IBEROSTAR Bouganville Playa

We have just returned from Iberostar Waves Bouganville in Costa Adeje Tenerife and I would definitely recommend, but will give an honest review of what I thought was great and what could be improved.

We went with our four children aged 5,6,11&12 and they thought it was great. There were a few days where they had giant inflatables out on the pool and then a water carpet another day which they loved. There was also a mini disco every night and then a couple of days they had things going on in the day like a magician and one of the ‘stars’ birthdays where they did cake and drinks for the kids. There is also a pool with lots of slides which was great for all of the children.

The inside of the hotel was very clean and the rooms were cleaned and towels refreshed every day. There is air conditioning in the rooms however no air conditioning around the hotel in the restaurants or bars which was a bit disappointing as it was very hot and the communal areas were very warm. The pool could do with a refurb, there were tiles falling off the pool that tended to collect around the sides at the end of the day but it didn’t really affect anything it could just do with repairing. There were also some drains around the pool that got blocked up so areas of stagnant water pooled up around some of the sun loungers but we got to know where these areas were and sat away from them.

The food was fantastic. Plenty of choice even for fussy children. I am coeliac so have to eat a strict gluten free diet. I have been to lots of hotels and am usually ill at least once from something that was supposed to be gluten free but this hotel have been great. Every meal I found a manager or a chef and their English was fantastic so whatever I wanted to ask for they clearly understood and made something fresh in the back. They made me omelettes, chicken, fries, veg, battered fish, literally anything I asked for. They said they had gf pasta and pizzas too but I never tried this. The breakfast had a small gluten free area as well with wrapped bread, muffins and cereal, as did the all inclusive snack bar by the pool which was fantastic. The gf bread rolls in the green packets were good if you popped them in the microwave for 20 seconds and the butters were all individually wrapped so I felt safe using these. They also had proper Coca Cola and Fanta rather than Pepsi which was a big plus for me. If you are arriving late, plan to get food from elsewhere as although they offer a small cold buffet, there was nothing on offer for the kids and no staff manning it to ask for gluten free options. They may as well have said the restaurant was closed it was very poor.

Another downside was having to leave a deposit for the pool towels. I’ve never seen this before and it was a bit of a pain having to pay 20 euros each for towels, especially as a group of 8 but there is obviously a reason for it.

There is plenty around the hotel in walkable distance and Siam park is close by. Overall I would definitely return, we had a fantastic family holiday.

Just returned from spending a week here , hotel is in a really good location, we upgraded to all inclusive on arrival which was definitely worth it. We had interconnecting rooms, rooms are basic but spotlessly clean, really comfortable beds, would have been nice to have a kettle . The restaurant is extremely well managed and the food is amazing both in the choice and quality, the chefs and all kitchen staff do an outstanding job. The hotel is is spotless throughout, housekeeping is commendable.There are plenty of sun loungers around the pools.All the staff at this hotel show what hospitality is all about, they are all super friendly, efficient and professional, they are a real asset to the hotel.

Just back from 10 days at this hotel, Overall its very good, Rooms are spacious and cleaned daily to a very good standard, hotel sits on a lot of ground so even when the hotel is full, you don’t feel crowded at any time. Food was good with plenty of selection, however the food could have been warmer at times. We went half board a were told conflicting info in the restaurant by the waiters that kids under 12 drink for free at lunchtimes, however this was denied by the reception when we queried this as we were only told 8 days into our 10 day trip. No one also seems to want to take your drinks order when you are half board which was very frustrating. Drinks in the evening are paid for on your bracelet which is also your room key which is a very good idea. We did see a lot of half board people helping themselves to the all inclusive drinks which was VERY frustrating and this needs to be policed a lot better in my opinion. The entertainment team work hard and long hours and do a good job however as a suggestion, they have a loud speaker, they should announce what the programme is for the day at the start and also as and when activities start, as they do in other Iberostar hotels we’ve stayed at. The biggest negative i have about this hotel is the air conditioning in the public areas including the bars and restaurant, it’s almost non-existent so we found ourselves hot and sweaty all the time. Also, the lifts are totally inadequate for the amount of guests in their hotel, you might as well walk as opposed to waiting sometimes 15 minutes or more! As i say, overall it’s a very good hotel, just a few upgrades to the air conditioning, lifts and the policing of the drinks stations would make it excellent.