JOIA El Mirador by Iberostar

Spent a wonderful three days here to celebrate my wife’s birthday. All the staff were attentive and helpful. Breakfast was exceptional. A special mention for Tiziana who arranged for some lovely surprises for my wife’s birthday. Worth paying the extra for the sea view rooms. We will certainly be back.

If you're reading this review, you're very likely looking for validation if it's worth the cost to come here. It's definitely expensive. However, I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. The service I've received here is, without a doubt, more than 5*. The staff are all so friendly, cheerful and really do want to make your stay a happy one. I genuinely haven't experienced such service anywhere else I've stayed.

I would strongly recommend this hotel to my friends, family and strangers reading this. I was skeptical when booking this if it was good as people made it out to be in reciews, but it really is worth it. We were a bit unlucky and had several issues, no where is perfect. The difference here though is, they fix it quickly, happily and with no argument. Its because of this service I will come back next year. Hopefully, every year after that too.

Food

We stayed half board but given the number of restaurants nearby and within walking distance further afield, I'd do bed and breakfast next time. The food here is very, very good. Breakfast especially. Fresh fruit every day and pastries too. Hot food is good and isn't left too long to dry out under the heaters. You can also order eggs/omelettes as you like at the chef station. There's a huge selection in this buffet, you won't go hungry. Pool bar food is good, although a bit expensive. Portions are huge, I'd suggest sharing 1 meal if you've had a big breakfast and aren't big eaters. For dinner, the evening buffet is very good and like most places has a themed night each day. You can also order a la carte meals from a menu at the buffet. You can see what they look like all prepared outside the chef station before ordering which is a great idea. These are display only, yours is cooked to order. If you like room service, there are some good options. Its a bit expensive but it is tasty. The delight of this hotel is El Cenador. They offer a tasting menu and also a la carte. We chose a la carte and it was amazing. The service was exceptional and I understand that all produce is local or from the wider canary islands. I would've eaten there several times however we discovered that it was closed until the day we go home. I was sad about this but hopefully I can try it again next year. If its open, visit El Cenador for your dinner, you won't be disappointed.

Rooms

The rooms here are very nice. The beds are very comfortable, you can also order from the pillow menu if you like. The bathrooms are just gorgeous, though oddly don't have any ventilation. I like that the toilet and showers are in seperate "cubicles". The bath and shower are great. The separate dressing room is also hugely appreciated. The safes in some rooms are surprisingly small though which i found unusual.

Pool Area

The main pool is fantastic. Its huge and there's plenty of space to splash about in. Shaded areas too if you want to sit quiet and relax. There are plenty of sun beds, you won't miss out coming down later. The jacuzzi pool is great too and has nice views of the sea. They also provide a free cocktail around 11am and also a free ice cream around 3pm. These are fantastic gestures and really appreciated. I hope they continue to do this.

Garden

Its clear that a lot of love and care is taken to maintain the lawn and flowers, its a real credit to the hotel and the gardeners deserve praise for their hard work.

Sea views

You'll have wonderful views of the sea and nearby beaches. Easily accessed through gates from the property, less than 2mins walk depending on where your sun bed is by the pool.

Location

The hotel is in a fantastic location. You have choice of golden sand and black sand beaches. Both are beautiful. You can take a nice walk across both very easily or stick to the promenade/walk path just overhead. I believe you can rent sun beds but unsure on cost, we just used the hotel sun beds and wandered down to the beach when we liked. There is also a small boutique shopping area adjacent to the hotel you can access via a guest only gate. There's hairdresser, clothes shops, restaurants and an ice cream shop. Its a lovely courtyard, restaurants have great food and the ice cream shop is really worth visiting too.

Star Prestige terrace

We were very fortunate to experience this on our 2nd week (thank you once again). There's basically a terrace (La Balconada) that runs the length of the hotel above the main pool/restaurants. It's a gated off exclusive area for these guests. There is a small pool, 2 jacuzzis, bali beds, lots of sun beds offering better views of the sea as its set higher up than the "standard" areas. There's also 2 "snack shacks", where you can help yourself to food and drink all day. If they don't have what you want, they will get it for you. The bigger jacuzzi has gorgeous views of the sea, giving an infinity pool vibe. You must try this. Some of these Star Prestige rooms back directly on to the terrace, so you can step out of your room straight into the terrace and grab your snacks or sunbeds with very little effort. You also have a butler that roams around the terrace helping you with any queries you may have and offer support if required. The only thing I felt unsettling was the astro turf. It gets very hot under the sun and also gives off a burnt plastic smell which is unsettling if you aren't used to it. I'd suggest the hotel changes the astro turf to something else, though given the bar and restaurants are underneath im not quite sure what the solution could be. As Star Prestige, you can also have a la carte breakfast at El Cenador. The spread is huge. They bring you a tray of meats and cheeses, bread, pastries, jams, tea, coffee, juice, water AND you can order an a la carte meal. Its a crazy amount of food and delicious.

Thank Yous

I'd like to say a special thank you to Tiziana, who has gone above and beyond our expectations. I have never met a hotel manager who is so friendly, cheerful and expert at resolving issues. Tiziana is clearly very passionate about her work and this hotel and couldn't do enough to make sure our stay is a happy one. The issues we had were quickly resolved and no arguments at all. Tiziana is truly a credit to this hotel and genuinely makes you feel like family. I look forward to seeing you again next year. I hope Iberostar reads this and gives Tiziana a big payrise!

I also want to thank Ghofran for helping us and making us feel so welcome and happy. Thank you for helping us with the issues we had, its been a delight meeting you and I hope to see you again next year.

Jeny, thank you for helping me practise my Spanish. I will keep learning and hopefully we can have a full conversation in Spanish next year!

Letitia, you're a credit to your team. You're so kind and its always a joy to see you and speak with you. Thank you for looking after us so attentively.

Thank you as well to Diana and Pablo for looking after us when we were on Star Prestige.

Le mirador is the most wonderful hotel. Nothing is too much trouble and from the moment you arrive you are made to feel special. The rooms are luxurious and the food and service is second to none. We upgraded our room and the terrace made it so special as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. It was our second visit and we had been communicating with Alejandro who is so professional and charming and made sure everything was perfect. The staff are what makes this hotel they are all so welcoming with a smile and helpful. There are too many people to mention but Manuel Leticia Julieta and Emanuel deserve a special mention . A fabulous hotel although don’t tell too many people !!!!