Grupotel Flamingo Beach — Hotel in Yaiza

We have literally just returned home and we will not be returning!!!!

1. welcome reception - we arrived late evening, on our own via mobility assistance due to wheelchair use. The lady on reception wasn't very welcoming she was quite abrupt and her description of where our room waslocated, was very fast and not really helpful. We ended up lost and on the beach, down a big hill with 3 suitcases and a wheelchair, as the signage is not that great in places - not a great start really

2. Room - our room was actually good, we cannot fault it really, spacious and clean with a small balcony. Our beds were comfortable. We had a little kitchenette, with a fridge and standard kitchen appliances, we only used the kettle really to make our own coffee as the ones in the hotel were absolutely disgusting, as we discovered on our first morning. The only problem we really had was an intermittent smell of rotten eggs and bad drains but it wasn't all the time and did clear

3. service - we found the staff to be rude no time for you, rushed, ignorant and not wanting to be there. The slightest queue at the main bar at night and it was all panic stations.

4. Food - our child ended up being sick one night and day, which was the end for us really as we had not enjoyed the food at all. In our opinion it was limited, always a pork dish, fish and some chicken on the main serveries. We are not big fish eaters, and I don't really like fish at all and ended up living on salad for both lunch and evening meal. Sometimes roast chicken was out and it was just handed out as dry on the bone carcasses, if a lamb stew was being served it was all stewed on the bone, and to be honest I'm surprised small children haven't choked on them as we found very small bones within the stew. The pork was generally very fatty, or if roast pork, it was generally quite dry. Lots of food on the centre servery you didn't know what it was as there were no labels, especially the brushetta breads they would put out, so we never tried them even though they looked nice as they did seem to have a lot of oily fish on them, so we didn't try as we don't like. Pizza generally wasn't good, it wasn't cooked fully so the base was still very doughy and the tops were not even browned. Pasta was generally not cooked through so it was still hard and not Al dente. Lots of garlic dishes again which I don't like, and lots of empty trays. Desserts were often served out still frozen. The restaurant closes at 9pm. The smaller snack bar for lunch was better. However, separate to the hotel people are rude and push in when there is a queue. In the main restaurant we even experienced a lady stepping over our daughter in her wheel chair, without saying excuse me or anything. Kids did run riot at times. We observed flies all over the cold meats at times, so i never tried those again. Breakfast was ok but there was only one toaster and you had to put your toast through at least twice to get it right at one point we had put the bread through 10 times (no exageration) as only one side was working, so 5 times on one side to get it browned and 5 on the other, the queue was silly. Drinks are self service including beer and wine and hot drinks, but the hot drinks I.e. coffee was vile, like dishwater and bitter from all the machines.

5. Entertainment - lots of TUI blue reps about but it's all about kids, lots of singing shows at night by the reps, which becomes a bit boring really especially when you cannot get near the stage as the young families have got their first, so you cannot generally see the stage and no way can you hear it clearly. I think we saw 3 external shows in 11 nights, the magician was good from what we saw with some comedy in there as well. A acrobatic/ juggling show which we could hardly see much of as they decided to show on the floor rather than on the stage, so we couldn't see anything sat near the back, just the odd foot popping out above the audience and generally the reps who were watching stood blocking your view and talked to each other. With no consideration to us...

This is not a 4 star hotel nor a resort, its a grubby hotel situated on a steep incline that leads down to a public beach (Flamingo Beach) and privately owned shops nothing more! Don’t be fooled by the misleading TUI brochure, all is not as it seems. A big point is this hotel is most definitely not disabled friendly despite the brochure claims. Even for buggies its not ideal, all apartments with exception of beach front have steps and upper floor apartments have 3 flights of stairs with no lift! There are steps everywhere and very steep ramps that you have to bump up onto or off. Some ramps positioned dangerously in front of flights of steps. The path ways are not lit up so if you missed your footing at night your wheelchair or buggy would be off down the steps! Reception smells lovely, through the doors to the pool area you will be hit with the smell of sewage, the apartment bathrooms are just as bad. I don’t know how anybody else has failed to mention this problem. Just go into the poolside toilets or laundry room the smell is unbearable. The pool area is filthy, its the only hotel I’ve ever been to that doesn’t clean/hose down the beds and patios in the evenings. The tiles are sticky,dirty and cups/rubbish just left where people leave it. Sunbeds are not comfortable. Quite a lot have broken back rests and the fabric is over stretched/ripped. There is no poolside music for quite a bit of the day, reps seems to switch it on and off? When music is on its not current chart music or the usual holiday tunes. It ranges from out dated chart songs to anything from Abba and Tina Turner. Pool side was not relaxing and the music that was played totally killed the holiday vibe. My advice would be hit the beach, better atmosphere and not as noisy. The sea is warmer, the pools are freezing not heated, too cold to enjoy on an overcast day The apartment itself was full of ants and barely cleaned. We had our dirty towels put out to dry to reuse! Our bed was only changed on day 10 of our holiday, took me 3 days complaining to get it done. The mattress is actually a mattress topper on a sprung base about 2 inches, no bedspread literally a sheet and pillow. There is a split tog quilt in wardrobe but no covers for it. Its very hostel like not 4 star hotel quality that youd expect. All inclusive was terrible, food was freezing no matter if breakfast, lunch or dinner all cold! There is a microwave but I don’t feel you should have to microwave every meal, when you get to that point something not right! Variety was very limited, not much choice and a lot of fish dishes. Spirit drinks where worst ive ever tasted on an all inclusive cheapest of cheap and cocktails where defo watered down. In the “soup kitchen” the plates and glasses where always running out and drinks machines always broken. There is not management directing, its a free for all. A bit of music in this area would help also balance the noise, its so loud and not enjoyable. Bar is stinking, your feet stick to the floor, sit outside unless you like the smell of sweat and stale drink. The outside patio isn’t the cleanest either but is a better option. Entertainment wise, if your outside your not missing much. A lot is in house shows by reps mainly singing, no big acts. We had 4 magic shows in 2 weeks! It all ends by 10.15 or 10.30 at the latest and bar shuts by 11pm. The hotel staff are not friendly, they walk past you as if your not there. They dont seem to take pride in their jobs, there was broken wine glasses on the path side for 3 days, mentioned to cleaner and witnesses staff bypass. When staff clear your table and you thank them they don’t acknowledge you or respond. Reception staff are just as bad, Victor is only person keeping reception ticking over. During our holiday we requested a hotel change it was that bad, even another family did the same! Had to complain to TUI and I woukd not stay here again...

UPDATE: July 2025 Our recent experience at Flamingo Beach would indicate a severe drop in standards at the resort (it is no longer a 3* and has officially been downgraded to 2*!!) since our last visit two years ago; for several reasons.

Firstly, cleanliness standards in outside areas are poor, with rubbish being present from the start of the day and not cleared by the end of the day. Several times there was dropped food left uncleared for several hours on end in public areas. This simply isn't good enough (and yes, people should be more careful too).

Secondly, the rule of not reserving sunbeds is completely ignored by both guests and staff. No-one should be reserving sunbeds at 7am like they are at the moment and it is deeply unfair and ignorant of other guests when rows of sunbeds are reserved for up to five hours at a time, causing others to struggle to find any to use.

Additionally, the previous portable umbrellas have been replaced with fixed ones, which are inferior and mean lots of moving sunbeds around the shade.

Thirdly, the entertainment for kids is completely different to what was on offer previously, with limited choice (no Captain T or Bamse) available. Children's entertainment in the evening lasted 45 mins and mainly catered to toddlers, with nothing for older children.

I am also disappointed that we were told our room would be quiet, but when we found it (70A), it was directly above the disco area, with loud music until after 10pm! Not ideal when your child goes to sleep at 8!😐

The hotel only offered to move us to a downgraded room by the beach, which would apparently be noisier?

If you like a good shower, you will be disappointed! Ours ran like a dribble for the whole week (video attached), with other guests saying they experienced the same.

April 2023: We have just come back from two weeks over the Easter school holidays at this hotel, which in large part; was a great experience for our young family.

The apartment we had was spacious, clean and well-provisioned, though there are a few steps involved to reach it, so bear in mind if considering staying here. The only problem we had with our apartment, was that the shower screen was missing the rubber seal, so water went everywhere when the shower was used! There was occasionally a bit of noise from the front of the hotel, but this wasn't significant enough to warrant a complaint.

The terrace we had was nice, but it had no umbrella...which made it unbearably hot once the full sun was on it. I noticed that only a few rooms close to the reception had umbrellas...which was odd.

The pool areas were great, though there was a distinct lack of umbrellas to go around and some of the sunbeds had seen better days, but they were mainly fine (despite many of the guests ignoring the signs stating that no beds should be reserved...) There was music being played around the main pool, but it was not constant or annoying unlike previous posts have suggested!

As we were all-inclusive, we saw a lot of the food on offer and were impressed with the variety and quality. The kids food station within the restaurant was very good to see, but when the hotel got busy, this did become a bit chaotic and should have been policed a bit.

The entertainment in the evenings is aimed primarily at younger children (up to age 7), so you might be disappointed if you expect more, but it was fantastic for our 5 year old. Daytime activities are a bit more varied, but this resort is primarily accommodating for families, so don't go expecting wild parties or adult entertainment.

The TUI blue staff were brilliant, with particular mention needing to go out to Paulo and Tove, who worked so hard and professionally throughout our stay and deserve a medal!

With just a few tweaks, this really could be an incredible place to stay, but all in all, it was still more than good enough. We would certainly...