Tabaiba Princess

I am here currently. The room stinks of mould and my minibar has brown sludgy water in it that has made the room stink. The air con wall mount switch is faulty and will turn off at the slightest knock. I have it on full currently and it is cooler outside than in the room. Both doors are shut yet the noise from the lobby (open-plan layout, rooms overlook lobby) is bothersome.

On arrival from the bus, my family joked that this stop was scabby until we realised it was ours. From the roadside, the pools looked green/mildewy and unkempt. It is an all-inclusive with the caveat that it is highly restrictive unless you shell even more for the higher tier of all-inclusive. Having arrived in the evening, I am in a hot room with lukewarm bottled water crying that this is the experience so far and being so far from home and here after 12h of travelling, that this is such a letdown. Services that are commonly included with all-inclusives, for example daily towel changes, are restricted to twice a week. Other services I have seen so far, of which I think are fairly standard, are paywalled. I was unimpressed that given the frequency of tour bus arrivals, reception seemed understaffed and it was yet another long wait.

The lobby does look like a four-star hotel. The rooms appear pretty but amenity-wise, they are a two star. I have stayed at travelodges and premier inns better equipped than this. Shame on TUI for branding this platinum tier.

Do not bother with the convenience store on-site which you may need. The pricing is the same as every other money-grabbing tourist minimart. If you are set on location, I would have chosen another hotel. If I wanted a subpar standard disappointing sun holiday I would have just booked Ibiza at a fraction of the cost and time.

We leave today but thought I’d write this now. This place is amazing, food, drinks, service, room, cleanliness is the best I’ve ever experienced HOWEVER what lets this hotel down badly is the air con or lack of it!! Eating in the restaurant is very uncomfortable as it’s far too warm, you can barely sit in a bar in the evenings as the sweat is dripping off you. The rooms are horrific. Far too warm. For this reason and only this, we won’t be back which is a shame as everything else was exceptional

Location:

This part is more of a heads up than anything else. I checked prior to booking the hotel so I was aware there wasn’t much around. I will say, there is 1 shop near by and it’s a good 10 minute walk. Probably wouldn’t book here if you like be in the thick of it or have mobility issues. Taxi’s are available to book from the hotel lobby and they cost around €6.00 to Maspalomas promenade.

Atmosphere:

We spent the majority of our time throughout the day around the adults only pool. This area had quiet music playing and it’s very chilled. Me and my GF both agreed it’s definitely catered for families. The evening entertaining is lots of silly voices and hyped up, definitely aimed more towards kids. The overall hotel atmosphere is pretty chilled out.

Rooms:

Rooms are spacious & modern. The walk in shower is really good with high water pressure & a good temperature. Be warned, as you have probably read in other reviews, the Aircon is absolutely useless. You have to leave it on all day for it to be literally minimally cooler than outside. The beds are comfortable and clean, they were changed regularly throughout our stay here. One thing we thought was a real letdown, the telly doesn’t have any type of screen casting technology nor English channels / YouTube connectivity. Make sure to bring a Firestick if you fancy a chilled night.

Food:

Healthy snack bar was our favourite, serving up full, fresh salads. Some days it maybe grilled proteins, etc. We really enjoyed it! The family snack bar was a little more chilled, with burgers, hot dogs, etc.

Main buffet is what you’d expect for a 4 star hotel. Not for us… usually we’re in and out to avoid the chaos of unattended children, etc.

Italian restaurant wasn’t great. Pizza served to us was raw & just tasted exactly like the one in the snack bars.

Coffee machines are good and well equipped, the beer is always fizzy & freezing though! Not at all bad news.

Value:

When we first booked, we thought getting 11 nights for what we paid was really good value but having spent time here and looking back, I’m really disappointed with the stay as a whole. In my opinion, there’s a reason hotels are cheap and it’s because they have a lot to be desired… Which is the case here.

Cleanliness:

This is one thing we cannot fault, the hotel is absolutely flawlessly clean. During meal times all tables are laid out and look very appealing and presentable.

Noise Level:

Nothing to report, the hotel is really chilled & quiet.

Service:

All staff seemed really friendly & happy to help. Plenty of smiles throughout our stay. No issues at all.

Amenities:

The gym is solid, there’s a small shop on site but wildly expensive. I had to pay £30 euro for an iron as well… not ideal.

Major issues for us:

• The first couple of days were fine, however, we noticed about 1/4 of the way into our holiday, more and more people were getting up early to secure sunbeds around the adults only area. That’s one thing that absolutely infuriates me. I’m confident I could beat anyone in a sprint to secure the best sunbeds but I think it’s embarrassing so I walk like a normal person. Plenty of grown men and women pushing & scurrying along with no regard for other guests. The rule of placing towels down being forbidden isn’t enforced at all. We saw people running to secure sun loungers, then leaving their towels immediately to go to breakfast. Really pathetic. There are plenty of sun loungers around the main pool but it’s like a creche. We also noticed people were putting towels down around the main pool, then coming using the pool in the adults only area… the pool itself there isn’t big so it get a bit over crowded which is frustrating, especially when you’ve paid £25.00 for a premium day bed.

• One evening we went to the bar and decided to order some hand made cocktails. Before opening my own business I worked in the bar industry for years. I ordered a Margarita & Caipirinha and honestly couldn’t tell the difference. They were both absolutely foul. We also had to pay for them by the way adds insult to injury.

• Most of the soft drink stations are usually not working correctly. The Pepsi Max in particular was always flat. The juice in the machines is just ultra processed, sugary slop. Undrinkable. The same applies to the pre made machine cocktails. They’re really not great.

• One thing that we found really unbearable, is the amount of parents letting the young children plate up their own food, it’s really bad. 4 - 5 year olds who can’t even see over the counter trying to dish out their own meals just causes nothing but delay & often we saw kids helping themselves to desserts, etc with their bare hands. I’d suggest going down to meal times as soon as they open because after an hour the place is just chaotic. Kids running everywhere, food slopped all over the stations, etc.

To conclude:

Although spending time in the sun, enjoying the pool & relaxing lovely, we didn’t have much to praise about the hotel.

Even if the price was halved we wouldn’t return. I’ve stayed in some stunning 5 star hotels over the years and this was a test to see what we could get for our money. Spend the extra money and treat yourself. It’s cheap for a reason.