Tabaiba Princess

We stayed at the Maspalomas Tabaiba Princess in early March and overall had a really enjoyable experience. Visiting off-season definitely helped — the resort felt calm and never overly busy. The location is convenient, around 25 minutes from the airport, which makes transfers quick and easy. TUI reps were present virtually all day, every day, which is reassuring if you need assistance or want to book excursions. The grounds are beautiful, with plenty of foliage and flowers, and the hotel feels modern and well maintained. It’s clearly quite new and thoughtfully designed. The pools are a real highlight — large, plentiful and with lots of space to relax without feeling crowded. Our room was serviced daily and generally kept tidy. However, empty glasses were often left in the room rather than being cleared away, which became a little frustrating over the course of the stay. Most of the staff were friendly and helpful, though we did encounter a few who seemed quite moody and less welcoming, which felt inconsistent with the overall service standard you’d expect at this type of resort. The food was good for all-inclusive standard, with plenty of choice. However, quite a few dishes would have benefited from more seasoning, and some buffet items were lukewarm unless freshly cooked at the live stations, which were generally much better. There were also a few operational frustrations. The queuing system for the main restaurant was disappointing. On several occasions we were standing in line for 10–20 minutes waiting to enter, which was particularly uncomfortable for me as I’m pregnant. What made it more confusing was that once inside, there often appeared to be plenty of empty tables. The food stations inside also regularly involved more queuing. Another inconvenience was that there are no toilets inside the main restaurant itself, meaning you have to leave and use facilities elsewhere in the hotel. This was particularly noticeable being pregnant, but could be inconvenient for families or anyone with mobility needs too. We were also surprised by some of the hidden extras. Having to pay separately for waffles and pancakes felt unusual for an all-inclusive resort. Similarly, charging €25 per day for the pool day beds seems very expensive for what they are — they would likely be used far more if priced more reasonably. At lunch and dinner only wine glasses were available, which makes pouring beer awkward and messy. The cocktails were extremely sweet and could benefit from being better balanced. The hotel is quite isolated from the rest of the island, so you’re largely staying on site unless you arrange transport — but the resort itself is large with plenty of facilities. Overall, we had a very nice stay and would recommend it, particularly outside peak season, though there are a few operational details that could easily be improved.

Currently arrived yesterday at the hotel tabaiba princess im gran canaria. On first impressions hotel looks lovely and clean, check in was slow, but at least the room was ready when we arrived. Lovely room, but no cups or items to make tea or coffee, but a kettle? Why a kettle and no thing to go with it. Towels in bathroom had seen better days, very old and shabby they all need renewing. The first night we went for dinner we were shocked that we had to queue nearly 20 minutes to be able to enter the main buffet. In all my time of gping on holiday I have never had to queue and wait to eat, quite clearly when we did finally get to sit down there were many tables empty, poorly organised. Buffet area very busy and overcrowded. Food just warm not hot. My husband had chicken only to find bones in the breast. We learned that there is only one bar on the tabaiba side is open at night. When they have so many others dotted around we upgraded to the all inclusive plus but doesn't give much for your money, still havent found the waffles and crepes. So first day impressions not great we had to queue again for breakfast can see this is gonna be tiresome . Would probably rate this hotel a 3. Not 4, sorry Tabaiba princess

Unfortunately, our experience at this hotel was consistently disappointing and fell well below what is advertised for an all-inclusive resort. For an all-inclusive property, the lack of basic amenities is surprising. There are no tea or coffee-making facilities in the rooms, and there is no 24-hour access to drinks or coffee machines in this part of the hotel. Waking up and not being able to have even a simple coffee without leaving the building is frustrating and not what you expect at this level. No bottled water is provided daily in the room. The only option is to purchase it from the on-site shop at over €3 per bottle, which feels excessive and unnecessary at an all-inclusive resort. The food has repeatedly been lukewarm rather than hot, and replenishment is painfully slow. Dishes often sit empty for extended periods, causing queues and frustration. Breakfast starts being packed away promptly at 10am, which feels abrupt. Coffee machines are covered at lunch, further limiting options. The beach bars offer very limited food choices, with poor-quality sandwiches that were hard and stale. The sunbathing areas are overcrowded, and many beach loungers were covered in bird droppings and not fit for use. The rooms themselves feel tired and dated and would benefit from refurbishment and better upkeep. Additional issues added to the frustration: No heated pool as advertised Beach towel exchange only available for one hour per day (11am–12pm). Reception rarely answers the phone when called. The machine to book complimentary meals at the speciality restaurants was broken, and this was communicated rudely. Most additional facilities are located in a separate section of the resort, which is not clearly explained. Every morning at 8am, a group attending what appears to be a HYROX-style class removes gym weights — even when guests are actively using them — to take them outside. Rude behaviour from both a cleaner in our room and a staff member at the beach club when simply asking for salt. An all-inclusive holiday should feel convenient and relaxing — not frustrating and poorly organised. Overall, this felt much closer to a 3-star experience than what is advertised. Sadly, this was not the standard of experience we had hoped for. the reception area is lovely. I will add that TUI have since contacted me regarding my review, which I appreciate. However, the issues outlined above reflect our genuine experience during our stay.

I recently travelled from Manchester to Gran Canaria with my 10-year-old daughter, staying at the Tabaiba Princess / Maspalomas Princess. Overall, we loved the island and enjoyed our holiday, but the hotel had some frustrating elements alongside the good. Here is an honest breakdown of our experience: The Positives: Food, Pools, and Rooms Dining: The main buffet was nice with plenty of choice. You do have to queue and wait to be seated, which sounds annoying, but it’s actually great! It guarantees your table won't be taken when you return with your food! You can also book one visit to the onsite Japanese or Italian restaurants using a QR code from your welcome pack. The Japanese restaurant was the clear winner with a lovely selection of sushi. The Pools: The pool areas are spacious and always clean. My daughter absolutely loved the kids’ slides. Be aware that the main pool is surrounded by little grains of sand to give it a "beach effect", it feels odd at first, but you quickly get used to it. Pool Bar: This is a lovely spot to grab a drink and a slice of cake before heading back to your room. Top Tip: Ask the barman to make you a fresh Sangria; it is much better than the one they have on tap! Rooms: Our room was clean and spacious, providing a nice base for our stay. Things That Could Be Better Housekeeping: The cleaners didn't visit every day. More frustratingly, towels that I deliberately left in the bath to be replaced were often taken and not replaced. The Drink Machines: The breakfast juice machine would sometimes dispense weak, watered-down juice. The Sangria pumps often spluttered (seemingly due to high pressure), and it was a coin toss whether the beer pumps would pour a proper glass or a glass that was 90% head. I saw the staff getting visibly frustrated by this too, so it wasn't just us holidaymakers. The hotel must be losing a lot of money on wasted beer! The Lifts: The lifts are very confused. The voice guide frequently state they are going up when they are actually going down, and vice versa. Our Biggest Frustrations Kids' Pool Toilets: At the back of the kids' pool, there is a unisex toilet block. My main concern was that none of the locks worked. I had to physically accompany my 10-year-old daughter to the toilet and stand guard to stop someone from just walking in. This could easily be fixed. Smoke in Public Areas: Right as you exit the hotel into the main pool area, there is a designated smoking zone. This meant we were forced to walk through a cloud of smoke just to get to the pools, something that could easily be avoided by relocating the smoking area. I also had issues with a neighbour smoking on their balcony, which drifted into our room, though I appreciate this is harder for management to control. Excursions Palmitos Park: A fantastic day out. You can easily reach it via public transport. Sioux City Park: A brilliant Wild West experience! Highly recommended if you or your kids love horses, cows, or cowboys. They offer a free transfer bus that picks up right near the hotel. Top Tips for Future Guests Check-in: The resort is big, but you can check in at either hotel lobby. I had no idea which specific one we were staying in and initially checked in at the wrong one, but they sorted it out! Hidden Shop: There is a handy shop behind the hotel. To find it: walk outside, turn left, turn left again, and you'll find yourself looking back toward the main pool. Taxis (PideTaxi App): Download the PideTaxi app from the Play Store. When setting it up, it asks for a card. Do not set your card as the default payment method on the app, or your bookings will fail. Select "Cash" as your default to get the taxi to arrive. The drivers we used all accepted card payments inside the cab anyway (just confirm with them before setting off). Airport Advice: When leaving Gran Canaria to fly back to the UK, get through baggage drop, security, and passport control as fast as you can. Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes waiting for a family stuck at passport control. (Since Brexit, UK travellers must use manual passport control lanes when leaving Spain. Final Thoughts I loved our trip to Gran Canaria, and despite the hotel's flaws, we had a really enjoyable holiday. Would I return to this specific hotel? Probably not, but the island itself is wonderful.

Booked a week at the tabaiba princess with tui on the understanding the hotel was a 5 star as stated on tui website on arrival it clearly states its only a 4 star hotel which is the first of many negatives. Lets start with the negatives . 1, This holiday states all inclusive but to get the good drinks you have to upgrade to all inclusive plus at 15 euro a day per adult and all adults in your party or room have to upgrade it cant be one adult on there own unless holidaying on there own 2. Adult only pool area dont open until 10am with people queing from 9.30 even in feb the beds was gone by 10.30 dont try taking a bed before 10am or fear the cleaning team who loudly tell you its not open until 10am . 3. Resturants you have to wait to be seated so prepare to que its all self service you have to fetch your own drinks to take to table food very repetative and luke warm some even cold .4. bookable resturants outside hotel just 2 places buffet style one italian the other asian nothing to write home about from both be prepared to be ignored in the italian we had eaten our food and not one server spoke to us .5 internet intermitant works ok ouside but inside on/ off does work ok in rooms 6. Entertainment . Zero inthe day time the bar upstairs from food hall has nightime entertainment on some nights 5 out of our 7 nights starts at 9 until 11 then inclusive drinks stop and you have to pay for the last hour until 12am .7. Shared pool toilets . The pool toilets are in the middle of the complex and walk from any bar you sit at its just one area shared for all sexes not clean at all the toilets in the main area are not much cleaner but thats as much down to the guest missing the toilet and weeing on the floor plus the lack of hand washing from guests was shocking . Overall we rate this hotel a 3 star at a push there is no 4 star about it its not a place we will be returning too i think tui miss sell this place as they have it down as a platinum and we have stayed in those hotels before and this is nowhere near platinum