Gran Canaria has been so popular for many decades – and therefore also with an older audience – because it has an almost ideal climate all year round… So it's already there. Unbelievable that I write these lines. But after my cruciate ligament surgery, I appreciated the joint- and rheumatism-friendly weather and moved a part of my rehab to the Canary Islands. What I needed? Peace, beach, sunshine, good food and a great hotel, ideally with a wellness and physio department.
The latter is what drew our attention to Seaside Palm Beach. The house has its own wellness area with rehabilitation department. Maybe one of the deciding factors for booking. I must confess, however, that I did not have a single treatment there. Instead, I prescribed myself kilometer-long beach walks, aqua-jogging and swimming.
A special house
The Seaside Palm Beach is a 5-star design hotel in the immediate vicinity of the dunes of Maspalomas.
The charm of the 70s has not only been preserved here, but deliberately intensified in retro design. The rooms and suites are designed according to four color schemes: yellow-turquoise, green-violet, beige-brown or coral-blue. With this cheerful play of colors the vegetative variety of the island is to be represented. But apart from the vintage design, it's the gastronomy that makes the hotel a special place. The friendly staff member at the check-in told us: "We are famous for our good food." She did not promise too much.
Culinary Highlights
The Seaside Palm Beach has three restaurants:
The standard main restaurant, where a special barbecue is held 3 times a week. Otherwise you dine there A-la-Carte. Very pleasant! And as long as it doesn't rain, the restaurant's tables are mainly outdoors in the hotel's courtyard.
However, it is disturbing that some guests of the hotel reserve the best tables of the restaurant in advance. From 5pm one partner is on guard, while the second is still showering. Unfortunately, the competitive pressure among some guests and the reservations continue with the sunbeds at the pool. From 7:30 in the morning, the best sunbathing spots are occupied with towels.
Special mention should be made of Esencia, an a la carte restaurant with refined Mediterranean cuisine without too many frills.
Outstanding is the tapas bar La Bodega. Here also external guests come again and again to dine, to enjoy the regional fine-prepared ingredients. Definitely order the Secreto Iberico.
We liked the a la carte concept very much. If you don't dine in the main restaurant as a guest of the hotel, you get a kind of "credit" for the other two restaurants and you only have to count up the difference. However, this does not apply on the heavily advertised paella night. Whereby it is not really clear to us why lobster tails& Co. distributed at half board rate, but expected a significant surcharge for paella. So be it. The food is definitely worth five stars.
Our conclusion
The Seaside Palm Beach Hotel is definitely a good place to stay in Gran Canaria. The location is top. Even if you want to go out again in the evening. Then we recommend a walk along the boardwalk to Cafe del Mar Meloneras. And to enjoy there a delicious Gin Tonic with Gin Mare.
The pool area and the wellness area are above average compared to the Canarian standard. The restaurants excellent. The service is exemplary. Every evening there are two fresh bottles of water in the room and the bathroom is cleaned again.
Make sure that you book a higher room category (higher floor).
Be prepared to encounter older regulars who expect their status there to be appreciated unconditionally. This can be exhausting, for the very service-oriented hotel staff as well as for other guests.
Beachtime Traveller with destination Maspalomas I can definitely recommend the hotel. And if you are staying in another hotel, you can have dinner at the Palm Beach.