Corralejo, Playa Park Club Review

Overall Rating

Very clean and tidy. Good-sized pools and variety of these for different levels of abilities. Staff very polite, helpful and friendly.

Rooms at front of hotel (not apartments, but studios) shabby and no balconies. Smell of stale smoke, too, as not aired. Noisy rooms and corridor, due to tiled floor. Common abroad, though.

Second time back to Corralejo, but previously stayed at San Valentin. This time, the reviews for the Playa Park Club were generally good and, after looking at the website, we were looking forward to this one, too.
When the taxi pulled up outside, I was a little nervous, as it doesn't look quite the same as the brochure picture. Good lighting for the photo, I guess!
We were in booked into a studio room (which is a glorified hotel room), so had asked for an upstairs room - the reviews had offered this suggestion. The room we were given was quite shabby and at the front of the building, with views of the wasteland immediately in front, with a building site just behind. A strong smell of stale smoke (although we are both smokers, it was not too nice), shabby curtains at the window, with holes in them and no balcony. I enquired at reception to see if there were any other rooms available, preferably with a balcony, and we were able to move with no problems. The staff were extremely helpful and polite and their English was very good, too.
The new room, with balcony, was much fresher-smelling, and the curtains fitted! The drawbacks of the studio room is that you share your bedroom with the dining area and the kitchen and there is no sofa to relax on, if you wanted to. The kitchen area, which is hidden in a cupboard, was OK, with 2 electric rings, but no toaster or kettle. These can be hired from reception. Don't know how much, as we have a travel kettle! Also, the hire charge for the room safe is not mentioned in the brochure - 10 Euros + another 10 Euros deposit. The bathroom is of a decent size, but a word of warning! The hot water does not last very long at all, even when showering! We found it best to keep turning the water off and on to preserve the supply!
The main building can be noisy at times, with tiled floors throughout. The corridors become long echo chambers, and it is not easy to close the doors quietly. If you are a light sleeper, this will disturb you.
Overall, though, the complex is kept extremely clean. Maid service every day to clean and tidy and I think the towels were changed every other day. Beds were made if you hadn't already made the effort!
Outside, the pool area was immaculate, with teams going round every morning sweeping and tidying. The pool itself was cleaned every day. It is a good size and is 1.70 metres deep at the deepest, but with a shallow area. There are also 2 children's pools. It was never packed, but then it was November and you can get a decent swim, if you were brave, as it was unheated, of course. No lifeguards, but there is lifesaving equipment.
Sunloungers are freely available, but no parasols. There are fixed, 'thatched' versions that offer a little protection, but you would need to get up early in busier times to get one of these. Food from the pool bar is simple but freshly prepared and tasty. Usual stuff, like sandwiches (toasted!), burgers, chips baguettes, etc. Not too expensive, either. Staff friendly, and although I tried the language, I am not very good, so helped by their good grasp of English!
We used the supermarket just around the corner, after having read reviews on this Website about mouldy bread and sour milk. The opening times were better than the site supermarket, anyway and the choice of International press was wider. Also, the Flintstones Bar next door to the supermarket is worth a visit for the friendly. British welcome. Live football on TV and you will get an open and honest and friendly discussion with the knowledgeable landlord (even if he is a Man City fan ha ha!)
As a holiday is what you make of it, there is as much or as little to do as you want. We wanted a nice, relaxing holiday, so chose not to use the on-site tennis court, squash court, gym or sauna, and, as we were self-catering, we chose to go out each evening for our meal. I would certainly recommend a visit to an Italian restaurant called San Borondon just off the main square. The food is excellent, freshly cooked and varied, and if you sit outside, you will be well entertained by the greeter who persuades people in, as he is a character! Nice touch with the honey brandy when you get the bill!
There is a good choice of restaurants in the town itself, without too much of a rush. Food good and freshly prepared. Usual array of electronics shops selling cut-price camera, etc. I think the stuff is OK, but it is a long way to go to take it back. Also, they add money on if you pay with on plastic, so the bargain starts to disappear!
We went on a buggy trip (self-drive + 1 [passenger). The price is around 45 Euros for the driver and 15 Euros for the passenger. Insurance included, but you need your driver's licence (or passport). A guided trip, which is fun but still very safe and lasts for around 2 hours in total. It was very good. I would recommend this company, although I can't remember the name. (They use the black buggies and not the red ones!)
For the 3rd year running, Donna booked our holiday. She used Teletext to get some phone numbers and phoned around. Checked out reviews on this Website and checked the hotel site, too. I was really looking forward to this one and overall it was relaxing and totally enjoyable. She came up trumps with this one, yet again! I would recommend the Playa Park, but I would avoid the Studio rooms. Thank you once again, Donna!