FERGUS Puerto de la Cruz

Arrived past 11 PM after traveling for nearly 16 hours straight, we were met with a thorough details form, requesting home addresses, emails, and phone numbers before even getting our keycards when all we wanted was sleep, why did they need this from ALL of us? And why was this NOT done beforehand?

Getting to the room, it looked modern but basic, our bathrooms feel completely untouched from the early 2000s, which conflicts with their own marketing that shows modern bathrooms like the main bedroom was.

The public toilets are pretty hidden away and can be hard to find. The pool snack bar was a nice touch but to me was a bit inconsistent to if it was on or not. That longer deeper pool isn't heated at all, unlike the smaller rounded pool which is warm enough to take the edge off.

If you buy pool floaties, adults or kids, don't bother. The hotel has a strict ban on that, I we missed this and bought a few but it took the lifeguards 40 minutes of slacking to even notice me in a ring and told me to get it out.

Bizarrely, while the main entertainment bar and smaller pool bar covers all inclusive drinks, the bar at that deeper pool charges extra regardless, which makes zero sense for guests who paid for all inclusive so there is zero point going up there.

On the catering side, it's your standard continental buffet with daily themes, the kitchen staff know how to cook to perfection with photo-perfect presentation.

The Wi-Fi is a mixed bag; speed is actually fast for Canary standards at 150-300 Mbps, but their routers or device management system keep throwing guests devices off the network, especially around the smaller pool, they can't even keep it on for their own staff since it dropped on the entertainment host mid-game during a rather forgettable, single game phone Bingo event, that they do daily, ironic she was using their own staff wifi separate from the guest wifi.

Speaking of entertainment overall feels cheap at times, like one night just played Just Dance recordings and those "escape from" videos off YouTube without even paying for Premium to skip the ads. But times it felt okay with performers and singers.

Considering this is Fergus's only hotel in the Canaries, it's a pretty mid first impression compared to their properties in the Balearic islands or mainland Spain. The frontline staff themselves were incredible and extremely friendly throughout despite the odd language barriers moment, but the day before we were to leave we were told we might be able to extend our room, only to be refused even a single extra hour when we asked the next morning.

We really enjoyed our stay overall and had no major issues. I actually wanted to leave a detailed review because some of the reviews I read before arriving terrified me, but our experience was much more positive! Pros The food selection was good, although we’re not particularly fussy eaters. There was always something suitable for our 16-month-old too, which was a big plus for us. They have different themed evenings, including Asian, Tapas and Mexican nights, as well as a BBQ by the main pool on Fridays, which we really enjoyed. That said, we did overhear a vegetarian guest speaking to a holiday rep and saying that she felt there was very little choice for her, so this may be something to consider if you have specific dietary requirements. There was plenty of choice for drinks on the All Inclusive package. Not every cocktail is included, but the staff are happy to make variations using the included spirits and mixers. For example, a Piña Colada wasn't included, but they would make coconut rum with pineapple juice instead. Our room was spacious and cleaned every day. We booked a sea-view room and the views were absolutely fantastic. We spent most days at the top pool as there is a children's pool there and it was generally much quieter. We usually went up at around 8:30am to make sure we could get a sunbed. One thing to be aware of is that this area isn't particularly mobility or pram friendly. It's advertised as the family zone, but ironically it can be quite difficult for families with young children to get to. Drinks from the bar at the top pool also aren't included in the All Inclusive package. This didn't really bother us as we just walked down to the main area to get drinks, but it's worth knowing beforehand. There are a few little shops and supermarkets nearby, which are really handy if you need anything during your stay. Just be prepared for the steep hill when walking back to the hotel! Cons / Things to Be Aware Of If you have mobility issues, I would think carefully before booking this hotel. My husband has mobility difficulties l, but he thought he would manage. He did struggle at times because the hotel itself and the surrounding area are very hilly. Obviously, Tenerife in general can be quite hilly, but it's definitely something worth considering. We didn't experience the dreaded "sunbed wars", although some guests did reserve beds and then disappear for hours. Towards the end of our stay, the hotel started putting signs out asking people not to do this. The top pool was generally quiet, though, so it never really caused us a problem. Another downside of the top family pool was the lack of baby-changing facilities. Changing a wet nappy on a lounger isn't too bad, but anything more than that would understandably be unpleasant and unfair on other guests. For an area specifically advertised towards families, a baby-changing facility would make a big difference. Parking is also something to consider if you're hiring a car. Finding free parking nearby can be very difficult, while hotel parking costs €15 per day, which is one of the most expensive hotel parking charges we've experienced on holiday. If you do find a space further away, remember you'll then have the hills to contend with when going back to collect the car. Overall We genuinely enjoyed our stay and didn't encounter any major problems. I mainly wanted to write this review because some of the negative reviews made me quite nervous before we arrived, and thankfully our experience was much better than I expected. There are definitely a few things that could be improved, particularly accessibility and the facilities around the family pool, but overall we had a lovely holiday. We probably wouldn't stay here again simply because we prefer visiting different places rather than returning to the same hotel, but we would absolutely consider staying at another FERGUS hotel in the future.