Hotel Los Gigantes, Los Gigantes

My husband and I were due to go to this hotel on 1st April 2013. On reading all the reports regarding the norovirus we telephoned Thomson to get an up date, they were aware of the situation and so are ABTA but as our departure was less than 2 weeks away we could not change hotel, they are still sending guests there because the spanish authorities have to close the hotel for a deep clean, this I don't think will happen.

We have both had Nurovirus before and did not want to contact it again so therefore we had no alternative but to cancel and lose £2000, we needed a holiday and did not want to cancel but Thomson refused our request to transfer to another hotel. Something must be done but where and how do you get this tour company to own up to the problem.

It's taken a while to get my review on here but feel cannot put off re-living my awful experience no longer.

We tried to change our hotel before going away to be told by Thomson's that they do not take the reviews on Trip Advisor into consideration and that they were not aware of any virus at this hotel.

Lo & Behold! On our arrival we had in our welcome pack information about the Nirovirus, how to avoid it and keep well. Despite having cleaned our room top to bottom with Dettol wipes and sanitised kettle, cups, cutlery etc with sanitising tablets we both fell ill on 2nd day. I had to have the doctor (who was already in hotel seeing other guests) in to see me who gave me two injections and prescription for medicine. Although this stopped the chronic sickness I was still left feeling fatigued and 'not quite right' throughout our holiday. My Mother was also sick throughout our holiday and on the 4th day we just wanted to come home.

We were told that we couldn't change our flights; we'd have to pay if we wanted to go home. As it was, there were no flights available at all even though we'd have gladly paid to come home at this point. So instead we tried to get our hotel changed which we did (having had to pay an admin fee), two days before we were returning home. We had paid for a superior room at Hotel Los Gigantes (Superior? Are you kidding me?!) and upon our transfer to another awful hotel (Hotel Las Vegas in Puerto De La Cruz: above a McDonalds, opposite a slot machine bar, on a strip not dissimilar to Blackpool) was told they didn't have superior rooms, we were placed in a standard. We tried in vain to get this changed again but eventually we gave up the will to proceed and just concentrated on passing the time before going home.

I would like to say that the reviews on here about the virus must be taken seriously, what they state about this hotel, in my opinion, is correct. I would not advise anyone to go here until they have closed it down, fumigated, re-decorated/re-furnished. Did I mention that the wallpaper in the main sitting room was damp and peeling off? That the chairs were old & dirty? No? The place is badly in need of an overhaul even without the virus. It's not what I'd say is Gold Standard.

I was disappointed from start to finish. Never again.

We had the most wonderful time at the Hotel Los Gigantes. This was the perfect base for our holiday and a chance to get some early sunshine before the summer in Britain.

The food was good, with plenty of variety from the buffet. I'm sure there is something for everyone here. Slightly disappointed with the entertainment, but it was passable for a hotel in the Canary Islands. Let's be honest, you're not going to get international superstars singing in a hotel are you?

We were made aware of some health issues on arrival, but we didn't have a problem while we were there so can't really comment on that. I'm sure Thomson wouldn't allow people to go the a hotel that posed health problems to their customers, after all, most of the guests at the Hotel Los Gigantes are fairly old, I would guess the average age is around 55.

The only downside I could grumble about - the TV's in the room. They are so old, flat screens have been in existence for many years, but alas, it seems that Los Gigantes has missed out on this technical revolution and your left viewing a 20 year old portable telly!

There are two schools of thought about this hotel between the ones who do not fall ill and those that catch the Norovirus.

For the lucky ones this hotel is very nice with excellent staff but it all rather tired and needs a revamp. For others like us who caught the Norovirus it was hell.

This issue is well documented by previous reviewers. What we can add there seems to be a 1 in 5 chance of going down with this dreaded illness which is really unpleasant. This means if you are a couple there is a 40% chance of one of you catching which results in ruining the holiday for their partner. The odds are stacked against you and our advice is to steer well clear of this hotel.

Why Thomson continues to send guests to the Norovirus ridden hotel is beyond us. The hotel and Thomson staff on the ground has no say in this broader issue and they continue to fend off complaints from customers. Awful A living hell.

Thomson's insist there is nothing wrong at this hotel and nothing could be further from the truth!

To see a man wearing a mask spraying disinfectant in the public areas is more than a little disconcerting, also seeing the sanitising dispensers at the entrance to the lifts and the restaurant.

I got the bug midway through my holiday and was ill with vomiting and severe diarrhoea, being confined to bed for nearly three days. The staff were very helpful, offering to send up toast and tea - as long as I kept away from the restaurant. Many other guests were taken ill and it was the main topic of conversation in the hotel. There were some angry scenes inside and outside the Thomson reps room.

We paid nearly £1,000 for a holiday which was completely ruined. You don't pay to go away on holiday to get ill and Thomsons should recognise this fact.

We have used this hotel many times previously and have had excellent holidays there. But we won't be going back until this problem is totally eradicated and Thomson's put their hands up and admit something is very sadly amiss.

This is one of the most difficult reviews to make, since after 2 stays at this hotel, I consider the staff to be quite simply the best ever. We had a great sea view room, so what could go wrong? - NOVOVIRUS!!!

I couldn't believe it but on arrival there was an A4 info sheet in the room advising on what to do in the event of gastro problems & Novovirus, as there were incidences in the resort. Now I consider myself to be in a pretty good health, so I couldn't believe it, when within 24 hours I've gone down with Novovirus.

The hotel sprung into action sending up food for breakfast & evening meals (all dry & not appetising) and the guy from reception told me there were 1 or 2 others in the hotel the same as me. What he didn't tell me & what transpired later on when I was better was that there were more like 80 guests gone down with it!!! What was more worrying was that although this is a Thomson Tui hotel exclusively, the hotel staff had not informed the Thomson reps in the hotel. This obviously leads to Thomson not being fully aware of the extent of the problem.

Our holiday was ruined, even when I was well, the subject of conversation on the bars, restaurants & poolside, was the bug. I believe this same problem occurred last year, something really should be done on this situation, Thomson at the very least should have informed us prior to the trip, certainly not on arrival. My advice, if your booked in for this hotel, is to check out sites such as this top see what the latest situation is & challenge Thomson before you leave.

Think of it this way - one poor gentleman over the corridor from ourselves arrived on the same day as ourselves, but on a 7 day holiday. He spent 5 days in his bedroom having dry toast & jam as a breakfast & clear soup & a bread roll for evening meal - is this the holiday you want to walk in to??

Just how much longer can this situation go on at the Hotel Los Gigantes. It's appalling that Thomson are still taking bookings for this hotel, let alone sending holidaymakers there!

You work hard for your money, only to be provided with a 'Holiday From Hell'. The hotel is riddled with the Norovirus and this is ruining so many holidays, its unbelievable how many people are still being sent to a hotel with a known health problem. Look around the web for reviews dating back over a year and you will soon discover that the misery of the Hotel Los Gigantes has been in existence for far too long. PLEASE Mr Thomson, HELP YOUR customers, and end this TODAY!

During our holiday, we managed 4 days until we both got struck down by the Norovirus. We tried to keep away from touching surfaces, handrails etc. Even resorting to operating the lift control buttons with our elbows, but all to no avail. The owners are providing a good SHOW to the guests about cleaning, but it's proved over 15 months to be fruitless. There are far too many new arrivals, I think Thomson deliver new guests around 5 days out of 7.

Personally, I think the root of the problem is the dining room. People's behaviour around the food is extraordinary. Despite the problems with the hotel, I witnessed people picking food (a cake) up with their hands, and then putting it back again. I also witnessed people going for 'seconds' with the same plate and loading food on a plate that they had previously eaten off. I know it sounds a little 'picky', but considering the ongoing problems at the Hotel Los Gigantes and the Norovirus, I believe they are valid observations.

I would suggest that they remove the hand sanitisers at the bottom of the lifts and at the restaurant entrance, because they are not being used by 100% of the guests. Additionally, the sanitisers require you to touch them - which seems very odd. I would then suggest that the hotel management adopt the cruise ship system of placing people at the doorway to the restaurant and the lifts and actually squirt the gel into everyone's hands - NO execptions! This guarantees that everyone is treated, no one can opt out and people don't need to press a dirty button!

Was unaware of the "bug" problem which I caught within 24 hours of arrival. Resulting in extremely unpleasant sickness and vomiting. This spoilt 4 of my 7 days holiday.

Nobody told me the local "carnival" started Thursday through to the following Monday resulting in Ghetto blasting music and singing virtually every night until 5am in the mornings!! NO SLEEP FOR 5 NIGHTS.

This Hotel, in my opinion, has deteriorated over the years and its furnishings in the bedrooms and elsewhere is becoming very tired!!

Overall poor value and not worthy, in my opinion, of "Gold Hotel" status.

When we arrived we were told about the Norovirus which was running through the hotel.

On the third day of our 2 weeks holiday we both went down with this dreaded virus which to say the least is very unpleasant. The vomiting and stomach upset lasted 48 hours but we still suffered from fatigue until after we returned home from our holiday. We were not allowed into the dining room for 3 days after the vomiting had stopped and we were sent uncovered tepid food into our room. The number of guests that caught this virus was a high proportion.

We now know it has been hanging around the hotel for some considerable time. Our question is why were we sent to this infested hotel when Thomson's holidays were aware of the Norovirus existence. The holiday was a disaster and we would never return here again or recommend anyone else does.

We are in correspondence with the tour company about our complaint. We implore them in the meantime to stop sending guests here before there is fatality. There were guest who were very ill and saw one lady taken out in an ambulance.

We had read the reviews about the Norovirus at the Hotel Los Gigantes and were worried about our forthcoming holiday to this hotel. We were so worried, that we wanted to change hotels. When we contacted Thomson, they said that there is no problem at the Hotel Los Gigantes and if we wanted to change, they would impose a very high 'Administration' charge on us. We can't afford to lose our holiday outright, so we had no real option to go to this hotel.

I was dreading it, from the moment we left our house. Even approaching the hotel in the coach, I had 'butterflies'. My fears were soon compounded as an ambulance arrived as we were checking in to the hotel. I'm not sure if it's normal practice, but we were quickly moved through the reception area to some kind of 'holding pen' where they treat you like a bunch of 'thickoos', taking all your passports and giving out instructions 'on mass' to the new arrivals. To be honest, when I arrive at any hotel, I want to check in using traditional methods and not treated like kid on a school trip.

OK, let's cut to the real problem here. Poisoning of guests. Thomson insist that there is no problem, well let me assure you, they a liars. People are going down with this virus all the time. They know it and now you do. Someone should end up in a courtroom over this. How can they insist that there is nothing wrong at the Hotel Los Gigantes, when so many people are ill, so often? Thomson don't give a dime about their customers and must have a real great 'mates rates' deal with the hotels owners to keep poisoning their customers so often.

You go on holiday to relax, not get ill. We managed 3 days before we went down with the virus. It left me tired for the rest of the holiday. Needles to say, I won't EVER be booking a Thomson Holiday again and I won't travel to Tenerife again. If their authorities don't care about health issues, then they won't be getting their economy boosted by my presence again. Shame on you Thomson!

Since we have returned from our 2 week holiday at this hotel, we have learned that the Norovirus and illness have been evident in the Los Gigantes Hotel for some considerable period. We had a letter in our room informing us what action to take if we suffered from this illness.

Both of us caught it and were horribly ill for days and the suffered from extreme tiredness from the rest our disastrous holiday. The hotel staff and Thomson's staff both tried to shift the blame and would not accept it was the hotel's fault which was rubbish.

Our issue was Thomson's should have told of this long standing problem when we booked or at least before we departed.

When we arrived we were given a pamphlet advising us what to do if we went down with norovirus, not a good sign. Within 2 days my wife went down with a severe case of vomiting and bad touch of the runs, and I followed 36 hours later.

Illness was rife throughout the hotel with guests being banned from the dining room and luke warm uncovered food being delivered to our room. Apparently we were told this Mystery virus had been around for a long time and in March 2010 a group of holidaymakers successfully sued Thomson's on this issue. So why are they continuing to send guests to this hotel?

The holiday was a disaster. Even when we returned we have still not fully recovered our health to how it was before departure.

Our advice is DO NOT book a holiday at this hotel.

We arrived at Los Gigantes hotel to be greeted by a note in our room warning us what action to take if we caught the Noravirus.

On the second day of our holiday my wife went down with acute vomiting and diarrhoea and I followed the next day. We now know this virus has been in existence in this hotel for over 18 months. A large number of guests went down with the same illness during our stay and one poor lady was taken to hospital. The tour company Thomsons Holidays continue to brush this virus under the carpet and send customers to this hotel without prior warning.

It was a nightmare holiday and we are now seeking legal advice whether we can lodge a compensation claim against Thomson Holidays.

The purpose of writing this review is to warn any interested party of the possible danger of illness if you stay at this hotel.

We returned to this hotel with high hopes having stayed there 3 years ago. It has certainly gone downhill in that time. The only thing gold about this hotel are the flags outside. Its tired, shabby and in need of a total refit and above all deep cleaning to get rid of the sickness bug.

We only had 2 meals in the hotel before my husband was struck down by the bug, I honestly cannot ever remember him vomiting in over 30 years but he made up for it that night. We had been very careful what we had eaten, only drunk bottled water and beers but we were both ill,, not at the same time. We had used the hand wash outside the hotel restaurant (this proves that they know there s a problem). We had to inform the rep as we had a trip out booked for the following day and were given a sheet of Thomson headed paper with do's and don'ts on it. We were confined to the room for 24 hours and the bathroom steam cleaned. We were also told several things by the Thomson rep that we now know to be untrue:

1. that the bug is affecting all over the island.. Not true it's not even 'rife' in the Los Gigantes area. Only the hotel.

2. that guests are re-infecting the hotel as its 'rife' in the UK. Again not true.

3. that the hotel and its staff have been given a clean bill of health. How can that be possible as Norovirus as we now know that's what it is, is spread by contact, so the staff NEVER catches it? Only the guests!? Come on Thomson's you are well aware of this problem.

I caught it 3 days after husband did, again 24hours in the room. Bearing in mind the age range of Thomson Gold Guests it's a wonder someone has not been taken to hospital with it...mind you it was unbelievable that on the coach to the airport a couple got on and were given carrier bags' just in case' by the rep. Surely if they were that ill they should have been confined to the their room?

This hotel has some potential, but is badly let down by some of the staff. They were in desperate need of some training in friendliness toward customers. The cleaners put the waiters to shame in this area.

The Bedroom had a nice sea view (extra of course ) but had very boring, tired decor and the double bed was two singles pushed together, thus making an extremely uncomfortable raised centre seam. This was exasperated by the most uncomfortable pillows I have ever used.

The TV was an ancient old fashioned 14" with few channels and an awful picture. Not that I go on holiday to watch TV, but I like to catch up with the news and sport usually early evening. Upon arrival we had a free small bottle of water an a chocolate on the pillow, just the very first night though! All the rooms had safes but what really is annoying is having to pay through the nose to have a key for it.

The pool area was quite good, though, it was nice and clean too.

The help yourself restaurant food wasn't too bad, although quite similar most days. However it was in fact much better than the so called 'a la cart' food, with waiter service, that was really poor.

No coffee after dinner either, this was very disappointing, but the coffee at breakfast from a machine was awful. This however was not as bad as the machine juice that was so dilute you could hardly taste it. Breakfast itself was a reasonable choice apart from the very overcooked poached eggs.

Then there was the so called entertainment, it was really naff. So we went out after dinner for walk and a decent coffee in the local bars or restaurants. Get a grip Thomson; this could all so easily be put right.

First thing you notice is you need to be very fit if you want to leave the hotel as this resort is one big hill. To test your fitness we were dropped off on the road and carried our own cases into the hotel from a roadside drop off. Staff on reception spoke very good English.

The corridor to our room resembled a funeral parlour corridor. The room was tired with very worn bedding. The entertainment from the balcony overlooking the main street was far better than the so called entertainment of the hotel. Entertainment would suit 1960's Butlins. When you are shown to your table in the restaurant make sure you can jog. The staff gallop you through at a high speed, not looking back or waiting for you. The meals were unusual i.e. pizza with brussel sprouts on top.

Thomson trips were expensive and would suggest you hire a car. The local shop they recommend as the cheapest is not. Overall for a Gold Holiday very poor.

The Hotel Los Gigantes appealed to us because it was featured in the Thomson Gold range of hotels that do not allow bookings from people under the age of 16, so we assumed that the hotel would have plenty of people around who are of a mixed age, but no children! That was a big mistake, the hotel seems to cater almost exclusively to people over the age of 60, with only a few people under 60 present. The hotel has a loyal following with many people returning every year. It was also noted that the guests were 100% British and all travelled with Thomson. Although the hotel is owned and operated by the Stil hotels group, it seems to be Thomson branded with the Thomson logo all over the place, from the menus, do not disturb signs, notices and pool towels all showing the Thomson insignia! It's hard to distinguish where the hotel chain finishes and Thomson begins.

We have been to plenty of 4 & 5 star tour operator rated hotels over the years and can honestly say that the Hotel Los Gigantes is one of the worst we have been to! The staff are hard-working and friendly enough, but the hotel is shabby with worn out furniture in public places and broken floor tiles in the guest rooms. We have breakfast at 9AM and evening meals at 20.15 so it's fair to assume that someone has already had the use of our table before we arrive, during the entire 7 days of our holiday, no table was ever available when we arrived for our meal, so we had to wait for a waiter to make the table, while we stood there. This was always a 'rush job' and too often the table cloth was never changed. Once we sat down, we only managed to look at the wine list for a few seconds, before we were asked to choose our drinks. Overall the dining room is just a mass catering facility, similar in atmosphere to a works canteen.

Our perception of the hotel was always going to be on the negative side because we didn't want to go the the Hotel Los Gigantes in the first place. Just after we booked, the hotel was infected with the vomiting bug, Norovirus. We only got to know about this in the week preceding our holiday and Thomson said it was now too late to change hotels (even at our expense), but the good news was that the virus was now firmly under control! This was simply not true, almost everyone was talking about it and knew of someone who had been ill. Staff were going around all day wiping 'touch points' like lift control panels, door knobs etc. but with the constant flow of new guests arriving this is going to be ultimately futile. Hand sanitisers were provided, but it was optional if people used them and to then compound the problem, the Maitre d' in the dining room shakes everyone's hand, friendly, maybe, naive certainty. The infection is completely played down by the Thomson staff at the hotel. At the welcome meeting, they simply declare that "there is some nasty bugs going around", so use the hand sanitisers to avoid problems. That's no real warning that your holiday enjoyment could be ruined by the Norovirus.

We arrived back from the Hotel Los Gigantes a fortnight ago and endured the most awful holiday you could imagine! Before we went, we had read the story in the Daly Telegraph about the Norovirus infection at the hotel, so contacted Thomson to enquire about a hotel change, at our expense. The informed us that it was not now possible, as it was too close to our departure date! So much for the 'your holiday, your choice' tag in some of their advertising! Thomson did advise/reassure us that the infection is under control with only a couple of cases reported over the last 2 weeks. So we had the choice of not going on holiday and losing our money, or taking the reassurance of Thomson that everything will be OK, so we went.

I wanted as little contact with anything or anybody, to minimise our risk of contracting the virus, but this was futile, as soon as you arrived on the transfer bus, you are swamped by hotel staff grabbing your suitcases and guiding you to a reception room from the 1970's. This is part of a strange but efficient checking in process that includes up-selling the telephone service, hotel operated shop, hairdresser and room safe.

As soon as we made it to our room, we gave every door knob, telephone, TV remote, light switch a wipe or spray with anti bacterial products to help minimise risk. With time pressing on, we got ready for our first meal in the dining room and noticed that there were hand sanitisers available near the lift and at the entrance to the dining room. Unfortunately the dispensers were not the infer red contactless type, but cheap, pump action that you had to touch, so this ensured that everyone's hands in the hotel were drawn 1 of 4 available dispensers, allowing further opportunity of spread of infection. Once we arrived in the dining room, the friendly chap in the room promptly set about shaking people's hands - what's all that about, considering the circumstances?

I won't bore you with every detail, but here are a couple more points. The Thomson reps really played down the scale of infection at the welcome meeting, referring it as "a few bugs going around". They are not learning fast are they? The days of reps having an easy job in the sun with a sunny disposition, smile on their face and smart uniform selling trips without any responsibility are long gone. Read the Greek papers!

On day 5 of our holiday, we both contracted the Norovirus, it hits you fast and lasts around 30 hours, but you feel tired for around 5 days after. We didn't show for breakfast, the hotel knew this because they do a headcount in the morning, and subsequently telephoned our room to check on us. I believe Stil Hotels group and Thomson will not beat this infection because of the scale of the problem. Thomson are putting fresh customers in this hotel 5 days a week, it's a revolving door of infection. Unlike cruise ships, the cruise ends and a deep clean can begin with a fresh batch of customers arriving on the next cruise free of contamination. This hotel is just acting as a relay race of infection. Thomson has set the package industry back 30 years here.

After contacting Thomson before departure I was advised the risk to catching the virus was minimal. I didn't believe a word of it after reading other reviews so therefore spent all my Spend & Save vouchers from Tesco on Anti Bacterial Products. To keep us safe we had to be extreme to the point of obsession from the off.

On arrival at the hotel we did not drink the welcome wine. When the keys to the room and safety deposit box were handed over I asked the receptionist to put the keys onto an anti bacterial wet wipe and I wiped them before I touched them. When pressing the button for the lift, I used my elbow to call the lift and to select the floor number when inside. On arrival at the room I wiped the handle on the door, with the wet wipe, before entering and then completely blitzed the room using gloves, sprays, disposable cloths. No handle, knob, drawer, chair, balcony and balcony furniture was safe from my gun. I was mean but clean.

This vigilant behaviour continued for the whole week. Every knife, fork, spoon, cup and saucer, glass, dining chair, drinks machines buttons, serving spoons, bottled water, plate, pool area sunbeds and pool bar, whatever needed to come into contact with us, was attacked by a wet wipe first. We also only used the toilet in the room. It was an absolute nightmare but the end result was.........we did not get the virus. Thank goodness we didn't because the people that did looked really poorly and one poor couple had to go to hospital in Las Americas in a taxi.

We have now gone back to work for a rest!!!

When going to this hotel please be careful. Use the alcohol gels provided outside the lift and outside the dining room doors at the very least.

Good luck, you'll need it.

The Hotel Los Gigantes is a rather tired hotel that was suffering from an outbreak of a stomach bug while we were there. Unfortunately, we contracted this bug, despite our best endouvers to take precautions against being contaminated. We actually purchased our own cleaning materials to wipe the room door handles, tv remote and telephone, but still managed to get poisoned.

If you do stay at this hotel, please be aware that the 'music bar next door' provides happy sing-along music of epic volume, almost an outdoor concert between 10 and midnight. Enjoy the Agadoo & Amarillo nightly concert while attempting to recover from illness at the Hotel Los Gigantes.

Excellent hotel with very attentive service and nice pool areas.

Very good value for money.

As hotels go, I should strongly recommend it.

We stayed here for our honeymoon as we thought a 4 star Thomson Gold hotel would give us everything we needed - how wrong were we! At no time during our stay were we made to feel as if we were on honeymoon even though all the staff knew.

The hotel is run by returning guests - who are given the best tables in the restaurant and who obviously tip the waiter to ensure that this is the case. What should have been a very special time for myself and my husband turned out on the last day to be a nightmare due to 1 ignorant waiter. We went into the restaurant for dinner whilst waiting for our coach to take us to the airport (not realising that we were not in fact entitled to an evening meal) only to be embarrassed in front of other guests telling us we had to pay in no uncertain terms. We were made to feel like criminals and left the restaurant immediately to inform the Thomson rep - whose reaction was if you get a bill send it to us. This was not the point and we are still awaiting a reply to our email to Thomson's!

Upon returning home we complained by email to the manager of the hotel and the head office and have still not received a reply - because they obviously have no room for complaints.

The evening entertainment left a lot to be desired and we were also told off for laughing during one of the shows by yet another elderly guest who thought they owned the place.

Please do not go to this hotel - you will be very disappointed!!!!!