H10 Tenerife Playa Hotel

The food was very oily and didn’t seem worth the all-inclusive price. Service in the restaurant was disappointing too. A waiter assigned us a table, but someone else took it while we were getting food. We moved to an empty table, and staff rudely told us we couldn’t sit there, even though they’d seen us. We understood we were meant to wait to be seated, but they should have kept track of where they sent guests. At the bar, the table beside us managed to order three times while we got served once. We tried asking the other bartender, who said we had to wait for our waiter. We did, but she kept walking past when we tried to get her attention. It felt like other customers were being preferred. They should have another person taking orders at busy times. There’s a fridge in the room, but nothing in it, and no cups, glasses, spoons, tea or other complimentary items. Not even complimentary water, which was surprising for an all-inclusive stay. I’ve had cheaper hotels and Airbnbs provide a kettle, mugs and coffee. The beds are old and very uncomfortable, and squeak a lot when you move. You can hear people in the next room. After two days, it already didn’t feel worth staying here.

The buffet was good and satisfying, and the staff were warm and attentive throughout our stay. But the property feels dated. There’s so much vegetation around the pools that it blocks the sun from many loungers, making the pool hard to enjoy at this time of year. The landscaping also gets in the way of the room views. Our advertised “sea view” was mostly trees and the hotel’s own plants. The rooms felt cramped, the walls were thin enough that we could clearly hear the neighbours, and we came across cockroaches. I don’t see how this is rated four stars. To me, it felt like three at most.

The restaurant was mixed: breakfast was very good, but dinner was hit and miss over our two nights. Check-in took a while, though the staff member was very informative. We were given an “upgrade” to a family room, which meant listening to the child next door screaming. Thanks. We’re H10 Grand Class members, and the benefits we got didn’t match what H10 advertises. The 5% discount, lunch voucher for two and daily turndown were provided. There was no welcome gift, no 20% off bars and restaurants, no bathrobe or slippers, no kettle and no complimentary minibar. Our last H10 booking was at their hotel in Adeje, where we got a bungalow upgrade, a bottle of cava and a very personal welcome. We really received the full Grand Class benefits there. In PdlC, clearly not, which is a shame because the location is perfect. It’s hard to recommend after an experience that fell well short of what we expected.

The rooms are tiny, and the windows and doors barely keep out noise. The buffet was filthy every day. Staff put dirty dishes straight out of the dishwasher, which may have been malfunctioning, and didn’t seem to care. Most plates were dirty, so we had to hunt for clean ones. The food was bland and cold most of the time, even when the buffet had just opened. It was also very oily, and it was obvious they were using leftovers to make new dishes. I wouldn’t recommend this place, even at half price or if it were sold as a two-star hotel. Seeing this, I’m not sure four stars mean anything.