Iberostar Las Dalias, Tenerife, Canary Islands

First things first..

Let's get the boring bits out of the way first, before I tell you about this hotel.

I stayed here in May 2023 for five nights, booking direct with Iberostar on their mobile app.  I have Iberostar's top 'Infinity' status as between them and fellow Spanish hotel operator, Melia, I put 90% of my says through them when in mainland Spain, the Balearic and Canary Islands.  Whilst Infinity does normally infer some very decent perks such as room upgrades, late check out, included minibar and oddly (but very welcome) two free nights at any new hotel they open - that latter perk is actually very clever marketing when you think about it.  And I never turn it down!

The hotel did offer to upgrade me to a suite top floor larger room but for the purposes of this article I asked to keep the pool-view room that I originally booked.  They looked at me oddly, but agreed of course.

I paid €710 on an all-inclusive basis, including taxes.

The hotel

The hotel exterior and reception

The hotel currently has 429 rooms and is set into a hillside in Costa Adeje.  Other Iberostar hotels in the vicinity are the Sabila (formerly Torvicas Playa) and Bouganville Playa - the latter two being five star hotels versus the Las Dalias which is four star.  

In 2021, in order to shore up Iberostar's balance sheet following Covid closure, the hotel was sold to Starwood Capital for €100m, but will continue to be managed and operated by Iberostar, under their four star brand.

Located 500 metres from Playa del Bobo, the Las Dalias has services such as a hairdressers, all inclusive option, two pools and a children's pool, live show cooking, Monkey Club, Dolphin Club, professional shows, free Wi-Fi, children's park and fitness room.

Originally built in 1986, you can tell how old the hotel is in certain parts but to be fair to Iberostar, the hotel is now on its fourth refurbishment so they have kept up with modern standards and although the age of the room I stayed in was fairly obvious, they have installed some modern fittings which kind of makes it acceptable.  It's not up to the same modern standards that we got when Iberostar refurbished the former Torviscas Playa which is now the Sabila.  This is perhaps where Iberostar draws a distinction between four and five star.

The room

My entry level pool-facing room

My room was as I say an entry level run of the mill Iberostar standard.  Some of the decor gave away the age of the hotel and the quality of the television was rubbish - that said I didn't spend too much time in the hotel and I don't normally spend too much time in the hotel room anyway.  

The bed was comfortable but the room lacked some of the very significant things that you normally get in arch-rival Melia rooms such as tea/coffee making equipment.  

Use of the built-in safe was free - something that you can't take for granted in Canarian hotels these days sadly.  

The balcony was pleasant but the seemingly endless noise on an evening from the stage shows became annoying after a while.  You can, for a bit of peace and quiet either head to the bar or ask for a road facing room.  

Food and Drink

The extensive all-inclusive dining options

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of all-inclusive.  In my past experience it usually means a limited choice of cheap food which then becomes repetitive the longer you stay.  You're usually stuck with locally produced alcohol which invariably tastes awful.  To its credit though, Iberostar Las Dalias does a good job on both fronts.  Each of the nights I stayed there was a different themed choice ie fish then another night it could be chicken, for example.

Alcohol is also branded, not the usual cheap local stuff.  Every night the hotel bars try to do something different too.  One night I was offered a banana liqueur beer chaser..odd?  Yes.  Taste good?  Oh yes!

On my last night at the hotel they were making banana liqueur smoothies.  Again, an odd thing you might think, but it oddly works.

Conclusion:

The Iberostar Las Dalias is clearly set up as a mid-upper market four star establishment catering to what is a sizeable mostly-British clientele who simply don't want the hassle of worrying about the cost or inconvenience of eating out.  And the Las Dalias does this well - all of the included drinks were branded and the food choice at breakfast, lunch and dinner was impressive, to say the least.  I was never left wanting.

I found service to be the most attentive I have ever had at any Canarian hotel and that includes the other mostly 5-star hotels that I usually stay at when in the Canary Islands.

There are a few points to bear in mind:

• I'd sound a cautionary note about which room to ask for.  I specifically asked for a room facing the pool for no other reason than it was the opposite of an exterior road facing room.  Given that this is a family-orientated place, the entertainment starts off with kids entertainment until about 9pm then it moves to cover bands for groups such as ABBA and goes on until around 1030pm.  None of this is my taste and so I should have asked for a road facing room really.  But, that's very much a personal choice clearly
• Prior to arrival, the hotel has already decided which breakfast, lunch and dinner sitting you'll be allocated.  They chose the early dinner slot for me but as someone who doesn't have children and rarely travels as a couple, this was entirely unsuitable.  After some debate the hotel did relent, but if you have a specific dining time preference, it would be completely sensible to email the hotel prior to arrival
• The hotel charges an eye-watering 10 Euro a day to use its own car park (which was mostly empty during my stay) - there is a free car park up the road but it's often full and a steep climb to reach it

Overall, would I return to this hotel?  Maybe.  The hotel scene in south-west Tenerife is very much horses for courses and the Las Dalias is a family place first and foremost - and a good one at that.  If you've got kids, then I reckon 120 quid a night, per person, for all your meals and booze, is superb value for money.  As a single traveller though, it's not the best hotel in the area.  Iberostar's Sabila, just around the corner, is adults only and it is much more suitable for the single traveller or older couple.