Esencia de La Palma by Princess - Adults Only

Pools are great, food very good, whole experience very good. Half boarders should be allowed their 1st drink in the evening free. Feather pillows as a choice would have been good. The only choice we had was foam pillows. We didn't like plates of leftovers at the collection points

A lovely relaxing stay. Not busy. Great food. Friendly staff. Large room with balcony and bathroom with shower and bath. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and well kept. Facilities are great. Lots of choice of activities. Good choice of food and very helpful with a gluten free diet. Only the main restaurant was open but worthwhile paying the supplement for a meal at the adults only venue. Loved the live piano music nightly in the reception/bar area. Other entertainment in evening not always to our taste.

Our fourth vist and as good as previous holidays here. Good,, cheap local bus service to get out to do walks and explore the island if you don't have a car. Helpful Reception has time tables. Food, many options, wifi and rooms good. No complaints.

I actually stayed at the La Palma Princess Hotel which is next to the Adult only Hotel Essencia. This is my third stay, last in 2019. The hotel has been refurbished and the Essencua built. In the main restaurant Essencia guests went to a separate area to be seated. No children . But as l went in January there were only babies and non school children on our side and to be honest,,were all very well behaved . I felt they enhanced my stay! The hotel rooms pools (one was heated and fab aqua aerobics) and all inclusive are still amazing value . Definitely 4* , in my opinion 4.5*. And the weather was fantastic, 7 days of sun, 19/18o at night - 20/21..”feels like 24 “ a couple of days. We did the NE tour incl rum distillery, so met German guide Rudi again. Lovely day and great coach driver - very smooth journey. And Whale watching at Tazacorte. Third trip, in small boat/ meal.. sticks to the coast ( saw whales and dolphins 2018) bigger boat , wales and dolphins no food 2019) and Fancy this trip saw pilot wales/ take away meal and drink … 2.5 hours , felt a bit sea sick so didn’t eat on boat! Lovely crew. Tui guides helpful. Fab journey home was a 737-800 think… v smooth . Great flight and cabin crews. 16.1.25.

Overall Impression I wouldn’t choose to return to this hotel. While there are some positive aspects, the service and frequent queuing significantly detracted from the experience. Check-In Experience Upon arrival, we were mistakenly allocated a Princess Room instead of the Esencia room we had booked. I had to queue again to address the error, showing proof on my TUI app that I had paid for the Esencia section. However, the staff insisted the booking was for the Princess Room, making it clear they saw this as my problem. There was no apology or sense of ownership, and it took contacting TUI via their app to resolve the issue. Finally, we were given an Esencia room, but it had cockroaches—one we killed, while another escaped under the adjoining door into the next room. When we reported this to reception, they laughed it off, explaining that the hotel is surrounded by banana plantations and fumigation wasn’t possible until the following day. It wasn’t until 2 AM that we settled into the room. Thankfully, the cleaner we spoke to the next morning was outstanding, resolving the issue promptly and giving us a can of cockroach spray for reassurance. We didn’t see any more after that. Adults-Only Bar One major disappointment was the lack of a dedicated adults-only bar after 6 PM, when the pool bar closes. After that, guests must use the reception bar, shared with both the family and adults-only sections. This led to long queues during the evenings, detracting from the relaxing atmosphere we had expected. Water Supply Surprisingly, no bottled water is provided in the rooms. Guests must fill their own bottles at taps in the bars or restaurants. Since no bottles or flasks are supplied, we had to buy bottled water from the shop near reception (€2.20 each). While this worked as a stopgap, it was inconvenient. Towels For poolside towels, you must walk to the spa at the far end of the hotel. Guests are allowed only one towel exchange per week; any additional exchanges cost €0.50 per towel. If you prefer a fresh towel daily, expect multiple trips to the spa and added fees. Adults-Only Misleading The “adults-only” label is misleading. It’s simply a section within the Princess Hotel, not a separate adults-only facility. The kids' club is located near the adults-only pool, so it’s common to hear children playing or crying. While I enjoy children, I specifically booked an adults-only experience for peace and quiet, and this fell short of expectations. Queues and Bar Service In the evenings, only one reception bar serves both the Princess Hotel and the Esencia section. With just three staff members working, queues often exceeded 15 people. Self-service beer and wine options alleviated some of the wait, but if you wanted a cocktail or spirit, it required patience. Even upgrading to premium drinks (€17 per day) didn’t grant priority service, which was frustrating and felt like poor value for money. Dining The Esencia restaurant is quieter and more relaxing than t

Great hotel clean spacious and plenty of sunbeds. Only dissapoint was queuing for restaurant because staff were slow emptying tables. Long queues at bars could be reduced by using swipe card payment to room. But minor issues great hotel no extra charge for safe,towels or local tax.