H10 Tindaya

I stayed at the H10 Tindaya for one week during July. First impressions were good. The hotel is right on a public beach with uninterrupted sea views. However, the main buffet restaurant was poor. Tables weren’t cleared, lack of choice with food which was in my opinion not good quality, and clearly a lack of staff. Same for the bar as well which meant having to queue all the time. The à la carte restaurant was also disappointing given I’d expected better than the main restaurant. Upon checkout, I was informed I could not use the hotel facilities until my transfer arrived unless I paid. I have never experienced this before when staying in all inclusive hotels and it’s completely outrageous. This information was not provided prior to booking the holiday otherwise I would not have stayed here at all. It did not feel like a 4 star hotel and I will not be returning.

We stayed here for a week with family including a child and baby. In my opinion, you are paying purely for the excellent beachfront location and sea views. Unfortunately there were a number of issues during our stay.

1. Staffing – There simply weren't enough staff, particularly at the bars. There was usually only one person serving, resulting in long queues. There also didn't seem to be enough staff cleaning the pool areas, especially on windy days when cups, food, and rubbish were blowing around.

2. Main buffet – The food selection was disappointing. There were only around eight hot food trays to cater for all guests at lunch and when dishes ran out they were not replenished quickly, leaving people waiting. The variety was limited, and there were virtually no child-friendly options, which made dining difficult with young children. Plates and bowls also not replenished quickly enough and when they were half of them were filthy.

3. Route 66 restaurant – The food here was extremely disappointing. None of us ate our main courses. The chicken wing starter was exactly the same as those served daily at the pool snack bar, and the quesadilla was simply a wrap with cheese sauce inside. The chicken burger was made from a processed chicken patty that barely resembled chicken, and the beef burger was equally poor. We left before dessert because the meal had been so disappointing.

4. Arrival – Despite emailing twice before our holiday to request beds and a cot for our toddler and baby, nothing had been prepared when we arrived. As we checked in late in the evening, this was particularly frustrating. We were also told we had to pay €20 for the safe. This is something we have never experienced at another 4 star hotel and felt like a money making exercise. No bottled water or anything provided in room either.

5. Room cleanliness – The standard of housekeeping was below expectations. My husband and toddler regularly had black feet from walking barefoot in the room, showing that the floors had not been cleaned properly. We repeatedly asked for the floors to be mopped, but the same dirt marks remained throughout our stay. On one occasion we returned to find the toilet and shower had not been cleaned and had to request this again.

6. All-inclusive policy and checkout – We were told it would cost €10 per person to extend our all-inclusive package on our departure day. We have stayed at many all-inclusive hotels and have never encountered this before. Considering we didn't arrive until 10pm on our first day and barely used the all-inclusive facilities that evening, this again felt like a money-making exercise. We also asked about a late checkout because we were travelling with a baby, but were told no rooms were available and that we would need to use the communal showers instead. Even if a room had been available, the charge was €20 per hour, which again seemed excessive.

The hotel's biggest strengths are its beautiful beachfront location and lovely sea views. The pool areas themselves are also well maintained. However, these positives do not make up for the issues we experienced. We have stayed at 2 previous H10 hotels in Tenerife and this one does not compare. Overall, this did not feel like a 4-star hotel, and unfortunately we would not return.

My wife, daughter, son-in-law, two grandchildren and I arrived at Hotel H10 Tindaya on 1st July for a seven-night all-inclusive holiday. Unfortunately, our experience did not get off to the best start. We arrived at approximately 9:30pm, but check-in was extremely slow, taking almost an hour. This was particularly frustrating as both children were very tired after travelling and needed to get to bed. Our first impressions of the hotel itself were very positive. It is in a beautiful location overlooking the sea, with direct access to the beach and several excellent swimming pools. Our room was spacious, comfortable and well-equipped. However, my daughter's room was missing both the bed for our four-year-old grandson and the cot for the baby. This took another hour to resolve, meaning it was very late before everyone was finally settled. We were also surprised that the hotel charged €20 to use the room safe for the week. In our opinion, this should be included as standard in a four-star hotel. Housekeeping visited every day and changed the towels regularly, but the room floor was never mopped during our stay. It became noticeably dirty, something that was obvious from the condition of our feet and socks after walking around the room. Another surprise was discovering that we had to book a time slot for dinner in the buffet restaurant. We have stayed at many all-inclusive hotels and have never encountered this before. Once inside, it became clear why this system was in place. The cooking station was relatively small, with a limited selection of freshly prepared dishes. Overall, the buffet lacked variety, and the menu was repetitive throughout the week. There was also very little specifically aimed at young children. Normally, we would expect simple options such as chicken nuggets or similar family-friendly meals. Although we always managed to find something to eat, our four-year-old largely survived on chips, rice and ice cream for dessert. Drink queues were also frequently long, and it was apparent that many areas of the hotel were understaffed. We had booked a table at the Route 66 restaurant for the Saturday evening and were really looking forward to it. Sadly, it was one of the biggest disappointments of the holiday. My starter consisted of three chicken wings, identical to those served daily at the pool bar, so there was nothing special about them. For my main course, I ordered the chicken burger, which was a pink processed chicken patty without any coating. It was extremely poor quality and quite unpleasant. The rest of the family ordered various burgers, and everyone agreed they were equally disappointing. We all left most of our meals and spoke to the restaurant manager, explaining that the food was well below the standard we expected. The most disappointing part of our holiday involved my Ray-Ban sunglasses. As we were leaving the restaurant, I accidentally left them on the table and didn't realise until the following morning. As the restaurant was closed during the day, I returned at around 7:00pm and spoke to one of the waitresses. She confirmed that she had found the sunglasses on the table and had placed them on the greeting desk at the restaurant entrance for me to collect. Naturally, I was relieved. However, she then informed me that they had disappeared and suggested they had either been moved by housekeeping or taken to reception. I immediately checked with reception, but they did not have them. The following day, I spoke with the Guest Relations Manager, who was initially very helpful and assured me that she would locate them, stating that items did not usually go missing from the hotel. She said she would speak to colleagues, send emails and investigate the matter thoroughly. Over the next few days, I spoke to her on three further occasions. Each time, she assured me she was still trying to locate the sunglasses. The day before we were due to leave, she admitted that she had been unable to find them. While I fully accept that I accidentally left them behind, they had been found by a member of staff and placed somewhere safe for collection. They were therefore in the hotel's possession before they disappeared. I suggested that it appeared a member of staff may have taken them. At that point, the Guest Relations Manager's attitude changed noticeably. She immediately became defensive of her staff and spoke to me in what I felt was a rather aggressive manner. The hotel accepted no responsibility whatsoever, despite the sunglasses going missing after they had been recovered by staff. As a result, someone is now in possession of a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses worth approximately £200. Finally, on the day of departure, we enquired about keeping our room until 4:00pm rather than checking out at midday. We were quoted €20 per hour, meaning a total of €80 for four hours. We were also informed that, despite having paid for an all-inclusive holiday, we would need to pay an additional €10 per person to continue using the all-inclusive facilities between 12:00pm and 4:00pm. This is something we have never encountered at any other all-inclusive hotel. It is such a shame because the hotel itself is attractive, the location is excellent, and the pool and beach facilities are wonderful. Unfortunately, the experience was let down by apparent understaffing, disappointing food, unnecessary extra charges and the hotel's handling of my missing sunglasses. Regrettably, despite the positives, this is not a hotel we will be returning to.