Gloria Palace Royal Hotel and Spa

Just back from a wonderful 2 week All Inclusive holiday with my wife and youngest daughter who is 22. This is a really nice hotel with friendly staff throughout. Was a bit concerned before we went about how big the room was going to be given we had 3 adults in it but shouldn’t have worried as it was pretty big. Great sea view too from a very large enclosed balcony. Only thing I would say about the balcony is the sun doesn’t seem to get in much during the day so difficult to dry clothes / beach towels etc. Room was serviced every day which was great. Food was great with a very good choice at every meal time and service from staff was excellent. We went to the main infinity pool most days which is one of the best pools we’ve had, especially the temperature which was constantly warm. Fresh towels are provided every day at reception from 9am if required. The hotel has a no reserving sun beds policy which does seem to get adhered to if people leave their towels and disappear for hours in the morning. Pool bar was great although could do with more than 1 person serving at busy times. The daytime entertainment provided by Miguel and the amazing Patryk is great. Various games etc but the highlight being aqua aerobics every day at 12. Evening entertainment every night…main show at 9.30 every night followed by a singer from 10.30 till 11.30 (felt sorry at times for those singing in these slots as the show bar seems to empty pretty rapidly after the main show). The 9.30 shows were mostly great with the absolute highlight being Jay or MJ depending on when you see him! We seen him 3 times…twice as himself and then the absolute fantastic Michael Jackson tribute show that he does! The beach is a short walk down the hill. A quick taxi ride into Puerto Rico of 10 mins at most costing €5.70 takes you to the main town including shopping centres, bars and restaurants. First time we’ve been all inclusive and not been given a wrist band…instead they just scan your room key. So overall a fantastic family holiday much enjoyed by us and therefore highly recommended!

We had such a lovely stay at Gloria Palace Royal Hotel & Spa and would definitely recommend it. We really loved the position of the hotel, set up on the cliffside overlooking the sea. The views were absolutely beautiful and were probably one of our favourite things about the hotel.

We had interconnecting rooms, which were a really good size and much more spacious than we expected. The balconies were also a great size, and sitting out enjoying the view was lovely. The pool area was really nice too and we spent plenty of time relaxing there.

The evening entertainment was excellent while we were there. The singers were very good and we really enjoyed the atmosphere in the evenings. The only thing I would say is that there could have been a little more variety, as most of the entertainment was singers. It would be nice to have a mixture of different types of shows and acts as well.

The restaurant was generally very good and the views from the restaurant were spectacular. There were just a few little things that could be improved. The coffee machines seemed to need more regular maintenance, particularly making sure the milk was topped up. The pancakes were also extremely popular and disappeared very quickly, but unfortunately it often took quite a while for more to be made.

I think it would also help to have someone keeping an eye on the pancake station when they are replenished. On a few occasions, people would take a large number of pancakes as soon as they were put out, leaving everyone else waiting again. It would be much fairer if someone could monitor this and make sure people aren’t taking more than their share or queue-jumping.

The main thing we found difficult was the allergy information. I have a nut allergy and, at times, it was quite tricky to work out exactly what foods contained nuts. The symbols weren’t always easy to understand and there wasn’t always a clear key explaining what they meant. We were told to ask about the ingredients in everything each day, which I completely understand, but when the restaurant was very busy and some staff didn’t speak much English, it could be difficult and there is always the worry that something could get lost in translation.

I think having clear allergen information printed next to each dish would make a huge difference and would make things much easier and less stressful for guests with allergies.

Those points aside, we really couldn’t fault our holiday. The hotel is in a fantastic location and there is a very good, regular bus service close by, which made it really easy to get out and explore different parts of Gran Canaria. We loved being able to visit places such as Puerto de Mogán and Puerto Rico without needing to hire a car.

Overall, we absolutely loved our stay. The beautiful setting, incredible views, spacious rooms and balconies, lovely pool and great evening entertainment made it a really memorable holiday. We would definitely come back and would happily recommend Gloria Palace Royal to others looking for a relaxing holiday in Gran Canaria.

Great food and staff were friendly and polite for the most part. Short distance to the beach, 8 minute walk. Short taxi/bus ride to other locations. View was good. Hotel was very clean. Rooms are dated, especially the bathroom so could really do with some investment. Entertainment was abysmal and really wasn’t prepared for the bingo sessions that echoed throughout the hotel! Aqua aerobics in the middle of the day when most are in the pool due to the heat was not great timing as you had to get out. There is a second pool which is smaller and would have been better to hold the sessions in there or alternatively, maybe the sessions could have been held in the morning prior to breakfast. There are some really good elements to this hotel, just need to get rid of the tackiness.