Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria

Hi my loves <3

As some of you might know myself and Ross took a trip to Gran Canaria 2 weeks ago to a beautiful resort in Puerto Rico. We couldn't decide where we wanted to go so we went to a travel agents to get some ideas. We had never booked a sun holiday before (we normally travel to the states) and we hadn't a clue where to start. We wanted to go somewhere all inclusive so we didn't have to worry about finding places to eat and preferably not have to leave the resort at all. This resort and spa came highly recommended by quite a few people so we decided to book it. We booked it on-line as it was cheaper than booking with a travel agent. We booked with Falcon holidays and flew with Thompson.

The check in line at Dublin Airport in Terminal 1 was huge and we had arrived just after 7 am. Our flight was scheduled for 9 am. We stood in line for about 1 hr 10 mins which was a bit stressful but there were only 2 check in agents at our desk and they were doing their best to get everyone checked in as quickly as possibly. After we checked our bags we had to run to our gate at the far end of the Terminal so coffee and a snack on the way was out of the question. As we ran past Starbucks I nearly cried. As soon as we reached the gate they started boarding and this was super quick, we were on the plane in less than 20 mins.

The flight was nice and took approx 3 1/2 hours. They served drinks and snacks on board at an extra charge as most charter flight do and I was actually quite impressed with the choice of food they had to offer. I got my Starbucks in the end. Thumbs up to Thompson for serving Starbucks on the plane.

The hotel that we stayed at was called the Gloria Palace Amadores Thalasso Hotel. It is a 4 star hotel and spa in Peurto Rico/Amadores. The hotel is about a 35 minute drive from Gran Canaria airport. We decided to pay for private transfers to and from the airport after reading some reviews from people who took the coach. They said it was fine but took a while to get everyone boarded and then stopped at a few hotels along the way. We paid about €100 for the transfers but it was worth every penny. The coach that we got was spacious and air conditioned and we had plenty of room to stretch out after the long flight. It was stress free and a nice start to our holidays

When we arrived to the hotel we were greeted with a choice of drinks at reception. The girl at reception was lovely and checked us in quite quickly. She explained the layout of the hotel and what room on what floor we would be staying in. She was very friendly and very helpful. We didn't bring much luggage so drinks in hand we made our way to our room. They do offer carts and someone to help with your luggage if you need it. Our room was an ocean view room with a balcony. It was beautiful and quite spacious.

     

The room had tea and coffee making facilities which I was happy about because I wasn't sure what the coffee in the hotel was like (it turned out to be really nice). The bathroom had 2 sinks, a bath/shower and a hairdryer which I didn't use because it wasn't great. The rooms do not come with an iron so be warned if you want something ironed there is a laundry service that will do it but they will charge you a fee per item, I wasn't overly pleased about this and if we return I will definitely bring a travel iron.

The hotel will provide you with a pool towel for a €10 deposit that you get back at the end of your stay and if you want clean towels during your stay they charge you a non refundable 50cent every time you want a clean one, not a major inconvenience but we didn't want the hastle of having to fish out cash every other day for a clean towel. After reading reviews on this hotel we opted to bring our own towels that we purchased (penneys finest :) ) before we went and it worked out perfectly.

Not everything in the hotel in included with your all inclusive package and we didn't know this until we checked in. You get a blue armband when you check in that you have to wear at all times when ordering food and drinks. They swipe your card every time you order something which i thought was strange but you get used to it after a few days. There are menus in the lobby bar, poolside snack bar and dining room that are specifically for the people that go all inclusive. Most items have little stars next to them and they are included in your package. There is quite a wide variety of food and drinks you can choose from, selected cocktails, beers and spirits and bottles of red, white and rose wine are also included. We took full advantage of the cocktail and wine selection. Selected bottles of cava are included in your package. It states on the menus which ones are included and which ones you have to pay for so you don't get a massive unexpected bill at the end of your stay. Thankfully we didn't have to pay any extra when we checked out yay.

The dining room is huge and it has what seemed like an endless buffet of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast included everything from sausages, bacon, beans and eggs all cooked fresh on a hot plate, to fresh fruit, yogurt and endless pastries and muffins. For lunch you had a choice of different meats every day. Some days had chicken, turkey and pork and others had fish and beef burgers. There was also a station for making toasted sandwiches which we took full advantage of and made a couple of sandwiches to take to the pool in case we got hungry, There was always salad and fresh fruit available at every meal if you weren't overly hungry. Dinner had a different theme every night from Mexican to Italian to Spanish. The food on Italian night was our favourite and we ate pretty much all they had to offer so we didn't miss out on anything. It was all so tasty. The dishes were endless and the choice of food available was phenomenal. At dinner there was always a huge variety of deserts so everyone could have something they liked. My husband probably ate his weight in ice cream.



There are two pools in the hotel on 2 different levels, one is an adult only pool and the other is a children friendly pool. It was nice to be able to sit by the pool and not have children jumping in and out splashing everyone. They had fashion shows poolside everyday which was cute because you could go to the hotel shop and buy any of the outfits. They had security and lifeguards available all the time. The bar was right beside the pool so we didn't have far to walk to get drinks or snacks (the pizza was amazing). They do give you plastic cups to take to the pool which are quite small so we just ordered 4 drinks instead of 2 taking full advantage of the fact that everything was already paid for.

On the Tuesday morning we decided to go for a walk and we made our way to Amadores Beach. It was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel along the coast and the views were gorgeous. On Amadores Beach you could hire sunbeds and umbrellas for the day at a small cost. There was a strip of shops and restaurants the length of the beach so you didn't have to go far for something to eat. The owners of the restaurants stood outside and tried to coax you in to eat which got a bit annoying the further down you walked but we just politely declined and kept walking. Some of them can be quite pushy and it wasn't the most pleasant experience but we didn't stay long and decided to walk to the marina which was at the other end of the hotel. It was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.


The marina had restaurants and shops the length of the whole street so you were spoiled for choice for shopping and food. The same thing again with the restaurant owners trying to get you to stop and eat. A little further down, about another 15 minute walk was a huge outdoor mall with nightclubs, restaurants and stores that sold everything from suncream to designer handbags and sunglasses. The shop owners weren't pushy at all and just left you to shop in peace which we enjoyed way more than the shops on the beach.

We ate and drank our way through as much as we could in the 7 days we were there and enjoyed every minute. Checking out only took about 2 minutes which was possibly the quickest we've ever checked out of a hotel so that was nice. If I had to score this hotel out of 5 I would give it a 4. The reason being that not everything was included in your package and there was no iron available in the room. Minor things really in an otherwise amazing holiday. I would definitely recommend this hotel and I would definitely return for another visit.

I hope this was helpful for some of you who are thinking of travelling to this hotel or area in general. It really was gorgeous and you cant complain about the sunshine either, it was about 22-23 degrees everyday. It was definitely money well spent and thank you to those of you that recommended this hotel to us.


Kim xoxo