Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Hotel

I’m the type of girl who goes on holiday, and while I’m sitting in the cool breeze, reading books and soaking up the sun at Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Hotel, I started planning more holidays for the year. It’s actually quite ridiculous and my boyfriend says I’m fully obsessed. He’s probably right, but I’ve put it down to the fact I want to visit new places, participate in fun activities such as shark diving, eat great food, take photographs and soak up what the experience has to offer. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!

We booked a package holiday off Lowcostholidays which I feel always has the cheapest flights and hotel rates, so make sure to check them out before booking yours. Rated as #2 most popular hotel in San Agustin, we were lucky to get the rooms at Gloria Palace for £83 per night. That wouldn’t even get you a Travelodge in London! We arrived at 11pm on a Thursday night and we were pretty tired as we had been out all day house viewing, reviewing restaurants and flying. At the reception desk on arrival, we were told that as we just missed dinner which stops being served at 10pm, they would bring some food directly up to our room.

Room service is available but we didn’t order any for our stay as we opted to go half board which included both breakfast and either lunch or dinner. Five minutes after arriving at our room on the 3^rd floor, we were pleasantly surprised to have some salads, plates of different hams and cheese, bread, fresh fruit and water bought up to our room. I’m grateful they served us the food they did as the last thing we wanted just before bed was a heavy meal. Needless to say, we slept really well that night.

Another couple said they asked for a room on the 8^th floor which overlooked the beach, so if any are available I’m sure they would fulfil your request. Rooms are standard when it comes to bedding and décor, but the bathroom had a bath and two sinks – ideal for couples as it meant I could throw make up and girl things over mine. The rooms offer free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV, minibar fridge and tea and coffee makers. Our room was clean with fresh towels delivered each morning and the cleaning fairies always seemed to have time to spruce up the room and make our beds before we returned from breakfast.

Breakfast was my favourite part of the day. We were spoiled with large selections of cold and hot food and all the bacon, eggs, beans, salads, meats, hams, cheese, pastries and everything else you can think of breakfast wise. On the night, they mixed up the menus so guests were always eating something varied. On the odd occasion, we ventured out on the night but staying at the hotel for food wasn’t a bad idea. People with all inclusive wrist bands could eat all meals and drink for free but it would have worked out at 27 euros more each per night. Sometimes we ate meals during the day instead which meant we had to go elsewhere for the extra meal, but I can now say it was worth it as we ate some amazing Greek food.

The hotel includes 4 hotel bars, a rooftop bar/lounge with panoramic views, buffet-style eatery and a formal International restaurant with ocean views on the top floor. We were impressed with our stay and we made sure to check Tripadvisor a few days before we flew out to San Agustin see what people had been saying about their stay. I really appreciated was the fact we never had to fight for a sun lounger or an umbrella to snooze under so I would highly recommend going early May for the same experience.

We never did use the rooftop spa it as you had to pay extra but this wasn’t an issue as the pool was free. One downside to the hotel – there was no night time entertainment outside as it was considered ‘too cold’. By this, I mean we sat outside, lobster red, after baking in the sun all day. Clearly anything under 27 degrees they consider not suitable. We took advantage of the activities inside the hotel which consisted of piano players, hotel rep shows and music nights. Other amenities include kids’ activities, a game room and another pool situated on the roof. There’s also a free shuttle, which runs directly to the nearest beach.

The entrance to the hotel consists of this gigantic jungle-esque brick wall with palm trees and UV lights – a little quirky but it definitely make you look twice! It certainly adds that bit more character to the hotel. I’d like to thank Gloria Hotel for such a wonderful stay, if we ever visited Gran Canaria again I wouldn’t think twice about booking this place again. Please note: This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

Address: C/. Las Margaritas, S/N | San Agustin, San Bartolome de Tirajana, 35100 San Agustin, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain