My husband and I were enjoying our first visit to Tenerife but while wandering along from our hotel, we were stopped by a persistent woman keen to offer us a chance to win a prize. Now, we have been around the block a couple of times and declined her offer. But she made clear that this was how she made her living, it was not a time-share trick and all we had to do was take a card and see if we had won a prize.
Surprise, surprise, we did win! I won a bottle of wine but my husband won 120 euros. All we had to do was stop into the hotel over here, it was very close, there would be someone there to meet us, it would take no more than thirty minutes, we would give a few details, be offered a drink and be given our prize. But that’s not quite how it went.
We decided our wander could be delayed by thirty minutes for 120 euros and followed her to the hotel. A charming man behind the desk offered us a seat and spent a great deal of time taking many details, the only ones he omitted were our inside leg measurements and hat size. Then he introduced us to a young lady who would show us around and get our drinks for us.
She was also charming and told us about being a single Mum, how she worked on commission and re-assured us that this was not a time-share resort. She took us to the onsite bar and offered us drinks – water with or without ice! A pushy man came and butted in, but I said he should leave the young lady, she was doing fine. Things then got progressively worse.
She told us of the improvements intended for the resort. and led us for a walk around it. It was very hot and there were lots of stairs to go up and down before we used the one small elevator that only went two floors. She offered to show us a computer presentation, which we did not want but she would lose her job if we didn’t see it. Just ten minutes. Thirty minutes later, we went on another hot walk up and down, up and down those stairs to see inside an apartment.
The apartments are large, well appointed and some have lovely views. (Others do not.) We then went for another walk for a drink. By now we were dehydrated, had lost three hours of our lives we would never get back and so even the water tasted better. As we were sitting, the young woman finally revealed the catch: we were to pay £4,000 today and we would get holidays over a four year period at a fixed price and they would arrange the flights and transfers but if we missed two slots in a row we lost the rest of our money.
Then the man came back and repeated all the same things the young woman had told us. My husband said we would have to think about it. The man did not like that idea – this was a today only offer. so we said, then we would have to miss out on the deal but we’d like our prize. The man pushed us, we could put the cost on a credit card, it would cost us half what we normally paid on a holiday. Did we like Tenerife? Yes we do. Will we be back, yes we will, did we like the resort. The apartments are well appointed, I’m not crazy on the stairs and I don’t have my credit card with me, neither of us do. That’s not a problem, he’ll come with us to the hotel and take the details and get the deal settled.
No, you won’t. How dare you try to pressurise me. It’s bad enough that I have been led around this resort for three hours. I’m hungry. I’m dehydrated. I’m going back to our hotel for lunch and I haven’t had my promised drink here, I haven’t been given my wine and my husband hasn’t been given his 120 euros. Far from taking the thirty minutes we were promised, we have been dragged around this resort for three hours and my nice nature has left the building. Luckily, my husband is not a man to be trifled with either. We left. no richer, but no poorer and a little wiser.
Would I visit The Flamingo again? Under no circumstances. There are far better hotels and apartment complexes within a stone’s throw of that one. Costa Adeje is beautiful. The deal pressed on us by those at The Flamingo was not.
Val Penny
Val Penny's Hotel and Restaurant Reviews 