Catalonia Punta del Rey

⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 4-star food, 3-star hotel, 2-star guests… and we’d definitely go back 😂 We booked a week all-inclusive at the Catalonia Punta del Rey for an absolute bargain and, after reading some of the reviews beforehand, arrived wondering exactly what we'd let ourselves in for. Seven days later, we were genuinely sad to leave. My partner summed the hotel up perfectly: "4-star food, 3-star hotel and 2-star guests." 😂 And I can't really improve on that. Let's start with the food, because this was probably the biggest surprise of the holiday. It was excellent. Steak, lamb chops, ribs, salmon, fresh prawns, loads of salads, cheeses including Stilton and enough desserts to destroy any good intentions you arrived with. Breakfast deserves a mention too. Proper thick bacon, good English-style sausages and eggs in abundance. None of that sad little rasher that disappears when you put your fork into it. If you want a full English breakfast, you'll have absolutely no problem constructing one here. And here's a useful tip we discovered: use the back entrance to the restaurant. At busy times people would be queuing at the main entrance while we quietly wandered in through the other door like we'd discovered the Punta del Rey VIP entrance. 😂 It can save you a fair bit of waiting. Just outside the restaurant is the waterfall, which is delightful. It's one of those little features you don't necessarily expect from the photographs, but it creates a lovely atmosphere around that part of the hotel. The staff are fantastic. Friendly, cheerful and incredibly hardworking. Housekeeping was excellent as well. Our room was cleaned properly and the towels and bed linen were changed daily. We couldn't fault them. Now, the hotel itself. Is it a gleaming, ultra-modern luxury four-star resort? No. Does it have character? Loads of it. It's a large, older hotel and some areas are showing their age. During some spectacular Tenerife rain our air conditioning even decided it wanted a second career as an indoor water feature. 😂 But our room was comfortable, we had a lovely sea view and the balcony became our afternoon headquarters for drinks and increasingly competitive games of UNO Flip. The pools The main pool area is quite small for the size of the hotel. If your idea of a holiday is spending seven days fighting for the perfect sunbed, that's worth knowing beforehand. However, there's a much better-kept secret: adults can use the adults-only area across the road, which has an infinity pool. So don't assume the main pool is your only option. We barely used either because, somehow, we managed an entire week on Tenerife without even getting our feet wet. 😂 Entertainment — and the guests! Downstairs is a nightclub/disco that feels as though you've accidentally discovered a secret holiday club from another decade. Naturally, I ended up doing karaoke and singing Sweet Caroline. Nobody requested this. Nobody particularly needed this. But Tenerife got it anyway. 😂 There was entertainment most nights and we had some genuinely funny evenings. As for our fellow guests, the vast majority were perfectly pleasant. Others appeared to regard the words ALL INCLUSIVE less as a board basis and more as a personal drinking challenge. At times we weren't entirely sure whether we were in Tenerife or had accidentally wandered onto the set of Benidorm. 😂 But it gave us something to laugh about and certainly didn't spoil our holiday. Get out and explore The location actually suited us brilliantly. Las Caletillas is quieter than the big southern resorts and it's really easy to get around by bus. We visited Santa Cruz, La Laguna and Candelaria, explored churches and museums, learned about the Guanches, watched mysterious ships from our balcony and walked considerably further than either of us intended. We're clearly not very good at conventional beach holidays. So, would we go back? Absolutely. The Punta del Rey isn't perfect. The main pool is small, some areas could do with updating and occasionally you'll encounter someone who's been enthusiastically investigating the all-inclusive drinks menu since breakfast. But the food was excellent, the staff were lovely, housekeeping was superb, the beds and towels were changed daily, our room was comfortable and we had a fantastic week. For what we paid, the value was astonishing. We arrived wondering what the catch was. We left wondering when we could come back. And I can't give it a much better recommendation than that. One final piece of advice: find the back door to the restaurant. You'll understand why when you see the queue at the front. 😂

*Honest review* Me and my partner stayed here just under 2 weeks at the end of September. I was quite nervous with the reviews some been bad however overall it was great. Room- we was on the 9th(10th) floor so they was 9floors and we took the lift but we had to take another flight of stairs for the rooms which was fine. The views were amazing the room overall was clean and no concerns was noted. The cleaners cleaned everyday. Downfall really was no fridge you could upgrade to premium and I think you got a fridge with them rooms. We only wanted a fridge to keep drinks cold really. Pools- pools were great I liked how they had a separate one for adults and it had a nice view to the sea so this was nice as a couple. Entertainment- entertainment was good too although we didn’t go every night we went every other day and the ones we watched were good, they had a variety of different shows on. Food- food was good and had different selections everyday can’t really complain drinks on the other hand was the worst I’ve tasted not sure what they do to them but the fizzy drinks are rank. I stayed drinking water and juice and occasionally bought fizzy from the shops. Location kind of brings it a down, although it’s a nice and quite place I wouldn’t recommend for families or anyone that likes to go to towns and do activities unfortunately all our money went as we booked activities as they costed more due to the location we was in. The beach was not a beach it’s just pebbles and water, you can walk about 20 minutes and you have some restraunts and shops which won’t great not for tourists, we went into los cristanos which was an hour away that was good and busy great for tourissts but had to buy a day pass as taxis was saying £70plus one way. If I was to go again I would only stay for 1 week as there’s not much to do unless you have the money or if you like staying in.

We spent a week here, its our second visit, we decided to return because we enjoyed the quiet location, its not for everyone but we enjoy the relaxed vibe of the area. The hotel itself is slowing upgrading its room which is great, its kept very clean, but there is some issues, the lifts need an upgrade multiple times they left a step to get out, ok if your mobile not so great if mobility is an issue and door frames in the room we were in needed replacing. The drinks are diaboloical, we dont drink alcohol and other half is diabetic only options for him to drink was water or cola light which is revolting and makes rola cola seem luxury. It was all full sugar and not even nice tasting. We resorted to watering down the juice on a morning for breakfast so he was having less sugar, bottled water was available at lunch and dinner, and it was ice cold which was great. Food, lots of variety if you eat meat, however we did notice a few options for vegetarians, and gluten free options available for breakfast by the entrance. There is also milk alternatives. Only downside with food was baked beans on a breakfast were cold, only had them once due to this. Area is in a quiet village, so if you like nightlife dont book here, but the entertainment they provide is adequate. Daytime entertainment is also acceptable, only issue with that is on the board it needs to say where it is going to be held as there is 3 places. Warning there are holiday makers queuing at 7.30am to get sunbeds with their towels in hand. Ill never understand this, there is plenty and people smoke where they want which ruins the vibe of the waterfall area (balcony) and around the pool. Issues we had, we requested a fridge for medications on our booking, last time it was installed without charge this time i was charged €4 a day or offered to keep my pescription meds in their fridge in the hotel lobby, which isnt safe. The drinks, they are terrible, we spent alot of money over at mercadona buying in drinks for ourselves. Also the papercups disintegrate quick so be careful. The wardrobe door was broken from when we got there and when we moved it, it fell off, maintainance came round straight away and took the doors away. Positives, the entertainment teams really try, and are so upbeat and positive. The tui team are great, jewls has more people working with her now, oscar and babs and another who i didnt get the name of, they are great for local knowlege and which excursions you can book for hotel collection. The area for us, we love the peacefulness and relaxed nature of the area. Rooms are kept clean as is hotel. Staff are great, very helpful. Cleaners work hard to keep the hotel clean. Would we return? Sadly not, the drinks did it for us, we love the hotel but having to buy our own drinks is the game changer. If they changed to branded drinks and more zero sugar drinks options we would return.

I am currently at the Punta Del Rey and for the last 3 days there has been no hot water for a shower. I have complained at reception every night and each night I have been fobbed off with different excuses. We arrived on Friday 2nd October and have only had hot water on Saturday 3rd. Beware

Where to start. The food was ok I suppose, but you do get fed up of it. Very busy, there are sunbed wars. Literally !! It’s ok ! You get what you pay for I suppose. We had a nice room so I can’t complain there. All walks of life visit here … We had a good time however will never return