ผผู้เข้าพักSanta Catalina Hotel is undeniably a historic architectural landmark, but as a hotel experience it fell well below expectations. On arrival, the service felt cold and somewhat pretentious rather than welcoming, with concierge staff coming across as detached and pompous rather than genuinely hospitable.
A key reason for choosing the hotel was the prominently advertised rooftop pool and views, only to discover after check-in that access is restricted to suite guests. The spa is similarly limited unless you pay €15 per person for 90 minutes, which feels disproportionate given the modest facilities. These restrictions are not clearly communicated at booking and leave a sense of being misled.
Several of the lounge and communal areas were also frequently reserved for corporate events and seminars, which further diminished the sense of a relaxed hotel environment. As a guest, it often felt as though you were secondary to business groups and functions moving through the space, even in more personal hotel moments such as walking through common areas in a robe.
In-room entertainment is very dated, with a non–smart TV offering only basic local and satellite channels. Room service carries a €5 delivery surcharge, while on-site dining is largely limited to high-end fine dining with little casual alternative.
It is also worth noting that Las Palmas sits under a noticeably less favourable microclimate than the south and west of Gran Canaria. During our stay, conditions were consistently cloudy, windy, and cool, which further limited the enjoyment of the hotel’s already restricted amenities. For those seeking reliable sun and beach weather, the southern or western parts of the island are a better choice.
Overall, despite its striking heritage setting, the combination of underwhelming service, restricted access to advertised facilities, dated in-room amenities, corporate use of guest spaces, and disappointing weather made for a stay that did not feel justified by the price and is not somewhere we would return to. The atmosphere and clientele also skew noticeably toward an older demographic.
CClarestaBest 4 star hotel!!
Initially we were worried about an all inclusive 4 star hotel. What if services, food, drink and entertainment aren’t good, we will be stuck! However, they changed our mind the minute we got there. As I approached the counter, they welcomed us and said they would check if our room was ready. Although it’s not, they took our bags for us and gave us a card (which allowed us to go and have lunch without extra cost) so we could start enjoying our time at the hotel.
The room was clean and we loved the deco. We loved the attention to detail too! You can tell a lot of thoughts have gone into the design of the room.
We love the food there too. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner every day we were there. Apart from the usual kids’ favourite, the main dishes were different at every meal every day. I particularly enjoyed the freshly cooked fish and paellas; and the Halloween themed night meal.
The animación team was excellent. They were very good with my kids. My youngest was a bit shy to start with at the kids club. One of the staff gave her a lot of special attention to help her settle in. The evening entertainment was better than expected too. We really enjoyed the acrobat show. It’s not exactly BGT standard but it’s definitely entertaining enough to keep all of us happy.
It’s also 10 mins away by car from the airport. We actually took the bus on the way there. It cost 1.40 eur per person and it stopped right opposite the hotel. On the way back, taxi cost 13-15eur. We also love that there is a beautiful beach right next to the hotel. It’s so thoughtful that there is a shower and towels right next to the gate so you could clean your feet before getting back to the hotel.
If there’s anything to complain about, I would say the steam room wasn’t working during my stay!
ผผู้เข้าพักThe location is too far out for our liking but as we had rented a car, it was fine. We had also read reviews about the location so we expected it. For our rental car we were given a parking slot someone had just parked on so needed it changing. It did not seem like they were enforcing the parking. We were there in December so the weather was pleasant and not too hot to walk down to the Italian restaurant to have dinner. They are friendly at the Italian restaurant and their prices are good. They also went out of their way delivering food to door to our oldest child that had not come out for dinner with us. We did not go to the restaurant on site as the restaurant on site is independent and seemed very catered for the Brits. There is no breakfast available in the mornings on site so if like us, totally unprepared, the supermarket on site is ridiculously expensive and staff not very friendly. First morning we bought everything we needed, after we were prepared and only bought expensive baked goods. We did not try the pools, as the opening hours were extremely short. It would have been better if they'd been early morning till late evening. We heard there was a pool bar. There is a small playground for toddlers. Our house was a good size for a family of 5, allowed to stay 6. We would return because of our odd size family, the terrace and friendly receptionists.
ผผู้เข้าพักMagnicico albergo in posizione panoramica. Tra i più belli 4 stelle in cui ho soggiornoato. Merita da solo un viaggio apposta a Gran Canaria. Pulitissimo, e arredato molto bene (la mia camera aveva anche 1 belle poltroa un divano. Bellissimo il terrazzo privato panoramico on sedute). Spazi comuni magnifici come il salone con divani e biblioteca, sala ristorante, terrazza panoramica e giardino spa con piscina panoramica. La migliore colazione che ho fatto in vita mia in alberghi di questa fascia 4 stelle! Prodotti locali e non di altissima qualità e cucina espressa la mattina. Salmone servaggio, formaggio di capra locale, dolci di qualità superiore ecc. Tovaglie bianche con il logo della catena Paradores.
DDouglas JamesWe arrived just as the hotel was subject to a power cut. The young guy receptionist took us to the room as our door keys would not work due to the electricity outage. The electricity came back on in reception about 5 minutes later but someone had to go room to room to reset each rooms supply. Some 2 hours later after having sat in the dark unable to unpack and several tracks to reception and being told we were priority we gave up and went out to dinner in the clothes we travelled in after a 4 hour 30 minutes flight. Other hotels were affected in the same street apparently.
Once this issue was sorted by the time we got back from dinner everything was great. Lovely breakfast, lovely room with Molton Brown shower gel, shampoo and hand soap and lotion. Lovely pool and no issue getting sun beds. Short walk to the beach and dunes but a lot of steps up and down. Also 10 minute walk to Yumbo shopping centre which had everything you needed from great shops to excellent restaurants and bars. Great place for LGBTQ to meet up and great place to people watch.
Definitely recommend
ผผู้เข้าพักBooked a full board and food was up to expectations. However do note that drinks (alcohol, soft drinks and even water) are charged separately even under full board. The bed in the room was adequate and had a great unobstructed view of the coast.
JJimmy _ValenciaWe have wanted to stay at AxelBeach for a while. People told us it's just an expensive old hotel, but because of the name it stays busy. Well, unfortunately that is the case. The rooms look like they haven't been updated for 50 years. The TV is old and the wires behind it were frayed so badly it didn't have a signal. And the mattresses are so thin and uncomfortable I woke up yesterday with pain shooting down my lower back and legs. There's no excuse for cheap pillows and mattresses if you're going to charge this much. And we had a suite!
It's like they're happy taking the *** $ but not meeting our expectations with that money. Other places to stay are much nicer. But on a positive note, the staff are absolutely incredible. They were always so friendly and helpful. I just wish that we had a better experience with the rooms.