AC Hotel Gran Canaria by Marriott

We paid 47.60€ for the breakfast buffet, and it absolutely wasn't worth it. The food was very poor and the place didn't seem clean. We arrived around 0800 and there was already stuff on the floor. The selection was tiny: carton orange juice, dried-out eggs, and 'jamon' that looked and tasted so old and dry it was like cardboard. The whole floor was stuffy, with no ventilation or air conditioning, so we were sweating while we ate. Most of the waitresses were polite, but distant and busy talking among themselves. After our trip to Bilbao, where the experience was the total opposite for even less money, this was especially disappointing. When we told a waitress on the way out that things hadn't been very good, she just said, of course. They seemed to know the breakfast wasn't worth the price and didn't care.

Check-in was easy and friendly, and the hotel was handy for the cruise terminal for a one-night stay. But the building and rooms feel old and not very pleasant. There was carpet, the windows leaked, and I was afraid the old elevators, especially the luggage lift, might break down. The rooftop bar barely felt like a bar. It was closed for drinks during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and shut for cleaning in between. The staff there seemed annoyed and unfriendly. Only a few window tables had a good view, while the bar and kitchen blocked the rest. We can't recommend the hotel.

The location is great, and I'd stay again for the comfortable beds, balcony, nice staff, and really effective blackout curtains. The kettle, tea, and Nespresso machine were thoughtful touches. Breakfast isn't included, which is standard for Marriot, but there are good places nearby and by the city beach. The drawbacks were the nonexistent wifi and a balcony door that took some fiddling to open and shut. The rooftop pool sounds better than it is: it's small, rather cold, and only open from 12-6. A sauna up there would make it much better.

The staff were very friendly and the service was really good. There's a restaurant on the top floor and a small pool on the roof. The location is central, the beds are comfortable, and breakfast was plentiful.