Guest User
February 24, 2025
Just returned from 5 nights at the Princesa Yaiza. Enjoyed our stay generally - but no way is this a five star hotel. First the good stuff - the breakfast buffet is excellent and the location is good with both the port and the town an easy stroll away for dinner in the evening. Also, it is virtually unique in that there was never a problem in getting a sun bed by the pool at any time of day! Yes, it was February - but the hotel told me they were at 94% occupancy, so I'm guessing its pretty much like that all year round. That said, the seats that were available were around the lower (ie: nearer the coast) pool which is unheated and therefore absolutely freezing at this time of year. Now the not so good stuff. everyone likes eating breakfast al-fresco, right? Not a chance at the Princesa Yaiza. The terrace doesn't open for breakfast until 9.00 (why??) by which time there is a queue of 70 - 80 people. In fact, there always seemed to be a queue for breakfast outside - so we had no option but to eat indoors in one of the larger, soulless restaurants - a bit like eating in a conference centre... Next up the beds. Oh my. They are truely terrible. There were three of us (my wife, me and our 17 y/o son) so we booked a suite with a double bed and a separate living area with sofa beds. The double beds were two singles, made up individually and pushed together. And they were just about the most uncomfortable beds I've ever slept in. You know the sort - you can hear the metal springs ping when you sit on them, like a camp bed - and unless you lay exactly in the middle of the bed, it feels like you are going to roll out at any minute. The sofa beds weren't much better. The website says the suites can accommodate up to four adults - but that's not really the case. Our teenage son is a shade under 6 ft which meant that he couldn't stretch out. The sofa beds don't fold out - you just lie on the sofa which is made up as a bed - except the sofa has wooden arm rests at each end which means that unless you are a child or very short, you'll be cramped up with your legs bent while you try to sleep. The room was however very well laid out - but also very basic in terms of how it was finished. There was nothing 'luxury' about it at all. We didn't eat in the hotel in the evening because all of the restaurants felt lacking in atmosphere - but there is plenty of choice outside the hotel if you are prepared to walk 5 or 10 mins along the excellent promenade. So, all in all we were somewhat disappointed - as I said, it was a long way from being 'five star' but the good location, the breakfasts (the food, not the room), the layout of the suite and the availability of sun beds meant that we made the most of it and had an OK time.