Review: Grand Hotel Mencey, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Introduction
We had a nice 9-day trip to Tenerife in early March 2016, staying six nights in Costa Adeje and three nights in Santa Cruz.
After checking out of our hotel in Costa Adeje we took a taxi to Santa Cruz although we were thinking of going by bus from Costa Adeje bus station. Because of that we saved perhaps one and a half hours and arrived around noon at Grand Hotel Mencey. I had booked the hotel for three nights through Orbitz where I found a tempting price for three persons (a double room with breakfast and an extra bed included).
Our room was not ready yet so we were asked to wait until 2pm which is the standard time for checking in.
We left our luggage in a dedicated room and went outside to find lunch. It happened to be a day with very limited lunch options as most places were either closed or a few opening at around 1pm.
Lobby and check-in
We came back at about 2pm and received glasses of cava upon check in.
The lobby is quite small but seemed to be adequate when there were not too many people there at the same time. A few guests were present and waiting in the lobby lounge where there were a few tables and chairs.
Double Room
Our room was a standard room on the second floor with a city view and an extra bed for the child.
The view wasn't particularly great but on the other hand it was rather quiet and there was a glimpse of the sea. There was a balcony, too, but we didn't use it since it wasn't very inviting and there wasn't any privacy.
Otherwise the room was clean and perfectly fine although a bit on the small side.
 |
| City view |
The king bed was firm enough to be comfortable and we slept rather well - in part thanks to being active and outdoors as the weather was good.
There was a bath tub in the bathroom, which was of course something a bit special for our kid. The toiletries were quite nice and they were replenished on a daily basis.
Garden and public areas
The garden side of the hotel was really nice with plenty of sunshine in the afternoon. It was a lovely area to sit down with a good book and there were two cafe/bars to choose from, one at the hotel and the other one closer to the pool area. The prices were quite high but about what you would expect from a hotel of this quality.
 |
| Outdoor pool |
Breakfast
The breakfast was served in Los Menceyes Restaurant from 7am to 11am. It was a buffet style breakfast with a wonderful spread of great quality items. Of course in some Asian countries you'll find many more different kinds of dishes but the style and taste of everything was exquisite! In addition, the service was really attentive and professional, and we thought it made the breakfast experience that much better. Fresh bread and pastries, smoothies, fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice were the order of the day. And, who can honestly resist a glass of cold cava and jamon Iberico in the morning when the sun shines into the garden in beautiful, stylish settings?!
 |
| Breakfast buffet |
 |
| Fresh bread |
 |
| Tasty pastries |
 |
| Nespresso coffee machine |
 |
| Pastries and jam |
The location was pretty good for exploring Santa Cruz, and we enjoyed walking through the big park to the city centre, and along the nice Rambla de Santa Cruz. It was about a 10-15min walk to the shore and you could easily get a taxi at the hotel if you didn't feel like walking. For example the bus station is a bit far by foot, but by taxi it was less than 10 minutes. Fortunately the taxis are quite affordable.
A tip for dining close to the hotel:
There is a very nice little restaurant called Urbana Cocina just opposite the hotel on the other side of Rambla.
Bottomline
- Classy and clean, pretty garden area
- Good service
- Excellent breakfast.
Iberostar Grand Hotel Mencey is an excellent hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. We wouldn't hesitate staying there again!
