Sensatori Tenerife

Sorry for all you asking for me to do a little review of this place. I’ve been trying to find the time but also I didn’t really know what to say as had mixed emotions and you will see this blog is more up and down than a tap dancers wig! 

The first reason was, I heartbroken on this holiday to not have my boys with me. I begged their Dad but it was his half term so it was out of my hands. David’s girls were also crushed as they are all super close, so it did take the edge off it. I won’t lie it’s the hardest thing sharing the boys for me, as I just want them with alll the time but know they want time with there Dad too. This is the gauntlet you run post divorce and we made the most of it. 

The boyfriend spoilt me rotten with this holiday/ Valentines treat though and some sun in February was absolute heaven. Non of us had ever been to a Senstori and had a lovely time but don’t think we would go back, here's why. 

So bad points first:

Rules:

The hotel is stunning to look at but there are too many rules for us. Namely this nutty Red Level thing that we weren’t even offered but is only for certain people... literally in the lobby there is a random sofa you just can’t sit on? At breakfast there is a little separate buffet bit just for Red level people and this is all over the hotel. It feels like segregation, it's very weird and make's you feel a little like you're always somewhere you shouldn't be. 

Hidden Extras:

Also got to be careful as there are a lot of extras that you wouldn’t expect and are very expensive too. There are all these gorgeous Bali Beds around the pools but you have to book them. At first I thought how sensible to stop the dreaded towel wars where people put towels down at 4am then don’t sit on them most the day and there are no sun beds for others. However, it’s not a booking system, there’s a charge. So we decided to treat ourselves to an afternoon and a bottle of fizzy... it was 180€ just for the bed!!

Not All Inclusive.

The other thing is we thought it was All Inclusive especially for the price but it’s only full board. So drinks aren’t included I (except for meals) and cost a fortune, for us it was bottles of water though that were most annoying to not have on tap. - pardon the pun. They do have an All Inclusive package at check in and we did work it out, but because you have to pay for everyone in your party over age 5 ... even though kids drink like sparrows it would have been more expensive even if we drank like fishes alllll day long. - So still actually cheaper to stick HB. 

No Kids club.

Finally the biggest let down for us and part of the reason in booking this hotel especially when we thought we’d have 4 kids with us was a promised kids club and entertainment. Obviously in the school holidays you’d expect it as did the many other people with children but there wasn’t one. There was a 40min kid show at night but Olivia age 7 was too old. In fact there wasn’t much to do for children at this time of year at all. So without the boys it just made the fact that there was no kids club even sadder for them! We are lucky that the girls are really easy going, they like to swim and potter about with us no trouble so we didn’t NEED it but I think they would have enjoyed some kid fun or making a few pals... they are my best memory’s of holidays as a kid anyway.

RED level...you can sit here...

Before we realised it was €180!

After that lil moan here are the good points. 

Stunning hotel.
Really beautiful to walk about, sit and have drink around the infinity pool. The rooms are really lovely too. It's just super stylish and nice to be in. 

Great location.
Not far from the airport and it’s on the beach front so you can walk to lots of lovely towns in any direction. Plus side of not being AI and we like to explore anyway, was we went out quite a bit. Partly to get water from the supermarket but to see what was about. The surrounding area and little villages in walking distance in either direction are gorgeous and so cheap - often with markets on. We found some lovely restaurants particularly 'Taberna Maritima Aqua' in Playa San Juan where they have the best seafood I’ve ever seen. We also got a taxi into Los Cristianos which is BUSY but we enjoyed walking a few miles along the front and stopping for a €1 pint and a plate of fries. There are also lot's of parks and out door gyms along the beach front so the kids loved that. 

Food.

All of the restaurant's in the hotel are really lovely and we didn't have a single bad meal. The choice was fantastic and nice extras like Prosecco at brekkie too. There was also a big allergy section. We only managed to book one a la carte as a few were closed while we were there and that was the Italian but the pizza was top notch. We also really enjoyed the beach grill. 

We had a lovely holiday but everyone agreed we sadly weren't BLOWN away about the much anticipated Sensatori hotels. I think part of it was, that it wasn't All Inclusive (even the furniture lol) and when you have kids it's just much more relaxing to think they can get a drink or ice cream whenever, plus it wasn't very kid friendly either. For us with 4 energetic kids under 10 I think it will be more 'Holiday Village' styles for the next few years at least. Happy kids = Happy parents right? We would definitely return to this area though as stunning.

As ever, any question's please just shout.