Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel

Cristian Popescu

I initially tried to book through Booking (the reservation was cancelled midway), then booked through Barceló. Somehow, I ended up with two rooms, even though the Booking reservation should have been automatically cancelled since I didn’t pay within the required time. I was told I needed to contact Booking to resolve this, which honestly shouldn’t be my responsibility - especially while on vacation. Sorting miscommunications between the hotel and Booking is not my job. Parking is not included either, so that’s an extra €20 fee (“only the king gets free parking” - for a €400/night room). After that, we went to the room and, surprise… someone was already there. Because of this, we were offered a VIP package with spa access. To be honest, the spa should already be included in the base package. I’ve never stayed at a 5-star hotel where spa access costs extra. The spa itself is very basic and feels quite old. You can clearly see water infiltration on the ceiling. People move from the sauna to the pool without showering, or from the pool straight to the sauna without a towel. That said, credit where it’s due: the hotel restaurant is very good, with quality food at reasonable prices, and the same goes for the rooftop bar.

Omar Choudhury

A truly fantastic hotel worthy of a five star rating. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was classy and the food delicious. The breakfast was amazing. The rooms are very well specified. No complaint and I would go back again.

Sandra Lawler

Spent a few days here in November. Second visit and again loved our stay. Staff and Manager were welcoming and professional. Breakfast was an highlight and enjoyed the bodega too. Pool areas were lovely, even if the weather was a bit mixed! Hotel itself is full of character -will definitely be back next year. Recommended!

Geoffrey Berg

Compared to the five star resorts in the south, this is a much more personal experience. The food in the buffet, with amazing baked goods and eggs cooked for you is a notch above anything you get in the south. The property and rooms are beautiful, the staff were amazing, the gym and spa are great. The televisions are a bit annoying and you can't screen mirror to your phone/tablet, but otherwise I can't find much to fault our stay. We had a rental car so ciudad de jardines suited us fine, it's a beautiful neighbourhood just between Triana and Canteras.

Julia

I am still conflicted about this hotel. When we came to our room there were stains on our bedding. There wasn’t even a bottle of water that is a norm for 5 star hotels. We had only one tea spoon that wasn’t very clean. When I told about it to a receptionist I received a dry “sorry” we will clean it and she told me that in Canaries they don’t give you complimentary bottle of water. Which was surprising as we were in another hotel before that and we had one complimentary bottle. Another thing that was upsetting is that apparently the swimming pool on the roof is only accessible for certain rooms. It wasn’t said anywhere, so it was another “surprise” for us as our rook was just deluxe superior and that swimming pool is only open for Suites. No one even mention it at the reception and we found out when we tried to go to the pool and our key didn’t open the door. Another funny thing, if you book a suite, you will get toiletries from Rituals and all cheaper rooms get some other brand. I thought it was a bit funny as in many hotels they have rituals in all types of rooms. Another not very pleasant experience was when I called and asked for an iron and they said they will get it and I waited for 40 minutes and no one showed up. Next day when I mentioned it I heard another dry “sorry” 😅I’m not saying service was terrible but I would hope for a better one in a 5 star hotel. Everything else was great, the room itself and location and swimming pool downstairs and the one on the roof (which we got in accidentally with other people) the spa was great as well !