El Senador Restaurant & Beach House — Restaurant in San Bartolomé de Tirajana

This is a long one….

Walked in and enquired about the beach club upstairs, first woman didn’t understand (or chose not to 😏) so next guy gave us slight information. Went up, had a look at the area and decided to stay. Eventually the guy came up and we agreed on loungers in the ‘beach club’ area. We should have been given towels but we were about 2/3hrs into our visit when a member of staff realised we were using our own towels and she threw damp towels at us! Thanks for the towels but damp ones, chucked at us weren’t very worthwhile 🤦🏻‍♀️ Given we paid 14€pp we expected the staff would be on hand or at least popping by every so often for us to order drinks and food …they were nowhere to be seen! 👀 Had to ask the cleaner how to order food and given she didn’t speak English she just threw a table number sign at us - not very helpful! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Went down to order food and the waiter said he would come up to take the order - he didn’t. By chance his colleague appeared with drinks for someone else (no idea how they had managed to order!) so he took our order. Food was actually really good when it eventually arrived - completely overpriced but you expect that in a ‘beach club’ or an establishment on the beach!

The DJ was shocking at mixing - I mean I wasn’t expecting Calvin Harris but I wouldn’t even pay this guy if he showed up for my mums 70th! 🙄 The tunes were banging if you were downstairs or walking past but at a decent level for sunbathing upstairs - they did get louder as the evening drew in (see video) The range in tunes was somewhat varied, almost bipolar from one genre to another between tracks …messed with the vibe never mind my state of mind 🥴😵‍💫

Overall, we didn’t mind paying for the loungers as the beach ones were all taken and it was very windy on the sand but the service was awful!

If you are expecting this to be anything like OB, think again! It’s an OAP German, book club! The music is quiet, drinks certainly ain’t flowing and there is absolutely no atmosphere at all!

They didn’t seem to mind you having your own munchies (saw people with rolls, crisps etc) and we had our own water - thankfully, given how bad the service was! Maybe this is the situation - you take your own stuff and are just left to it but if so, it shouldn’t really be described as a ‘beach club’!

Service/staff attitude definitely needs improving!

•Loungers €14pp (can move these about to accommodate movement of the sun) •Bali beds €30 (cannot be moved) •Price includes towels (ask for them if they don’t give you them) •There is an...

Visited El Senador during our holiday in Gran Canaria with high expectations based on previous reviews, but unfortunately left quite disappointed with what should have been an authentic Spanish dining experience.

The Good: The Iberico ham slices and croquettes were genuinely excellent - clearly quality ingredients prepared well and full of flavour. These starters showed real promise for what was to come.

The Disappointing: The main event, the "Gentleman's Paella," was sadly bland and underwhelming. For a dish that should showcase the restaurant's Spanish heritage, it lacked seasoning, had minimal seafood (very few prawns and fish), and frankly tasted like it needed another chef's touch. We barely ate half of it.

The red wine service was particularly puzzling - served ice cold with condensation running down the glasses. Any wine enthusiast knows red wine should be served at room temperature, not chilled like a white wine. This felt like a basic service error at a restaurant positioning itself as traditional Spanish cuisine.

Poor Service Recovery: When the waiter asked about our meal and offered to box the substantial leftovers, I explained our concerns about both the paella quality and wine temperature. Rather than attempting to address the issues or offer any solution, he simply moved on without acknowledgment.

For visitors seeking an authentic taste of Spanish culture and cuisine, I'd recommend looking elsewhere. The potential is clearly there given the quality starters, but the execution on the main course and basic service standards fell well short of...

TLDR; food okay, service poor, too crowded and insane prices. I will not be back. The 5 star reviews cannot be serious.

So the positives; the wagyu burger was tasty, but for €23 I expect normal fries. Not what I got which looked like what you get when you clean the frier. The rose wine was very nicely chilled and came with a cooler.

Then the points to be improved: the mens toilet was all pissed over. You should consider cleaning this when you try to pose as a 5 star restaurant, you are not a night club. The waiter did not speak english, not a big problem but he mixed up our order and served the starters with the main course for my girlfriend at the same time? He also got her starter wrong and came back with another wrong starter. We could not communicate that it was not the correct starter so we let it for what it was. The staff really tries, but it is just too many tables for them to service. I saw so much chaos in the kitchen, it reflects on the staff. I feel bad for them. We were a bit late and when the first tables left the atmosphere was a lot more relaxed. €26 for a dish with 8 super salty anchovies filets. Are you kidding me?! A jar of these costs not even €1. Crazy prices.

So Management; you have a lot too improve. You charge too much for what you offer. Improve or lower your prices if you want to be a...