Riu Palace Tenerife

This was a repeat visit from last yr, however this yrs the experience was not as good. The positives: The breakfasts and evening buffet - reliably good with plenty of choice The location- easy access to promenade at back of hotel for lovely walks along the sea The pools The staff - almost by exception, friendly and helpful The negatives: The cockroaches - should have learnt the lesson from last yr. Room was fumigated 3 times, made no difference, every night but one we had at least two in the rooms. (we had 2 rooms next to each other, 353,354). Avoid these, there is a patch of garden outside the rooms. The daily blocking of all inlets - we had to put wet flannel over shower plug hole, plug up the sinks, and put a towel on floor to block gaps under / at side of door, to do that daily was a real annoyance. And it didn’t work. We were offered a room change with 2 days to go, too late given impending departure. Worrying approach to hygiene. I noticed / reported no soap in the gents toilets next to bar and pool. Nothing was done. I reported it 3 times: at the bar, twice at reception and on a call from my room. On day 6, it was finally filled. It would appear that there was someone else equally disgusted at how anyone using the toilet would then not be washing their hands properly before spreading germs everywhere - they had written ‘no soap for 6 days’ in green marker on the wall, which was quickly removed. Curiously, the clear plastic soap dispenser was then exchanged for an opaque one, with a tiny glass window, impossible to see the level. Maybe an attempt to reduce number of complaints that it’s empty?? In any event, worryingly lapse. The potential consequences are horrendous. Unable to keep a room for a couple of hours departure day. The hotel was very aware I had some very specific medical needs, (IV infusions etc), and explained that it was €20 / hr to retain a room, so I could do what I needed to between 12-2. Yet day before, I called to confirm as requested, it was declined, hotel was “too full” and they “couldn’t please everybody.” But if check-in is 3pm, and check out is midday, that’s a 3 hr window, that could have easily been accommodated. There appeared to be only one other couple that was departing at the time we were. In any event, for the exceptional circumstances I shared with them, ie needing to run an important IV infusion, that could have been agreed with a little effort, planning and willingness to please. A real 5* hotel would have made that happen. Maybe it was hotel’s response to my repeated requests to replace the soap. Entertainment - Found it a bit ‘butlins’, but enough guests seemed to enjoy it. The pianist in the lounge, however, was great, talented and very pleasant. Tip for anyone booked - after the inevitable delayed tui flight from Bournemouth, the coach transfer mystery tour from the airport would have resulted in missing dinner, so we opted for a private minibus at airport, $40, a bargain. I wish we’d book it on way back, that was painful on the coach. Hotel is practically at the end of route, so last to be dropped off, first to be collected. After going past the same hotels round and round, we were still in Costa Adeje after 1hr and 20 mins. Only then did we get onto the road to the airport. An hour and 40, dreadful. Take a taxi. Decent enough hotel. And an OK holiday. Thank goodness for the weather and in the main, the buffets. But very unlikely to return.

Absolutely a fantastic hotel in every way. Luxurious spotlessly clean very elegant rooms and great views the grounds and pools evenings entertainment were all great the choices of food and the hotel staff made our holiday one to remember. Will definitely be going back and recommended to our friends this is a genuine experience

We recently spent a week at the Riu Palace Tenerife as a family and whilst there were some positives, overall we were left disappointed, particularly given the price and 5-star rating. The rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable enough, with basic amenities including a minibar. Our room was at the side of the hotel overlooking the neighbouring property, with a partial sea view. The food was generally very good, particularly the breakfast and dinner buffets which offered an excellent selection. Lunch, however, was disappointing, with limited choice and average quality at best. We ordered a pizza one afternoon which was awful and had to be sent back. The two main pools were excellent, clean and spacious, although getting a sunbed was a challenge unless you were up early, with most taken by 9am. Evening entertainment was surprisingly good, with something on every night which we all enjoyed. The general atmosphere around the hotel was also very pleasant. Staff were generally polite and friendly, although the overall customer service fell short of what I would expect from a 5-star hotel. Our arrival was particularly disappointing. We were simply told to take a seat in the bar whilst our paperwork was prepared, no welcome drinks, nobody around to serve us and we eventually had to find someone ourselves. Checking out was equally impersonal, we paid the bill and that was it, nobody even asked if we'd enjoyed our stay. My biggest disappointment was the lack of facilities. For such an expensive hotel there really is very little on offer. No shops, no sports activities, not even a tennis court. The spa was very basic and the gym was particularly poor, just a few weight machines, a broken treadmill and a rowing machine that actually moved across the floor whilst being used! The location is reasonable, around a 10-minute walk into Costa Adeje, although there is very little in the immediate area apart from a small supermarket and a rather poor sports bar. Overall, it's not a bad hotel, the pools, food and evening entertainment were all very good. However, for the money I expected considerably more. The hotel itself is fairly bland, lacks facilities and certainly doesn't deliver the overall experience you would expect from a 5-star resort. Given the number of 5-star hotels in Costa Adeje, I would argue this is a 4-star hotel at best, charging 5-star prices. Pleasant enough stay, but poor value for money and unlikely we would return.

Good Hotel, but Definitely Not 5-Star The location is probably the hotel’s biggest selling point. It’s great for short walks along the coast and is far enough away from the hustle and bustle of central Adeje, which makes for a more peaceful stay. Rooms lacked amenities, no bottled water was provided unless purchased from the minibar at usual high hotel prices. I’d agree with some of the other reviews that the hotel seems to cater more towards an older clientele so it may not be the best choice if you’re looking for a livelier atmosphere. The food was average, reasonable choice but not great in quality. The waiter service was okay, although the buffet area got extremely busy at times. That said, this is perhaps to be expected in a hotel of this size. The pools are surprisingly small for such a large hotel, and the poolside waiter service was very slow. On one occasion, we ended up going to the pool bar ourselves, only to be told to return to our sunbeds and wait for someone to come over and take our order. Not exactly great service. Another downside was the noise in the mornings. We were woken up around 7 am every day by staff moving trolleys up and down the corridors outside our room. On top of that, the gardeners seemed to mow the lawns around 10:30 am, just as we were settling down by the pool. Overall, it’s a decent hotel with a great location, but it falls short of the luxury experience you’d expect from a 5-star property. There are positives, but the average food, small pools, slow service and early-morning noise let it down. In my opinion, it’s a good hotel, but certainly not the 5-star Platinum experience it’s advertised as.

We cannot recommend this hotel enough. We visited in 2013 and decided to go back again. We weren’t disappointed. From the moment we arrived we were looked after. The staff couldn’t do enough for us. Our room which was on the 2nd floor (219) and came with a partial sea view. It was spacious and quiet. We had the sun almost all day on our balcony. The beds were firm and very comfortable. It was a spacious bathroom and enormous shower. A few more electrical sockets would be nice but we managed ok. Bathrobes were a lovely addition. Cleaning was done to a very good standard. The breakfasts and evening meals were fantastic. My partner is vegetarian and had so much choice as did I. We ate outside every morning and evening. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful. All in all we had a fabulous week at the Riu Palace and it will definitely be our go to hotel in Tenerife. Thank you to all the staff, see you next year 😎