great basic hotel (Hi Tamaino Tropical Puerto de Santiago (Tenerife, Spain))

Member Name: licclevicki

Product:	Hi Tamaino Tropical Puerto de Santiago (Tenerife, Spain)
Date:	07/06/09 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good food, lovely place,

Disadvantages: not great for those with mobility problems

Why we chose hotel tamaimo Tropical?
*******************************

Our choice of holiday, was somewhat last minute. It wasn't a last minute bargain holiday, but we didn't leave much time before we wanted to jet off.
What we wanted for this particular holiday was relaxation.

I was hoping to travel in a group of three, myself, my partner and my mum, who is in her 60's. So the choice of hotel needed to fit our criteria and a mix of generations.
We wanted a resort that wasn't too lively, but that had some local facilities.
We didn't want to have to spend a lot of money off the complex
We wanted a family hotel, with lots of nice food, clean facilities, and a welcoming smile.
We paid aprox £320 pp for a package holiday of one weeks stay all inclusive, with direct holidays. So we didn't expect anything too grand, we just wanted a basic get away. Part of the reason we chose this hotel was its exceptional good value. Having previously read some rather negative reviews, we went with an open mind and here are our experiences.




Hotel
*****

Hotel Tamaimo tropical, offers many different options for the guest - self catering, bed and breakfast and all inclusive. We chose all-inclusive, mainly because in the current economic climate we thought it would be most cost effective, and it was.
This was my first time all-inclusive. So l only have my experience of staying all -inclusive from this holiday.

On arrival to the hotel l was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the complex. Actually l was rather shocked at the size of the complex. I'm not sure l have ever been to a hotel quite as big as this one.
As we entered the reception, everything appeared clean and tidy, and the staff seemed efficient. It wasn't pokey like other hotels but spacious and bright. My only gripe would be that there was only one member of staff checking in lots of people... but then again it was the early hours of the morning, and he was doing a good job, with a friendly smile. The reception is open 24 hours a day, and has lots of comfy seats and an area you can use their internet service, with a variety of computers available for use.

The hotel itself can appear a bit like a maze and it may take a while to find your bearings. The lifts we used can at first seem a little old which initially left me a bit uneasy (as l don't like lifts at the best of times), but they were very reliable, and my trust grew, even if they were quite shakey. Initially we used the smaller lift, which only really fits two skinny people in, but we later learnt there was another lift that would take us to pretty much the same place.

The whole hotel was clean and tidy. There were two lovely pools, a larger family sized pool and a smaller children's pool. The children's pool tended to be where the adults lay and the other pool where the younger families congregated. Both, lovely pools. The larger family pool, had some daytime entertainment, and there were pool tables you could use located at various sites around the pools, and both pools had pool side bars.

Other facilities around the complex were, a very poor attempt at crazy golf, tennis courts, jaccuzi, several bars, hairdressers, a place for laundry, boules, etc.

Some of the furniture around the bars needed to be replaced, and there were a few areas around the hotel that needed a face lift, but these were just small niggles, and certainly did not spoil the holiday, everything was functional and tidy!

The hotel also provided evening entertainment. Generally there was some sort of evening show nightly, or there would be karaoke, the shows were actually very good, we were quite supprised, they seemed very professional. Our shows were an eagle show, a comedy show, a 70's show, parrot show, and a river dance show.
The atmosphere was always pleasant in the bar and all around the hotel, lots of friendly people and real mix of young and older people, and there was lots of happy tipsy people, but few really drunk people which was nice. l imagine that this small bar would become very over crowded during busier times of the year, it was quite busy when we were there, but there was seating outside too and another bar open nearby.

Generally we had no problems getting sunbeds around the pool if we wished., the sunbeds were plentiful.

The location of the hotel was okay. It is located in Puerto de Santiago, a short distance from playa de arena and los Gigantes. All lovely places to visit, with local black sandy beaches. The unfortunate thing about this hotel is the fact that if you have mobility difficulties you may find the short walks to either town rather difficult. You will find yourself having to walk up a mountain of steps or following the hilly roads around the black mountains. If you can manage this walk the views are spectacular. Otherwise the price of a taxi was pretty reasonable, there are many local bars and restaurants to choose from.

Facilities and entertainment for children was limited. If you have children l would advise caution about this hotel. Its not that its anti children, just that you may find your children getting a little bored!

Rooms
*****

On arrival to our room we liked what we saw. Again the room was clean and plentiful! Although there was only 3 of us staying, there were beds for 5 of us!
The kitchen had all the facilities of self catering. Some of the furniture in the lounge was rather old and could have done with being replaced, but it was adequate.
Their was a television with some English speaking stations, such as sky news.
I wouldn't say the room was amazing, but it was certainly more than enough for what we wanted. We had a lovely balcony facing the larger swimming pool, with tables and chairs..
Their were two bedrooms, both a good size with plenty of storage for clothes and other possessions.
In the bedroom with the twin beds their was a safety deposit box (which was actually quite expensive 24 euros a week plus 10 deposit).

The Bathroom was clean an tidy. Our criticism was that the bathroom window had been left open, and because we didn't arrive until the early hours we were greeted with two cockroaches, not a great arrival present. But unfortunately something that are plentiful in Tenerife. Luckly we kept all windows and doors shut throughout the holiday and didn't find any more!

The shower wasn't the most powerful but it was okay, we also had a bath. It would have been nice if they had left us some soap too, but never mind, we made do with shower gel for a day or so.
We were supplied with plenty of freshly clean towels and rooms were cleaned most days.

Over all l was very happy with our room. Lots of mirrors and dressing tables, and everything we needed for our weeks stay. Rooms weren't air conditioned, but we weren't too concerned about this.

We did experience a little noise at night, mainly with people arriving and the odd noisy neighbour, but generally their were no problems what so ever.



Food and drink
*************

Food and drinks were plentiful, you could have as much or as little as you'd like, seved buffet style. If you stayed self catering you could pay for the buffet but it was much more expensive than going all inclusive.
Breakfast was from (if l remember right) 8 until 10-30, lunch from 1 until 3-30, and dinner from6-30until 9-30, with snacks available at other times throughout the day. So you were never hungry. Drinks were available throughout the day that they were supplied in plastic cups, which was probably a good thing especially around the pool area.

Variety of food was fairly good, there was always lots to choose from, but it did get a bit repetitive at times. There was lots of fresh rolls, salad and fresh meats. I was happy with the food and at no point during my stay did l go hungry.
All drinks available were locally produced and that was fine with us, we enjoyed their sangria, local wines, beer, and spirits.




Final thoughts
***********

I enjoyed my stay at this hotel. The staff were friendly and their was a nice atmosphere. I would say the hotel was rather basic, but it was more than enough for the price we paid. Other more expensive hotels we have stayed at have been no better than this hotel.

The food was good (you do not expect to go abroad and eat exactly the foods you would eat at home and niether would l want to). Other than our experience with cockroaches and seeing the odd one late at night, we weren't bothered by pests either.

I think if your going to stay at this hotel you have to remember that it is 3 star, then you wont be disappointed. The hotel is in a beautiful area, a good place to explore, and l would recommend this hotel to singletons, couples and older people, but maybe not for those that have young families.




My Ratings

Location * * *
Cleanliness * * * *
Facilities * * *
Food * * * *

Summary: a lovely place to holiday