Pocillos Playa

Lovely hotel, very clean, good location for buses, walks and shops, very chilled and relaxed atmosphere, we had a pool facing room and we thought it was great, the staff work very hard and are very friendly, the rooms are a good size, there was a good selection of food for breakfast, lunch & dinner in the buffet restaurant, snacks were a available at the bar during the morning and afternoon, we would definitely go back.

Hotel Pocillos Playa was our first proper getaway for my fiancé and I and the two of us couldn’t have been happier.

We opted for the all-inclusive package (not premium) with a pool-side room and I would highly recommend doing the same as it is great value for money. Beer on draft is San Miguel (much better than at home lol) with wines also on demand at the bar and restaurant. Spirits are all non-branded (besides Smirnoff Vodka) but are all fine substitutes with bar-staff exceedingly generous with their measures; if you are a light-drinker ask for small on spirits otherwise you’ll be slurring “My Way” at Karaoke within half-an-hour. There are also a selection of classic cocktails included that are not part of the premium package (Pina Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, Tequila Sunrise and Sex on the Beach) which kept my fiancé happy since she is a fiend for a Pina Colada. Snacks are also readily available at the bar, mostly nuts/crisps but on occasion leftover chips/calamari from lunch with the occasional late-morning cheese/fruit cart journeying around poolside. Staff were generally enthusiastic to make sure you were well-nourished and relaxed.

As aforementioned, we opted for a pool-side room. Whilst we may have preferred a balcony setting, the veranda is no slouch in comparison and still provides a lovely view of the pool area, especially at night-time. During the day, it can become a bit of a sun-trap by midafternoon, but I personally did not mind basking in the heat whilst reading my book and sipping a beer. The room itself is very spacious with a nice little living area featuring a pull-out sofa and TV, then a dressing area to the left as you walk in with the bathroom to the right of that. Water pressure isn’t the greatest (if you want a bath it will take a good 10-15 minutes to reach a satisfactory level) but the temperature of the water was fine all day. The only real weakness of our room was the beds, two singles pushed together that distance from themselves too easily, featuring a mattress and sheets which felt like death by a thousand cuts if you’re prone to waking in the night. Besides that, it was a lovely little home away from home to sneak away to from all the hustle and bustle of the communal areas.

The pool area is definitely one of the hotel’s highlights, featuring the pool itself at the centre the hot tub at the back There was one day where the latter was out of commission due to maintenance repainting it, but we weren’t too fussed since we spent a decent amount of time in the pool. On windier days, it can be a little too cool, but when the sun is beating down it’s absolutely gorgeous and the perfect size for either floating in the Canarian Sun or doing laps. Lifeguard is on duty for the entirety of pool opening hours (10-18:00) but we would say they could have been more proactive and vigilant. On the final day, the wind picked up a lot with parasols falling over and even flying into the pool. It seemed to be the patrons’ jobs to fix these issues, rather than the pool-staff taking it upon themselves to remove the parasols which is a little disappointing. Staff could have also been a little more assertive with towel-reserving on loungers, we did see staff remove towels if it was exceedingly early on the first day, but after that we saw patrons reserving sun-beds before 9am and no staff members stepped in to remove these.

Granted, none of the issues remotely ruined our experience and we would be more than happy to visit again in the near-future. Breakfast has plenty of choice with dinners having themed nights such as Italian or Mexican, but there are plenty of bars/restaurants within a 5-10 minute walk on the strip if you’re feeling adventurous. A lovely hotel with nice staff that we were sad to depart from.