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Sun Tropical Complex Hotel

21 of 45 hotels in Playa Blanca

4 out of 5 from 43 reviews
3 stars
C/ Bonilla, 1, 35580 Playa Blanca - Yaiza (Lanzarote), Spain

43 Reviews

Traveller Rating

  • Excellent
    5
  • Very Good
    24
  • Good
    10
  • Average
    3
  • Poor
    1

Review Overview

  • Cleanliness
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Service
  • Location
Certainly would go again
12 years ago
Having read other reviews for this hotel, I concur with all except the food review. We were all inclusive and could no way have a gripe about food presentation, variety, taste or otherwise. If anything, the one slight downer was some items were on the cool side. Remedied by the handy microwave oven available at the food counter.
The beer and wines were equitable to many other hotels that we have stayed in.

Entertainment was typically localised rep entertainment. Staff could not be more friendlier or efficient and relentless in keeping the restaurant clean and awaiting new table users. The maintenance team was an army of doers and the admin at the desk very friendly and helpful.

The 3 stars for location is because it is a mile, 15 minutes away from the sea front, marina, ferry terminal and marina market, but it’s only a 3 euro taxi ride for those not so mobile.

Do not let the odd downer review put you off. I certainly would go again.
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Recommended
Wouldn't return
12 years ago
Just got back from a week at the Sun Tropical and have a few comments to make.
It’s actually a nice place, very big though, almost with a village feel to it.

The grounds are nice and well kept, the pools are in abundance, but absolutely freezing, which was a shame for our 11yr old as they were just too cold for her to enjoy.
The room was good, plenty of space, but honestly the most uncomfortable beds I've ever slept on.

Now the food was awful apart from breakfast. The worst meal being in the tapas restaurant, just dire. Though you do get a full bottle of wine in both the tapas and pizza restaurants.

Plenty of places to get a drink, the chicken shack and the pool bar, pool bar shuts at 7, then the tavern and dome open at 7pm.

The entertainment was far superior when it was the local entertainers, the Thomas Cook team were lazy and their idea of putting a show on was mostly the audience doing their own show.

The hotel is about 15 mins walk from Playa Blanca. We had a nice time here, but wouldn't return nor recommend to friends.
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Gillian Campbell
Fabulous holiday with great staff and pools
12 years 10 months ago
We travelled here in June as our honeymoon with our 16 month old and 14 year old. Staff at the hotel are very friendly and were quick to deal with any queries we had. When we arrived there was no travel cot in the room. I called reception and by the time we returned from lunch there was one in our room.
The food was OK, we could always find something to have for dinner or lunch. Although not a great selection of desserts. Breakfast was by far the best.

Our room was cleaned regularly during our 2 week stay and was a good size considering we didn't spend much time in it.

The complex itself is huge and only half was opened. Plenty of swimming pools and beds however as a non swimmer the pools are very deep. There are a few baby pools which are a good depth for children but nothing in between.

The entertainment is very good the staff work exceptionally hard at ensuring the guests enjoy their stay. Every night started the same - kids disco, bingo then some sort of show. Which was very good except for the flamingo dancers.

Location of this complex is a bit out of the way but you are given the option of getting a back door key which I would advise as it cuts about 15mins off your walk to the beach.

All in all we really enjoyed our stay at this resort and most importantly our 16 month old had a fabulous holiday. I would definitely return here.
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Recommended
Bradlad
Good first impressions
13 years ago
Stayed at Sun Tropical April/May 2011, first impressions very good, staff were friendly and gave us directions to room 257. A very large clean room with plenty of space and kitchen facilities.

We found the food very tasty especially breakfast,we never had any problems getting a clean table no matter what time we went into the restaurant but the Tapas restaurant was different, the food and service was terrible.

Entertainment team very busy all day and night, their shows weren't brilliant but a laugh all the same. The Complex was a steady 15 minute stroll away from the main resort area which was very nice plenty of shops and the Marina was good especially on Market day.

We would visit the resort again but not in peak season.
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Recommended
Jane Talbot
Would return again
13 years 2 months ago
We had a really lovely winter break at this hotel. The apartments are more than adequate and are very clean. There is a lounge area and kitchen/dining area, with a fridge, kettle, toaster, microwave etc.

The bedroom as a very large wardrobe with plenty of space, there is also a safe in the room (you pay for the key at reception). The bathroom is a good size too.

We were on the ground floor of the 2 floored apartment blocks and had a swimming pool about 12 paces from our door - it was wonderful! We also had a pool bar and the snack bar near us. There are quite few a smaller pools and then the large pool area, so plenty of room for everyone!

The food was good, and there was quite a good choice. We tried both the Tapas and the Pizza resturants, and and a fabulus meal in both of them.

The main entertainment is in the Dome and is provided by the Thomas Cook Reps, they did their best considering the week we were there was their first week of performing together. Also outside acts come in sometimes, eg, flamenco, bird show and reptile show. We spent most evenings in The Tavern pub, which was like an English pub. There was a good choice of drinks available.

The hotel is about a 10-15 minute walk to the beach and town area - get a back gate key from reception.
The staff were friendly and helpful, and were always working hard.

I would definitely visit this hotel again.
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Recommended
Fantastic holiday
13 years 4 months ago
Just returned from a fantastic holiday at Sun Tropical.

First time all inclusive and we loved it! The food was great except for Tapas restaurant which was terrible and the Pizzeria was not that great either. The main food hall had a good choice.

Very clean resort, the staff were very friendly and we loved the excursions, never found them too expensive.

The entertainment by reps was not that great but they do their best.

Would definitely visit again.

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Recommended
Jan
13 years 6 months ago
We arrived at the hotel late afternoon and check in was both smooth and efficient. We were given a map to direct us to our room and told we could order a snack from the food centre as the evening meals didn't begin until 6.30pm.

Our apartment was large - bathroom, bedroom with two twins beds, plenty of hanging space in the wardrobe (although hangers were limited), in room safe, separate living area with kitchenette, fridge, microwave, twin hob, kettle etc though we only used the fridge for drinks. Large balcony overlooking pool area and 'chicken shac' (snack food area and bar). British TV channels in the room could be accessed for a charge. Rooms cleaned daily except Sunday, towels and bedding changed throughout our one week stay.

All of the pool areas were cleaned every morning and there was an abundance of sun beds available at all times though probably due to the time of year.

We were all inclusive and shared the experience with multi nationals - There were as many Spanish and German holiday makers sharing the facilities as us Brits, although I believe they were staying in the Sun Park section of the resort as we only ever met up during meal times.

The food was typical 'all inclusive' fayre and varied. Usually consisted of some kind of soup. Chips were available but not every day - we also had mashed, boiled and roast potatoes dependent upon the types of meats available. Chicken, pork, lamb and veal dishes as well as bolognese and chilli options. Again pasta and rice were also on the menu dependent upon the dishes being served. There was always a fish option. A large salad section - lettuce, tomatoes, cold meats, cheese (grated, cubed, and sliced), grated carrot, olives, pickles, numerous varieties of dips etc. There was always jelly and icecream available as well as cakes, pancakes and fruit for dessert. Bread rolls and butter. Red, white and rose wine, lager on tap, pepsi, fanta and sprite were available at every meal except breakfast. It wasn't necessary to become bored with the food as you didn't have to have the same meal twice. I noticed some holiday makers piling their plates with as much food as could be carried at every meal and those are the ones who tended to complain about the lack of variety.

We were given the option to choose one meal each from the 'A la Carte' restaurants (Pizza and Tapas), my recommendation would be - stick with the all inclusive restaurant - the food at these two venues within the food centre were close to be diabolical. I chose lasagne from the Pizza restaurant which was merely cooked mince between pasta sheets, no herbs, no tomato bolognese sauce, no cheese etc and which sat like a brick in my stomach for most of the next day. The steak from the Tapas restaurant was like shoe leather, impossible to cut, full of fat and accompanied by hard undercooked vegetables.

We only found one member of staff with a miserable attitude, even the groundsmen greeted us with a friendly 'Ola'. The entertainment staff on site were enthusiatic and energetic despite the small numbers of people attending the Dome each evening. After we sat through a 'bingo' session, a music quiz and a musical review we didn't go back I'm afraid.

I would recommend this resort to friends and family and would go back but definitely out of season. I can imagine the resort being overcrowded and extremely noisy during high season. Perfect for families who don't want to venture very far off site.

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Recommended
14 years 1 month ago
We stayed in an appartment which was clean but had a s small collection of tiny ants on the floor (due to heat). They remained for the duration despite complaining about it and being told that they would deal with it. But as we didnt eat in the room it didnt bother us.

The bedroom was a twin room and the beds/pillows were not very cumfortable, but the room service was very good. There were always groundsmen cleaning/sweeping and the public areas/pools were spotless.

All inclusive food seems to be the same wherever we go!

Breakfast: Full English Breakfast is not upto scratch and I avoided it at all costs. One morning a tray of beans were put into the server and were stone cold. I pointed it out but they did nothing. That said, there is a microwave which I know isnt the point but still good to have. There is an abundance of alternative choices: cerial, pancakes, fresh/dried fruit, toast, continental breakfasts.

Lunch & dinner: A huge salad bar and a varied choice of hot meals also. It was very hit and miss really, some meals were delicious (chilli/stews/grilled fish) and some not so pleasant (soups/paella/lack of veg). As usual there were people who slapped a bit of everything on their plate and I would assume after a few days of doing so everything would be very 'samish'. If you're sensible, you can experience a great variety every evening. There is free access to beer/white & red wine, as well as soft drinks for the kids (first day the white wine was 'warm' and when I reported this it was fixed within a day). We liked the 'childrens serving bar' which included plastic plates/cups/cutlery and meant they could serve themselves which was great, but lacked the adult choices!

I heard of 1 woman being ill, hubby had 1 dodgy day but nothing major!

We ate in the restaurant 3 times a day and so never needed to eat extra food at any other times. The kids had a few bags of crisps and icecreams at the pool bar. We never went to the Italian/Chicken Shack either because we felt they would have lacked the great choices we had in the restaurant.

The hotel itself is located 'inland' and a brisk 15 mins walk from the local resort/beach. The courtesy bus ran on the hour from 10am until 5pm. We only went out of the hotel on our last day because there was so much activities going on we didnt see the point really - also paying all inclusive we wanted to get our money's worth!

For those going self catering - be warned that the drinks are EXPENSIVE: pint of lager was 3.5 euros, vodka/bacardi & coke 4.5 euros, coke was 2.5 euros. A couple staying next to us with 2 kids went self catering and were told that all inclusive would cost 350 euros per week. Personally I though that was very good value seeing as on the last day we ate in Playa Blanca for lunch and it cost us 40 euros! Ice cream was 2.5 euros...shocking prices really!

Staff were mostly very pleasant, a few sour faces but I think I would be doing that job and dealing with demanding English tourists! Heaven knows why English people dont make more of an effort to say 'Gracias', its hardly difficult. Whenever I asked for anything they were always polite & keen to help.

Entertainment for kids was fabulous - the kids couldnt get enough of the kids club and evening entertainment despite them not getting a 'First Choice' bag/t-shirt/drinks cup/hat. They got a bag/t-shirt 4 days late the reps telling us they'd run out of hats/drinks cup! One childrens rep was described as 'grumpy' by our kids but they were the only bad points. For 1 session they were turned away cause they were 'full' (24 being the limit) so we ended up getting their early after that. Sessions were 10 - 12, 2.30 - 4, 4.30 - 6 & some evenings 9 - 11. So plenty of 'parents time'!

Daytime activities by entertainment team was dailly quiz & various pool competitions. It was relatively quite when we went so not much 'atmosphere' for these things. The Dome is the hub of activity in the evening, very noisy/bad accoustics but tollerable. Evening started at 8pm with kids disco/fun/competitions, bingo for 15 minutes at 9pm, then presentation of prizes/awards/certificates and an adults quiz/competition at 9.30pm. 10pm was the main entertainment which varied from very poor to really good.

We never got to the other bar - which had an adults quiz at 10pm.

Overall, the holiday was a good one which of course is always dictated to by good weather! What I really liked about this hotel was that all the accommodation was in small 'C' sections and in effect had their own 'mini' pool and kids pool, so if you didnt want to go to the big pool (which was huge) you could stay by your room.

None of the pools were heated but the pool by our room seemed warmer than the main one. Once I got over the shock of the icy water...it was fine! Never an issue getting a sun bed but I assume in high season this would be a different story! The Germans were in the next complex (a mirror immage of Sun Tropical) so its 100% English.

The Thompson excursions seemed great, but very expensive, so we didnt bother this time but I'd definately consider them next time.

Dont hire a car in the hotel - you can get a better deal in Playa Blanca.

I wouldnt hesitate to return/recommend this hotel. Given the cost of the Euro, I think it represents good value for money. We paid
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Travel operator: First Choice

Recommended
14 years 1 month ago
Had a lovely time in these appartments. Very clean and spacious. No complaints at all, the pool near reception was the pool we used most and this was definatly heated, the childrens pool here was also warm as a bath. Nice walk into Playa Blance, 15 mins stroll with a three year old, lovely restaurants and bars, prices as you would expect any where really. Did nt use the entertainment in the hotel, but all entertainment staff smiled and said Hello when we passed. Grounds and pols spotless.Get a key for the back gate, its 10 euros, but you get this back, and cuts a good chunk off the walk into play blanca. Would return to these appartments, excellent value for families of all ages.
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Travel operator: First Choice

Recommended
Suzy
14 years 1 month ago
This Hotel is fantastic! We stayed here at the beginning of Feb on an all inclusive basis. There was myself, my fiance and our little boy who is nearly 18 months old.

The hotel looked really clean, no rubbish left anywhere, the pool areas was always spotless and the room was a good size with more then enough room for us 3! We had a kettle, toaster and coffee machine in the room also, which was handy and unexpected!
There was a storm on the night we arrived and our room was on the ground floor, and flooded, we had to use spare bed sheets to stop it coming all the way into our room. Never mind! It went as quick as it came and we got new sheets in the morning!

The all inclusive food was much the same as other all inclusive hotels. Pasta, chips, fish, salad, all nicely prepared and always hot...even though we went near to dinner finishing, there was always the full choice of food, including the childrens section of food. No complaints! We took our little boys food with us as we found it easier, we just put it in a hot pan in the room to warm up, then took it to the restaurant so he ate with us. Godsend!

As many people have said, grab yourself a back gate key as it cuts the walking time into town...which took us nearly half hour...we were strolling but I still thought it was quite far. It must just be me being lazy as everyone else said its an easy walk!!haha! Still, lovely beach and good selection of shops and cafes to mooch around when you got there!

Everyone at the hotel were very friendly...some of the staff in the chicken shack were a little off hand, especially if you asked for your order from the all inclusive section...you got a frown, your food thrown together and shoved in your face....we paid for a meal there, once all inclusive had finished and it was served with a smile and no less then 10 lettuce leaves, tomato and a slice of cucumber! Wow!
Seriously though, most people we cam eaccross were very pleasant and helpful and nothing was too much trouble!

I have to say the entertainment would have been brilliant, but as many other guests have mentioned the sound in the dome was really bad, echoy and sooo loud. Even if you sit at the back. Our little boy even cried a few times as it hurt his ears, so we went back to our room early most nights and other nights didnt even bother going! Shame as the shows that were put on were very good. The entertainment team are so full of energy. They do so well.

I would love to visit this hotel again. I have heard First Choice are not using this complex after April 2010, which is a real shame as with a few tiny alterations this hotel could be a number 1 place to stay for families. (would not reccommmend to couples as it is a very family-with-kids orientated place) Thomas Cook may be taking it over, but im not 100% sure on that fact! Anyways, Hope anyone travelling here has a good time, like we did! Happy Holidays! x
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Travel operator: First Choice

Recommended

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