We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Sun Tropical.

The kids loved the in2action team who kept them busy most days by the pool. My eldest son really enjoyed the soccer school. Both kids thought the kids clubs were "boring".

Food was always good, with a large selection. All inclusive seemed like good value for money.

Entertainment was as expected, kids disco, bingo, and show. Kids enjoyed it, some shows abit naff but all in all ok.

Resort was nice and clean, and well laid out, perhaps could of done with an extra mop round the pool. Plenty of sunbeds.

Flight over on time and transfer to hotel very good, On arrival apartment ready and apartment very clean (I love the swan shape towel).

The swimming pools are very good yes cold but only takes a few seconds to adjust then lovely. Because of number of pools plenty of room for everyone

We watched In2Action team hard at work the children seemed to love it.

Entertainment is just what you expect and we enjoyed it
overall really great time going back in July for more!!

Thanks to all at hotel mainline reps, E3 team and especially Jamie, Callum and Gary from In2action team.

This our second time back, we first visited when it opened a few years ago. I can't say enough good things about this hotel, we have been to all the First Choice holidays villages and this is the best.

The whole place is spotless, food is great, always a wide choice and very well presented. Bar service is always with a smile, and they are quick and efficient.

The entertainment team they have there at present are nothing short of brilliant. They are talented, full of beans and work their backsides off, everyone loved the shows- adults and children alike.

I could go on all day, but this is the best holiday we have ever had as a family and have already booked for next year. get yourself excited, because you will love it!

What can I say, after reading some of the comments before we went I thought oh my god! And me being a really fussy person I didn

Yes we had a fantasic time. The hotel is very clean and the chambermaid was excellent with plenty of clean sheets and towels.

The kitchen has its own kettle, toaster, juicer, two ring hob and microwave/combi grill. The bathroom has its own hairdryer. Safe is 5Euros refundable deposit and was easy to use and well worth getting it. Also get a back gate pass which will allow you to get to the beach quicker and reduce your distance by 10mins.

We ate in the Hotel Restaurant twice at 37.50 Euros for 4 it was OK but we preferred to eat out. Location of the hotel was fine walking to town/beach 10mins. We hired a buggy (from Creche) for our 3yr old because by the nighttime he was getting tired and this cost 20 Euros for the week or 5Euros a day.

Entertaining was very good and professional First Choice have put loads of money into this resort with the professionalism of it all. Some of the hotel staff (i.e Dome Bar Man & Poolside Bar man) need to put a smile on but you can only laugh about that.

We stayed here on 18th May for a week with our 2 boys age 4 & 2 and only wished we'd booked 2 weeks. We really didn't want to come home.

Before we went I emailed the hotel and asked for an upper floor/pool view in Kiwi block.
When we arrived the receptionist said "AHH - I have a very nice room for you Madam" and he wasn't lying.
It was room 534, we could'nt have asked for a better location and the balcony was huge.
It had everything you needed in there and was modern clean and tidy, my only complaint would be that there were no drawers, loads of wardrobe space though.

The kids clubs were fantastic. The staff were brilliant with them and there was always something different going on.
We put our youngest in the creche a few times which was a bit hit and miss, no fault on their part he just wasn't happy about being split up from his brother.
I asked if they would let his brother come in for a session which they were more than happy to do.

One evening we used the babysitting service so as we could leave site and have a nice evening down at the Marina Rubicon.
It costs 35E for up to 3 children you can either have 6 - 9pm or 9 - 12 pm.
We went later because we wanted them to be asleep before we left or it just wouldn't of happened.
Its the first time we've left the boys with a babysitter who wasn't family which neither of us ever thought we'd do but we felt so comfortable with them after seeing how good they were with the children it wasn't a problem for us.
They give you a mobile to take out with you just in case of any problems.

We only ate a couple of times in the complex because we went self catering.
We had one meal in the TeX Mex which we all enjoyed and I got a lasagna from the pizza place late one night after we'd been out but didn't think much of it. My other half had pizzas from there a couple of times late at night and enjoyed them so did our friends who we went with.
There's lots of lovely restaurants in Playa Blana especially down at The marina.
We went there for meals in the day and night.
Its such a beautiful setting, you feel as though your in Monaco.
In the day time you can have you meal at one of the restaurant's on the veranda over the water and all of the fish swim around you.
The waiters brought out lots of bread for the kids to give the fish which they were made up with.
Cafe Del mar is lovely too. Its like the garden of Eden in there and they do fancy cocktails if that's your thing.

The location was OK for us because we don't mind a walk. It took us about 15 Min's to get to the beach.
We hired a car so took that some days. There was no problems with parking in Playa Blanca and driving is really easy over there. Everything is well posted.
I'd really recommend hiring a car. It was nice to be able to do our own thing. We went to Timanfaya National park, Arreceife, Rancho Texas, Puerto Calero to the submarine and we went to Puerto Del Carmen which I didn't like the look of. It was too commercialised where as Playa Blanca is unspoilt.

We did one trip with the reps to the evening Rancho Texas wild west themed evening.
If you only do one trip do this one, it is a must especially if you've got kids (although I would of enjoyed it anyway).
Food and drink are included and they certainly didn't scrimp on it.
The jugs of sangria, beer and soft drinks were constantly being replaced and the food was lovely. Like a barbecue.
The show was great they get the kids up and lasso them, take them on horse and pony rides outside, there's a bouncy castle then when your all half cut they have everyone up dancing.

The entertainment in the dome in the hotel was good for the kids but its a bit of a drag when they stop after the mini disco for bingo then start again for the show after.
They ought to do the bingo after. Kids arn't interested in bingo.
There was always a Que at the bar too.

One thing is it is windy which is nice in the day as its so hot but it can get chilly when the sun goes in so take a cardi or coat.
Saying that when we went they were having an especially windy week because they had to stop the parasailing on the beach so it might be better at other times of the year.

I really don't know how people can go here and not like it.
I'm glad we were self catering though. I wouldn't of liked to have been all inclusive and tied to the hotels restaurants and the dome every night.

All in all we had the best holiday we've ever had and will definitely be going back to The Sun Tropical.
We fell in love with Playa Blanca.
My partner wanted to go back next year but we've decided to go back in 2008 now because there's a lot of developing going on down at the Marina so it will be nice to see how its come on in 2 years time rather than 1.

Stayed for a week at the Sun Tropical (having stayed at the Pegasos Tropical in Turkey last July)- unfair to draw comparisons as the shear magnitude of the Pegasos swamps the Sun Tropical in all aspects. We have daughter (4) and son (2).

Transfer was as expected (30-40mins), check-in was swift, directions to rooms very good, and position of room great (we had requested a room in the Kiwi block having read a previous submission - and can only echo this!!). Rooms are basic, with one bedroom (minisafe at EUR15 per week), bathroom, kitchen area within the main living space, a DVD, TV with usual Euro Channels, and sofa bed. Perfect for us.

Block has its own swimming pool directly outside the rooms (c4-5' deep), and a smaller paddling pool just around the corner (ideal for smaller children like ours). Main pool is around the corner, but not for those expecting a Med temperature to it - it does take your breath away - very nice pool all the same).

All inc food is also basic, but with two young children our requirements were perfectly matched. I can understand why a lot of couples with older children go self catering, as they have option to pay to use restaurants, or do their own thing. Meals are buffet style, with a childrens counter with usual kids food.

There is also a Food Center with a pizzeria, mexican (we used both once as part of the All inc package), and Chicken Shack (which also serves great food). Downstair in Food Center is a bar, Internet Room, and Supermarket (not overly expensive either). Launderette, Gym and Sauna are also located here.

Main Pool Bar serves snacks during the day (pizza slices, toasties, hot dogs, etc - all perfect for filling a hole!!).

Kids clubs were on same basis as those in Turkey (and I suspect in all FC's Holiday Villages) - the In 2 Action teams really are fantastic. Our daughter went in every day for 90min session, but they run three sessions a day if you're looking to get rid of the kids for longer!!

We used the creche for our boy (EUR 10 for a 90 min session), and he absolutely loved it - he'll be old enough for kids club next year, and will have served him well for the step up. They have also introduced an evening creche facility.

Evening entertainment is great for the kids / gets a bit long in the tooth for those without young families, but they probably won't do the Holiday Village experience again anyway.

Recommend getting the rear gate pass for EUR 5 deposit for the stay. Its probably only a 10 min walk to the main resort (unless you take our kids and that becomes 20mins!!). We strolled down there most mornings ahead of poolside sun-worshipping in the afternoons.

Understand that sun has now definately arrived (we didn't have a single bad day / or dull day for that matter), unlike friends who travelled a month or so ago.

Only moan relates to the flight home (we had booked "Premium" service - have had to look up the definition of the word since returning!!). Have to say that the FC cabin crew going out there were truely customer focused, and those coming back were simply "Last Choice". Whilst love the FC Holiday Village concept for us as a family, will seriously look into other options of getting there next time, as flight home left a real sour taste in the mouth.

All in all, a wonderful winter sun break, other than flights FC have got it spot on for families like ours (I appreciate other people are looking for different levels of satisfaction, entertainment, food etc), and would definately return to Playa Blanca, and indeed Sun Tropical again.

Good Points First:
Our room was right next to one of the pools so we could walk out of our room leaving the door open and sunbathe whch was great.It felt secure enough for my 8 and 12 year old to wander around the complex.
Staff were friendly helpful and repairs carried out prompt. Room was clean and good change of linen.
You may want to take your own disinfectant to clean the bathroom as ours and a few others we heard smelt a little and we couldnt find any in the supermarkets.
Chicken shack was very nice food and fair priced.
Pools were clean and well monitored for quality of water.


Now for the not so good points:
1/ The pools were bitterly cold for a 4 star complex and should be heated. This was a clear reason why all the pools were little used even on warm days.
2/ The pool side tiles were very slippery even when dry (which resulted in an injury sustained to my children, incident report form filed on site), I would class this as a serious safety hazard as I noted many children, adults and infact a rep slip and fall on these tiles over the duration of the holiday.
3/ The drinks were very expensive and varied from bar to bar.
4/ Doughnuts that were 1 Euro in one bar were 2.50 Euro in the chicken shack which I felt was unreasonable.
5/ The dome acoustics were terrible and obviously reflected on the performance of the artists.
6/ The outlet were children can receive free ice cream and drinks for the last 4 days of our trip was unmanned and no cups were available.
7/ The price for the washing and drying facilities were extreme at 4 Euros especially when the drying machine did not even fully dry 12 pairs of socks as one load.
8/ I also complained to the centre management that a number of guests including myself witnessed cleaning/repair staff remove a number of children

We arrived at the complex at 5.30p.m. Check in was nice and quick. We were self catering, but all of the children were given free wrist bands, and could have as many free drinks and ice-cream as they liked during the week! A great saving for us.

The pools and surrounding areas were nice, and clean and plenty of sunbeds available no matter what time of day, considering it was half term week. We ate ion the Buffet Style restaurant on the first night and although it was nice, there was not much choice. We did eat in the Mexican on site, and the steak was lovely, just melted in your mouth!

The staff in the hotel, were very friendly and all spoke good English. Maid service was six times a week. She kept the apartments lovely and clean at all times.

As for the kids entertainment, we could not have asked for better. Yes Anthony is a total loony and head-case along with Gareth, but they were great with the kids at all times. All the reps and entertainers of the First choice crew were great and always there to help no matter what.

It was a ten minute walk into Playa Blanca itself, which is a lovely pleasant walk, especially if you walk along the sea-front/harbour.

Would I visit this hotel/apartments again? Yes without a doubt!!

We have just booked to go to the one in the Costa del Sol. Some of the reps from Lanzarote are going to the Costa Del sol Holiday Village on 6th April.

We went 16-23 February 2006. The way our flights worked out we had six full days. Overall we had a very good time.

The accommodation was not as plush as other Holiday Village complexes but it was clean and comfortable. It was a two storey "low rise" complex which suited us.

The hotel and First Choice/Falcon staff were very pleasant and helpful and there was plenty for the kids to do.

We were SC so we mostly ate out, though did go to the Pizza restaurant which was perfectly fine. The shop, while more a bit more expensive than supermercados, was not too bad and certainly not the rip off that the one in Benalmadena was.

We didn't go to the entertainment so can't comment on it. We would generally go into Playa Blanca to eat, come back to the complex at about 11:00pm, put the kids to bed and have a drink in the apartment.

The centre of Playa Blanca is about 15 min walk from the complex and is a pleasant little town with some nice restaurants along the sea front.

Don't forget to get a key to the back gate of the complex as going out the front way adds at least 10 mins onto the walk. One night we got a taxi back to the complex and this was 3euros.