Bull Escorial & Spa

One of six hotels owned by local Gran Canarian hotel group Bull Hotels, the 250-room Bull Escorial & Spa is a family-friendly mid-range option that is dated, but clean. The building, originally constructed in 1973 as an apart-hotel, has a unique semi-circular shape. The pool sits in the southwest corner of the hotel, which is the area that gets the most sunlight. It’s a bit difficult finding the entrance to the resort, which is tucked away around the side and nowhere to be seen from the street. A clothing shop sits where guests might expect the entrance to be, with a sign off to the side that directs you to the east side of the hotel. The reception area is breezy and relaxed, with a large seating area and few guests. It's part of an expansive open-plan space that also houses the hotel’s only bar and restaurant, as well as the stage for entertainment. Elsewhere during our visit, the hotel was fairly busy with couples of all ages, loud dance music by the outdoor pool, and families with garrulous children. The hotel accommodates a variety of guests, but Germans make up the majority of visitors and frequent the hotel year-round.

Although situated a bit farther away from central Playa del Ingles, a major perk of staying here is not being within audible distance of local booming night clubs. There’s a bus stop just outside the hotel, which provides good connections all over the island. The beach promenade is just a four-minute walk from the hotel, leading to several quieter, natural inlets for swimming. The main beach area of Playa del Ingles, with its shops and restaurants, is about a 10-minute walk farther down the promenade. Guests looking for a party vibe can try out the nightlife at CC Kasbah, an eight-minute walk away -- although some may prefer Yumbo Shopping Centre, which has more gay-friendly bars and clubs, but is a five-minute drive. The sand dunes of neighboring Maspalomas are a protected nature reserve that can be accessed via the public promenade running through Hotel Riu Palace, an eight-minute drive away. Gran Canaria has just one airport, which is a 20-minute drive away.

Rooms are clean with simple furniture. All have large furnished balconies, desks, mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs, free satellite channels, and free Wi-Fi, but the AC comes with a daily fee. Rooms on the top three floors have better views and are accordingly more expensive. Some have sea views, while others overlook the surrounding mountains. Bathrooms have marble sinks and shower/tub combos. Family Rooms are cheaper, being located on the lower floors, and are spacious, featuring separate living rooms and sofa beds. As with most hotels on Gran Canaria, there are no tea- or coffee-making facilities in rooms, and the safe is only available for an extra fee. The free Wi-Fi is decent, although the connection can be slow at times -- we found this to be common everywhere on the island.

The standout feature of this hotel is the Moroccan-themed spa; free spa access for guests is a standard across all Bull hotels. This includes use of the hydrotherapy pools, hot tub, sauna, steam room, and special Dead Sea floating pool, which is housed in a large, mood-lit, underground space styled after a cave. Massages, special treatments, and tanning beds cost extra, but guests get one free clay treatment per stay, and free access to the massage waterbeds once per week. It’s an imaginative space, with fabricated stone walls and archways, ceilings painted night blue, classic Moroccan-style lanterns, mosaic tiling, and intimate mood lighting. Being a favorite feature for guests, it was fairly busy during our visit.
The rest of the hotel grounds are extensive, and packed with various facilities. While a bit small for the size of the hotel and exposed to traffic noise from the neighboring street, the pool has a separate sunbathing deck with sun loungers. Gardens hold an outdoor lounge area, kids’ pool, table tennis, billiards tables, hot tub, and tennis court. The rooftop sunbathing terrace has an additional hot tub a separate nudist section, and nice views over the sea and surrounding mountains.
There’s only one bar, which is close enough to the pool for convenient drinks. The buffet restaurant offers meat and fish show cooking and a good variety of dishes. All-inclusive rates are available. The sprawling games room has two basic bowling alleys, a comprehensive variety of table games, air hockey, video game stations, and 10 Mac workstations with free internet access. There’s also a third floor atrium courtyard with a landscaped garden and mini-golf green, as well as free live evening entertainment -- although some nights this is in German. The hotel offers a low-key animation program, which includes planned activities like morning workouts and an evening kids’ mini-disco. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there’s free on-site parking.