Hotel La Palma Romantica — Hotel in Barlovento

Romantica is a strange place. It was probably nice back whenever it was built but now it is really very worn and out of date. Some hotels that are old and worn can be charming and quaint, but Romantica really just needs an update. We had booked a junior suite (room 43) and while it was very big and spacious it was also quite dark. There are two small windows sitting low in very thick walls in the lounge area and not much light comes in from there. You do have the balcony doors where light comes in but it's not quite enough for such a large room. It was also very cold when we arrived. They switched on the heater but it took about a day to heat up the room (no doubt because of its size). And even then it was only barely warm enough. In some ways, the room was charming and had character, but we just felt it was too dark.||The shower is in the bathtub. There was hot water all the time but not much came out – not much pressure. But at least the water was hot and the towels nice and thick.||There are no lifts and a lot of stairs and you must be able to carry your luggage yourself. WiFi only works in the common areas, not in the rooms.||We had read all the terrible reviews concerning the restaurant. We don't agree with them and don't understand them. We had dinner all three nights we stayed there, and the food was fine and the staff very attentive, professional and friendly. The first night there was a bit of a wait after ordering, but no more than we would consider normal in any good restaurant. Like our room, the restaurant is also a bit dark and not really all that nice-looking. But we could find no faults with the staff or the food.||To summarise, we can't really recommend The Romantica how ever much we'd like to. It's just too worn and out of date – and if you're stuck there, there is nothing to do nearby. Barlovento is not very interesting. We were on a planned hiking trip so we had a hiking program each day. Otherwise, you definitely need to have a car so that you can go somewhere during the day. Our non-recommendation has nothing to do with the staff – it's not their fault that the place is the way it is. All the hotel staff were friendly...

This is I guess an older hotel and so has an almost old fashioned appearance to it but that’s what makes places different, though as other reviewers observed it could perhaps do with a bit of a face-lift in some areas.||After being tired from a long day walking we had a great welcome from lady on reception who once we'd taken our luggage to our room showed us around the hotel pointing us in direction of the bar, eatery and the indoor pool.||Our room on the first floor was comfy and plenty big enough with a bit of a sea view from the balcony which had a table and chairs and so was nice to sit out on the afternoon of our arrival and have a beer.||Suitably refreshed we headed to the indoor pool but were disappointed to find this pretty cold, I took in a quick couple of lengths but that was enough for me, then the Jacuzzi spa bath thing was only just about as warm as you’d have expected a pool to be and so not that inviting to sit in for more than a few minutes.||In the evening we ate in the very nice eatery, service was good and efficient and we both had a very tasty piece of fillet steak with chips and a sauce of our choice on the side, washing mine down with a ½ bottle of Rioja wine I really enjoyed it.||Pricing of the meal for a hotel was more than reasonable, I’d guess once you’re at the hotel you’re more than often likely to eat here as there were some nearby bars back in town but didn’t see more than just the one local eatery. ||Breakfast was good with plenty of items on the continental breakfast plus from memory a couple of hot items.||There’s a supermarket in town so if walking you could stock up on snacks and drinks there but for the onward walk to our next overnight stop we took a packed picnic lunch from the hotel which was good value and filling with rolls, fresh fruits, chocolate bar and a carton of fruit juice plus water.||Our stay here was part of a walking holiday package so I can’t comment on value of the hotel for what it offers but we’d stay here again...

Having chosen a hotel in the wild and windy North of the island, I can't really complain that the weather was cool in February. This hotel is really a resort, with outdoor and indoor pools, sauna, health club etc. Public spaces were a bit chilly, and had a slightly deserted feel. The bar had an open fire and games; guests tended to cluster around the fireplace hunched over iPads, androids, laptops as there is no wifi in the rooms. The rooms are heated but the heating is in the walls and slow to respond. Rooms big enough and have views of sea or mountains. Reception staff friendly and can give plenty of local knowledge about their native island. The hotel was somewhat let down by the restaurant - rather gloomy and understaffed. Breakfast was an OK buffet, with some variation from day to day, but the hotel could consider providing decent coffee, freshly made, served in pots to the table. The filter coffee available was somewhere on a scale from disappointing to undrinkable. Indoor pool was fine - not too warm (no surprise there then). Outdoor pool unheated and therefore not sampled. The daily dinner menu at the restaurant was dull, and the a la carte gave little choice for vegetarians. Salads were too small to be satisfying. Squid was good. Vegetables major on sweet peppers and potatoes. Unfortunately we can't give you a restaurant recommendation in the immediate area, but we found a good bar in town, and a promising looking place near the hotel that seemed to serve the pick-up truck population, but was closed for a wedding on the might we needed them (follow the road to the lake and take the track opposite the turn-off - you will see...