Iberostar Waves Gaviotas Park

“Beautiful hotel!”

A lovely hotel where the staff couldn't have been more helpful. The this was amazing and the rooms were spacious, modern, very clean and comfortable. A brilliant hotel and one of the best we've started in. To balance it out, the only downsides which were outside the control of the hotel: the wind!… more

A lovely hotel where the staff couldn't have been more helpful. The this was amazing and the rooms were spacious, modern, very clean and comfortable. A brilliant hotel and one of the best we've started in. To balance it out, the only downsides which were outside the control of the hotel: the wind! It was so windy that hand the holiday we couldn't use umbrellas. With nothing to do nearby, the pool and beach are the main draw but with no umbrellas you either bake or hide under a towel. The pools also were cold so come the wind, the kids who love the pool for 6 hours a day, couldn't go in for longer than 10 minutes a day. That left very little to do in the day. The sand was blasting on the beach too so we resorted to having to pay to use the spa (€15 each) which worked out expensive for 2 hours of poll time! Also one more thing for the girl to consider was that the adult crafts were easy more fun than the kids ones. Mine really wanted to make glass jewellery, candles and fans but they weren't allowed as they were adult only. I would have paid and supervised them but sadly no. All in all, a great a hotel but there's not much to do nearby, or when it's windy.... Which is quite often. Our busy trip was cancelled because of the wind so take plenty of books and entertainment for the children.

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“Great place for a family holiday focussed on the pool and the beach”

If you have children aged from 3 to early teens and what you want is to spend your time at the pool or a sandy beach, with activities for youngsters and adults and plenty of high standard buffet food, then this all-inclusive hotel is a great find. You can also count on very friendly staff, drinks a… more

If you have children aged from 3 to early teens and what you want is to spend your time at the pool or a sandy beach, with activities for youngsters and adults and plenty of high standard buffet food, then this all-inclusive hotel is a great find. You can also count on very friendly staff, drinks available 24/7, and a purified water dispenser near your room. We were in that position for the first week here with our small grandsons and their parents. We were then here for a second week as just two adults. Our plan for that second week was to alternate days at the pool with days exploring Fuerteventura in our rental car. Our conclusion: if you want an interesting Canary island to explore pick Gran Canaria for its super capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; or Lanzarote for its fascinating art and architecture linked to Cesar Manrique and for its volcano. Fuerteventura, however, really does not, from what we saw of it, have anything to offer beyond the pool/beach experience. The capital is pretty nothingy, and Betancuria is a long drive for a tiny village worth a 30 minute exploration. The nearby cheese museum in Antigua is also good for 30 minutes. So…..more about the hotel. Well-provisioned: there always sunbeds with parasols available, if not in your first choice of location; and restaurant tables were also always available. The hotel was refurbished a couple of years ago. The rooms are very tastefully done in a light wood-look veneered MDF. We had a suite which gave us a lounge with a sofa, a second tv and a dining table with four chairs. There were also a proper fridge, microwave and kettle. No crockery, no teas or coffees, so bring what you anticipate wanting to have in your room. The strange design fault: no lock on the bathroom door. The family suite was similar but with two little beds in place of the dining table and chairs. We do have three essentials for a hotel room: quiet at night; a good shower; and a comfortable bed. For our room 5125, we had quiet at night albeit a little late on pool party night. Also an excellent walk-in shower with plenty of hot water. The comfortable bed, however, was a “fail” for the first four nights - mattresses presumably from the refurbishment which lacked the quality to stand up to hotel use - rock hard, sunken in the middle and we could feel the springs. After four nights and discussing the beds with Reception daily, management trainee Juan managed to persuade the head of housekeeping to give us brand new mattresses (an improved design with a built-in mini-topper). Not as soft as we would have chosen for our own home but a good night’s sleep nevertheless. Pools: a baby pool, very shallow, tiny slide; a small pool set apart slightly; a dome pool with a fountain coming out of the dome, designed for children to climb and slide down; and a larger pool where one can swim at 10.00 when it opens and before it later gets very crowded. Aquagym and afternoon games happen here. Our only negative about the pool area is security. The gates to the footpath down to the beach remain open all day and a thief could easily wander in. People naturally leave some belongings, often including a phone, at their sunbeds while swimming. Activities You could participate a lot if you wanted, adults and children from 4 years up. Adult activities pop up around the pool at various times, as shown on the app which you can activate at check in. Examples: table-tennis; a micro-version of shuffleboard; darts….aquagym was good fun. There are also evening activities - we were there during the World Cup so matches were shown in the bar or the theatre which took the place of some activities. Our almost four year old grandson enjoyed the games in the pool, running along the surface mat and jumping in, inflatable “assault course” etc. He took part in the treasure hunt (with me) but mostly we were there for family fun together without him disappearing to a kids club. The meals. The only one with which we found not as much to our taste was breakfast. Lots of items including all the cereals were sweet or fried or both. There were cheeses and breads and some fruit. Also eggs and a station making omelettes. There was porridge but it was often cold. There were yoghurts but often only flavoured ones. There were plain oat flakes enabling us to make muesli by adding seeds and some dried fruit which the hotel put out and adding nuts which we bought at the supermarket. Lunch in the restaurant and dinner were similar to each other. Hot dishes which changed daily. Always a grill area with a chef cooking fish or meat to order. Salads. Fruit. Cheeses. Pizza. Paella. Pasta. Ice cream. Various small puds. We sometimes found the hot vegetables not to our taste but grilled fish with a variety of salads went down a treat. Dinner was themed each evening, lending some variety. Excellent sushi one night of the week. Whole salmon baked in salt another night, for example. There were drinks: water sparkling or still; sweet fizzy drinks; beer; wine; and coffee. House drinks were on tap in the restaurant but if you fancied something different, e.g. 0% beer or a particular wine, you could get that at the main bar and carry it across into the restaurant. Some drinks were also available 24/7 from various places - at night a drinks station near the Reception. During the day, at the pool bar/restaurant there was a wide self-service drinks facility with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Lunch was available here if you wanted but much more limited than in the restaurant, mostly pizza/pasta plus salads and bread items. Lunch started earlier here than in the restaurant so for us that worked very well, letting the 16 month old eat his lunch at the pool bar then nod off in his buggy for a nap, sleeping next to our table in the main restaurant. Do note, this is a family hotel so the restaurant gets very noisy. The staff are super, cheerfully dealing with spillages and working so hard to clear the tables. But it is bustling and you have to watch your step carrying your food from the buffet to your table. In summary, travelling with children and wanting pool and beach, excellent choice of hotel; travelling as just adults and wanting pool and beach, you may want to consider one of the other two Iberostar hotels in the same development because this one is heavily geared to children; travelling with or without children and wanting to mix up pool/beach with exploring the island, pick a different island.

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“Amazing family holiday, we can't wait to return!”

We had an amazing family holiday at this hotel and couldn't have asked for a better stay. The service was excellent, the food was delicious with plenty of choice, and the entertainment kept everyone happy throughout the week. There was something for all ages, and both the kids and adults had a fant… more

We had an amazing family holiday at this hotel and couldn't have asked for a better stay. The service was excellent, the food was delicious with plenty of choice, and the entertainment kept everyone happy throughout the week. There was something for all ages, and both the kids and adults had a fantastic time. A special mention and thank you to Jessica, who went above and beyond to make sure we were enjoying our holiday. She regularly checked in with us during our stay to ensure everything was perfect and that we were making the most of all the hotel's facilities and amenities. Her friendly, caring approach really made a difference. We made some wonderful family memories here and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel. We can't wait to come back!

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“2 week family holiday”

Recently returned home from a 2 week family break. We had a room on the 5th floor. Room was spacious, made up of 2 single beds and sofa, TV, small kitchenette with sink, kettle and microwave, good storage space in main area then a double bed in the bedroom. Bathroom was large with great shower. Ro… more

Recently returned home from a 2 week family break. We had a room on the 5th floor. Room was spacious, made up of 2 single beds and sofa, TV, small kitchenette with sink, kettle and microwave, good storage space in main area then a double bed in the bedroom. Bathroom was large with great shower. Room was immaculately cleaned daily. Balcony was huge with access from both main lounge area and the bedroom. Air-con felt great during the day but all four of us were sweltering every morning on waking. We felt like air-con doesn't work well overnight (if that is possible?!). We chose 9-9.45qm breakfast slot and 6-6.45pm evening meal slot. We was slightly late for evening meal on a few occasions due to meltdowns from 4yr old. Male staff at entrance of the restaurant disgruntled each time and told us we was late. I'll be honest, I ignored him each time. I understand why time slots are there, however, I did not like the pressure of being held to times on what is supposed to be a relaxing holiday. Food was okay, adults managed to eat well everyday. However, my son did not (this is not hotels fault). We did ask restaurant staff if they could make him chicken nuggets one night as I thought he would at least eat them (suspected Autism)..staff was very helpful and said she could whip up some turkey nuggets. They were delicious however, my son still wouldn't eat them but we was very impressed that we could request something that was not readily available and staff was more than happy to help. Pools were great with slides for the children and a large bouncy pillow in the main pool which was well used by both children and adults. Most lifeguards appeared to be very 'on it', watching children like a hawk, ensuring they were safe and being safe. Lots of activities throughout the day such as the water carpet, inflatable obstacle course on the water, aqua bikes/aerobics etc. Family day once a week where there are games dotted around pool area which included inflatable axe throwing, basketball etc. My son did not attend kids club as he did not want to. He was happy to play in the pool. However, if he did want to attend, I don't think I would have been confident in sending him. I am aware this may not be everybody's experience as I did see English children utilising clubs and joining in activities. However, during pool party evening, my son had his hand painted by entertainment staff and she was very abrupt with him. My son had few interactions with entertainment staff and each time, they seemed very abrupt with him. My son is not very confident with strangers, however, staff seem to take offence to this?! Entertainment was in indoors every night apart from pool party evening which was on Thursdays during our stay. The entertainment bar is extremely warm inside, does not appear to have air-con or if it does, it's not very good. Mini disco was delivered in German (I think?), so, my son was never aware of what was going on. Very little English language used.. however, there did not appear to be many English customers here during our 1st week which is fine, however, it would have been nice to understand what was going on! It's amazing that many non-English are bilingual but, unfortunately, we are not bilingual and sadly only understand English and minimal words in other languages. Location was great for us... short walk to the beach, down a very steep slope. We love the beach so didn't mind the walk back up the hill in the evening. Around a 15 minute walk to the Ventura centre where we shopped at the Spar. We also got a taxi a few times to Mercadonia which cost between €6-€8 each way. We had a lovely meal at Olympus at the Ventura, beach front. We booked dolphin boat trip with Magic sailing. We was unlucky and did not get to see dolphins. Booked through the hotel, collected from the Gaviotas Playa at the back of the hotel. We also got the Oasis bus to Oasis wildlife park whoch stopped at the entrance of the hotel. We did not book any tickets in advance. Would recommend catching the 9am bus rather than 10.20am due to it taking over an hour to get to the Oasis due to picking up others from hotels. We was given a ticket from the driver and paid for bus fare at ticket office at the zoo. Oasis was absolutely brilliant. Mostly shaded, lots of walking but lots of animals to see. Splash park and play park on large sand pit was enjoyed by my son. Great value for money. On site shops..there are 2. Both sell very similar...lots of gifts, inflatables for the pool, swimming aids etc. The shop manned by a male...he was the sweetest man and very welcoming! The shop manned by the female stocked lady products. Towels were easy to exchange every other day using machine. However, on our last day, unable to return via machine. Took towels back to reception and the lady told us to put them in a box.. we had to remind her of our room number/booking name to ensure we got deposit back. Drinks are mainly branded, Baileys, Gordon's pink Gin, Archers peach schnapps to name a few and staff are not shy with measures! All in all, great hotel, extremely clean and staff work tirelessly to keep grounds maintained and cleaned. Biggest gripe I had was how everything seemed more aimed at non-English but this could just me my interpretation as I know we are not a family that get overly involved with entertainment etc but it made me sad that my son wasn't able to thoroughly immerse himself due to lack of understanding.

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