Arona Gran Hotel

We visited the Arona Gran in the last week of September 26 and we were certainly impressed with the hotel overall. On first walking into the building, an impressive reception area welcomes guests, with masses amounts of space, and seating along with what looks like a hanging garden all around. We didn’t arrive until 9.30pm so the restaurant was closing, but we were given the opportunity of checking into our room and then grabbing a sandwich from a modest selection that had been prepared for late check in guests. The room we were allocated (452) was spotlessly clean, spacious and had a small terrace with a table & chairs and a view of the beach/harbour, a fellow guest commented that they were woken in the morning by the early ferry’s fog horn but we never noticed any noise as such, in fact, if the window black out was closed, it was very easy to sleep over and make breakfast a bit of a dash. The location of the hotel is at the southern end of Los Christianos and is one of the last hotels on the resort front so it takes approx. 10-15 minutes to walk into Los Christianos centre should you wish, but along the way are many bars and restaurants to take refreshment in along the way and taxis are reasonably cheap should the distance, (or heat) be too much. The food served at the hotel is of a standard rarely experienced, with a massive amount of choice at every sitting, I have never seen such a wide choice of food, and they cater for every taste imaginable. The waiting staff are pleasant and attentive without being intrusive and any request was dealt with immediately and professionally. The Gala night dinner even managed to improve on the normal standard with the introduction of masses of choice including all kinds of seafood, caviar and endless selection of quality meats, pastas and vegetables, topped off with deserts to die for, well done to the chefs and kitchen staff for excelling on the night. A lovely touch on Gala night was a young lady playing violin to the guests as they arrived to dine. We spent a considerable amount of time around the pool and there was an adequate amount of sunbeds for everyone, although, of course, you had the usual parade of sunbed grabbers in the early morning before breakfast, but, to be fair to the hotel, if a sun bed was reserved and not occupied between 9am – 10am, the pool guy removed the towels and other belongings and put them in a bin bag at the side of his post, which made for amusing watching as certain guests arrived back at the pool after lunch thinking their belongings had been stolen only to find they’d been removed to the “naughty corner” There were many daily activities around the pool from aqua aerobics to quizzes and paella making, present but not pushy should you not wish to participate, one nice touch around the pool was a weekly parade of all sections of the staff, right from top management to the pool guy and the gardener which gave the guests the opportunity to show their appreciation. The entertainment was perhaps not the West End, but adequate for most guests who stayed around the hotel of an evening, we were treated to The Beatles, Barry White, Michael Buble, Lionel Ritchie and Queen along with supporting artists who maintained a live entertainment schedule from 8pm till midnight. We didn’t experience the UP option on our stay, and, to be honest, we didn’t think we’d missed out on anything. Overall a lovely holiday and a fantastic hotel which I would have no hesitation in recommending to anyone, many guests we spoke to were returning visitors who were on their four, fifth and beyond visits which speaks volumes, thank you Aroma Gran and, hopefully, we’ll see you all again very soon.

Fantastic Stay at the Arona Gran – Just a Few Areas to Improve ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My wife and I stayed at the Arona Gran in Tenerife for a week in mid-October, and overall, we had a fantastic holiday. The hotel has excellent facilities, is well maintained and provides a lovely setting for a relaxing break. We were on a half-board basis, and on the whole, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

It is worth mentioning that the hotel does cater more towards an older clientele. At 30 years old, my wife and I were probably among the youngest guests there! That said, this didn’t detract from our experience at all, and anyone looking for a peaceful, relaxing holiday will likely appreciate the atmosphere.

Food, facilities and location

The facilities throughout the hotel are excellent, and breakfast was consistently great, with plenty to enjoy each morning. Dinner was generally good too, although the selection could occasionally feel limited, with some dishes repeated on certain days. A little more variety in the evening buffet would certainly improve the half-board experience.

The hotel’s location is also very convenient. Having an on-site medical pharmacy and a HiperDino supermarket directly across the road is a real bonus, particularly if you need to pick up essentials or anything during your stay. These little conveniences add to the overall appeal of the hotel.

Service – a mixed experience

For the most part, the service in the bars and buffet restaurant was good, and the majority of staff were friendly and helpful. However, we did experience one particularly disappointing incident that I feel is worth highlighting.

On one evening, we and five other couples sat down at the only available outdoor tables, which hadn’t yet been set. Unfortunately, the young waiter with glasses was nowhere to be seen for several minutes. When he eventually arrived, rather than politely explaining that there were prepared tables available elsewhere, he shouted at the group in broken English, pointing angrily towards the tables outside the door and saying, “There are tables made over there.”

We all moved as requested, but he then continued to ignore us and the other couples, despite us waiting to be served. Eventually, he came over and took our drinks order.

This was disappointing and completely unnecessary. A polite explanation would have resolved the situation immediately and left everyone feeling welcome.

As someone heavily involved in customer service professionally, I appreciate that hospitality can be demanding and that staff have difficult jobs, particularly during busy service periods. On the whole, the staff were good, but some of the bar and restaurant teams did appear stressed and overworked.

I would strongly encourage Spring Hotels Group to consider more thorough customer-service training for its bar and buffet restaurant teams, alongside ensuring staff have the support they need during busy periods. The hotel has so much going for it, and delivering consistently warm, professional service would help bring the overall experience up to the high standard the facilities already offer.

Overall verdict

Despite the issues mentioned, we had a fantastic week at the Arona Gran and came away having thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. The excellent facilities, great breakfasts, convenient location and relaxing atmosphere made for a very enjoyable stay.

The service issue was an isolated but disappointing experience in an otherwise positive week. With a little more attention to dinner variety and greater consistency in customer service, this hotel could be even better.

We would certainly look back on our stay positively and hope to see these small improvements made, as the Arona Gran has all the ingredients for an excellent holiday experience.