We stayed at the Tabaiba Hotel for 12 nights and, overall, we did enjoy our holiday. The staff were extremely friendly from the moment we arrived, the hotel was generally very clean, and the adult-only pool area itself is lovely. However, there were a few issues which, for us, would prevent us from returning.

The biggest issue by far was the air conditioning. It was absolutely awful and, in our room, basically didn’t work. When we reported it, someone came to check it and simply put a thermometer into the air-conditioning vent and told us everything was working as it should. The problem was that it simply wasn’t blowing cold air out properly.

What surprised me even more was that there was no air conditioning in reception, the indoor seating areas or the main restaurant. Trying to eat dinner while sweating because of the heat certainly wasn’t what I would describe as relaxing. We ended up rushing meals just to get back somewhere cooler. This was a huge disappointment, especially considering the size and standard the hotel is marketed at.

We also saw a fair few cockroaches around the hotel, including two in the main restaurant and one in the snack bar at lunchtime, where it was actually across the counter near the food. I appreciate that this is a warm climate and these things can happen, but seeing them around food areas isn’t something you expect from a hotel of this standard.

The adult-only pool area is very nice, although I would say it is quite small for the number of guests. There simply aren’t enough sunbeds, meaning you need to queue from around 9am if you want to guarantee a decent bed. They allow two queues to form at the same time and, when you’re eventually waved in, it genuinely turns into people sprinting for sunbeds! It was almost amusing to watch, but certainly not the relaxing start to the day you would expect on an adult-only holiday.

There are cabana-style beds available, but these cost €25 per day and can only be paid for at the bar on the morning.

Another issue for us was the food on themed nights. I’m not an overly fussy eater at all, but if you don’t like the theme being served, you can really struggle. For example, on Mexican night, I wasn’t a fan of the food, and there was very little alternative available apart from chips and some fairly dry chicken strips. On fish night, it was much the same — almost everything was fish-based, meaning I ended up eating chips. I find it quite strange that there isn’t a small section of more traditional options available for people who don’t enjoy that particular evening’s theme. Even something simple like chicken, vegetables, pasta or another non-themed option would make a big difference.

One thing I cannot fault is the cleanliness overall, and the staff genuinely deserve a mention. They were friendly, polite and helpful throughout our stay and were one of the best things about the hotel.

The hotel is also marketed as adult-only, which was one of the reasons we chose it. However, there were children running around the hotel, around the pool and in the restaurant at dinner. This was disappointing because, when you’re specifically booking and paying for an adult-only experience, you expect it to actually feel adult-only. Perhaps there are circumstances or areas of the hotel that explain this, but it certainly wasn’t what we expected from the way the hotel is portrayed and sold.

The toilet facilities around the pool also weren’t really to our liking. The only toilet we found in that area appeared to be a shared facility consisting of individual cubicles rather than separate male and female toilets. Personally, I would much prefer clearly separated male and female facilities.

One other thing worth mentioning is smoking/vaping. From what staff told us, the Canary Islands are becoming stricter about smoking, so there are designated smoking areas around the hotel. You can’t smoke or vape on your balcony and have to go downstairs and outside reception to the designated area. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, and I understand the rules aren’t necessarily the hotel’s choice, but if you smoke or vape it is something worth being aware of.

In summary, we did enjoy our 12-night stay and there are definitely positives to the Tabaiba. The staff were fantastic, the hotel was generally clean and the adult-only pool area is a nice place to spend the day. However, the combination of the poor air conditioning, the lack of cooling in the main communal areas, the difficulty getting a sunbed, the themed food nights, the cockroaches and the fact that the hotel didn’t always feel genuinely adult-only really took the shine off the experience.

For me, the air conditioning is the biggest deal breaker. It felt as though the hotel was simply too large to adequately power the air conditioning throughout the property.

Would I stay again? Unfortunately, no. I enjoyed the holiday, but for the money and for a hotel marketed as an adult-only experience, I expected more.

We really enjoyed our stay here. The hotel itself was exceptionally clean, beautifully maintained, and very picturesque. It had such a lovely atmosphere, and we felt comfortable and relaxed from the moment we arrived.

The snack bars, however, were quite basic, with the usual burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips and sandwiches. Unfortunately, we noticed that some of the sandwiches were left out rather than being kept chilled, which was disappointing and did raise some concerns about food freshness and storage.

There was also an adults-only bar which, I understand, offered some healthier food options. I didn’t personally use this section, so I can’t comment on the quality or choice, but it’s worth mentioning for those who may be looking for healthier alternatives. The drinks were probably the biggest disappointment for us. They were extremely sweet and didn’t taste particularly good. There is an option to upgrade for around €15 per day, which gives you a slightly better selection of drinks, but even with the upgrade, you’re still getting the same very sweet mixers, so I’m not sure it offers great value for money. The lunch hall was fairly basic, which is probably what you would expect from an all-inclusive resort. There was a reasonable selection, but unfortunately, on one occasion we were served chicken that was undercooked. This was obviously concerning and something that should be taken more seriously when it comes to food safety. Dinner was much the same as lunch, with similar food and choices. During our 11-night stay, there were only three occasions where there was a different themed dinner, so overall we found the evening meals quite repetitive. A little more variety would have made the dining experience much more enjoyable. For essentials, there is one shop on-site, but it closes at 9pm. There is also another shop within about a five-minute walk, although this also closes at 9pm. So, if you need anything later in the evening, it’s worth bearing this in mind. One of the real highlights for us was the on-site photography service. If you enjoy having professional holiday photos taken, I would definitely recommend checking this out. We were really impressed with the package available. You can purchase an unlimited package, which allows you to have multiple photo shoots during your stay and includes 20 printed photos, four keyrings or magnets, a printed photo book and a USB containing your photos. At €390, we felt this was a great package for anyone who wants to capture lots of special memories from their holiday. The evening entertainment was fair. It wasn’t anything particularly special, but it was enjoyable enough and kept us entertained. The entertainment finished at 11pm, which was a reasonable time and meant the evenings didn’t go on too late. For great-tasting cocktails, we would definitely recommend Tipsy Hammock — the cocktails were the best we had during our stay. The food there, however, wasn’t the greatest, so we would go mainly for the drinks.

If you’re looking for a night out, the Yumbo Centre is worth checking out. There are plenty of places to go and things to see, although I’ll be honest, we found the entertainment there fairly mundane. Holiday World is also only about a five-minute taxi ride away and has a great variety of food options. Unfortunately, our experience there wasn’t quite as positive. We ordered Corona beers and were surprised that we weren’t allowed to have a slice of lime with them. We also found some of the staff quite rude, which made the experience less enjoyable. At times, it felt as though the atmosphere and service were more geared towards local customers rather than tourists. The food itself was okay, but nothing particularly special, so overall it wasn’t somewhere we would rush back to. One restaurant that we absolutely loved was an Indian restaurant in the Yumbo Centre. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name, but it’s located next to the Spar shop. The food, service and staff were all amazing, and it was probably the best meal we had during the whole holiday. If you enjoy a bit of spice and love Indian food, we would totally recommend giving it a try! Finally, I would highly recommend visiting the dunes. They are absolutely beautiful and offer some lovely views and a really memorable experience. It’s definitely worth making the effort to visit while you’re there Overall, we had a lovely holiday and enjoyed our time here. It’s a beautiful place to visit and definitely somewhere you can go if you want to experience it for yourself and say you’ve been. That said, I think the old saying “you get what you pay for” definitely applies here. For the price, you get a decent all-inclusive holiday, but it’s worth keeping your expectations realistic and knowing what to expect before you go.

We stayed at Tabaiba Princess for two weeks, and although I personally didn’t enjoy my holiday, I want to make it very clear that this isn’t because I think the hotel is a bad hotel. In fact, there is a lot about this hotel that I absolutely loved.

I’m a very fussy eater, so I honestly wasn’t expecting much from an all-inclusive buffet. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I found the food absolutely delicious, with such a huge amount of choice that even I never struggled to find something I wanted to eat. The themed nights at the Food Market were also a fantastic touch and gave things a bit of variety throughout the stay.

There are also a great selection of pools, so whether you’re looking for somewhere to relax or somewhere with a bit more going on, there’s plenty of choice. There are activities for both children and adults, and the hotel definitely seems to cater well for families. Unfortunately, because of the circumstances we experienced during our holiday, I didn’t get the opportunity to make anywhere near as much use of the facilities and activities as I would have liked.

The drinks were generally good too. There were occasions when they could be a little flat, but most of the time they were nice, cold and fizzy, so I really can’t complain too much there.

But honestly, the staff were the highlight for me. They were AMAZING. Friendly, welcoming and genuinely seemed like they enjoyed their jobs. That makes such a difference in a hotel of this size, and I want to give them the credit they deserve.

I also had my first ever massage during this holiday — something I clearly needed after everything that was going on! 😂 It felt absolutely incredible, and I enjoyed it so much that I had to leave the therapist a tip. So, thank you to the massage team for giving me one of the genuinely relaxing moments of the holiday.

The one major issue — the air conditioning

Unfortunately, the biggest problem we experienced was the air conditioning in our room.

From the beginning, we found that there was very little airflow and the room was difficult to keep comfortable at night. This became particularly serious because my wife has asthma. During our stay she experienced repeated nighttime asthma symptoms and had to use her inhaler, despite having gone months without an attack before our holiday.

We raised the issue and the hotel eventually arranged for the air conditioning to be checked and provided us with a fan. The fan did improve the airflow somewhat, and I do appreciate the hotel taking that step.

However, the air-conditioning situation had already had a significant impact on our stay, particularly at night, and I do think this is something the hotel needs to look into.

It’s important to me that I separate this review of the hotel from my experience with TUI. My holiday was unfortunately a very difficult one and I didn’t get to enjoy everything this hotel has to offer, but I don’t think it would be fair to blame the hotel for every aspect of what happened or to give it a terrible rating because of my overall experience.

Based purely on the hotel itself, I’d give Tabaiba Princess 4 stars. The food was fantastic, the facilities are excellent, there’s loads to do, and the staff were genuinely brilliant. If the air-conditioning issue was resolved, I’d have no hesitation giving it 5 stars.

Would I come back? Under the right circumstances, yes. I’d certainly be interested in seeing the hotel again when I could actually make full use of everything it has to offer.

P.S. If you’d like to understand why my personal experience of this holiday was so different from my rating of the hotel, I’m also going to leave a separate review of TUI explaining what happened. I think it’s only fair to keep my review of the hotel separate from my review of the company that booked the holiday for us. Let’s just say… that review is going to be considerably less forgiving.