So this is my first hotel review and it feels good! I maybe when a little too in-depth with the footage as I'm sure many of you have stayed in a resort before but I'd rather have too much than not enough.
Let me start off by saying that the main reason we picked this hotel was because it was 18+ so NO CHILDREN! lol.
The second reason we chose this hotel was because I had already stayed here back in 2011 when it was called the Noelia Sur. Since then the hotel has had a massive renovation and is in fabulous condition.
Check-In: This process was smooth and they offer you a complimentary glass of Cava upon arrival which is a nice touch. The lady that checked us in was Senorita Charo and she was lovely. A real pleasure to deal with. My score: 9/10
Room: We originally booked this room (Half-Board with Pool View) through Hotels.com as we wanted to maximise our Avios reward.
(Sidebar: As you may know, Aer Lingus's Loyalty Reward program, Aer Club, offers 6 Avios per €1 you spend with hotels.com. Not only that, but Hotels.com offers you 1 free night after you book and stay for 10 nights so it's a double reward.)
After doing some online investigation, I found a better rate on the Tigotan website. The rate was for half-board but instead of a pool view, it was a view of a concrete painted wall. The main attraction to this was the fact it included "Exclusive" which meant nicer amenities such as bathroom toiletries, snacks and refreshments in the room, robes and slippers, priority for sun loungers, reserved areas for sun loungers on the roof, discounts at the spa and access to the Exclusive Lounge, which I'll go into a bit more detail later.
We discussed it and decided to forfeit the pool view for the concrete wall and it actually worked out for the best. You see, I like privacy and with a pool view other people basically look into your room or balcony 24/7. If you watch my youtube review video, you'll see that it's super quiet out the back (besides the occasional banging by the maintenance staff in the morning but whatevs) and that was of way better than looking at the pool.
My score: 8/10
Food: As you can see from my videos, I'm a guy who likes to eat so food is always a focus of this blog!
The main restaurant where almost everyone eats is well laid out with only the occasional French or German tourist bumping into you. There's a large selection of proteins, carbs, sides, salads, cheese & meats and desserts.
The quality of the food is somewhat sketchy though. A lot of the meat is freshly cooked in front of you so it's difficult to go wrong with that but some of the stuff they put out, mashed potatoes for instance, were a "no go". If it looks dodgy, the best policy is to stay away.
One thing to keep in mind is that even though your food is included, your drinks are extra. That includes water which is always served bottled. If you order wine and don't finish it, they'll re-cork and tag it so you can enjoy it another night.
My score: 5/10
Santa Rosa Grill: This is the a la carte restaurant which is conveniently located right next to the main restaurant. This is a paid restaurant but as we were on an "Exclusive" stay, we were invited for 1 complimentary dinner for two which we happily accepted.
We booked through the guest services manager, easy-peasy.
I ordered the grilled goats cheese salad with balsamic reduction for my starter, the ribeye steak with fries for my main and a banoffee pie for dessert which didn't really resemble anything like a banoffee pie in Ireland.
The staff were good, the food was decent but my only criticism was that there was virtually no atmosphere. The restaurant itself was 80% empty so there was no life to the place which was a shame because the restaurant itself was beautiful.
The only cost was for the bottle of wine and water we ordered which came to €25.90. We didn't actually finish the wine so they offered to cork and tag it for us and move it to the main restaurant so we could enjoy it another night which we appreciated.
My score: 7/10
Exclusive Lounge: This was by far the highlight of the hotel. The lounge is only open to a select number of guests so it's never packed with an obnoxious number of people and is open daily from 11am - 6pm.
There's a wide assortment of drinks, snacks and newspapers. The beer is on tap, there's wine and Cava by the bottle and also features a wide selection of excellent quality spirits like Gordons, Smirnoff, Baileys and more.
The food is usually fruit, sandwiches, pastries, cheese and crisps but is rotated throughout the day and changes often.
There's a fabulous outdoor fenced area on the ground floor that again is reserved for Exclusive guests.
My partner and I made excellent use of this facility as we could go for some drinks before dinner or after a swim. If you get the opportunity to book this, I highly recommend it.
My score: 10/10
Pool and Sun Area: Remember when you were on holidays with your parents and your dad would run down to the pool at 7am every morning with the towels to claim your sun loungers? Well, you don't have to do that anymore.
Exclusive guests have a reserved area on the roof which is unencumbered by any other buildings so you get 100% of the sun. Right beside you is a pool and jacuzzi which everyone can use and just behind you is the roof top bar. The staff come around and offer to take orders all the time so don't be shy and order yourself a cocktail! You're on holidays after all!
If you want a spot up there, simply get in touch with guest services and request your spot the day before. They'll reserve your loungers and when you arrive there's someone with a list that takes care of it all.
My score: 9/10
Spa: This is also located on the roof. After a long afternoon of paragliding and jet skiing, I decided to get a massage before dinner. I booked in through the dedicated guest services manager and went up for my appointment. Now, let me preface this by saying I don't speak Spanish but in hindsight I should have used google translate to communicate my needs before going up there.
I needed a lot of pressure on my forearms, shoulders and unfortunately this lady didn't deliver. Overall it was nice and relaxing but next time I'll know better.
My score: 7/10
Gym: Unfortunately I didn't stay long enough to be able to enjoy this but the gym is well fitted out with lots of exercise equipment and machines. The space is clean and perfect if you want to get some training in on your holiday.
My score: 8/10
Location: The hotel is located in the heart of Playa De Las Americas so you're super close to pretty much everything including grocery stores, bars, restaurants and the other C.C.'s in the area. You're also 2 minutes from the beach and there's a stall where you can book excursions and activities just outside the hotel.
My score: 9/10
Overall this was a great place to spend a week in the sun. I haven't stayed in many other places in Tenerife but this is by far one of the best for overall cleanliness, staff and quality of the product.
Dates: Jan 7th - 14th 2020 Cost: €1337 for two people, half-board with exclusive. Website: https://www.dreamplacehotels.com/en/hotel-tigotan - Their best rates are found on their website
Overall score: 8/10 - Would stay here again.
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