El Duque

Where to start? This may be on the longer side but please read for an honest review. Came for a 9 night holiday with my husband and our two children (ages 12 and 14) between 6-15th May 2025 on an all inclusive basis. We've been to Tenerife many, many times and chose this hotel because we knew we wanted to be in this area and it suited our budget. For personal reasons this was our last family holiday so we were really hoping it would be as good as our previous holidays have been. Reviews looked good, and we were all excited about arriving. Our only requirements were that rooms were clean, pools were adequate and that the food was edible. I have a dairy allergy so prior to booking the hotel I actually emailed the hotel directly and asked if allergen information was provided at the buffet. I was assured it was. I wouldn't have booked unless I had confirmation of this. Upon arriving however, this was NOT the case. No allergens were provided for any of the dishes on offer. There was a screen before entering the restaurant that said to advise of allergies and they would cater for you. Other hotels we've been to have had placards showing images of the allergens. The restaurant at El Duque had placards saying what they were e.g "Spaghetti Bolognese" but no further information stipulating ingredients. I asked the restaurant manager who told me to ask the chefs. The chefs didn't seem to understand my query, and whilst they would advise what was safe to eat I wasn't full of confidence as they pointed to a carbonara as being OK for me. Everyone knows carbonara is creamy and most definitely contains dairy. I had to stick to things I thought would be safe, such as plain grilled meat, salad and fruit. I actually lost weight on this holiday as the options were vastly limited. I visited the reception and queried my email and the fact I was told allergens were made aware, they couldn't help me and just told me to ask at the restaurant which I had done. Still, as long as my children were happy I could live on a limited diet. The second night my son bit into a chicken finger and asked me if it looked normal as it tasted funny. It was completely RAW inside. I told him to stop eating and went and showed the chefs. They didn't apologise just took it off me and that was that. My son has anxiety anyway and was in a state. Back to reception we went and they were also unconcerned. I honestly wish I'd taken a photo of said chicken but we were too shocked. If we'd had the funds we would have eaten out after this but we hadn't budgeted for eating out after paying for all inclusive. Every meal after this was filled with anxiety and we dreaded having to eat. Breakfast was the only edible meal in my opinion. Omelets were cooked freshly, along with the usual full English, continental, fruit, pastries and cereals. Lunch seemed to be left overs from the previous night's dinner. Dinner options included liver in an unappealing gravy, veal and pork. Chips and pasta became our staple. And we are not fussy eaters. Room was basic but perfectly fine for what we needed. Kids each had a bed made up ready in the lounge and we had a bedroom just off it. Comfort wise absolutely fine. Kitchen was perfect if you were self catering and included kettle, fridge, microwave, oven and utensils. Nice touches were washing up liquid, scourer and tea towel. Bathroom was spacious and stocked with soap, shampoo, toilet roll and plenty of towels. We only requested our room to be cleaned 3 days out of the 9 as we weren't really using it and the cleaners did a fab job. Fresh towels and bedding were provided. The cleaners are what makes the hotel. They are constantly working and even clean down the doors to your rooms. The toilets around the hotel are cleaned hourly and the grounds well maintained. One of the cleanest complexes we've been too. Pools were good, we tended to stay in the smaller of the too as it was heated and quieter. Towels can be hired for a deposit of 15 euros each, this must be in cash and is given back upon check out. Floats are allowed in the pools which was a hit with all children. Life guards are present at both pools but just play on their phones all day and wander to and from the bar. Don't think we heard them blow their whistle once the whole stay, even when children were diving and belly flopping in the pools (my son included and yes, we told him off). Pool bars open 11am-11pm and really good choice of all inclusive drinks. Ice lollies are available to purchase although they do provide little ice cream pots but do not advertise this. Evening entertainment is OK, mini disco at 8.30 which is the usual baby shark etc and then a show at 9pm followed by a quiz/bingo. We saw acrobats, magicians, singers and dancers. All inclusive ends at 11pm as does the entertainment. Alcohol not too bad for an all inclusive. Area is perfect if you are wanting to be central to everything. Market is literally opposite the front gate. Beach and shops just a ten minute walk downhill. We got a taxi to Siam Mall and Monkey Park at a cost of 12 euros one way. All in all, I would come back self catering as the area is perfect and the pool and room facilities are good. The food is dreadful especially for allergens and our son and other guests could have gotten really sick. If you're booked to come here then just be careful of the food and enjoy! It's cheap for a reason! If you are thinking of coming and want to eat at your hotel then there are other much better options available. Hope this helps!

We had a large one bedroom apartment on the 3rd Floor, although clean was very much in need of a massive upgrade throughout, the rooms were very sad and dowdy also the sofa/bed has seen far far better days. Staff not much better either, apart from a couple members looking after the pool bars, who were helpful others certainly not. We did sample restaurant breakfast, my husband is so not a fussy eater but when he leaves food there has be to something very wrong, not good so didn't go back. The pool area very tired the lick of paint over the cracks certainly hadn't worked leaving not a good look. We chose the hotel because of its excellent location staying in that area a number of occasions, but on review wished we had gone somewhere else. All I would say is think twice about booking the El Duque as there's far far better choices around like the Sunwing/Fanabe/Iberostar Hotels with better facilities and nicer all round, with not that much more cost.

We had an excellent experience apart from a few moaning and absolutely rude guests. I feel sorry for the staff who went out of their way to make everything nice.. unfortunately you can't please everyone all of the time. The apartment was roomy and clean ok no air con but the ceiling fan was ok for this time of the year. We went all inclusive and managed to find something enjoyable at every sitting . We found the staff to be attentive and welcoming so I'm not sure why others are complaining about them. Check in is 3 pm so make sure you pack your costumes on the top of your suitcase. Once you arrive you are given access to the pools and meals if all inclusive. Our studio was cleaned on a daily basis and we were happy with the cleaning staff. There was no water in the rooms but you could by a few bottles at the local supermarket if you didn't drink it from the taps . Which I did on a few occasions without any problem . OK the only thing I could fault was the daytime music which a lot of it was" boom boom " music with both bars playing different music and competing against each other. Can't really complain about much else

I honestly never thought I’d say this about a holiday, but I couldn’t wait to get back home. This hotel was a massive disappointment, and I’m genuinely shocked it gets any good reviews – we were completely misled. Let’s start with the staff – unbelievably rude. We were made to feel unwelcome for even basic things like filling a water bottle in the food hall. My partner asked for a tomato juice and was told it was only for Bloody Marys — so… we can’t have any juice? The attitude was just bizarre and completely unprofessional. The “all inclusive” claim is honestly false. You can’t take bottles of water, you’re not allowed drinks after 11 p.m., and the lunch/dinner times are strange and inconsistent. The food was absolutely awful – the only edible options were plain pasta and chips. All the juices were watered down, the wine tasted like petrol, and the pasta sauces were inedible. We ended up eating out every night, which defeats the purpose of an all-inclusive booking. They advertise ice creams, but you’re not actually allowed to have any except little pots that seem like they’re from prison. Our room was just okay — but definitely not worth the extra money for a “studio.” There’s no air conditioning, just a ceiling fan that looked like it could fall down at any moment. The shower pressure was poor, and the hot water barely worked. The lift seemed clearly wrong — it made horrible noises and looked so unsafe that we avoided it altogether. The smell around the hotel was awful, and many areas looked completely run-down and neglected. Cleanliness was another issue. There was a drink spilled on a table and it literally stayed there until 10 p.m. the next day — clear proof the place wasn’t being cleaned properly. Some positives: the pool was nice, the entertainment was actually decent, and the music around the hotel was enjoyable. The shops just outside the hotel were honestly what saved us — without them, I think I’d have come back four stone lighter. Overall, this was a horrible holiday. If it weren’t for the shops and entertainment, it would’ve been a complete nightmare. The service was slow but okay — the real issue was how unwelcome we were made to feel. Do not book this hotel. We read the reviews and were filled with false hope. Big mistake. BEWARE.

Second time staying here and wasn’t disappointed we requested the same room and got it so was very happy We did self catering so had an apartment with a big balcony The hotel is fully gated so feels safe it’s next to the duke shopping centre so lovely shops there is a big hypodino supermarket under the shopping centre and good prices there is a market opposite the duke shops twice a week The pool doesn’t officially open til 10am but you can go there earlier but no life guard but it stops all the putting towels on the beds early there was always plenty of sunbeds both pools are lovely It’s about a 15 minute walk to the beach it is a bit of a hill to come back up but doable and worth it because there are so many lovely bars and restaurants I can’t comment on food cos didn’t eat here The check in is after 3pm so pack your pool stuff on top so can change in the toilets and put cases in locked room This hotel is good value for money its basic but has everything you need and is clean and in a nice area I would go back again definitely