staff we encountered, including the bar staff, cleaners, waiting staff and reception/check-in team, were friendly, approachable and helpful throughout our stay. This really does deserve a mention. As Emblem guests, we also received a voucher for the use of the Bali beds, although these were limited to half a day, as well as a voucher for spa facilities, allowing 1.5 hours of use. These are lovely additional benefits and certainly add to the Emblem experience. We had all our breakfasts and evening meals in the Emblem restaurant. Breakfast and dinner are served at the table, with an additional smaller buffet offering a very good selection. You can also choose items from the main buffet and bring them into the Emblem restaurant, which gives you the best of both worlds. There was a wide variety of food available, and the evening menu changed daily. The Emblem restaurant itself is bright, comfortable and much quieter than the main dining areas. Menus are accessed via a QR code. The quality of the Emblem pool towels was also very good. However, the system for exchanging them needs reviewing. We were told that used towels had to be left in the room to be replaced, which begs the question of what guests are supposed to use around the pool in the meantime! We managed to exchange ours at reception on a few occasions, but were told this was only permitted in emergencies. This seems unnecessarily complicated and could easily be improved. Bars and entertainment We visited the sports bar once and got chatting to another couple (who had not booked Emblem). Unfortunately, they were unable to get drinks from the sports bar and had to go upstairs to obtain drinks before returning back to the sports bar. My husband kindly offered to get their drinks for them, but the bar staff explained that this wasn’t permitted. It seemed a rather unnecessary restriction and not particularly customer-friendly. We also found the sports bar closed on two of the five evenings we were there. This was disappointing, particularly if you wanted an alternative atmospheric area away from the noise of the main entertainment. The entertainment team seemed to come alive on the Wednesday around the large pool. For much of our stay, they were fairly low-key and didn’t make much effort to encourage guests to participate. This may suit those who prefer a quieter poolside experience, but perhaps more daytime activities would have been welcome. Maybe their efforts were around the children’s pool area. TUI representatives We were rather underwhelmed by the TUI representatives. On more than one occasion, I noticed three reps sitting at their desks, with no guests requiring their attention. Having stayed at other TUI resorts where there are no representatives on site and support is provided through a chat service, I did wonder whether three representatives were really necessary here. Our airport information sheet didn’t even include our hotel name, so we had no idea when our welcome meeting was scheduled. When I mentioned this to a TUI representative on arrival, she explained that the meeting was due to take place the following day but kindly offered to go through everything with us there and then. We appreciated her doing this, but better information at the airport would have avoided the confusion in the first place. The biggest disappointment – the swimming pool! The pool was absolutely freezing! It was so cold that it really took away from the enjoyment of using it. This was probably our biggest disappointment, particularly when you are looking forward to relaxing around the pool and enjoying a swim on holiday. Would we return? Absolutely, but only if booking the Emblem accommodation again. The Emblem experience really does elevate the holiday. The immaculate bungalows, thoughtful arrival touches, daily replenished minibar, excellent housekeeping, additional Bali bed and spa benefits and, above all, the wonderful hotel staff made our stay special. There are a few areas that could benefit from attention, particularly the pool temperature, outdoor terrace furniture, pool towel exchange arrangements and the availability of the sports bar. Overall, we had a lovely five-night family break and would happily return to HD Parque Cristóbal, but for us, Emblem is definitely the way to stay!