Never Too Old For A Family Hol
My stay at the Fantasia Bahia Principe
I’ll be the first to admit that the prospect of a family holiday didn’t fill me with as much excitement has it once did. I’m a twenty-something singleton, who is probably lacking in some solid life foundations. Compare this to my family, who are all married with children and hold down ‘serious’ jobs...defiantly makes me the black sheep of the heard. (Not that I’m complaining, I’m actually very happy with my current life status). Family time is very important to my fam and after some health issues with my mother, a family holiday was needed to celebrate her well-being and spend some quality time together.
My mum and dad are big fans of Tenerife, it’s all year round sunny climate and short-haul flight time make it the ideal destination for a relaxed getaway. Having stayed at the Bahia resorts before, they opted for the newest hotel in their portfolio The Bahia Principe. This resort was chosen mainly for my nieces and nephews – they had amazing reviews for kids and featured a splash park, kids entertainment and even a Disney style castle! I opted to stay for one week, and joined the family after their first week as they chose to stay for fourteen nights.
I arrived at the hotel after a short taxi ride from the airport which cost about twenty Euros. On first impressions I could clearly see this complex was indeed luxurious. Stepping out of the reception area you are welcomed with beautiful views of the hotel pools, the Disney-style castle and the Atlantic Ocean, which sits just a stone’s throw away from the back of the hotel. After a short wait for my room to be ready, I was excited to refresh and check out where I would probably be hiding when the family got a bit too much. I have to say, I think the rooms were my favourite thing about this hotel. Really light and airy, with so much space and a beautiful bathroom. Also, the view from the balcony was stunning.
Settling into my room, I didn’t really want to leave but my tummy was rumbling and the family were anticipating my arrival to join them for food. Not to sound snobby but I’m really not a fan of self-service situations. Partly because I’m lazy but more because whenever I eat out, part of that experience for me is just relaxing and being served – not fussing around or waiting in queues. What I imagined an all inclusive hotel to be like was very much what the Bahia Principe delivered. I really enjoyed all the Ala’carte restaurants and that experience was great. But queuing up for food in a large canteen where every small noise bounces across the room wasn’t my idea of paradise. I would say the restaurant (but defiantly more a canteen) was the only major downside to this hotel. It can only be described as chaotic. Smashing plates all the time, loud noises, large queues for food and sometimes queues to even enter in the first place.
Canteen aside, everything about this place was luxurious and comfortable. The staff were amazing and you could see how hard they worked. My brother had an issue with his room, and so to apologise they gave him a night’s stay in the castle, which was amazing!
My nieces and nephews loved their holiday, and my initial worry about spending too much time with family was subverted. If anything I was the one wanting to spend more time with the family, especially my nieces and nephews but they were too busy making the most of the pools, kids club, games room and making friends!
All in all, I very much enjoyed my stay here, and would go back again, defiantly not on my own or with a friend, but certainly with the family.
