Hotel Barcelo Varadero

Small and quiet town Puerto Santiago, which is one common with Los Gigantes. Wonderful view from the hotel roof - Teide, Gomera, Los Gigantes (sunrises and sunsets are amazing). The closest beach is the famost natural beach with black volcanic sand - Playa de la Arena. Although the beach is something 700m from the hotel and one should go up and down for 10-15 minutes to reach it, we liked the walk (a bit of exercise is good for office workers). If you have small children - take a baby carriage with you. If you have walking troubles or hate walking - choose another town for you vacation.
Large supermarked (Supermercado) is located on half way from the hotel to the beach. Visit fish department of the supermarket - wonderful choice of fresh fishes which could be scaled, eviscerated and cut for you in the store. And shrips! Very good choice of large and fress shrimps. The best place to buy exotic fruits is small store located in the next building to the supermarcet. It is also located just about 300m from the hotel. A little supermarket in the hotel is quite expensive and has very limited choice of goods, I would not recommend it for regular shopping.
Bus stop is 20-25m away from the hotel entrance. There are a lot of parking lots along the hotel, but I found that thehorisontal section of neighboring little street is better place for rented car parking and there always were free lots just around the corner.

Very friendly and patient staff. They have answered hundred our questions, recommended and ordered for us excursions, found bus and ferry schedules... Joked with us for half hour at 5am when we mixed up with alarm clocks and were waiting for bus hanging around. Brocken shower was replaced for new in just 10-15 minuts. Towels was always changed when they were placed in bath tub. Appartment was cleaned regularly and thoroughly(cleaning of the kitchen is not included). Everyday animation for children and adults.
I place such low grade only because we had problems with badly working telephone in our room. The master was called immediately after the problem was reported, however he was not able to fix the telephone for three days. I guess he could not understand what was wrong and reception staff was thinking that the problem was only in my imagination. Only in three day when a lady from reception tried to call me and understand that the problem is real, the telephone was replaced for new during 20 minuts with a lot of apologies.
Wash mashine in the hotel is large and landry is quite expensive. I think that it could be cheaper and less time consuming to use landry in the next building.

Good food, various choises of fish and meat. Different local specialities were given every day, thus we have tried all the most famost dishes in hotel. Papas arrugadas was always very good, rabbit was much better than in famois restaurant Teide. A little bit small choice of fruits and not very good tomatos were during first week of our vacation, but they were much better during second week. Nice wines (nothing special but ok).
What is not good. The breackfast and supper were in one restaurant for the whole hotel. Around 7p.m. the restaurant was overcrouded. We liked to eat our breackfasts and some suppers outside. Terrace is smaller and quiter, heated while cold wheather. Plus we were feeding two cats almost every day and my daughter enjoyed it :).

Three swimming pools. In two of them water was cold in Februar, in one it was warmer. Jacuzzi was also calm. Two tennis-courts (10eu/hour, should be booked in advance), table tennis (free, 5eu deposit for rackets and ball), two of three american billiard-tables (1eu for game), darts, gymnastic, Kinderspielplatz, game playing machines. A lot of possibilities for sport oriented visitors.
Internet via two computers in hall. Something around 8eu/hour (a bit too expensive, I think).
Beauty shop with only Spanish speaking ladies but service was nevertheless very nice.
Car rent and excursion office in the hotel (we have ordered a car for one week via interned before vacation so I could not evaluate the car rent office, but prices for exursions were somewhat better than them given by our tourist operator Tjaereborg).

Large, nice, clean. Small kitchen angle with full equipment and small refrigerator. Nice furniture in living room. Bathroom with bath tub and bidet. Nice balcony with ocean view without special request (but not all apartments have it).
Minuses: Beds are not very comfortable. Water is heated by small oil heater located in kitchen, thus two people can not take shower one by one. Second shoud wait for 10-15 minuts untill water would be hot again. No hair dryer.

Masca with Holidays Sun - wonderful walk from Macsa to ocean! Loro park (Shark tonnel was closed, unfortunately. Parrot show is awful but dolfins and seals shows as well as pinguins hous are super!), Augilas Park (wonderful parrots and wild birds shows) - must be with children. Exotic Park plus Monkey Zoo (take bananas, nuts and a lot of other monkey food with you and you will be fully repaid by monkey and othe animals attention) - we loved it more than large Loro and Augilas Parks! Teide is amazing place, must be for everyone on Tenerife. The best wish restourants are located in small town Los Abrigos. Very good and not tourist oriented restaurants are in La Orotava and Esperansa (don't forget to visit eucaliptus forests). La Gomera and Masca are better with excursions. The rest is better to visit with rented car.