Hotel H10 Rubicon Palace

We are staying here now at the moment , the hotel is great . The room we was given over looks the two smaller pools and the sea, food brilliant. No beach , so just been to see the tui rep Tuesday 26 th July he was about as helpful as a chocolate teapot , I fancied a boat trip but I was disturbing his peace , so I really didn’t get any excitement I may as be asking about a trip to the new agent lol

We stayed for 10 nights in late June/Early July with the Privilege Upgraded services. It was a lovely stay. Room was of good standard and well maintained and serviced (except minibar not filled a few days) Had great service in all restaurants and we thought food was some of the best quality we have found in the Canaries. Liked the self service/carry out facilities of Pool Bar at lunchtime and the quiet peaceful nature of the Privilege restaurant at Breakfast and Dinnertime. Loved the idea of having an allocated table for the whole of your stay. The Dinner menu in the Privilege restaurant was not really to our taste but Stefano (and the chefs) were very helpful and accommodated several special requests to improve our experience. Also a special mention for Jacob who is one of the most professional, helpful and friendly waiters we have experienced in a large hotel. We mainly used the small pool with the Privilege Bar Van at it. Again Miguel in the truck was lovely and takes such pride in his area with cleaning up the surroundings regularly (unlike relief staff who were still helpful but ran out of some drinks and never tidied). Had to be up early for sunbeds though as this was a popular area and all beds were reserved by 8am most days. The last day we couldn't get a late checkout so used our free entry to the Spa in the afternoon which allowed us space to shower and dress easily for our departure. It is a great facility but very windy in outdoor area...shame they can't do a bit more to screen it from the sides thus not losing the view. A nice facility though and not very busy. My biggest gripe (pretty minor in reality) was with the Privilege Lounge. Staff went in rarely and often there was little choice of glasses and some guests can't seem to read notices meaning I tended to clean up after other people every time I went in. Again sometimes bottles of drinks would be finished and not replaced quickly. In addition, on our first day we requested some Port to be put in the Lounge so we could have our after dinner coffees in there but this was denied as there is apparently "a list" of drinks that will be stocked there. Now I am easy going and didn't argue at the time but when you then have to queue at the main bar for sometimes 20 minutes for your after dinner drinks, I lost my sense of humour. Such an easy fix. That said, we will definitely return and probably for a longer stay next time. All in all it was a very relaxing holiday. For us, the Privilege upgrade was definitely worth it (older couple). Not sure I would do it if I was also paying the extra for children.

My wife and I visited the Rubicon Palace for 2 weeksfrom 27th June 19. We usually stay at the 4 star Sandos Papagayo Beach in Playa Blanca so we drew obvious comparisons. Firstly the Rubicon is more expensive. About £600 more for the two weeks. But is it worth it ? The hotel grounds and pools are very nice, clean and well maintained. The rooms are of a good size, well maintained and our balcony was huge with a partial sea view. The main buffet restaurant can get chaotic, but the food was of a really good standard. Other places to eat were good, the best by far being the Italian. The Bistro bar also made a good alternative to the main restaurant for lunch. The entertainment was also good, with professional acts each night in the theatre bar. You get branded spirits and bottled or draft international beer as well, which is far better than the local stuff. The location to be honest is a bit out of the way. There is a very small beach a few hundred yards to the right and another around half a mile to the left. Playa Blanca is a good 30 mins walk and the marina another 20 on top of that. There were just a couple of niggles that I think are unnecessary. Firstly there is a lovely on site spa, but you have to pay to go in so didn't seem to get used as much as it should. Next to the spa is a small but well equipped gym,it is free to use, but only till 10am, then you have to pay. There is not enough staff on in the bars at night, sometimes had to queue for 20 to 30 mins for a drink, was this a deliberate ploy by H10, Ithink so. Some items on the menu at the bistro are also payable, even on all Inc. The in room mini bar is stocked but you must pay for what you use, why is a mystery, when drinks are free everywhere else. The penny pinching does not stop there, you also have to pay each time you change pool towels, although they don't tell you this until checkout. Is it better than the Sandos, yes, certainly. Is it 600 quid better, you decide but it's the penny (or euro ) pinching that was my only gripe. Would I go back, Yes, would I recommend it ,Yes, but come on H10 give up the stingyness.