Hotel AF Valle Orotava

Breakfast was very good, and the room was very clean. But staff moving furniture in nearby rooms from 7:30 in the morning made it really noisy and disturbing. For a four-star hotel, the basics were missing: no slippers, shampoo or dental kit, just towels and shower gel. Staff seemed unfriendly and bothered by questions. The bathroom door was poorly designed, with a big gap that let noise and smells through. That’s not acceptable in a hotel.

My brother and I had a lovely, relaxing two-week Christmas holiday. The rooms were large and very clean, as was the rest of the hotel. The food was lovely, with something for everyone, in my opinion. We had fabulous views from the rooftop pools, and staff across the hotel were friendly.

The pool was nice and drinks at the bar were good. Staff were friendly, though they tried to charge us for the two meals we’d had at the hotel. There was very little noise from our balcony at the back, though I imagine the front rooms may be noisier. I’d use the hotel again without hesitation, but I’d book room only and use the savings to eat out. We booked breakfast and dinner, but the food on our first day was inedible. Dessert was okay, but the main dishes were terrible, even the chips. That meant spending a small fortune of our holiday money on restaurants, which we hadn’t budgeted for. Drinks, even water, also cost extra with meals. The room was a good size and the beds were very comfortable, but the bathroom handle came off, leaving us unable to get in until it was fixed. I managed to open the door myself eventually, and the handyman came the next day to repair it. Until then, we had to keep the bathroom door open. The air conditioning was poor, and neither of us could get comfortable in the heat. Even a fan would have helped. I don’t think this is a four-star hotel.

We enjoyed our winter stay and would come back. The hotel is in a great location, and everyone was friendly and very helpful. Breakfasts were lovely, and the New Year’s Eve gala dinner was immense. There were few children around, and we could always find a spot by the pool, so it was nice and quiet. The gym was the one real problem, especially since it was the main reason we chose this place. Most machines were broken or unusable. We could use the dumbbells, rowing machine and treadmill, but the treadmill couldn’t be stopped. The gym was fairly dirty too.