Poorly located and grubby - Glen Rothes. Date of travel: Jun 2007
Arrived in Gran Canaria on 11 June 2007, this was our first time in the Canaries. Island very windy and appears mostly mountainous and bare. Long trip to resort (40 mins) after which time the Eden Apartments was the first stop. Not happy when arriving. I had specifically booked the Eden because I was under the impression that it was at approx halfway up a hill and I had turned down a cheaper hotel that I thought was further up the hill. Not so, the Eden is at the top of the hill and is a good distance from 'anything' of interest. When we arrived I was taken by the general untidiness of the place, leaves, dust swirling/lying around and when I got to our apartment I wasn't happy; small apartment, faded decor, and everything just wasn't clean enough. There was a pay TV (€1/hr, which is a ripoff) and no oven, only a microwave that had not been cleaned in an age, and was probably passed the cleaning stage. The complex has a good pool, with an OK bar that serves snacks and food with excellent staff. The entertainment was variable from very poor to excellent (the magician). Stayed at the Eden for 14 days. The first 10 days we hardly spoke to anyone as the complex seemed to be dominated by shaven headed gorillas with tatoos and football shirts who just growled at you if you made a pleasantry (and that was just the women). The last few days we found some families who were pleasant. The local shopping centre, the Europa is a small complex filled with restaurants, pubs and electrical shops. I was soon to find that this was a microcosm for Gran Canaria. The best restaurants here were the Amadeus, which had one of the best sirloin steaks I have ever tasted and Le Chef whose seafood was terrific. The reason the location of the complex was a problem is that the main Centre Commercial is at the bottom of the hill. There is a taxi ride required and if you are like the other reviewers on this site this will cost you €3 each way. I, however, am too embarrassed not to leave a tip so it was €10 a night for my family, about €100 for 2 weeks. The Centro Commercial is a vast shopping centre comprised of, again, restaurants, pubs and electrical shops. The PRs for the restaurants are incredibly annoying after a few nights as you are literally verbally assaulted every 5 metres by desperate PR staff. The prices in the complex for food was not that reasonable either, however if you shopped around you could find a bargain. The pubs in the Centre Commercial varied in quality and price. The best pub we found was called 'The Nag's Head' and was located at the back of the complex on the 3rd floor. Run by Alan and Val, this was a friendly, reasonably priced pub with entertainment and a Wii. [Nintendo gaming console]. The waterpark at Maspalomas was dirty and expensive, and definitely not worth the money. I hired a car and found Gran Canaria to be a smelly, desolate and windy place which is dominated by shopping centres, all with exactly the same shops. I found it lacking in culture and I found the locals to be an unfriendly bunch when they weren't looking for money or selling you anything.

Miss Diana Cameron. Date of travel: Dec 2006
Great for older children, pool too big, and deep for younger ones, and baby's pool, an old jucuzzi. They have slides and climbing frame. Children club might be good, haven't tried it, ages from 3yrs up, Baby sitting available, only 3 yrs and up. Great childrens shows at the on site bar,Parrot show, thumbs up with my three. It's hard to dry clothing, laundrette not too bad, if tumble driers working. Reps really helpful, give you loads of info if exploring. Tour Operator: Thomson

We been before and will return - Lisa Abbott. Date of travel: Nov 2006
Yeah its on the top of the hill, but dont let that put u off, it means its quiet, plus there's a Europa centre just behind, full of bars shops resturants, Lord Byron's food is fab its a nice walk to Amadore beach, and taxis are cheap back up... although having 6 of us 2 pushchairs we walked both ways, another nice walk is from Amadore to main beach along the sea wall, great views, about Eden, 3 times we been there and I haven't a bad thing to say about it.. All the staff from Kim on reception, Karen the rep, the kids club rep , Gary and Cheryl the entertainers and Michel, Santiago and all the other really really hard working bar staff, are a credit to these apartments, food is great, entertainment varied, loads for kids discos shows ect, my kids 3,5,8,and 10 although not great swimmers loved the pool which yes is deep, but they loved it. We will be going back we been twice this year January and we just come back December will be booking again for next year without a doupt, look forward to seeing you all again. lisax PS - a must is the sunday night BBQ

I loved the accommodation - Julie & Richard & family. Date of travel: Sep 2006
We've been to Eden 2 years on the trot with other members of the family and loved it. Didn't go this year due to getting married, but have booked to go 15th Sept 2008. The bar staff were brill. And also the reps. We felt really safe, every one were friendly to each other. Would recommend this holiday to anyone with a family.

I loved Puerto Rico - Lauren. Date of travel: Aug 2006
Eden was great - the entertainment was fun for all tastes. Happy hour 4-5pm and big money bingo. Reps are friendly and helpful. Near the Europa Centre.

The Eden is fantastic - Samantha Redfern. Date of travel: May 2006
The Eden was fantastic and only a short walk from the Europa centre. Being a super family property the entertainment is just fantastic and the reps, especially Karen and kids rep Cheryl, really make the difference. Such good value for money with parrot shows, magicians and quizzess for mum and dad while kids are enjoying the mini disco. Puerto Rico was fab our fifth time so that shows how much we love it. The Tavern at the Europa does a great mixed grill and Flicks does full English breakfast at a bargain price; this is also a must! Mini golf is a priority for the kids and there is good entertainment every night of the week at the Barbacoa. I would recommend Puerto Rico to anyone! Tour Operator: Thomson

Loved Eden - Sharon Parker, Glen Parker, Kim Parker. Date of travel: Mar 2006
Just got back from Eden Apartments. They were fantastic and would I recommend them to other people. The rooms were a good size and cleaned daily apart from Sunday. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. The entertainment staff, Gazza and Cheryl were very good and provided the day time and night time entertainment, ie. bingo, quizzes, fashion show, reptile show and parrot show. The food was lovely and cheap and the bar staff on hand when you needed serving.

Worst hotel I've been to - Darran Alderman. Date of travel: Feb 2006
This hotel is the worst I've been to. It is infested with cockroaches for which they have cats to control it. When we were there they were having kittens in someones back yard. You had to get a taxi everywhere cause you were on top of a mountain. The entertainment was all for children: no night life. Our room was awful: the sheets were marked, we slept on top of them. Don't buy from market sellers: all jewellery is fake, all clothes are cheaper over here. Our best experience was when we hired a jeep and went iinto the mountains. Tour Operator: Thompson