Room Type: Double Room with Balcony and Sea View
Nights: 6

Having only opened in 2014, this property has nonetheless propelled itself to the top of TripAdvisor’s listings. Our goal was to relax and unwind as much as possible, and given that (airport transfers aside) we never ventured more than a few kilometres from the hotel, I think we can safely say it delivered.






We immediately loved the styling – the corridors are open air, as is the central courtyard, creating an expanse of cool, open space. Coupled with the predominantly white theme, this provided plenty of respite from the often relentless heat. As, of course, did the pools – the blue of the water is picked up as colour splashes in the minimal décor too.





The rooms were just as thoughtfully designed, maximising light and airflow. The building is L-shaped, with the (open) walkways arranged on the outer edge and rooms running through the full width. From floor 4 upwards you get a balcony at the far side from the entrance, and thus each end of the room has both natural light and fresh air. We lucked out and got the 9th, top, floor, with views out across the famous dunes to the sea from the balcony and inland from the corridor – handy for sunset!



When you first enter the room you find yourself in a kitchen area; these are often not fit for anything more than coffee and snacks, but this was genuinely well equipped and viable for self-catering. With a supermarket just next door, we were able to save the cost/effort of venturing further afield for dinner and instead cooked for ourselves a couple of nights. Drinking water in Gran Canaria is safe but, having been reclaimed by desalination of sea water, not particularly tasty. Despite being an island bottled water is remarkably cheap when purchased in bulk, so having a fridge to keep a stockpile of it chilled was great.







From there it’s a left turn to the sink area (partially open to the room), then a door leading to the rest of the bathroom. The shower takes up the bulk of the space and consequently was one of the largest I’ve ever seen, with both rainfall and regular heads. The main space of the room is first the sleeping area, then a couch and dining table. The far wall is entirely glass, with a sliding door to the balcony.





Anyone could probably make a reasonable success of this hotel, but staff can make or break a travel experience, and Gold’s are great – incredibly helpful, and seemingly always cheerful. It’s a small enough crew that you start to recognise each other quickly; no task seemed to be too much hassle, and you always got a friendly greeting when passing by reception. When we arrived overheated from dragging luggage, they welcomed us with wine and chilled water – despite having already placed a bottle of red and some sweets in the room. When we did decide to go out for a meal, they both arranged the taxi for us, and recommended somewhere that seemed genuinely popular with locals rather than a tourist-trap looking for a steady stream of hotel referrals. They even have an app for booking various tours, or to let you get in touch with the front desk at any time.




Finally, the food was just right – we had six breakfasts, three lunches, and two evening meals on site and whilst there was nothing super sophisticated, it was tasty, generously portioned and reasonably priced. Most impressive was the wide array of breakfast buffet options, and service from 8-12 meant there was no need to rush out of bed. Or, as we preferred, you can explore early in the morning then return for a decent brunch once the temperature cranks up.




Despite all this, it never seemed crowded: often we were the only people using the pool, hot-tub, or courtyard seating; and it was rarely a challenge to find a pair of empty sun loungers. Plus with no under-18s allowed, it was impressively peaceful even when there were other guests about. I’m not sure why it was so quiet – clearly as an adults only property visiting outside the school holidays shouldn’t have been relevant, but I’m not sure when the peak season for the Canaries is. Perhaps it’s simply too new a property. Anyway; anyone who wasn’t here was missing out!