Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel Resort

We’ve been coming back for four years and will definitely return. Playa Blanca gives you plenty to explore on foot if you want to leave the resort. There’s a brilliant choice of restaurants and a gorgeous terrace for the breakfast buffet. It’s also fantastic for kids, with loads of activities and entertainment and the biggest kids’ club we’ve seen. They won’t get bored, and the staff are friendly and patient.

Even with the hotel full, it stayed remarkably calm and quiet. The Family Suites suited our growing family well: two separate bedrooms, full-size beds for the children, a spacious main suite and a functional kitchenette. They’re a short, convenient walk through the connection tunnel. It was our second stay at Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel, and it was exceptional again. The hotel is beautifully decorated in a traditional style and sits between the Marina and the Harbour, with direct access to the beach. The staff are the heart of the place, always warm and friendly, and they go out of their way to make the stay good. There’s a varied food and drink selection for different tastes, and the space feels high quality for the price. It’s still our favourite hotel in Playa Blanca, and we’re already checking dates for next year.

The location is beautiful, with a great drinks terrace. I enjoyed the piano bar, tennis courts and the Italian restaurant, which was perfectly decent. The room was good and very large, and I was excited to be given champagne when we arrived. Some staff were friendly and professional, including the receptionist and soft play guy, but others just shrugged and said, “Don’t ask me!” when I asked why the hot pool was cold. At times orders didn’t arrive, staff forgot our table and we had to get up to ask. A few areas seemed understaffed. The pool bar and café were pretty dodgy across the board. We had to ask several times for things for the room, then were told there wasn’t any room service. I’d asked for a heater while I was ill in chilly January, which seemed pretty essential. I can’t say how it compares with all the other hotels nearby, though it was better than the cheaper ones I’ve stayed at here. The food was generally poor, especially the buffet, which felt very overpriced. Simple dishes done well would have been better. Room service had the right idea with fresh gazpacho and basic pizza. The baby enjoyed it because food is food to her. I promise I’m not just a grumpy holidaymaker with an axe to grind: there were some perks, a good room and a great location, but other parts were iffy. We felt a bit ripped off by the food. If they evened out the bad parts, it could be a five-star stay. These same issues seem to show up in reviews over time, so I’m not sure how on top of them the hotel is. Three stars, with a general twinkle.

We were right by the beach, with two large pools and plenty of sunbeds. Breakfast had lots of options and was very good. Our suite was very big, but the sofa bed was too small for our adult daughter. The hotel quickly brought in a regular bed instead. Service was incredibly fast: the new bed was there within an hour of asking, and someone brought a hair dryer five minutes after we requested one. The staff were very friendly and did their best to make our stay memorable.