GF Gran Costa Adeje

We were really looking forward to this holiday, but sadly, this hotel did not live up to the 5 star experience we expected.

On arrival, the staff were friendly and professional, which was a positive start. However, there was no welcoming drink, which I would expect from a 5-star hotel.

Our room was ready straight away, which was great. It looked lovely and was a comfortable temperature when we arrived. However, there were no tea or coffee -making facilities at all—no tea, coffee, cups or anything else. We had to contact reception and ask for these to be brought to the room. There was also nothing in the fridge, such as a mini-bar, and when we asked about this, we were told it would be an additional charge. I have also never stayed in a hotel where the tea and coffee supplies were not replenished throughout the holiday, especially not in a 5 star hotel.

The bed was comfortable, but unfortunately, the air conditioning was extremely poor at night, It became so warm that, on one occasion, we opened the doors because it was cooler outside,

We arrived around lunchtime and decided to use the snack bar, expecting the usual choice you would associate with an all-inclusive 5 star resort. Sadly, unless you wanted soggy chips or a burger, most of the other options came at an additional cost. This was very disappointing.

The biggest disappointment, however, was the food in the buffet restaurant. The quality was poor, the choice was limited and the food was extremely repetitive. We rarely saw decent cuts of meat—I do not recall seeing steak or beef at All. There were cheap cuts of pork with a lot of fat, which you then had to queue for while they were cooked. Personally, I do not consider battered cauliflower and sprouts to be main meal options; these are side dishes.

There was also an uncomfortable experience when we were shouted at and told we could not sit at a particular table because it was reserved, only to then be directed to another table that was not even properly laid out. This is not the level of service I would expect from a 5-star resort.

The cocktail situation was another disappointment.. The GF Gran website talks about specialising in cocktails, so we were looking forward to enjoying them. However, if you are staying all-inclusive, be aware that many of the cocktails come with an additional charge. Again, this felt very misleading for a hotel advertised as a 5 star all-inclusive experience.

Overall, the hotel itself looks beautiful, particularly when you first walk into the reception area. Unfortunately, the food, service and what is actually included for all-inclusive guests do not match the 5-star rating or the price we paid.

For us, the all-inclusive offering felt more like a 3-star experience. There are so many other hotels that provide a much better standard of food, service and choice without charging the extortionate price we paid for a family of four.

It feels like all the bells and whistles are there on the surface, but there is very little substance behind them.

Sadly, I would not recommend this hotel, and we certainly would not return..

Firstly, I have been coming to this hotel for 16 years and on this occasion, this is the first time I have thought “I won’t be coming back”.

I read a number of reviews about food, drinks, and the little touches missing and thought it was maybe just noise, but it isn’t. In my opinion the hotel has gone massively downhill.

Food - SHOCKING. Echo lots of other reviews. Poor meant, poor variety, repetitive, and service for drinks was terrible, you have to hunt waiters down who can’t be arsed.

Entertainment - terrible. Worst in 16 years.

Drinks - Again seem worse than ever, cocktails have gone downhill, mostly pre-made and you can tell.

Cleaners - dirty cups in room for 5 days. Debris on the floor for days, mopped in areas of common usage but just screamed “rushed”. Very basic clean.

The biggest disappointment for me was the staff. The staff had always been warm and welcoming, this time that spark was missing and on the brink of rude.

I have been coming to this hotel for 16 years for a reason, as all of the above used to be great.

To summarise, I am really sad I cannot see my family coming back again any time soon.

Gutted. I would now rate this hotel as a 3 star.

2nd visit. Last came Feb 2022. Was a good deal with Jet2 and I was aware there had been some refurbishment since I last came here and I remember liking the big pools so thought we would come back.

All the staff I’ve encountered have been great. Friendly and helpful.

The rooms are much nicer than before. Very modern and we got a turn down service most nights and towels replenished twice a day. Cleaned to a high standard.

The food was actually pretty good. Options cooked fresh for you each night and great salad bar and cheese selection. Breakfast is really good. You can sit outside at breakfast (unlike at dinner. A shame.) which is nice because it is very canteen like. There are these screens up where staff work behind bashing cutlery etc around. V noisy so avoid those areas. Nice to sit by the windows near the pool. Get the staff to open the window for you and it’s much nicer.

Operation sunbed is a bit of a nightmare. They are very strict that you can’t reserve but actually all that happens is people reserve them and leave one family member guarding them until the sunbed patrol has been completed. It’s a bit annoying as you then can’t eat breakfast together. Yet, once the sunbed patrol is complete, you could leave your sunbeds unoccupied most of the day and that’s fine! Saw two rows of sunbeds with no one on them for hours. They eventually turned up, spent half an hour on them and left! The system doesn’t work. Better to rope the area off and not open it until 9am for example.

I think it also affects the cleaning around the pool area. On day 1 the sunbeds were wet indicating they had been hosed down. Never noticed this since and I did think the floor could do with a good wash and I could see litter on the floor too at times from the day before. Probably because people are on the beds before the sun rises and then the cleaning staff can’t clean round them. I couldn’t be bothered after the first day and luckily the hotel got a bit quieter and we’ve been coming down at ten and getting sunbeds.

The spa is a nice addition as is the jungle bar.

All in all, if you've booked this hotel, you will have a very nice time. Location is very good. Near the beach and shops etc. We were half board.

Waiter service at lobby bar and terrace.

Gym well equipped with Mountain View’s.

We went to the News Cafe for karaoke one evening which was such a laugh. Also did a boat trip. Went to MHT drag show - it was ok. Bit old hat and food dire. The sushi pace next to the hotel was really good.