| | La Hondura,, Puerto Santiago, Tenerife, 38683, Spain
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Overall Community Rating: |   9.4 (based on 7 user reviews) |
 Barcelo Santiago: A Peaceful Way to Recharge Your Batteries by Brian |
| Posted 26 April 2009 about a visit in April 2009 | Overall rating: 9.6 |
Many reviewers have already extolled the virtues of the hotel so here is my input: The Barceló Santiago is a lovely modern hotel. The hotel is bright and lively but also peaceful and relaxing at the same time. The decor is modern and clean however some refinements are required.
Location and Rooms:
The Hotel sweeps around the cliff opposite Los Gigantes and therefore it is possible to have a room with views that a directly opposite Los Gigantes or out to sea overlooking La Gomera. If you are unfortunate you could be given a room that overlooks the town of Santiago and this could prove noisy. On the noise front: The hotel is on two levels, floors 1-6 and 6-9. Level 5 is reception level and Floor 6 is the swimming pool level. The rooms below the pool are generally quiet but the ones above (superior rooms at that) appear noisy in the evenings due to the level of noise put out from the hotels own disco/entertainment area and the bars in Santiago which put on live music each night plus some Karaoke. I had requested a room on level 7-9 but was thankful of my quiet 3rd floor room (350) overlooking the amazing Los Gigantes cliffs and harbour. The room was a little small as far as I am concerned, but the incredible view made up for this! The beds were nice and comfortable which appeared to have memory foam mattresses which gave extra support and comfort and as I suffer from a bad back this was a great bonus as I slept extreemly well each night. The room had a full length mirror on the wall, and an old vanity unit (to give the table a name) along the wall but it had no mirror above it with which to use the supplied hair dryer. You had to plug that in in the bathroom and use that mirror which doesn't make sense under European health and safety laws! But it was clean comfortable and had stunning views. Remember to take your own kettle though. Rooms that overlook Los Gigantes have no sun in the morning as they face north and the sun rises to the right (the east) over the hills. The rooms overlooking La Gomera face west and seem to have more sunshine but still no morning sun although La Gomera, when not hidden by cloud or mist is bathed with sunshine in the morning which can be absolutely beautiful and area camera moment! I happen to like sitting on the balcony when I wake up with a coffee, I couldn't do this and benefit from the fantastic view as it was far to cold in the Easter morning shade!
Swimming Pools:
The 3 swimming pools were clean and very stylish. They all have a good view especially the panoramic pool which looks out over both Los Gigantes and La Gomera. Three pools, two heated and all giving a great swim! We went over the to week Easter period and when we got there the hotel was not fully booked, this was great with plenty of sunbeds and just enough sunshade, however that changed over the Easter weekend; with the hotel fully booked all the sunshade disappeared (were reserved by towel layers) by 8AM each morning and I was having to get up and join those reserving sunbeds and shade on or before 8AM. Very annoying! With the temperature on the pool level being high most days a sunshade is necessary and one would really burn quite badly without one. However, one family told me that they couldn't get a sunshade for the previous two days, so they were going to come out early and grab one. I saw the next day that they came out and reserved 4 beds and one sunshade but didn't come out to lay on them until 2PM - this is very wrong and should not be allowed by staff. However for those that layed their towel before they went to bed staff did fold their towels up and leave them on nearby walls (a few ended up in the pool as well).
Easter Parade:
As we were there over Easter we wanted to visit the local Easter Passion parade however we were told that there wasn't one locally we would have to go Santa Cruz or even Porta de la Cruz. I was then disappointed to find that on Good Friday Evening people were talking about the fantastic Passion at Adeje just 20 minutes away - the reception staff and the Thomson rep didn't know about it! Come on chaps do your homework!
Restaurant:
The restaurant was really good. It is located on the 6th Floor (Pool Level) and has great views over the sea to La Gomera or amazing views over the cliffs. They even have an area which gives a panoramic view. You can also sit outside and eat which usually has a queue for tables. The food in the hotel was really good. Everyday there was a large selection of food with something for everyone. Most nights there was a theme to the food and these hotels excel in their fruit selection and freshly cooked fish. I took a 16 year old who is a bit fussy but he ate 2 starters, 2 main meal and 3 deserts minimum eat night! Fantastic - why doesn't he do that at home (we do all still eat round the table together by the way).
Animacion Team:
The entertainment staff (animacion team) were fabulous! Jose, Isael, Sabina, Sabrina and Claire (plus others) were exceptional in their help and encouragement - and in their sheer passion for the role. I thoroughly enjoyed the rifle shooting each morning at 10:30. With two air rifles (carbines) we were shooting at various targets and much banter went on between the nations; my holiday saw me come up against Germans, Frenchmen, Belgium's, Italian's and fellow Englishmen all vying for that No: 1 certificate! OK so one of the rifles was rubbish but it was terrific fun and really made my holiday one to remember. Thanks you Sabina for teaching me to aim at the bull and not the pigeon's! Other sports included, Pistol shooting, Water Polo, Football, Volleyball, French Bowls, Keep Fit and Pool Aerobics! plus others. Whilst talking about the Entertainment team: They put on several variety shows whilst we were there in the evenings and they were absolutely fantastic! They ad us laughing - in fact crying with laughter at one point! Isael can really dance well and became know as Mr. Wiggle Hips! He did a fabulous Rumba with Sabina and Jose revealed a little to much cheek when he ripped his trousers! Much to his embarrassment! However, they need to get a sound engineer to tweak their PA it was much too bassy and even though I offered to fix it they declined (I am a sound engineer amongst other things).
I also enjoyed walking down to the rock pool and snorkeling with the locals. There were many fish around and the water was quite warm! Walking around town is safe and not to difficult although there are lots of ups and Downs. The coastal routes to Los Gigantes, and Playa Del Arena are OK but really these are small towns with not to much going for them. Other would obviously disagree. If you go do take a trip to see the dolphin's as he day my wife went out on the Flipper Uno schooner she saw many great sights lots of dolphins as well.
All in all I had a really great time at the Barceló Santiago and was surprised to hear rumours that it is up for sale by the brand who I read on the Internet have already sold the hotels in Lazerote? Is it worth considering a holiday here - absolutely, you will have a great time and come home refreshed and recharged just like I did.
Brian Edgeley
April 2009
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 3 of 4 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? |   |
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 Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
| Barcelo Santiago: fantastic hotel, shame no beach or shops in walking distance. by Dorothy Moore |
| Posted 18 March 2007 about a visit in August 2005 | Overall rating: 7.9 |
Hotel was absolutely fantastic, rooms lovely and clean with stunning views to the sea and los gigantes. Air conditioning next to useless in august. we just laid on top of the beds and couldn't sleep for sound of air conditioning or boiled when it was off. restaurant and food was second to none and dishes on the buffet changed regularly away from any stray flies. waiters couldn't do enough for you and same for all hotel staff queue formed most days for sunbeds by the pool which was a pain. Caught shuttle bus to los gigantes a few times and spent the day in the lido for a change and look round the shops there. Beware of time share presentations (now called travel clubs, but are the same deal). If we could move the hotel to a beach location, would definately go back again.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 2 of 2 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? | |
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| Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
| Barcelo Santiago: What a Cracking Hotel! by Alan |
| Posted 02 October 2006 about a visit in September 2006 | Overall rating: 9.7 |
We have holidayed in Tenerife several times, north and south, but never in this westernmost region. The coast road up from Reina Sofia airport via Adeje is pretty uninspiring and the first couple of miles of Santiago seafront could be anywhere. Fortunately, the Barcelo Santiago (not to be confused with the Barcelo Varadero, which is in the "Blackpool-y" bit) is at the northern edge of Puerto Santiago, adjoining Los Gigantes in an area of stunning cliffs and rugged natural beauty.
The hotel stands on a headland and has wonderful views from all sides, including the superb pool area. There is a small, rocky beach, which they appear to be making into a sandy cove with seawater lagoon - watch this space!
There are a few shops, bars & restaurants just across from the front entrance, several offering good live music each night. (although they cannot be heard from the bedrooms) A 20 minute walk (or free courtesy bus) takes you to Los Gigantes or Playa de la Arena, with a greater selection of shops & restaurants and (black) sandy beaches.
Although I normally prefer sea swimming, the pool area at the hotel was simply too good to leave, having the attractions of jacuzzi, free bar, (although we had booked half board, we upgraded to all-inclusive when we realised how good everything was), 4 pools, plenty of sunbeds and a lively activity programme, which did not intrude if you didn't want to take part, but was great fun if you did. Activities included Aerobics, Water Gymnastics, Water Polo, Pistol Shooting, Darts, Football, and others, all run by a great resident team, who also performed some of the evening entertainment in the semi-open air theatre. Other, professional acts were brought in.
Our room was spacious, freshly refurbished and well-equipped with LCD TV, air-con, combination safe, fridge and a fascinating remotely-controlled electric sunblind over the balcony, which, amazingly, always needed adjusting from the bed or sun chair! We heard absolutely nothing from our neighbours, so we were either extremely lucky to have quiet ones or the sound insulation was first rate. There was also loads of wardrobe space and a large bathroom, with bath, shower & bidet (great for washing your feet!)
The only thing bringing down our "Facilities" score was that the new squash court, tennis court, gymnasium and leisure centre were not complete. When they are, (November 2006) it will be a 10 plus.
The buffet food was excellent with massive choice and you could sit anywhere - we ate outside on the terrace for every meal. Waiters were very attentive serving drinks and clearing tables. If you wanted to sit at a particular table which had been used, they immediately re-set it for you. The house wine was reasonably-priced and very palatable, ( the French were all drinking it, which has to be a good indicator!) and, on the all-inclusive package, unlimited. Premium wines were available, but we saw no need.
A majority of the other British guests were on repeat visits - several times per year in some cases. The nationality profile was about 50% Brits : 30% French : 20% Dutch/German/Spanish. A broad cross section of ages from early twenties couples to 60 - somethings.
We rarely go back to the same place twice, but we will return to the excellent Barcelo Santiago.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 9 of 9 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? | |
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| Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
| Barcelo Santiago: can't wait to come back!! by Jean Paterson |
| Posted 04 July 2005 about a visit in May 2005 | Overall rating: 10.0 |
We have passed the Barcelo Santiago on previous visits so this year, for our 30th Wedding Anniversary we decided to treat ourselves and go for a weeks half board at the Barcelo. Our room had a stunning sea view and there was always something to aatch, from boats passing to local fishermen hauling in their cages of fish!! The accommodation was spotless, nicely furnished and roomy. It was quite a long walk to get to and from reception and the diningroom - until we discovered the short cut up over the pool area!! The pool area was always spotless and the jacuzzi was the highlight of our day!! All the staff were very friendly and good humoured - they all seemed to enjoy their work which made it a happy place to stay. The food - well, that was out of this world!! Unless you are a really fussy eater then I think you would really enjoy the food there. As it is a buffet sometimes there were things on the menu which we had not tried before so we were able to try them out - and usually found that we went back for more!! We eat a lot of fruit and vegetables so found it a delight as there was so much choice - and with the main food dishes too there was always a wide variety. What we really liked though was that the hot foods were piping hot and the cold foods propery chilled!! We have always been self catering when we have been to the area before but never again as it was such a delight to eat in the hotel every night and get something we really enjoyed. They also cater for people on diets as a selection of low fat items are on the menu at every meal. Be warned, if you get a packed lunch then make sure you are hungry as we got 3 rolls, ham, cheese, a cheese triangle, a wee tin of tuna, butter, a tub of tinned fruit (half a pear, half a peach and a pineapple slice), an apple, a banana, biscuits and a bottle of water - and that was just for one of us!!
We would definitely recommend this hotel and we are planning to go back again next June!!
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 4 of 4 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? | |
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| Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
| Barcelo Santiago: Second visit 31st Jan 2003 by Shaun Flanagan |
| Posted 09 February 2003 | Overall rating: 10.0 |
Having decided to return to Tenerife we set about finding a hotel to stay in. Every time I found one my wife groaned until I came up with the Barcelo, she then became delirious with joy!
We knew what to expect from this fantastic hotel, the food, the views, the pool and by no means least the staff were all out of this world, and second time round they all seemed even better.
Last word from the wife, I would like to thank my husband for taking me back to this great hotel and in future will groan again whenever he mentions Tenerife, maybe I will get to go again. Keep an eye open for Pablo the best barman on Tenerife and the entertainment people work their socks off allday, everday.
Easy walks to Los Gigantes and Playa del Arena plus a views of the summit of Mount Teide and La Gomera from the hotel just add icing to the cake.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 3 of 3 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? | |
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| Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
| Barcelo Santiago: A wonderful hotel by Dennis Moore |
| Posted 04 February 2003 | |
A really special hotel. Great staff, marvellous food. only thing wrong is the flight times for us.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 1 of 1 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? | |
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| Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
| Barcelo Santiago: great hotel by Elaine Shaw |
| Posted 05 September 2002 | |
We stayed at this hotel in August 2002 and and had a fabulous holiday. All the staff are very freindly and helpfull and nothing is too much trouble. This was our first visit to Tenerife and I would certainly go back to this hotel. This is not alot to do immediately outside the hotel but then Los Gigantes is only a short walk away, with its lots of bars etc. All in all a very good hotel.
This review is the opinion of a diytravel.co.uk user and not of diytravel.co.uk. |
| 3 of 3 users found this review helpful. Did this review help you? | |
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| Barcelo Santiago Reservations |
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