H10 Taburiente Playa, La Palma

After reading some negative reviews I thought it fair to write an honest review from my point of view. I found the staff really helpful and friendly at reception. The room was great decent size bedroom and bathroom. The bed is firm but comfortable enough with plenty of choice of pillows. The rooms were very clean and kept clean every day. The food was excellent with plenty of choice, some unusual combinations but then you are in a foreign county! We both enjoyed the food. My wife is a vegetarian and there was always something for her to eat and the salads are fantastic! Maybe not as much choice of puddings but the cakes were really light and you can help yourself to ice-cream. The show kitchen had a lovely choice of meat / fish each night cooked in front of you. The restaurant was quite busy but not bad. The wine and beer is nice and perfectly acceptable. One waiter was very friendly and upgraded us to a bottle of Rioja! There was a good choice at breakfast. English bacon would have been a nice addition but again you are abroad. The pools are lovely, yes the heated pool is only slightly warmer that the other ones (top one, furthest from the sea in case you are not sure as they are not marked). Managed several swims in February which is a treat. Always got a lounger as there were plenty. Maybe different in the summer when it is hotter? The entertainment is every other night and pretty good quality. The circus act was fantastic and the musicians were pretty good too. Some of the lounge chairs are a bit hard, you have to look around for the ones that are newly upholstered. We went All-Inclusive and were glad as paying for water, tea and coffee soon adds up otherwise. We did work our way through the cocktail menu and enjoyed them all and tried some different spirits all adds to the fun! All the staff work really hard and we met some really friendly ones who made the holiday more pleasant. The bus to Santa Cruz is easy although got quite full. It goes every half an hour one one of two bus stops slightly up the road or down the road. 1 Euro 50 each way, you pay the driver. The hotel is in a good location, near the airport. Yes there are a few planes that go over but very few and you don't really notice them. Nice prom to walk down to the beaches and a few supermarkets nearby. We found the Spar (nearest) slightly cheaper than the Hyperdino further along. We bought bottled water as we were going out a lot and you can store it in your own room fridge which is handy. Although later on we found you could fill your bottle up with water for free I think at the bar, we didn't. We hired a car from Oasis next to the doctor sign down the road. I think I worked out they were the cheapest. You can get it delivered to the hotel but cost extra 10 euros. No point as the office is only about 150m away. All in all we really enjoyed our stay there.

Stayed for a week. Very helpful staff. Clean rooms showing signs of wear. Meals served buffet style were good and full of variety. Its a big hotel and the buffet was noisy and busy. Staff worked hard, food was great and hotel is in good location to visit the island

Lovely hotel, staff very nice and helpful. Food was very good, even bubbly for breakfast. Reasons for not marking for max points is a bathroom smell. We had to keep the plugs in to keep the smell away. The other thing is ( which is probably not the hotels problem anyway) that TUI will drop you off at around midday. You can check in, they store your luggage, but the rooms are ready for you to enter at 2-3 pm. So beware you will get a lovely early afternoon sun on the pool side, fully clothed from UK weather.

First of all the "cons" - dinner in the restaurant is MANIC!! Too many people for the space at the buffet and no queuing, just barge and grab! It seems everyone wants to eat as soon as the restaurant is open. I suspect this is because late arrivals see empty dishes and find choices very limited. Which is a shame, because the "pros" are many: breakfast is a real treat as people stroll down at different times and it never seems crowded. There are freshly cooked fried eggs, omelettes and pancakes, a variety of other cooked dishes, continental cold meats, fruit, cereals, yogurts, pastries, smoothies, juices, coffees, teas and even a complimentary glass of cava to enjoy on the terrace as you watch the sunrise over Tenerife. The hotel is a 10 minute transfer from the airport (you do get some airplane noise but flights are few and there are no night flights), set right on the edge of the cliff with a lovely promenade stretching into the rest of the resort, which is itself quiet and pretty. We particularly like the fact that the hotel pool area is never crowded (most guests come for the wonderful walking and hiking so are out all day), there is no piped music and no organised activities. If you're looking for an entertainments programme you'll be very disappointed but if you want just to relax on a peaceful, comfy sunbed within sight and sound of the ocean to enjoy your book, the free wifi or a drink this is for you! The staff are generally very pleasant but woe betide anyone who brings their own drink into the restaurant (even water) - the head waiter will have your guts for garters! Drinks are reasonably priced (small beer under 3 euros) and there is dance music two evenings a week in the bar and a folk dance show once a week. The hotel is very attractive inside with a waterfall and hanging plants in the atrium area and a central eye-catching staircase to all floors as well as two banks of lifts. The rooms are being renovated - ours was still shabby chic as the only renovation so far was the addition of USB ports. The TV has BBC World, France 24 in English and MBC Arabic which shows English language films with Arabic subtitles! There was a small refrigerator which was a boon for keeping drinks cool and we had a bath with over-bath shower so best of both worlds. The air con was very efficient. There is a supermarket virtually next door to the hotel and the no 500 bus runs past with a ticket into the capital Santa Cruz costing 1.50 euros. We had a wonderful time as usual (we've been many times!) and will be going again I'm sure.

We visited over Christmas and all the staff were welcoming and friendly. The areas around the pools were kept immaculate as was the other public spaces. There was a good choice of meals in the buffet restaurant even during some of the busy times and they made a special effort on Christmas day. I upgraded our room for a sea view but did not see any difference to the ones advertised as a side sea view. Some of the furniture was a little tired and could do with replacing but overall, I enjoyed my stay. It is located close to the airport and you can see the end of the runway from the hotel so you should be prepared for some aircraft noise but it is not too intrusive. It is also only 15 minutes on the local bus into Santa Cruz the capital of the island. I would stay here again as it is a great location to explore the island.