Axelbeach Maspalomas

Perhaps I mostly suffered from high expectations, especially given that I was coming from a different, nice property in the area, and that this property was rated so high in TA. But it is very much a bare-bones hotel/resort experience, nowhere near as nice as higher end properties in the general area (perhaps the better recommendation is just stay away from Playa del Ingles altogether, get a hotel/resort somewhere much nicer in Maspalomas, and come to this area for the nightlife). The property is clean; but beyond that, not much to recommend it. Here are my main criticisms: 1. The room might be big, but it sure isn't comfortable -- the sofa is low-end Ikea, the bed had only very minimal acceptable linens (and no blanket/comforter). It is functional, but not much beyond that. 2. The walls of the room are painted...black (!). I don't think I've ever seen that before in a lodging. It's downright depressing. The rest of the decor is circa 1980s (especially obvious in the bathroom). 3. There is no lobby or someplace to just sit and relax, other than around the pool, which at night can be quite cold. 4. The pool area -- when some reviewers call it spacious, I wonder what kind of standard they are using for comparison. It's not tiny, but it's far from spacious, especially at a holiday destination. And for those of us who have not been to Playa del Ingles before, putting the name "Beach" on this hotel is really misleading -- the hotel is located nowhere near the beach, even though loads of other properties in the general region are actually near the beach. Basically, this is a clean and functional but spartan apartment hotel. Very few services or luxuries, just a decent place to sleep and maybe cook some meals. Maybe that's good value for money, but kind of a shame to be at a holiday destination and settle for bare bones. At least know in advance that's what to expect.

We had such a wonderful time staying at AxelBeach. We stayed for a week, December 20 to December 27. We are staying in Gran Canaria for two weeks and when we booked, we figured we'd stay at this hotel for one week and another near by for the second...boy do we regret that! Here are the highlights of this great place: - Extremely friendly staff - the guy who was running the poolside bar was amazing! - Very clean hotel with great sized rooms - Great water pressure in the shower (this is a big one for us!) - The pool area is big and spacious, we never felt like we were on top of people - The clientele are all friendly as well, met some great people - The gym is a good size We will definitely be coming back! Our only regret is not booking our whole two week stay, here. We are at a 4 star hotel nearby for the second week and there is no comparison...Axel is the place that should be 4 stars!!

Just About Adequate - The marketing for this hotel is spectacular, sadly the hotel is no more than adequate. 2 Star Hotel ? CHECK IN- Check in was very good and we found the reception staff friendly and the process was easy, they took a credit card number for charging drinks etc, sadly this was billed before the bill could be scrutinised and corrected on check out. Overall all the staff were pleasant and friendly. POOL – BEYOND FREEZING! Only about two people went in all week as it was off season and very cold, the pool area was very smokey but one side does not have ash-trays and is nicer if you are a non-smoker. There are premium sunbeds which you have to pay for, my advice would be don’t bother, you have already paid too much if you are staying here. DRINKS – Over-priced, the iced coffees are terrible, cocktails are fine but again expensive. FOOD – Why bother when there is abetter choice 100metres away !, did not try any or see anybody eating. BBQ/Stage area – Total mess – BBQ looked filthy and old – would not have risked it – Grim ! MASSAGE SERVICE- Tried to book this, the guy was never there and did not reply to the messages we had left with reception, his loss, there is a nice Spa on the corner of the roundabout which offers more for less and is more professional and happy to take your booking. ROOM- Room was adequate, the bed was OK, the bathroom was of a good size, however the toilet kept running all week, this was reported twice and nothing done, on the last day the patio door handle fell off. It seems the rooms have been poorly renovated, and the hotel is trying to look better than the TWO STAR it really is. The in-room safe had to be paid for but it did not work properly, once reported this was refunded and of no-surprise to reception, no solution was offered it was our tough luck. This left us no solution for safely storing valuables. The room had a little fridge, but beware of the mini-bar ! a 2 litre bottle of water is THREE EURO 50c but you can buy a 5 litre from over the road for ONE EURO ! Total rip off ! There was a coffee maker too, but no coffee supplied. The maid service was again adequate, but when you look the rooms are not very clean, the bathroom mirror had not been cleaned and when you write on it the words are still there for the week, there were also hand-prints on the windows etc. Too scared to look under the bed ! BREAKFAST – Again nothing more than adequate, If you like your bacon smoked then leave it on the plate as the restaurant terrace was a smokers paradise, the scrambled egg was like something you could put onto a car tyre, but the other choice was OK, not the best breakfast I have had by a very long way, the hot food was poor, the coffee was from a machine but it was alright overall. There is a better choice locally elsewhere for less. Again adequate nothing more, not worth paying for. CHECKOUT – The reception was helpful with luggage, but the bill had to be adjusted and part-refunded this caused issues and the guy was clearly embarrassed about our experiences, the staff do the best they can with what they have which at the end of the day is no more than a two star hotel and not what it looks like on the website or facebook page. LOCATION - If you are off to the Yumbo every day it is great as it is a 3 minute walk, However, other hotels are available that are close by too, we got pulled into their marketing trap (who did an excellent job) Our stay was OK but overpriced for a dated room with tired facilities and poor breakfast.