Just got back from 14 nights at the Barcelo Santiago & have to say i really enjoyed it, it's a brilliant place to relax and get away from it all! Possibly a little quieter than i thought it was going to be ( location wise) but Los Gigantes is only a 15 minute walk away ( although its hilly) and if u don't feel up to the walk back u can get a taxi back to the hotel for 2euros80 which in the middle of the day i'd definately recommend so your not that far away from the shops and bars!

You can't beat the pool area, the layout is great and the views whilst u swim are to die for! I will admit the Germans were a pain. I think we got a parasol twice out of the 2 weeks?! but there were sunbeds around, u just had to take them off the stacks in the end. The pool guy did try and inforce the rule as much as poss but he doesnt work 24/7 and i have a sneakin suspicion the Germans were putting their towels on at 2 in the mornin before they went to bed when he wasnt there( at least i saw a few of them doing it).

The staff are lovely. They can't do enough to help you even though most of them are workin 12hr shifts they are pretty much upbeat every day. Did not have any bad service the entire 2 weeks.
Now, i've read a few of the other reviews on here and i feel i must stick up for the animacíon team... they may not have been professional acts but u cannot say they didn't try their hardest! they also work extremely long hours, and organise the daytime entertainment as well as the evening and were still always smiley, i admit the guy with the blonde spikey hair was slightly too enthusastic but its a big hotel u can avoid him! lol

Moving on... if u don't like the entertainment in the hotel u can always venture out. Route 66 is worth a look but the best place we found is driectly opp the hotel and is called the Courtyard Bar. It is an English bar so if u don't like that then its not for u, but u should at least try it once. We were skeptics but it turned out to be our local haunt, they have cabaret evey night including Paul as Meatloaf on a wednesday and Dave as Elton on a Sunday. Both well worth a look. Their slogan is " there are no strangers at the courtyard only friends we have yet to meet" and its true, Jonathon and Nathan are both brilliant and the cocktails are great. (Can u tell i'm a fan of this place??!!)

In conclusion... hehe... if ur lookin for a chillout week with friendy staff and great views and u dont mind using your legs i would definately give this hotel a go. ( but don't say we didn't warn u about the Germans! be brave.. beat them at their own game!!)

Just returned from Barcelo Santiago Tenerife, great scenery clean rooms great staff.Food to a very good standard.Staff very polite even when very busy.Special thanks to Pablo and all at the pool bar.Most entertainment carried out by the animation team to a good standard.Hotel could give more free time to the animation team by bringing in more professional entertainers.Hotel layout and views spectacular.Now the down side Shade/ Sunloungers ,very nearly spoilt the entire holiday.There is not enough shaded areas, sunshades ,loungers,for the amount of visitors to this hotel.Personaly i would use canopies to give more cover freeing up parasols for use elswere.There is no policie for booking sunbeds at all,First come first served.Put your towes out the night before,this tip given by our German friends.

Spent 1 week here all inclusive. Weather fantastic, hotel fantastic, food fantastic, staff great.............but full of rude germans. We had a huge problem with sunbeds ie. being reserved from 04.00 am every morning despite a notice saying it was not allowed. On our last day we managed to get 2 sunbeds together only to have a huge argument with a german couple who claimed they had reserved these beds. We put our foot down only to have them and their fellow german friends give us awful glares for the whole day which was very threatening at times. We pay the same money they do so we put our foot down. Management tried to find us alternative sunbeds, but why should we move when they are in the wrong. Also entertainment poor, performed by the daytime animation team most nights- professional acts should be used in such a large hotel. We will not be going back to this hotel or area, we had no warning from 1st choice about this hotelbeing orientated to germans and feel we will not use first choice again.

Just back from our second vist to the Barcelo Santiago. We managed to get a room on the fourth floor - would recommend you request this for the views which are stunning, particularly -towards the cliffs of Los Gigantes. The refurb is now complete and is good. No problems with cleanliness or cockroaches and staff on the whole are very friendly. The hotel was much busier this time round and meal times are busy so we found it was better to eat later, food is good and lots of variety so something for everyone. My only problem was the sunbed thing and yes it was a real issue!! we got to the point of if you can't beat them join them! My hubby was awake very early one morning and decided to go for a walk and found all the sunbeds apart from the odd one or two were taken by 5.30 in the morning, mostly bagged by the German and French visitors - so if you want a decent spot you need to be up early as the hotel rule of not reserving sunbeds is not enforced. It would not be fair for me to comment on the hotel entertainment as this is not my thing, but do go over the road to Route 66. "Old Dogs New Tricks" are excellent and would recommend you go and see them. Sun bed thing apart we would go back.