Aparthotel Tamaimo Tropical, Tenerife

Tamaimo Tropical

In June I was taken on a surprise honeymoon to Tenerife after being at a Haven Holiday for a week (but that's another story). We left from Gatwick airport flying through Direct Holidays. Everything went smoothly. My hubby had warned me that it was the cheapest one that he could find and told me that it was a 3* but he had not a clue what it was going to be like. We have ended up in a few dodgy places.

...
...11pm. I felt great but we had 2 very tired and groggy toddlers with us (awww, I hear you sigh, you took your 2 children on your honeymoon, but we had my 17yr old niece, commonly referred to as "the babysitter" with us). We got off the plane and collected our baggage and all the usual stuff that goes on then made our way to find our rep.

After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime our bus had finally arrived to take us to ... more

Tamaimo Tropical

In June I was taken on a surprise honeymoon to Tenerife after being at a Haven Holiday for a week (but that's another story). We left from Gatwick airport flying through Direct Holidays. Everything went smoothly. My hubby had warned me that it was the cheapest one that he could find and told me that it was a 3* but he had not a clue what it was going to be like. We have ended up in a few dodgy places.

We arrived at the South Airport in Tenerife at around 11pm. I felt great but we had 2 very tired and groggy toddlers with us (awww, I hear you sigh, you took your 2 children on your honeymoon, but we had my 17yr old niece, commonly referred to as "the babysitter" with us). We got off the plane and collected our baggage and all the usual stuff that goes on then made our way to find our rep.

After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime our bus had finally arrived to take us to the Tamaimo Tropical Apartments. Our nice rep kindly informed us that because there was so much people going to the same area they had laid on a separate bus for us so it wouldn't take as long, she also informed us that there was not going to be a rep on the bus with us, we would all have to listen carefully for our stop. It still however took 2 blooming hours because as always the bus drivers love taking the scenic route. He could have taken the more thoughtful route and we would have been dropped off in half an hour! Never mind, I am meant to be reviewing the apartments, here is me babbling on already!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As we arrived at the Tamaimo Tropical I was surprised by how nice it looked. We walked into the huge reception and the first thing I did was take a seat on one of the many wicker chairs whilst my hubby checked us in and collected our apartment key. By this time it was 1.30am. I was shattered but thank goodness our apartment was not far from the reception so we didn't have a long walk.

THE APARTMENT

To get into our room we had a card which was basically swiped. Our apartment was on the first floor (the same floor as our reception). We had two really good sized bedrooms, each with 2 single beds, a dressing table, a bedside table and a huge built in wardrobe. The wardrobes contained some more bedding and some hangers. One of the bedrooms contained a safe which we never used. You were charged 25 Euros plus a 5 Euro deposit to use it so we never bothered. Instead we hid all of our money in one of the cushions in the lounge. The lounge was clean and tidy. We had a TV but unless you loved Sky News or Eurosport you pretty much had to speak fluent German or Spanish to watch a programme. We did however watch an exciting Spanish version of Deal or No Deal. There was a nice big solid wooden table, a slightly smaller one and a desk. There was a phone which we only ever used to call reception (this was free). There were 2 single wooden chairs which were huge and cushioned. The only problem was that one of them was broken and it fell to bits everytime one of us sat on it. There was also a matching futon, one of the slats on this was broken too so it was pretty creaky and uncomfortable at one side. Had we told the hotel that they were broken they would have fixed it rapidly but we just never got round to it. We also had a nice balcony with a white plastic table and 3 chairs. We also had a nice clothes airer which turned out to be a godsend for me as I had nowhere enough clothes to keep up with the kids daily ice cream splatters. The white kitchen was attached to the lounge, it was small but it was all you needed. There was plenty of crockery and cutlery. A microwave, oven, 4 ringed hob and a little fridge which contained a small freezer compartment. The bathroom however was not so appealing. The tiles looked grubby and was in need of a revamp. There was a toilet (with a plentiful supply of bog roll), a beday, sink and a bath with overhead shower. There was 3 steralised glasses left and some standard hotel soap. With its grubby appearance it wouldn't have really bothered me but the first thing I saw when I entered the room was the BIGGEST cockroach I have ever seen on one of the towels. Needless to say I screamed my nut off and jumped back into the lobby like a bolt of lightening. My hubby came to the rescue and had to trap it in a bowl (a glass wasn't big enough) and flush the mite down the toilet. The next morning on of its offspring had reared its ugly head. It suffered the same fate.

After working out that they were coming from the side of the bath panel I went to reception. This particular man that worked there was brilliant. He spoke fluent English and was very polite and helpful. He asked me for my room number and told me that he would send someone up there and then with some spray, if they were still bothering me then we could change rooms. Ten minutes later a cleaner arrived at the door armed with honking lemon spray to kill them. She left the tin of spray with us and we only needed to use it a couple of more times.

On our first full day there I had to phone reception. My son managed to knock over and glass, that and ceramic tiles don't really mix. I asked for a broom and was told that a cleaner would take one to me. After waiting around for half and hour we decided to go out. When we came back the cleaner had been in to clean and swept up the glass and kindly left us a broom. Which was used about 3 more times after that!

CLEANERS

That brings me onto the rooms. They were cleaned everyday, apart from a Sunday. The beds were made up everyday, providing you didn't leave anything on it and they left you fresh towels and cleaned everywhere else. I did however have a run in with one cleaner and she didn't speak a word of English, she wasn't impressed when I told her to hold on a moment before coming in but I wasn't going to let her come in when I was in the midst of changing. I'm sure that the sight of me in my underwear would have haunted her for years to come. Apart from that every other member of staff I encountered was nice and friendly.

RECEPTION

The reception was open 24 hours. This was your main port of call for problems and enquires. At the reception there was 3 computers which was open for public use. You could surf the net for 12 minutes for 1 Euro, or pay an extra Euro and it would give you half and hours use. This I found reasonable compared to other places. You could also book excursions through reception. We did this for a trip to Loro Parque. Loro Parque is a big wildlife resort, this is the reason that my hubby picked Tenerife. We had been to Gran Canaria many times and once took a day trip to Tenerife to visit Loro Parque. It features loads of shows including dolphins, seals, parrots and most recently killer whales. Most definitely worth a visit if you holiday in Tenerife. Direct Holidays wanted to charge us 45 Euros per adult for the trip, nothing for our 1 yr old and 35 Euros for our 2 yr old. The rep told me that there was no way that they would budge on that price as they had insurances etc to pay for but what no one told us at the time was that entry to Loro Parque was free for under 5's so they would have made a killing off of this. I enquired at reception about the trip and they offered me 35 euros per person, nothing for my daughter and 21 Euros for my son. Needless to say I didn't go with Direct holidays. I didn't like my rep anyway so I wouldn't have given her the satisfaction of being able to boost up her figures. She gave us a fair bit of information regarding what to do over the other side of the island but told us nothing about the area that we were at, overall I found her pretty much unhelpful. I found the Thomsons rep that I spoke to there much more friendly and was willing to give us information even though we didn't travel with them. The Direct Holidays rep will also lead you to believe that there is absolutely no crime in the area, this is a complete lie!

FOOD

The food at Tamaimo wasn't exactly what I would call first class, I think slightly average is a better way of putting it but it ended up being as cheap as chips so when you have a babysitter with a hunger the size of the Titanic you can't really complain. There was a pool bar there which was open for food between 12pm and 6pm. This is where we went most days to get lunch. A bowl of chips would set you back 1.50 Euro and a huge pizza would cost anything between 4 and 5 Euros, very cheap. Their menu was full of things like chicken, pork, lasagne, burgers, toasties etc. Not the healthiest of food but filled a hole. I did however by the end of my 7 days think that if I had to eat one more chip I would explode.

Between 8am and 10am the place to go for breakfast was their buffet breakfast. The spread that they had on there was unbelieveable. To eat their in the morning would cost you 5 Euros per person. The staff that watched over you were the same staff members that you would often find serving behind one of the hotels 3 bars. Between 6pm and 9pm was supper. I think that to eat then it would cost you 14 euros per person. We went their 3 nights. On our last night there my hubby and I went out for a meal, when we returned I sat with my niece and kids at the buffet and waited till they had finished eating. That particular night I was glad that I hadn't went there because the choice was not really to my liking at all.

If you have been out baking yourself all day and miss supper the buffet is still open from 9.30pm till 11pm for snack. 3 Euros will get you an all you can eat burgers, chips, hot dogs, all that fast foody type things.

Luckily we never paid too much for our food. A leaflet was in our room about the prices to upgrade to Half board, Full board and All Inclusive. It was 23 Euros to go all inclusive for a day (9 Euros for under 11's). This was well worth it as they charge an absolute fortune for drinks. A pint of lager and a peach snapps and lemonade set us back 6.80 Euros, not as cheap as you would expect it to be.

To upgrade to all inclusive we had to go to the reception. You can go all inclusive when ever you like, even if its just for one day. We booked it for one day and was each given a band to wear on our wrist, it looked like a hospital band, the adult ones were flesh in colour and the kids ones were blue. We thought that the bands would change colour everyday but they didn't. When we paid for another day all inclusive we came to the realisation that you could arrive on your first day, pay for all inclusive then just eat and drink yourself silly for a week and it would hardly cost you a thing. We tested this theory out and every night for 3 nights we headed down to the bar for a few free alcoholic beverages. We didn't take the mickey and eat all the time as we wouldn't have felt right doing it, although my niece did enjoy her free meals very much. All Inclusive was great for our son, with the heat you always tend to drink more, a lemonade would cost you 1.35 Euro roughly 80p - 90p. This is not a bad price but it soon adds up when you have umpteen of them in a day.

SWIMMING POOLS

Tamaimo had two sides to it. On one side their was a kids pool which was brilliant, then there was a massive pool which was split very slightly by a beautiful bridge which led you to the pool bar where you could get drink and munchies. There was a lifeguard on most of the day till around 6pm. The sun loungers were free and everywhere was cleaned every morning. There was beautiful trees and plants surrounding the area. Over the other side of the hotel there was yet another kiddies pool and a bigger one. There was another bar near this called the Disco Bar, this was the centre of many night time activites and you could even go there and have a beverage in peace and watch the World Cup. Right next to the pool was a lovely shaded area with tables and chairs which looked stunning at night lit up. Brilliant for having a nice romantic drink and to reflect on your holiday. Surrounding both of the pool areas was pool tables. It cost you 1 Euro a day but at night time you had to ask reception for a pool cue as the security guards take them away at night. This brings me to another point. The hotel has 24 hour security.

OTHER FACILITIES

Tamaimo doesn't just have swimming pools, bars and pool tables. They also have a jacuzzi (5 Euros) and they also have 2 tennis courts, table tennis, mini golf and laundry facilities. I had read one of the signs in the hotel that there was a childrens playground but to be honest i couldn't find it anywhere, i maybe should have asked but they were quite happy splashing in the pools.

We never tried the jacuzzi so can't really comment on that at all. We never had a game of mini golf either but we did go and have a look round it. It was very old and in need of complete replacement. It was simple but didn't same very safe especially with 2 young children. The course was made from metal and looked like it had been there for hundreds of years. The metal had loads of sharp edges and corners, i managed to scrape my leg slightly as i walked past it. There is a little area just between the 2 swimming pools, this is where the table tennis is. There is a couple of tables, can't remember how much it is. Quite often the tables were full.

Just off of the table tennis there is the laundry facilities. Two huge washing machines and one huge tumble drier. You are 5 Euros to use either. I paid 10 euros on night so i could put on two loads of washing. Excellent, the reception man even offered me some soap but i had already bought a little box of Bold from the local supermarket.

The tennis courts are not far from the swimming pools and the table tennis, it isn't wheelchair or buggy friendly as there are about 10 steps leading up to them. There are 2 tennis courts, complete with nets and a set of goals in each. There is even a nice shaded bench to sit on and a rubbish bin. We did hire the tennis courts for an hour and had loads of fun. I cannot remember how much it was but they also gave us 2 tennis rackets and a new set of tennis balls as well. You also pay a deposit, which you get back if you return everything in one piece.
The view from the courts isn't anything to write home about, all you can see is the hotel across the road getting renovated.

ENTERTAINMENT

As far as entertainment goes, bless them they do try. There are a couple of people there on site that organise fun things for all the family to do while there. At teh swimming pool on day we all took part in a game, goodness knows what it was called but it was extremely simple and the kids loved it. The took an old coca cola crate and you had to stand back and throw a ping pong ball into it. Not as easy as it sounds, depending on where it lands you were awarded points. Myself and a younger boy was the winners and we were invited to come along to the Disco Bar at 10pm so we could be awarded certificates. I was also given one for a really funny game of football tennis that myself, my niece and 3 blokes along with the organiser (Ivan) played. Two women against 4 men, we completely gubbed them! Basically you play tennis but instead of a racket and a tennis ball, you use your foot and a football. It was especially funny as we didnt have any trainers with us so Ivan swapped trainers with my niece and he ran back to get me another pair, he wore my nice bright pink sparkly flip flops!

When we went to the Disco Bar later there was a minature disco for the kids, followed by Bingo, then Karaoke. During the day you can go to the bar to watch the latest sports (at the time it was the World Cup). That night, i collected my certificates but was called back up again with my hubby. They gave us a certificate for being on honeymoon and presented us with a bottle of champagne. Very sweet, to get the bottle however they put on a smoochy song and asked us to dance. As embarrassed as we were we did it, a few of the young women there were crying, awww.

Along with the Disco bar there is also spanish lessons and sangira and paella making that takes place near the pool bar. The entertainers always tried to get the whole family involved and were dedicated to making sure that everyone had fun.

One of the afternoons their was a fashion show put on for us by 2 ladies that have their own range. Their clothes were amazing even though they were pricey but i did treat myself to a pair of trousers that tie in a funny way so no matter how much beef i put on they should still fit me in some way. The blokes all seemed to really enjoy watching the show too, maybe something to do with the 2 young attractive ladies getting dressed and undressed to music.

OUT AND ABOUT

There is a road that circles round the hotel, this is the main way round to the restaurants and shops in the small area.
There is a nice little shop a short walk round the corner from the hotel. However on our second trip there at around 6pm we were followed out of the shop by 2 young lads. We only had a short walk back to the apartments but we couldn't see past the corner and wasn't sure whether to carry on or go back the way that we had came. One of the 2 men had stopped behind us and was staring whilst the other would speed up if we did or stop if we did. There was me, my newly wed and our 17yr old neice, but i had to think of my 2 yr old and 1yr old. I made the decision to stop and turn around and walk straight past them, there was no way i was going round this corner. Luckily the men disappeared. I am pretty sure that we were in for a mugging that day, i have never felt so uneasy before, a few days later we went round that corner and right enough there was only a short walk to the front of the hotel but it was at the side of the building that was completely deserted. This is not the only security issue that we had. On one particular night my husband was too warm and slept in the living area, my neice came in beside me and the kids. In the middle of the night my husband had been sure that he heard someone talking in another language. Thinking it may have been one of us he got up and checked on us. We were all sleeping so he went back to bed himself. A few nights after that he awoke in the middle of the night half asleep. It wasn't until the next morning that he told me that he had to take a double look as he was sure that he saw someone standing in the room but when he opened his eyes again it was gone, he had thought he may be dreaming but he has never been the one for mistaking things or thinking that he has seen something that he hasn't.

Beside the shop that the near mugging occured there is a fab chinese restaurant where you can have a sit down meal or a takeaway. We opted for a takeaway and they were very good value for money. There is also a fantastic restaurant called El Pescador. Their Deep Fried Camembert is to die for, there wasn't a single part of my meal that i didn't enjoy and their garlic bread has to be the greatest in the world.

If you can bear the uphill walk there are quite a few shops and restaurants nearby. You can either climb up the steepest hill in creation which i swear lasts around half a mile or climb about 300 steps and still have a little hill to mound before reaching a shop. I was amazed at the difference in prices between a supermarket that i found there and the tiny shop that we had been spending a fortune in, well worth the walk. There is also a nice cafe that serves a fabby all day cooked breakfast for 5 Euros.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all our holiday had been good. Tamaimo is a little too isolated for me, i prefer hustle and bustle. We probably would have went back as it is a relaxing place and the kids really seemed to enjoy it, it was quite family orientated compared to other places, however, after reading holiday review sites when we returned we began to realise that the things that OH saw and heard we probably what we had thought. There has been many reportings of thefts and break ins during the night. Some of the stories are quite frightening so it isn't something to be taken light heartedly before deciding to go there. We wouldn't go back after reading them which is a shame, if the security was better then it would be a much safer place all around.  

...less