IBEROSTAR Bouganville Playa

I have just returned from a week’s stay at the Bouganville with my mum. This was our second stay at the hotel, and unfortunately, after having such a positive experience on our first visit, I can confidently say that I will not be returning again.

We decided to upgrade to Star Prestige for this stay, which unfortunately ended up being something I genuinely regret.

Reception & Staff

On the whole, the reception staff were pleasant, and the gentleman who checked us in was lovely and welcoming.

However, our experience with one member of reception during our final two days was extremely disappointing. We enquired about a late check-out and the woman dealing with us was incredibly rude. She repeatedly cut us off before we had finished speaking and would look anywhere but at us while talking. I found her manner extremely dismissive and rude, particularly considering how polite and respectful I was towards her.

Air Conditioning

The air conditioning throughout the hotel was one of the biggest issues for me.

The reception area felt as though there was virtually no air conditioning at all. It was extremely hot and humid, which made sitting in the lobby bar uncomfortable.

The restaurant was just as bad. It was incredibly hot and humid while eating, which made dinner an unpleasant and sweaty experience rather than something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, the air conditioning in our room wasn’t much better. Despite having it on, the room remained hot and humid.

We also noticed that the maids were not properly closing the balcony doors after cleaning. This meant the air conditioning would not remain on while we were out, making it even more difficult to keep the room cool.

Food

The food was okay, but nowhere near as good as I had hoped.

At dinner, the fish cooked at the grill was consistently very nice, but unfortunately the rest of the food left a lot to be desired. A lot of the dishes were bland and, on several occasions, lukewarm.

Breakfast was better overall, although the scrambled eggs were so gloopy that I honestly don’t think they resembled what scrambled eggs are supposed to be.

Entertainment

The entertainment in the Lanzarote bar was good and we enjoyed it.

However, I feel the entertainment in the lounge bar should continue later. It finishes at 10:45pm every night, which I found disappointing, particularly when people are still wanting to enjoy the evening.

Condition of the Hotel

Unfortunately, the hotel is beginning to feel quite run down in certain areas and I think there is a lot that needs to be done.

Some of the toilets on the different floors are very dated and appear to be falling apart.

There were also tiles missing from the main adult pool, and the silver ladders used to get into the pool were loose.

On one day during our stay, the pool was also extremely cloudy and dirty, which was not particularly reassuring.

Star Prestige – Not Worth the Upgrade

This is probably the biggest disappointment of our stay.

Overall, I regret upgrading to Star Prestige and, based on our experience, I don’t feel it was worth the additional money.

I am 31 and my mum is in her sixties, and unfortunately it felt as though you had to be an elderly guest to receive good service.

We sat in the Star Prestige area for dinner but were repeatedly ignored by the dedicated waiters. We ended up having to leave the area and go elsewhere to get our own wine and bottles of water, while we watched other guests in the same area being approached, having wine poured for them and being given bottles of water by the waiters.

This wasn’t an isolated incident or something that happened because we didn’t tip. It happened from our very first night right through to the end of our holiday.

I found this incredibly disappointing and, honestly, quite upsetting. I don’t expect special treatment, but I do expect to receive the service that I have paid extra for. The contrast between how we were treated and how other guests were treated was very noticeable.

It put a real dampener on what should have been an enjoyable holiday, particularly because I had absolutely loved this hotel when we stayed previously.

The Star Prestige solarium areas were okay, although the fridge in our area was regularly left empty and wasn’t replenished.

The plunge pool was another major concern. It was literally falling apart. At one point, I stood up and had tiles stuck to my legs because pieces had come away from the pool. The shower heads were also rusting, with one actually missing altogether.

The Star Prestige lounge itself is nice, but we rarely got the opportunity to enjoy it because there were never any seats available inside.

Late Check-Out

I would also say that you shouldn’t rely on the advertised complimentary late check-out as a Star Prestige guest.

We were told that it was too busy for this to be available. Instead, you check out at 12pm and then it’s essentially a lottery as to what time slot you can get to use the room available for freshening up before your flight.

The room provided for this purpose was very run down and certainly didn’t feel like the standard I would expect after paying for a Star Prestige upgrade.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am genuinely disappointed with this stay at the Bouganville.

This is particularly frustrating because I loved the hotel during my previous visit and was looking forward to returning. Unfortunately, the combination of the poor air conditioning, the condition of some areas of the hotel, issues with the pool, average food and, most importantly, the poor service we experienced as Star Prestige guests has completely changed my opinion.

I personally would not recommend paying the additional money for Star Prestige based on our experience. The areas need significant improvement and the service needs to be much more consistent.

Perhaps if the hotel addressed these issues, my opinion would be different in the future. But for now, I won’t be returning.

Instead, I’ll be returning to Las Dalias across the road, where I had a fabulous stay in May and felt much more valued as a guest.

My wife and I stayed here towards the back end of September for 6 nights on a B&B basis. Don't be fooled by the Iberostar brand, as this hotel is shabby and dated in my opinion.

As others mention, the lifts are not fit for purpose given the number of floors (15) they serve and the number of occupants in the hotel. We gave up after the first day and reverted to walking up and down the stairs, but this may not be an option for some. You will end up wasting a lot of precious holiday time if you are dependent on the lifts, which are also like saunas inside if you are lucky enough to get one!

The hotel itself is very dated in terms of overall appearance/decoration. The main reception area has wood panelling that looks like something from the 70's. You certainly don't get the wow factor when entering the hotel.

There is no air conditioning in the reception or seated areas of the hotel which is very poor. We noticed this the most when waiting around on our last day, as there's nowhere comfortable to sit without being too hot.

We were staying on the 6th floor but visited other floors too. Each floor that we saw needed modernising. Walls were covered with vinyl wallpaper which looked grubby and everywhere needed freshening up.

Our room was adequate but again very dated. Our shower tray hadn't been fitted properly and when stepped on, felt like a springboard. The door to the bathroom didn't shut properly either.

One of my main gripes was in the main adult swimming pool. The pyramid structure located in the pool itself is an eyesore and I'm not sure what purpose it serves. It's much bigger than the photos suggest . Again, I assume this is down to the age of the hotel and how the pool was built from new build. Regardless of where your sunbed is, it blocks your view of something. If this was removed from the pool, everyone would have a nice open view of the sea and pool area.

There's missing tiles inside the pool and around the pool area which cant be good for cleanliness. The steps we used into the pool weren't secured and clearly had fixings missing. They moved as you stepped on them which is dangerous given you could have easily trapped your finger / hand.

Breakfast was ok with plenty of choice. I personally like a full English breakfast, but found the quality of bacon and sausage to be poor.

The location of the hotel in Adeje was good and we found all hotel staff to be friendly.

We had our room cleaned daily with fresh towels provided each day.

The aircon in our room was adequate and did its job.

We wouldn't return to this hotel for the number of negative reasons mentioned above.

We stayed at the Iberostar Selection Sabila last year at the same time. Although we didn't expect Iberostar Waves Bouganville Playa to be at the same standard, there was unfortunately no comparison between the two.

This is a dated hotel that needs significant investment so it can be modernised.

I would rate this hotel to be a 3 star at best.

Adeje itself though is fantastic and ticks so many boxes and caters for all ages.

We stayed for a week at the end of September as a family of three with our 4-year-old.

The hotel was very clean, the staff were generally friendly, and our 9th-floor room had a beautiful view. The pool area was excellent for children, especially the slides, and the gym was modern, clean and very well equipped. We also really liked the filtered water stations on each floor.

The biggest issue was the lack of proper air conditioning. There was none in reception, the restaurant or snack bar, and these areas were extremely hot and humid. Even the air conditioning in our room was fairly weak — it made the room slightly cooler, but the air still felt very humid rather than properly cool and comfortable.

The buffet had plenty of choice, but many dishes were quite plain and lacking in flavour. Usually there was one good meat or fish option, but overall we expected better from an all-inclusive hotel.

The lifts were another major frustration. There are four, but they are very slow, so waits were often long. One was also faulty and we actually got stuck in it. We reported it, but it was still not properly resolved during our seven-day stay. Overall, there are some very good features here, especially for families, but the heat, lift problems and average food definitely affected the experience.