Summary:

We stayed ten days on Tenerife at the Roca Nivaria hotel. We were two adults and a 2-year-old child. We had reserved a double room superior and found it suitable for our needs. We had chosen this hotel partly based on the good reviews on Tripadvisor and other portals, but mostly because of the kids clubs for younger children and its children-friendly reputation. We were very pleased with our choice and would highly recommend this hotel for families. A major plus for this hotel is its friendly and competent staff.

We've given the hotel a 5 out of 5 because it fully met our needs and expectations, but there are a few minor points where it could have gotten a bit less than a 5... see below.

Details:

Hotel. The hotel is modern and has a somewhat blocky architecture, but it is still harmonious. There were many returning guests. The guest structure was varied: German, English, Russian, Finnish, French, Swiss, etc. At the time when we were there, two groups seemed to dominate: families with small children and retirees. We met very nice people, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.

Location. The hotel is in Playa Paraiso. As many other reviewers have mentioned, it is not the prettiest location. The hotel is however directly on the seafront and therefore one does not notice the surroundings. The noise level from the hotel next door is very decent and did not bother us. Overall, very quiet location, no party noise at night, only the sound of waves breaking. If you want to party, the touristy Playa las Americas would be better suited. We had a rental car to explore the island – highly recommended. And there was free indoor parking for the rental car – a definitive plus.

The beach. Of course, the beach is not excellent, but we found it not as bad as reported by others. One has to take into consideration that Tenerife is not a good beach destination anyhow. For nice wide sandy beaches, other islands like Fuerteventura are better suited. There is a shuttle bus between Roca Nivaria and its sister hotel in Costa Adeje. Playa del Duque is nicer and worth a visit. Our daughter liked it.

Room. We had reserved a double room superior, with ocean view. The first room we obtained was very spacious, with a separate room for our daughter. Most rooms have a ocean view, but this was only possible from the balcony (see number 15 on the plan), and a bit too dark for our taste. We asked to be moved and the next day we were moved to a room on the 5th floor (see number 14 on the plan). The room was a bit smaller than the first one, but the view was what we expected. Both rooms were very clean. The bathrooms were modern (with shower, bathtub, two sinks) and clean. The furniture was in good shape and of good taste. The air conditioning worked well and was very quiet. The balcony was large and we had a great view. Since we had half-board, the minibar was closed. One can order one of many “packages” and the minibar will be opened and filled. This occurred within minutes of the order. Although I like hard matraces, I found that the beds were comfortable but very hard. Those who prefer very soft beds might be somewhat disappointed. The room service and cleaning was very efficient and friendly. Safe and walk-in closet standard.

Entertainment. A very decent and low-key program for adults. We only used the aqua gym a few times and found the instructor entertaining and good. The evening entertainment was not to our taste, so we did not go to the events (although we could hear it from our room, but it did not disturb us). At best, it was amusing. Perhaps we were not the target audience.

Children’s club and other facilites. We were very pleased with the kids club. The personnel were competent and very friendly. Although we did not leave our daughter often alone at the kids club, she seemed to enjoy herself on those occasions. We also used the club’s facilities without booking the personnel and this was fine. The kids club has very good facilities (interior and exterior). There was also a kids room in the main restaurant which our daughter used every day (trampoline, foam blocks, etc.) and we found it very convenient. The kids pool was heated and sufficient and we used it extensively and found it a very nice place to meet other parents. The kids disco was fun and very popular with the little ones. Overall, since we chose this hotel mainly for its children facilities, we were very pleased. Other parents there seemed equally pleased. It is not comparable to a family hotel in Austria, for example, but since we did not have these expectations, we were 100% satisfied.

Spa. The spa circuit has all the usual stations (whirlpool, small pool, sauna, relaxation room, flotation room, Turkish bath, etc.). I found that it however missed a bit of character and was quite cold. I’ve experienced much better spas - I just expected more. The massages were good and the staff friendly and competent. There was also a well equipped fitness room (gym), but we did not use it, nor did we use the tennis or other sports facilities.

Pool: Two infinity pools: a sweet water pool and a heated salt water pool. The sweet water pool was very cold but refreshing. There was also a whirlpool, which we used extensively. The water in both pools was clean and not too chlorinated. There were 2 pool-side bars. The gardens were very nice and very well maintained and there were enough chairs for everyone. We did not notice any excessive “chair reservation”.

Service. We were pleased with the level of service. All staff without exception was very friendly and efficient. We had the impression that the staff was happy and well managed, which always helps to make one feel welcomed. We would like to mention the particularly friendly service from Sarah and also Frederico from the restaurant.

Food. Some previous reviewer’s comments regarding the quality of the food might have to do with perhaps unrealistic expectations. The food is average, but actually “reasonable” for a buffet-style restaurant. The breakfast buffet was good. The evening meals were certainly okay. The house wine was not that great, so go for the bottled wine instead. We found some nice wine from Tenerife on the menu. The service at the restaurant was always fast and very friendly. We were pleased because we could always find something for our daughter and for us. We did not try the restaurants, so I cannot comment on their quality. If someone wants a more sophisticated culinary experience, this might not be the hotel of choice. The pool-side menu for half-board guest was small but sufficient. The pizza was good, and the hamburger and sandwiches also.

We booked this hotel for our family including grandparents for a week and after suffering a family bereavement, had ensured our travel company let the hotel know that we would appreciate a speedy and efficient check in (we had two young children, elderly grandparents, one of which was in a wheelchair) and that the things we required were in place when we arrived (a commode, chair in the shower for my disabled mother).

I don't want to go into every detail but just suffice to say we arrived at 2pm, were told they had upgraded one of the rooms (only one when we had two superior rooms and one junior suite arranged) but that it wasn't quite ready and we were not all in our rooms until 6pm at night and my mothers commode did not arrive until the next day. We had been up since 4am in the morning so this initial experience was extremely frustrating. When one of the managers arranged to meet us to discuss our issues (not until the next evening) I was left feeling that our version of events and the version given to him by his reception staff were rather different eg he was under the impression the commode had been delivered the night before. He admitted that despite the numerous emails from our travel company asking them to confirm the disabled equipment was in place, and confirmation from the hotel, that actually they didn't understand what a commode was and didn't ask for clarification!!!! The reception was also repeatedly asked by myself and our travel rep on our arrival when the commode would arrive to which they replied it would be here and then they finally admitted to us at 7pm they didn't know what it was. By this time it was too late to get it for that evening as the company where you hire it from was closed which meant my mother had a very uncomfortable night and this could all have been avoided.
With regards to the actual upgrade, it was a nice idea but not when it delays you getting into your rooms! We asked if we could get 3 junior suites in an effort to speed things up (and would pay for the other upgrade) but got shown the Royal suite (wow - stunning but we didn't want to share a suite with either parents which is what we would have to do and this was unacceptable). I felt the reception staff couldn't understand why we would refuse this but all we really wanted was what we had originally asked for. Needless to say we were really upset and disappointed by this level of service (especially since I had done so much to try and make sure everything would be taken care of) and the fruit basket with a compliment slip which was delivered the next day saying sorry for the inconvenience was almost an insult.

Our reps manager met with another hotel manager to go over the sheer lack of service on arrival and the initial apology and we got "attentions" to our rooms for the rest of the holiday. This consisted of a flower, a cheese platter, a ham platter, and then caviar. All delivered to the rooms right after breakfast and not able to refrigerate them, the food went off very quickly (I could also have picked any of this up at the evening buffet). We also got a complimentary lunch one day (we had chosen half board as our parents don't like a big lunch and with two children under 3, the all inclusive option was not value for money for us). In all, I felt that the hotel's management did little more than the absolute basic to make up for the disasterous start to our holiday.

If everything had gone to plan, would I have rated this hotel any better? In truth, probably not. The resort the hotel is in is little more than a ghost town with very little to do other than take the courtesy bus or taxi into Adeje and beyond. Obviously the recession has hit here but there really is very little to keep you in the area. The pool area, although lovely is overcrowded with sunbeds so yes, you will always get one but you are practically sitting on top of your neighbour. The bali beds shown in all the photos are available for a charge - so most of the time, very little were taken. The staff, although friendly, do not seem to understand English as well as I would expect from a 5 star hotel and we had many occasions where there were mistakes made with orders (I think alot of them are used to most guests going all inclusive so are not used to requests not from the inclusive menus) This was a bit of an ongoing issue as there was no way to identify all inclusive guests from hb guests and staff were constantly going away to ask for help. The childrens dinners were not avaialble in Sept (now out of season) and the pirate ship in the restaurant was left empty through out the holiday.

Despite the hotel having good food, the cleanest rooms and general areas I have ever seen (what a cleaning staff) and great childrens facilities (fabulous creche which we visited but didn't leave the children there and a wonderful play area off the main restaurant which kept them occupied ) there were too many things that just didn't come up to scratch and a lot of it was down to understanding and communication. First impressions are so important (I work in customer service) and this hotel in my view did not do enough to change our opinion from the beginning to make me want to visit again.

I find it hard to believe some of the negative comments regarding this hotel. We have stayed at a number of 4 & 5 star with our two children over the past 5 years and found the Roca to be one of the best. The rooms are well sized, clean and well presented. In relation to the food we found it to be of a very high standard with great variety especially the grill.

The only drawback is the location as there are only a couple of small shops/supermarkets nearby.

What a great holiday This hotel ticks all the boxes we went with friends.
We could not fault a thing-we were Half Board.The food was varied and plentifull catering for all tastes as well as children whom they made very welcome.
We are definitely going back.
The pool area was very atrractive and no shortage of loungers towels and bed covers were supplied- area was spotlessly clean.We truly give the ROCA NIVARIA THE THUMBS UP..