Our Tui Package Summer Family Holiday To Los Gigantes

We usually tailor our own travels independently however, this year we decided to go for a package holiday with Tui. After visiting a few different agents in person and searching for deals online we finally found a deal for a two week half board trip to Los Gigantes, and booking it online was definitely the cheapest option.

There was a slight twenty minute delay on the departure flight however, it was actually a positive as East Midlands Airport was super busy and traveling as a family of five in August takes longer to do everything, from parking the car to reaching the departure lounge.

Flying from East Midlands Airport we landed in Tenerife south airport after a 4hour 20 minutes flight.

After getting through passport control and the baggage collection in Tenerife South Airport, we found our Tui rep who directed us to our transfer bus. We arrivived at our hotel within an hour after a few drop offs to the other Tui hotels in Los Gigantes. Unfortunately, there were some building works on the route leading up to our hotel so, the bus driver decided to abandon us and one other family in the dark, with no hotel in sight rather than driving up the narrow road. We didn’t even know how far the hotel was from where he dropped us. At this point we were already missing the independence and convenience of our usual car hire pick up from the airport.

Anyway, after finally checking into the hotel we got to our apartment had a quick bite to eat and went to bed after a long days travel.

 

The Hotel

We stayed at the 4 star Royal Sun Resort hotel which is positioned in a privileged location over looking the beautiful cliffs, harbour, town of Los Giantes and the island of Gomera. All the rooms have an incredible sea view facing the beautiful sunset. The facilities and services available include a gym, 24 hour reception, room service, a mini market run by a lovely man from the UK, a carpark, laundry service, a hair and beauty salon, car and bike hire, luggage storage, massages and a business suite.

The Apartment

There are one and two bedroom standard and luxury apartments, we tired to upgrade to a luxury two bedroom apartment  but unfortunately they were all fully booked. However, our standard apartment was comfortable, light, airy and spotlessly clean. Although, it could have done with a bit of updating as the kitchen units and furniture have seen better days. All apartments have air conditioning, a flat screen tv, wifi, a fully fitted well equipped kitchen with a four ring hob and low level oven, microwave, fridge freezer, dishwasher, kettle, toaster and a capsule coffee maker. The super large balconies have a large double sun canopy, four sun loungers and a large six seater dining table. The master bedroom and living area had patio doors opening onto the balcony. The bathroom had a lovely large rain shower, but again it was in need of an update. The rooms were cleaned everyday except for Sundays.

Food And Drink

You have an option of staying self catering, bed and breakfast or half board paying for your own drinks. The hotels has two restaurants, the ‘Regency’ which is a live cooking Buffet with a choice of indoor and outdoor dining again over looking the sea, harbour and stunning cliffs of Los Gigantes, and the a la Carte restaurant the ‘Aqua‘ managed by a prestigious local chef Lucas Maes.

The breakfast dining is from 8am till 10.30 am and times for the evening meals is from 6.30 pm till 10pm.

The ‘big breakfast’ offers a ‘big’ selection of hot and cold food of everything you can think including freshly cooked eggs, omelettes and pancakes, a fresh fruit bar, a selection of breads and pastries, cold meats and cheeses, cereals, nuts and grains, yogurts, freshly squeezed juice, a large choice of teas and coffee and bottles of chilled Cava.

The evening dinner has a smaller selection to choose from offering pre cooked meats, pasta dishes or fish dishes and a choice of Mediterranean vegetables and Canarian cuisine, a salad bar, cold meats and cheeses or you can order freshly grilled meats, fish, seafood, noodles, pasta or rice dishes to order from the chefs live cooking bar, you can also order food for the kids if they are struggling with the food options such as, french fries, pizza and chicken nuggets and there is a cold desert and ice-cream bar.

The restaurant staff are super friendly and worked very hard looking after us. What a stunning view to start the day eating a lovely breakfast.

The Outside dining area 

What a stunning view to start the day eating a lovely breakfast and a fabulous view of the stunning sunset whilst dining for dinner.

The Pools

The hotel features a large family pool with sun beds and shades featuring a small indoor play area, a snack bar and an outside dining area. On the upper level is the children’s large paddling pool also with sun beds, a darts board and table tennis.

Entertainment

There is a daily and nightly entertainment schedule including including a jazz duo and a Flamenco show who both performed in the outside dining area of the Regency restaurant once a week, tribute singers and a magician. The entertainment team organised daily family games, the kids mini disco, the kids weekly foam party and a weekly Karaoke night.

The playground

There is a cute little playground positioned next to the Regency restaurant which has an almost infinity pool like feel to it with the view of the sea along the gorgeous views of the harbour and the cliffs. This lovely little space became a part of the kids after dining routine where they would enjoy meeting up with their hotel buddies.

Final Thoughts

This quiet hotel is perfect for travelers wanting a relaxing stay.

Due to it’s size, the small pool and sun bathing area is more suited to adults rather than for families with children. It also gets quite busy and finding sun beds proved difficult by mid morning.

The restaurant staff are amazing and really looked after us with love and attention. We hugged and kissed on our last day and it felt like we were saying our good-byes to our friends.

I personally found the Half Board holiday quite hard work as crazy as it sounds, as getting a family of five up and ready twice a day for the hotels schedule was quite demanding. The breakfast was of a high standard with lots of choice however the evening dinner buffet was a little repetitive and took a few sittings to become familiar with the procedure. If you wanted to order from the chefs live grill, it was very unpredictable how long the food would take to prepare. As a result, it was hard for all the family to eat our main course together at the same time.

The location of the hotel is perfect in relation to the stunning views and uninterrupted sunshine. However, for those who like to walk down into the town the return walk back up the hill may be tricky for some due to the very steep hills.

Our Tui representative ‘Janet’ is a lovely lady however, you do get the impression the main priority of the hotel visit’s are to sell you excursion tickets.

The children made friends extremely easily, as the hotel has a very intimate environment. Both children and adults alike found it a perfect opportunity to engage in conversation.

Cuba especially got involved in the competitions and water games. He even got up and sang his current favourite tune on the karaoke night.

The evening entertainment was a bit hit and miss and was usually over by 10pm. Which again, is great for travellers who prefer a quiet hotel.

Top Tips

1 Tenerife is vast and very hilly so I definitely recommend hiring a car to travel about the island at your own pace. We hired a car for the second week of the trip which for us, really kicked started our holiday.

2 Consider booking a car before your holiday departure as the price will be significantly higher in the resort. ‘AutoReisin’ are very competitive throughout the Canary Islands, they don’t take deposits and  have a no scratch policy, as they are fully insured.

3  If a car hire isn’t an option take advantage of the islands professional public transport. The bus services travel all over the island. The buses are a clean, comfortable and a cheaper alternative to get around the island. Many travellers use the public buses to travel and from the airport which you can book in advance.

4 The islands taxis are the other great way to get about the island, they are cheap and reliable.

5 There are a lot of excursions and places to visit in Tenerife which can be quite daunting as you are constantly bombarded with different deals and packages from touts and travel representatives.  I recommend you do your research before you go on holiday and find out exactly if or where you prefer to visit. You can book and pre pay online from the comfort of your home on official websites.

6 Consider researching the health and safety policies of any excursions you are thinking of booking. You can do this by checking with your holiday representative or travel company if you have one. Tui for example, only use establishments who work according to Tui’s stringent health and safety standards .

7 If you prefer a quieter holiday don’t travel to Tenerife during August as it is extremely busy. Most hotels are usually fully booked and the beaches are super busy.

8 The retail shopping is something to be taken advantage of in Tenerife. You can find some of the familiar high street shops such as H&M, Zara, Bershka and Mango. And of course don’t forget all the adult clothing is tax free.

9 Make the effort to seek Canarian owned restaurants and bars as they often offer delicious menus at a way cheaper price than most of the more commercial establishments.

10 Research or ask the hotel reception about any local events that are taking place during your stay. There are also lots of lovely places to visit for free and soak up the local atmosphere and traditions. We were fortunate and privileged to attend a Fiesta in the local village of Alcala, We watched an amazing parade at night and a spectacular midnight fireworks display.

Have you been on holiday to Tenerife? Do you prefer a package holiday or to tailor your own trips? I would love to hear of your experiences and any top tips you can share.

Lot’s of love

Dana x x

 

 

*This post is not sponsored or gifted. We paid for everything ourselves and we wanted to share our wonderful experiences and love to inspire others looking for holiday inspiration and top tips.