Yes it's true I'm afraid, at both the Adeje and the Tenerife you have to ask the barperson and he/she disappears out back and makes them.

Also on the Adeje side, the beer/soft drinks are no longer self service at the upper pool bar.

The lower pool bar at the Adeje and the pool bar at the Tenerife are still self serve for beer/soft drinks.

Shame about the slushes... I guess that's what happens when people abuse them. And that was happening a lot when we went the last few times, although to be fair my 5 year old was guilty of some of that!

Not used the shuttle bus... we normally get a taxi and it's about 20-25 mins from the airport. We prefer that to the coach, I suspect that it's one of the last hotels in the chain and I don't fancy 2 hours on a bus after a flight.

Now the gym. Hmm. There's a couple of problems, 1) the machinery and cardio equipment is poor, much of it hasn't been serviced properly and doesn't work well, and 2) the air conditioning is usually off. So if you like a good sweat on poor kit it's the place for you, but to be honest if you want a workout I'd suggest going for a run up the hill to Arminemie and back (or via Callao Salvaje). If you want to talk about places to run then PM me, I know the area well and depending upon what kind of run and how far you want to go, there's some good runs out there! Or if you want a gym whilst you are there then there are better options outside of the hotel... 1) for the full-on "rocky" experience, there's a boxing/weights gym in the basement of the Hotel Bouganville that I used to use years ago, or 2) there's a modern gym in the shopping arcade near to the Bahia Del Duque, or 3) another modern gym in the underground arcade between the hotel compostela beach and las vistas shopping centre, towards Los Cristianos. I used to be sad enough to hit the gym on holiday, but I've mostly grown out of it. What I can recommend if you've the stamina is to hire a mountain bike and head up Teide. It's a day's cycling but god it's worth it! The scenery is out of this world and the sense of achievement is great. But it's a pretty big hill so it's a good workout (OK, technically the highest mountain in Spain, but you know what I mean!)

I can't vouch for the massages... although I've seen them and they look professional enough. I nearly persuaded my wife to let me get a leg massage when I was training for a marathon out there, but when she saw what the masseuse looked like she told me that it would probably come with a divorce! From memory prices were about 20 Euros up to about 50 Euros.

Shops/bars... yes, as Crockett said you'll need to go into Playa Paraiso for the nearest selection, either across the beach or up to the top road and along (via a walkway behind an apartment block... you'll see what I mean on Google Maps.) I wouldn't bother with the bars though, I've run past them often enough and they don't look much fun. There are also a couple of other shops up on the top road (opposite the abandoned villa complex), but they don't open all day. You can get some basics from the supermarket there. But to be honest I'd get the free bus into PDLA and use the supermarkets there, they are much better.

Can also confirm Jeans are OK for dinner.... if you must :-) You could also go for the complete look and add a football shirt to complete the ensemble! I know I am a bit of a snob, but you might want to consider that I've seen the restaurant staff treat people differently depending on how they look and how they talk to the staff. So if you want great service and the best tables, it's worth making a bit of an effort in my opinion.

As for the sports bar... it usually shows the "top sporting event" of the day, whether that is football/F1/rugby. But beware, unless you've upgraded to a gold all inclusive it's a pay bar and you can spend a bit there! As Crockett said though, it's not a rip off, and probably cheaper than many outside of the hotel. My main gripe with the bar is that instead of a big projector screen they have a number of smaller TVs, so when it's busy you end up in a huddle around one of the screens.

On TV... If you look through there is a "BBC World" channel as well as Sky News and Eurosport, but this seems to be repeats of dreary programmes. I've got to admit we usually leave it on Sky, or take along a DVD player and a few rips off Sky+ to give us a bit of home TV.

One thing you've not asked about Darren is the entertainments team and the sports on site. There is a programme of activity, but you'll find the staff really helpful and happy to do other stuff if there is the demand. For example, I've worked with them to organise a pick-up game of basketball, and I know others have organised 5 a side soccer too. So, if you can be bothered to get involved you can have a lot of fun. You'll need it to burn off the endless buffet of good food that they keep serving up!

Oh, and yes I am biased. We're going back again twice this year for our 8th and 9th visits... not that we are in any way predictable or anything! Our first visit was an extra week's holiday we managed to squeeze in, but we've been really impressed by it and my daughter won't go anywhere else now.

Sorry about the long reply, hope it's useful and you enjoy your holiday.

Cheers,
Gary

Cheers for that Gary, are the gym's you talked about within walking distance and pretty cheap? Also has the gym in the hotel any weight machines or free weights? I'm sure people on here think i'm mad but i do enjoy working out and if i go a day or 2 without it i feel horrible, and like you said i'll be enjoying the food and drink rather to much! As for running/cardio i'm not a massive runner and would only be doing about 2 miles a day so any ideas on the flatest run would be great! I can;t seem to get the PM working so i hope you don't mind me asking on here?

cheers Daz

Hi Daz ... until such time as your PMs are fully activated, if Gary sends you a PM then you will be able to reply to it with any issues that you might prefer to discuss off-forum.

David

I know it may be short notice with me travelling in 2 days but,Does anybody know whereabouts in pdla the hotel free/pay buses drop off, as we're planning on meeting friends one afternoon next week?

Can anyone tell me the smoking policy? We're non smokers and are curious if there is smoking allowed in the bar/restaurant areas as I suffer from asthma.

thanks

Sorry for the delay, work occasionally gets in the way of play :-)

Very few weights in the gym from what i can remember, the usual dog-bones-for-dumbells, the odd machine and not a lot else last time i was there. There is no other gym in walking distance, you'll have to get a bus or cab if you want to work out.

There are some good 2-6 mile runs locally... but the bad news is that playa paraiso is "kind of hilly", so there are no flat runs that i know of (unless you do some laps of the pool!) A run up the hill to Arminemie and back is about 2.5 miles, but you'll see what i mean about the hill when you drive towards the hotel. Its a good run though.

There is no smoking indoors, the smoking areas are all outside. We're non smokers too so i know what you mean. The good news is that they banish these creatures to smoking areas outside of the main bar area. You do get a few by the pool however, so watch who you sit next to!

I dont really use pm, so here's best for messages.

Kind regards
Gary

Will the free bus take me to the gym/s, how sad do i sound going away to a lovely hotel and all i care about is the gym!!? I promise i'll have fun too!

A word of warning regarding private transfers from the airport to the hotel:-
Many guests were under the impression that a minibus would be available but they
use a full size coach and only leave for the hotels when it is full so what should be
20ish minute trip can take (and did take) nearly 4 hours. visiting many hotels and even
golf courses along the way just to drop off just 1 passenger!
I would suggest forking out for a private taxi - although dearer, you arrive relaxed instead of
frustrated, thirsty, very hot and annoyed!
We have just returned from another fantastic holiday there where we met so many friendly
people who didn't regard me as a 'creature' - just a person who is respectful and considerate
to other guests and we all enjoyed every minute!

suzie did you travel with sky/cosmos? They have assured me that the coach they use is strictly for cosmos travellers. I don't mind a bit of journey but 4 hrs does seem excessive. Do you think the time we arrive may make a difference? We're not due to land until about 7pm.

How much did you pay for a taxi by the way, and did you have to prebook or just jump in one at the airport?

cheers Daz

Maybe later arrivals might be luckier. Taxi is about 30 euros each way.
Sorry but don't know about Sky/Cosmos but with Thomas Cook the Bahia Principe is the
first drop off so well worth paying the £20 per person for return transfers.
By the way, the Gym and Sports Bar are now franchised out and seem well equipped.
Wish we were there for the football - what a great atmosphere that will be and
I wish all of you a wonderful and harmonious time with all the staff and guests!

Is the gym still free on the all inc. or do you now have to pay, did you use it at all, if so what sort of stuff do they have in there now? also did you use the spa while you were there at all? Can you get taxi's from the airport or will I have to prebook? To be honest i'm not sure what to do my transfers are included in the price and am on a tightish budget, sounds like i could be lucky and be first drop off and take 30 mins or be hanging round for long time. Anyone else have any advice/experiences of the transfers? Also you say the sports bar is now franchised, how has this affected it?

cheers in advance Darren

Not sure about the Gym but it seems to be run by professional advisers and beauticians.
The Sports Bar no longer provides free drinks to Gold Band members but they are very
reasonably priced. It is run by a lovely couple who do and excellent job in keeping the
Customers happy! They also have a shop which sells all the usual holiday products -
sun lotions, jewellery, rubber rings and toys - so you can travel to the hotel a bit lighter
and not have to worry about paying for excess baggage (9.5 euros per k)
Taxi's are freely available at the airport and there are always some outside of the
Reception of the hotel but it is best to book one for your return trip.
If anyone requires any further advice, please feel free to PM me.

Wow, thanks for the info Suzie, that sounds like they've made some real progress. I thought the gym was the only thing that let the place down to be honest, but it made me get out for a run instead so there were some upsides!

We're out during the football in a few weeks... I can't wait! Did you notice whether they have any bigger screens in the sports bar yet? (we were planning to head down into las americas for the games, but if they've some big screens in the bar we may "stay home" instead!)

Cheers,
Gary D.

Just noticed Brownbear was asking about the free hotel bus into PDLA.
Apologies to him, as he's now been, but for others....

It departs from the Adeje reception and there are two drop off locations which vary day by day.
The first drops at the Best Tenerife, next to the Vulcano and opposite the Bitacora. Decent part of PDLA I must say, and the beach in front of the Mare Nostrum is rather nice.

The second drops at the new Gran Sur shopping centre, which is the other side of the motorway from Costa Adeje and not so handy.

You actually pre-book your seats on the bus, so in theory there's no bun fight when it rolls up, though no one was actually checking when we went.

Thanks for the late reply (LOL). seriously now, we just returned late friday after another excellent holiday during a very busy half term holiday week. We actually jumped in a taxi outside reception and were at fanabe beach within 10 minutes, rather than wait for the hotel bus or the green titsa buses. It only cost 11 euros each way for the 4 of us.

If anybody has any more queries please do not hesitate to ask.

Gary, we're not going till September, can you report back and let me know if the gym has improved since you were last there?

cheers Daz

Has anyone been recently? Has the gym chaged at all? In fact how was it, has anything changed?

cheers Daz

Hi all. This will be our third November in Tenerife, the first at this particular hotel. Can someone please let me know what time breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. Also, do you have to wear a wristband to show you are all-inclusive or is everyone at this hotel AI? If anyone has been to this hotel in November, is it usually a busy hotel at this time of year or pretty quiet? Me and my husband are looking for a quiet, relaxing week!