Gloria Palace Royal Hotel and Spa

We had a really lovely holiday travelling as a family with two teenage children (18 and nearly 16). All rooms have a sea view and everything we needed, including a bath. Rooms were kept clean and bottled water provided daily. Because we were all inclusive, we had access to the safe for free too. The infinity pool had a beautiful view of the beach. We usually stay away from the pools with the entertainment but it was very pretty and we did spend time there. The team around the pool are fantastic and we joined in with Aqua Zumba which was great fun. The upper pool area was more our scene with lovely Bali beds and a quieter bar area. There is also a nudist area at the very top of the hotel if you are so inclined. It was very quiet there as one might expect. The Bali beds are reserved very early in the morning and then people seem to leave their towels there for 5 hours at a time, which is very annoying, but the same with lots of hotels. Breakfast was excellent with plenty of choice for everyone. Lunch and dinner were ok for an all inclusive. If you're vegetarian (which I am), I found it a bit limited, particularly when it came to protein options but I ate something every day (albeit quite a lot of pasta!) The pool bar offered pizzas and hot dogs in the afternoon which we did on a couple of days and skipped the lunch buffet. Desserts were really good - I usually find they look different but all taste the same, but not in this case. They also have a soft serve ice cream machine available at lunch and dinner. There wasn't much of a children's section on the buffet which is fine for us now, but I think I may have struggled with my then fussy children if we'd visited 10 years ago. We're not big on hotel entertainment but you could be involved or avoid it. We played cards by the pool in the evening and did watch the "classical singer" one night - he was excellent. Lots of others were definitely enjoying the entertainment in the evenings. All inclusive drinks options were good, with lots of cocktails available and 3 mocktails on offer too. They weren't shy with their measures either! :) Reception staff were helpful when we needed anything and the welcome was lovely, with cava and orange juice offered on arrival. Most staff couldn't do enough to help and were always ready with a smile. They worked very hard! There were mostly German and Spanish guests at the hotel, but they spoke all the languages well, including English. The spa pool was very nice with individual beds in the pool, a sauna, and steam room. Spa staff came around regularly with juice. 3 of the 4 of us had a treatment - I had a facial, my husband had a sports massage, and my younger daughter had a chocolate massage. All were quite nice but a little on the expensive side for what we had. Still, we were on holiday so a nice treat. The gym facilities were good for a hotel gym. We used them regularly and managed a variety of workouts. They had a few machines outside too which were slightly shaded and that was a nice change. Amadores beach is very pretty and we spent time down there on two of the days - they have an inflatable water park which was 10 euros for 45 minutes and we all enjoyed it. You can walk around to Puerto Rico on a nice coastal path, which we did a couple of times (and jogged it twice too, which I'd recommend before it gets too hot!). Puerto Rico has a harbour with boat trips, jet skis, watersports, diving etc. We went on a dolphin watching trip and saw A LOT of dolphins which was great. In terms of other places to visit nearby... We went to Puerto de Mogan which was stunning and well worth a visit. We got a bus near the hotel which was about 6 euros for all 4 of us! We went on market day (Friday) and it was a nice atmosphere walking around the market - my daughter got very good at haggling! Mogan Mall is not in Puerto de Mogan, but in Puerto Rico. We got a taxi there which again was about 7 euros. It's a lovely shopping area with some different shops and many we recognised from the UK. They had some nice eateries - we went to the Italian there (Vincis I think) and they were good humoured and the food was nice and reasonably priced. If you visit on a Friday or Saturday, they have a fountain show there in the evening which was nice to watch. We also did coasteering through Viator which was amazing! Not for the fainthearted but well worth it. We laughed a lot and the children said it was the best thing they'd ever done on holiday. This was in the Taurito area. We did consider Sioux City and the AquaPark but the reviews about animal welfare put me off so do check this out if this concerns you. We also considered Maspalomas sand dunes but didn't make it - we'll have to come back and visit again! There is a golf course nearby which we jogged to but didn't play - if you're into golf, it could be worth a look as it was a pretty course. In summary, I would recommend Gran Canaria, Amadores, and the Gloria Palace Royal. They have several return guests that we spoke to when we were there so they must be getting something right. Only other slight disappointment was that there was a request via TUI to have chocolates in my daughters' room on arrival to celebrate the end of their A Levels and GCSEs which never materialised. It's a small point but it would have made them feel a bit special.

Staff were friendly and could not do enough for you. Check in was fast and welcomed with a cava and food waiting as we were late arrivals and had missed dinner
Hotel was spotless and chambermaid was super. She provided extra water, and we had a few chats and giggles. Location was spot on and you could pick any room for sea views. Rooms were large with Aircon, clean and quiet. We were block two so easy access to both pools, reception and restaurant. Hotel is definitely value for money and restaurant food had plenty of choice. Pork cheeks were amazing. Evening entertainment was a little bit like watching a talent show. However if you get a chance to watch the guy who sing opera do it. He was amazing.