Altamar
Hotel Altamar is set above Amadores Bay, with impressive sea views. The property has 2 outdoor swimming pools and attractive gardens. Altamar offers spacious apartments, with large terraces and sea views. They all have a ceiling fan in the room and the living space and bedroom, satellite TV and a safe. The well-equipped kitchens includes a ceramic hob, fridge and microwave. The hotel is just 1km from Amadores Beach, in a quiet area of Puerto Rico. Anfi Tauro Golf Course is nearby. It offers free parking on site. The Altamar has a restaurant and a snack bar, open from 08:00 until 00:00 daily. It also has a 24-hour reception, a supermarket and a self-service laundry. Free Wi-Fi access is available at reception. The hotel also offers luggage storage and a courtesy room with shower, for guest to enjoy before check-out.
Facilities
- Wheelchair-accessible
- 24-hour reception
- Late Check-out*
- Mobile phone coverage
- Wired Internet*
- Wi-Fi*
- Local and international calls
- Car hire
- Room service*
- Laundry service*
- *Some facilities may incur an additional fee
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
Will we come back ?
The hotel self catering to all inclusive. The room is spacious there’s a fridge/freezer,kettle,coffee making machine,hob (but no oven or grill) microwave there’s glasses, cutlery, plates,mugs,bowls, egg cups and pans. We had all inclusive the food is nice and a good variety. The downsides that there are steps going to the room and the room cleaning and towel changing is 5 days out of 7 ( which I personally think is not very good if you’re a family of 4+) myself and husband had to make do with no towel change for 3 days. Would we come again, we’re not sure.
Here now (Aug 30th) and WOW
Day 4 at Altamar – An Excellent All-Inclusive Experience
We are now on Day 4 at Altamar, and I have to say, we are absolutely loving it. It has been a fantastic holiday so far.
We arrived at around 10pm and were quickly checked in by reception. The staff were extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful. Altamar is a large hotel with several levels, but we had no difficulty finding our room.
The tram-style lift is certainly different, and I actually really like it. It can take a little while when the hotel is busy, but that is understandable. For anyone who doesn't like stairs, it is definitely an essential facility. Reception is located on the 6th floor, while the pool areas and restaurants are on the 3rd floor.
Pools & Sunbeds
There are no towel wars here! We came down at around 10am today and had plenty of sunbeds to choose from. The pool areas are lovely, with fantastic views, and everything is kept very clean.
Food
The food has been excellent, with plenty of choice throughout the day.
Breakfast offers both continental and "British" options. The sausages and eggs are well cooked, and even the beans taste like Heinz! At snack time there is a great selection, including burgers, hot dogs, pasta and pizza.
My wife is a big fan of salads, and she has been particularly impressed with how fresh everything is.
Lunch and dinner also offer a huge variety, and the food has consistently been well prepared and enjoyable. Without doubt, this is the best food I have experienced at an all-inclusive hotel during any of my holidays in Spain.
Drinks
Beer and wine are available on tap and are both very decent. Cocktails are pre-mixed unless you want to pay extra for premium options.
We are on All Inclusive, which runs until 11pm. After that, we simply pay for anything we want, and the prices are very reasonable.
Cleanliness & Staff
Every area of the hotel is very clean, and the staff have been consistently friendly, helpful and efficient.
There is a Spar shop on site, and taxis are readily available from reception.
We did have a small issue with the air conditioning this morning. I reported it to reception and, by the time I returned to the room, a member of staff was already there. The problem was fixed in around 30 seconds. You really can't ask for better service than that!
Our Room
We are staying in a Superior Room, which is large and very comfortable. The bed is huge and extremely comfortable, and the room has a coffee machine, kettle and a complimentary large bottle of water in the fridge. Room has been cleaned each day which is a bonus.
The shower is excellent, and the room also has a huge veranda with absolutely cracking views.
Overall
We are genuinely loving our holiday. The combination of the food, cleanliness, facilities, location, views and, most importantly, the staff has made this a really enjoyable stay.
Altamar is a genuinely good hotel, and based on our experience so far, I would have no hesitation recommending it.
Alan – Room 71
Better than expected! Wonderful stay at a beautiful hotel!
Overall, this is one of the best holidays we've ever had! Gran Canaria is so lovely and I would definitely return. We booked this holiday last minute and were worried that this hotel was a 3-star but we were very pleasantly surprised!
PROs: Balcony - As everyone says, the balconies really are HUGE! I've never had sunloungers AND a table and chairs on a balcony before. ALL of the rooms face the sea so it was lovely not to have to pay more for a sea view!
Room - We went premium as that was all that was left by the time we booked. Premium rooms are on the higher floors. I would recommend paying the extra if you want to be a reasonable distance from reception which is on the top floor. Rooms have a separate bedroom, lounge/kitchenette and bathroom as well as the huge balcony! We felt there was a decent amount of storage space for a family of 4. Rooms were clean and the cleaners work 5 days out of 7.
Food - Really really good! Honestly, we stayed at a 5-star in Spain in May that was much bigger and the food was quite frankly awful! The food at this hotel is definitely not 3-star quality! There was always lots of choice/fresh meats/fresh pizzas/pasta/salad, and the desserts were actually nice!! Even better, they had an ice cream machine for the kids!
Drinks - We drink cava/prosecco and beer mainly and there was never a long queue, despite there being only 1 bar in the entire hotel. Staff were very efficient. Soft drinks/beer/wine on tap and they actually had Coke rather than Pepsi! Cocktails were lovely. They even had days where the animation team would make cocktails by the pool for guests!
Car Hire - The hotel can arrange this for you and I would highly recommend hiring a car to get out and see the island! Puerto de Mogan and Barranco de Gauyadeque are a must!! The car hire doesn't have any extra hidden charges and staff were very helpful. The car gets dropped off at the hotel and there are free parking spaces available but it's first come first served.
Pools - Simple but lovely to swim in, and during August they felt like a luke-warm bath! Really enjoyed our pool days.
CONs: Steps/lifts - If you need any sort of mobility aid or you have a pram, you may not want to stay here. Despite there being lifts, you'll still need to walk up and down steps to access your room/the pool and restaurant area. It didn't bother us too much but the lifts are like cable cars, and our kids refused to use them after 1 broke down for a couple of minutes whilst we were inside. It was too hot for me to walk up and down the steps so I used the lift frequently. The only time it was a real pain was when we were arriving with suitcases and then leaving with them as you can't escape the steps!!!
Sunbeds - Same as most places! Almost impossible to get sunbeds after 8am, it really is annoying but the simple fact is there isn't enough beds for all guests. The lifeguard was lovely though and always tried to help find a sunbed or even just a chair.
Pools - The only con about the pools is the strict rule of no floaties/Lilos! The lifeguards are always fully aware. I couldn't even let my daughter use a small float but arm bands are permitted.
Bar - There is only 1 bar in the entire hotel. Whilst queues were always small, if you went to the other pool, there was nowhere to get a drink. They had clearly converted the bar at this pool into a beauty salon which seems pointless. Another bar in this pool area would be great! Equally, there is only 1 place to sit which is the restaurant/terrace. However we never really struggled to find a seat.
Air-con - There is air-con in the room, rest assured, and it's decent enough together with the ceiling fans BUT there is no air-con anywhere else in the entire hotel. Restaurant isn't air-conditioned and so it wasn't comfortable to sit in but luckily they have a large outdoor terrace next to the restaurant with plenty of tables for eating and drinking. Even reception isn't air-conditioned. But I would imagine it's only uncomfortable in July/Aug/Sep.
Arcade - Needs to be closer to restaurant/bar area rather than in reception. There wasn't a ton of things for kids to do, although there was a mini playground and football/basketball pitch.
Would I stay here again? YES! And I never say that. There was something really beautiful about the design of this hotel, built into the hillside overlooking the gorgeous sea. We fell in love with it. We never went hungry or thirsty. We really did enjoy our stay and were gutted to leave!
Good apartments, let down by poor entertainment and beverages
We have been staying at Altamar since 2011, but this is our first visit since it became Servatur Altamar. Firstly I’d like to talk about the improvements we’ve noted:
- Apartments now have aircon as well as a ceiling fan, that’s a game changer!
- Sun lounger towels are now given in addition to bath towels, this is a great addition.
- Automated safe deposit boxes (used to be a key from reception).
The negatives:
- The entertainment. Oh my, it was NOT good. I don’t understand why an organisation as big as Servatur would not pay for decent entertainment. We thought it was brutal! Thankfully, as self catering customers, we had plenty of choice elsewhere.
- The drinks at the bar have gone so far downhill. Ordered a beer on day 1, served with no head and minimal fizz, couldn’t finish it. Ordered cocktails on day 2, Pina Colada was just ok, Love of the Beach was very unpleasant. We did not try the bar again for the duration of our trip.
- Sun bed wars were BAD!
The parts of old Altamar that are still there, such as the amazing balconies and amazing views still contributed to a lovely holiday overall, but our entertainment and socialising had to be done offsite due to the poor entertainment/beverage issues. Despite 10+ visits in the past, I’m unsure about whether we will return
Only review you’ll need
This hotel is a decent 3 star hotel. I won’t mention stuff that’s beyond the hotels control
40 minutes by private taxi, we arrived up the huge hill. Check in is at 3, but we arrived and went for lunch and they called me when the room was ready.
The rooms was great. Comfy, well furnished air conditioned room. With lovely balcony overlooking the sea and pools. Each has a table & 4 chairs. 2 sun beds and parasols. Nice big fridge to keep stuff or cold water from the onsite shop (that doesn’t rip you off)
The hotel is on the face of a mountain. If you have any mobility issues or can’t walk up any steps - do not come here.
There is nowhere to walk outside of the complex that doesn’t involve a steep walk or a taxi (of which there are plenty available outside)
Food - is good quality. Unbelievable selection which people moan is the same. But we experienced cook breakfasts; steak, chicken fillets, lasagne, traditional dishes, nuggets, chips, fresh salad - you name it. I thought it was excellent. The daily pizzas are absolutely superb!! If you don’t be a pig and just be modest with what you have, you won’t run out of options after two days and then moan.
Drinks are ok. Small cups. Take your own plastic pint cup. We then filled it up with self service lager. Some cocktails are also free. Drinks are fine. There is one bar. This is a joke, but you can always get a beer.
Swimming pool. There are two, but policed and no inflatables allowed at all. Including balls. Until 6pm when the Life Guard goes home and it’s a free for all. When he’s on his days off - balls are allowed. One pool has no bar next to it. They’ve clearly converted the old bar to a beauty salon which isn’t used and a total waste of space. It does mean people often can’t be bothered to walk to the other pool area where the bar is. So probably saves them a fortune. The provide you with a pool towel that can be refreshed for €3
Entertainment. Is varied. Don’t expect to be thrilled each night. Take it for what it is. People are trying their best. Have fun, be polite and watch it.
Overall - a lovely hotel. But the hills are a bind, and the two lifts that look like an A Level Technology project do break down, and the wait can be a while.
Staff are great. No complaints and they work hard
Trips: Taxi to the beach. €7 Anfi beach €10 - nice to visit. Time Share man desperate to talk to the English and doesn’t like it when you tell him to go away. Little Venice - €18. Nice port and pretty bars and places to eat. Worth going. Europa shopping - walkable and full of tat shops and seedy bars. Entertainment sounded brilliant at night - and dodgy men hang out to sell you anything extra you’d like. Beatles Tribute sounded amazing. Has a fantastic crazy golf to play at night for €7 each and a nice cheap bar.
If you want an excursion. Go to Europa and use the sales stand by the big TV’s. English lady serving and very knowledgeable. Stew’s Excursions.
Overall - lovely all inclusive week away. Wouldn’t go back due to the hills and steps. But glad I went.
