Apartamentos Los Nardos

The location works well for the beach, shops, and restaurants, and the room itself was nice, with a terrace and hot tub. It’s hot here much of the time, so we didn’t use the tub. Breakfast was a mixed bag: fresh fruit was good, but the scrambled eggs were barely warm and this morning’s bacon was cold, so I didn’t eat much. The pool areas are quiet but look plain compared with other places we’ve stayed. It isn’t a bad hotel, but we’ve been to much better and wouldn’t choose it again. If everything else were full and we had to return, though, we wouldn’t be devastated.

Good value, with a clean, pleasant room, tasty food, a handy location, and excellent service.

Our room was the best part: it had a great jacuzzi, a small kitchen with a microwave, hob, and fridge, and a good-sized bathroom with a strong shower. The beds were two singles, which I wasn’t happy about, and there were no English-language TV channels. I brought a cable so I could connect my phone and watch films late at night. The Wi-Fi is free, but the password printed in the rooms seems slightly wrong, so reception may need to sort it out. There’s also a gym and spa, but little to keep guests entertained. We were mostly left to make our own fun during the day, and people seemed to keep to themselves because so many languages were spoken. Some activities and help meeting other guests might have made a difference. The evening shows were poor and unlikely to appeal to many; the entertainment room is so small it can’t hold even a tenth of the hotel. Staff sometimes got pool-bar drink orders wrong. Some were friendly and others less so. There are bars at the top and bottom of the hotel; the upper one has a screened nudist area, though the raised platform means you might catch a glimpse of someone’s private parts if you look that way. The main hotel lets guests down badly. We found staff rude, and communication problems caused a lot of stress. There was no proper entertainment, and the all-inclusive setup was the worst we’ve experienced. Guests felt uncomfortable and tended to stay apart, so it took a lot of effort to find people who spoke the same language and have a laugh together. One staff member rudely pushed through the food queue to move pizzas, apparently, instead of bringing out plates. He didn’t explain himself or identify himself with a name badge, and wore a pink shirt. He was bald, and then threatened that we might not get any food. It was completely unprofessional. I can’t rate the hotel above one star. The only things it offers are drinks and sunbeds. The food wasn’t up to scratch, and most staff seemed unable to understand many of the holidaymakers. The restaurant was a shambles. If I could have chosen all-inclusive without meals, I would have. Whatever you like, there wasn’t much to enjoy: many items were undercooked or reheated from an earlier meal and refried, especially the chicken. Even basic chips had a strange, off taste. The fancier dishes didn’t work either; the flavors were horrible. There was little choice, and it seemed more geared to vegans or vegetarians than to the majority of us who eat meat. Desserts were the one thing we looked forward to, and they were tasty, though I assume an outside baker made them. All in all, I wouldn’t spend that money here again when we could have taken a cruise for the same price and had a lot more to do. The hotel has several major failings, and it was by far the worst place we’ve ever stayed. Don’t waste your time with it.

I’ve visited Gran Canaria most years, but this stay was unpleasant and left me disappointed after spending a lot of money. The biggest problem was a foul smell from the bathroom when we arrived, not a nice thing to face after paying almost £800 for three nights. Staff poured chemicals down the toilet, which covered it for only a few hours. When I complained again, they reluctantly offered another room, but we’d already unpacked and had only three nights, so we didn’t want the hassle. The accommodation and facilities felt basic, around three-star quality. Staff didn’t try to make up for the bad experience with even a small gesture you’d expect from a premium hotel; it felt like they took the money and expected us to put up with a substandard stay. At breakfast I took a bottle of water from a fridge that was open for guests, then a waitress made me feel like a thief. She said our wristbands covered water in jugs, not bottled mineral water. Her manner was patronizing and embarrassing.