Hotel El Duque

“Absolutely amazing!! Don’t be put off by the bad reviews!”

We have just returned from an amazing 10 day stay at Hotel El Duque. We travelled as a family of 3 (2 adults and our 4 year old daughter). First of all, the hotel is immaculately clean. Yes a little dated but you don’t go to a hotel to spend all day in your room! We’re used to going to Greece so ... more

We have just returned from an amazing 10 day stay at Hotel El Duque. We travelled as a family of 3 (2 adults and our 4 year old daughter). First of all, the hotel is immaculately clean. Yes a little dated but you don’t go to a hotel to spend all day in your room! We’re used to going to Greece so did not phase us at all. Rooms were immaculate, cleaned everyday, beds made and fresh towels if wanted. We had a 1 bedroom apartment (no air con) but there was a room fan in the bedroom which kept us cool enough at night and our daughter was on a bed in main living area with room fab and she slept absolutely fine. Weather was beautiful whilst we were there. Our room overlooked the smaller pool which was nicer as the entertainment could be quite loud at night if you weren’t watching it (we did most nights). The entertainment team were amazing and worked so hard! They honestly made such an effort with all of the children and just so friendly. Massive shout out to Ricardo, Christina and Marta who made my very shy 4 year old really come out of her shell. Actual tears on the last day - they were just amazing! We felt so safe in this hotel - security guards walking the grounds at night and gates at all entrances that you can only obtain entrance via a key or intercom to reception. Food was good - what you would expect from an all inclusive. Plenty of choice and all very good quality. We would normally go self catering but so much easier with AI and a young child. Beautiful shopping centre just outside one of the entrances with a supermarket and toy shop which my daughter loved. All bar staff were very friendly and couldn’t do enough to help. Drinks all very good and the fact you could have a proper glass when you weren’t round the pool was great. Lifeguards on both pools who actively patrolled. To sum up - basic rooms but very spacious, exceptionally clean (pool area including sun beds were jet washed daily), very safe, good food and drink and staff who could not do enough to help you. We’re already looking at booking again next year. Don’t worry about the bad reviews. We’re a very well travelled family (parents lived in Asia and New Zealand and we have seen a lot of hotels in our time) and this hotel is fantastic for the price. Don’t hesitate just book it. Thank you for such a lovely stay we have definitely made some fantastic memories 💕

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“Great family holiday”

Just returned from a week at El Duque and had a wonderful time. The hotel is really pretty. We had a superior apartment with a very large balcony overlooking the pool, I emailed in advance to request we weren’t ground floor as we like to be higher up. Our balcony had 2 sun loungers and a table fo... more

Just returned from a week at El Duque and had a wonderful time. The hotel is really pretty. We had a superior apartment with a very large balcony overlooking the pool, I emailed in advance to request we weren’t ground floor as we like to be higher up. Our balcony had 2 sun loungers and a table for 2. The ground floor apartments had huge terraces though and a table for 4 plus sun loungers. We got the superior as wanted air con but given time of year we probably could have coped with just the fans…think once it gets to a steady 24 degrees every day you would benefit from the air con. Facilities in room were good. Coffee machine, kettle, microwave, fridge with little freezer and 2 cooking rings. Bathroom was a good size, shower gel provided and no problems with hot water, plenty of it and we showered once or twice a day at least. Two big single beds for adults and kids on sofa bed which was ok for a 12 year old but possibly a bit small for a teenager…it is just the long bit of the sofa with bedding on it. Also if sleeping in living area there is no curtain at kitchen window so we hung up a towel …if you have a blackout blind might be worth bringing. Food was amazing, steak, pork, lamb, paella, wide range of fish, kebabs, pasta, pizza, huge shell on prawns, mussels…great choice every night and variety at lunch was great too …always a burger and hotdog available as well as all of the above. Drinks were fine but a few complaints about the coffee as it was just from a machine and if you wanted a proper one you would need to pay. Entertainment team were fab, Riccardo is brilliant. Lots of day time activities for young kids and older ones (pool,darts,ping pong, water polo, aqua aerobics). Kids disco every night at 8, quiz/bingo at 8:30 and singer/dancer/magician at 9:15-10. Music usually plays until about 11 and then it goes quiet…unless you back onto the Duke Shopping Centre like we did and you will hear music from Irish Bar until midnight but it didn’t bother us too much. Pools are freshwater, they fluctuated in terms of temperature…smaller one seemed warmer first half of week and then bigger one felt warmer…not sure how heated either were if at all but everyone was in there and usually a really pleasant temperature by mid afternoon…kids usually in at 10 and no complaints.All staff polite and friendly. Rooms cleaned /towels changed every day if you want. You can use hotel towels at pool to save luggage space…need to pay a refundable deposit. We went to aqua land with our 12 year old had a great time…longest queue was 5 mins but usually straight on (rapids was a bit lethal though) No showers and spa pool wasn’t heated. Met others who went to Siam and also enjoyed but complained about the size of the park and amount of walking you have to do, also queues were v long. Glad we opted for aqua land plus the dolphin show is great. You get a free bus for all of the parks just outside the hotel. Didn’t manage Teide, booked through get your guide and they cancelled on us day before saying guide was sick and tried to get us to do a different trip instead, I would book through hotel if you want to guarantee a trip anywhere and avoid disappointment. We had an absolutely lovely holiday and we’re not ready to come home after a week. It isn’t a 5 star hotel…but never claimed to be it’s just a fab family hotel doing everything it can to provide a great holiday experience:)

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“Great hotel for the money with very friendly staff”

Just got back from a week at the El Duque and we had a fantastic time! The hotel has everything we needed in a great location and, in our view, offered great value for the money. As many other reviewers have said, yes the rooms and some areas of the hotel are a little tired/dated but the rooms a... more

Just got back from a week at the El Duque and we had a fantastic time! The hotel has everything we needed in a great location and, in our view, offered great value for the money. As many other reviewers have said, yes the rooms and some areas of the hotel are a little tired/dated but the rooms are all very functional and the standard of cleanliness throughout the hotel was superb. The room was cleaned daily, beds made and towels changed. The kitchen was fairly basic but had a fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle, coffee maker and hob - no oven though. We were AI though so that was fine for us. We were in C205 - a top floor, end room (one-bed apartment) with great views over the smaller pool area and the mountains behind from the rear balcony. That pool/bar closed at 6pm each night so we were never disturbed by any noise. Looking round to the front from the end of the balcony just about gives you a sea view which is even more visible from the bathroom window! We found the AI food to be generally good. There was plenty of choice and variety throughout the week, although some evenings offered better choices than others but we were always able to find something that we enjoyed. The AI drinks were all good too. Local spirits and wine were very drinkable as was the local beer (Dorada) - very much missing those cold pints by the pool already!! Endless soft drinks during the day were also spot on. Comparing what we paid for AI versus the non-AI pay-as-you-go prices, we felt like we got our money's worth just on the drinks alone. The location of the hotel was perfect for us too. Only a 10-minute walk down to the beach where all the main bars/restaurants/shops are but far enough out of the main hustle and bustle which suited us. The hotel is also right next to The Duke shopping mall which has a few bars and restaurants to choose from as well as a supermarket for snacks, water and other bits when needed. Finally, all the staff, from reception to the bar/restaurant staff and entertainment team were all really friendly and welcoming. We had an issue at one point with our front door not locking properly (flat battery on the lock) and it was quickly sorted after reporting it to reception. We only really had two minor gripes from the whole break. It would have been good if the pools opened earlier than 10am as we're generally early risers so would have liked to maybe have an early dip and sunbathe. Also, the evening entertainment was a little hit-and-miss. We had two nights of magician shows which felt more like Kids' entertainers and fell a bit flat. On the flip side, a couple of nights had great singers on who created a brilliant atmosphere - but the shows ended at 10am just as it felt like things were getting going! Overall though, a great hotel in a lovely complex. We'll definitely be looking to visit again!

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“Tenerife”

El Duque hotel was mid range. Room was pretty basic but had everything we needed and we were lucky to have a poolside view which also looked on to Mount Teide. No issues getting a lounger in the morning and plenty of choice for everyone. We were AI at this hotel and the food was not brilliant but... more

El Duque hotel was mid range. Room was pretty basic but had everything we needed and we were lucky to have a poolside view which also looked on to Mount Teide. No issues getting a lounger in the morning and plenty of choice for everyone. We were AI at this hotel and the food was not brilliant but we always found something that we liked. The entertainment was pretty poor and so we decided to go out in the end rather than spend our evenings at the hotel. The beach and promenade was within walking distance and nightlife was a bit better down there.

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