Review date: 11 November 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Notts wrote:-

Review title: "Brilliant"
Travel date: September 2008
Not sure what everyone is complaining about as for the money, it is very good. We have been going to the Blue Star now for five years. Whenever we have had a complaint here, they have sorted it out more or less straight away. There are a few things that need sorting but nothing major.

The view over the Atlantic Ocean is fantastic and makes up for almost everything, providing you have a high floor which we always ask for and normally get.

P.S. Limping in the reception area on arrival helps, but seriously, I think this place is good value for money.

Review date: 20 July 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Sale, England wrote:-

Review title: "Warning: Do Not Stay At The Blue Star Apartments"
Travel date: July 2008
Do not come here to the Blue Star apartments. Grey sheets, spotted pillowcases, two cooking rings, no oven, no microwave, television one euro per hour to watch and rooms shabby.

To go in to Puerto Rico, budget for four euros each way by taxi. The Europa Centre is a laugh - 'Barbacoa' put on a 'Michael Jackson' show three times in one week. P.S. You will need to take your own towels - see previous blogs.

Review date: 06 July 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from South Yorkshire, England wrote:-

Review title: "Blue Star Apartments"
Travel date: June 2008
The Blue Star complex is at the top of the resort, a minutes walk from the Europa Centre with great bars and night life. The staff are helpful. There is not a lot to do in the complex, only sit by the pool. There is no music or turns to watch on a day or night - very quiet.

The beds do get damp throughout the night and you will see cockroaches (don't stand on them as you will carry the eggs back on your shoes etc). Try and get a view between six and eight as some times the lift does not work.

Review date: 15 February 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Northern Ireland, UK wrote:-

Review title: "Pleasantly Surprised"
Travel date: February 2008
We stayed in the Blue Star apartments for one week and I have to say, we were pleasantly surprised, especially after reading some ominous reviews before our arrival!

We stayed on level three which I think is as low as you would go, any lower and the view seems to disappear. As per other reviews, the notorious lift can be a bit slow in arriving and can be a bit unreliable.

Our experience of the staff was fantastic - they could not have been more helpful and their English was superb.

The standard of the room was excellent and the balcony was great with loads of space and sunshine all day long. During our stay a maid cleaned the room every other day and did an excellent job.

The pool was clean but freezing which helped to clear the morning cobwebs away! The food from the pool bar was excellent, very affordable and you can take away to enjoy on your balcony.

We had no problems with unwanted insect life, although there was some talk of cockroaches in the complex.

The complex is at the top of the resort hills, two minutes walk away from the Europa Centre which has some nice bars and restaurants, (but avoid 'Little Italy' which served the most foul meal I have ever had to endure!). Hotel staff will order a taxi if you want to venture down to the marina. Our taxis arrived within minutes and cost approx three to four euros, otherwise it's a good 20 minute plus walk down the hill.

There is a well stocked supermarket at reception which is as cheap as the surrounding supermarkets and good for any food, papers and drink you might need.

A few minor criticisms would be that I found the beds quite uncomfortable and the towels seemed to put more water on you than off you even when they started off dry!

All in all, we wouldn't hesitate to stay at the Blue Star again.

Review date: 23 October 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from England wrote:-

Review title: "Blue Star Apartments"
Travel date: January 2008
What a fantastic place and location to stay. Very basic but very clean. Staff very helpful and very friendly. Could not have asked for more. Will be returning back to the Blue Star next year.

Review date: 03 February 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Preston, England wrote:-

Review title: "Blue Star Apartments"
Travel date: January 2008
Had a good look at the reviews for the Blue Star apartments and decided to chance it. We asked for a high room and got 626 which had a large balcony that got the sun from 8 a.m. till 4.30 p.m. If you don't want to go by the pool you can hire sun beds at 12 euros for a week.

We walked down to Amadores beach which is out of the entrance, up the stairs on the left and turn left at the top. Lovely man made beach, nice to sit, have a bite to eat and watch the sun go down then taxi it back - two to three euros. At night we went to the Europa centre - lots of good food to choose from and some nice drinking places. The 'Blarney Stone' was to our liking and went there three times.

Very nice. Will be back next year but maybe try a different place to stay. Will let you know.

Review date: 22 January 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Scotland wrote:-

Review title: "Do not, Under Any Circumstances, Stay Here!"
Travel date: January 2008
Please do not book these apartments if you want a stress free relaxing holiday. Myself and my husband landed there on 19 January 2008 for a week long holiday for a surprise birthday present for him, and as you will see by the date of the review (22/01/08), yes we flew home yesterday.

On the day we arrived our apartment was broken into whilst we were changing money, a matter of 20 minutes and everything was gone, all 5 months of saving. The hotel staff are not interested as we believe and the security guard verified 'it was impossible for anyone to get in and out of the window from the outside, it was someone with a key'. There is no one to help you at a time like this. We flew home to London and then on to Glasgow. Don't get us wrong, First Choice were good at getting us flights, but with everything stolen including credit cards we had to get someone at home to pay our flights.

Please, please, please don't go to the Blue Star hotel. It is not worth the hassle. Puerto Rico is great. This was our seventh trip and never before had we had any bother.

Review date: 06 April 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Bradford, England wrote:-

Review title: "No Good For Fear Of Heights Guests"
Travel date: November 2007
Had I realised that the lift was glass with a sheer drop, I would not have booked this apartment.

The pool was great and the service in the cafe was good and not expensive with a happy smiling waiter serving you. The service from the main desk was terrible. We booked for three people but they insisted that they only supplied for two. Getting them to place sheets in the room was a constant battle. I thought the sevice during the day was very good and nothing was too much trouble but at night they did not care.

Try to get a room away from the glass lift as the clang and grinding noise went on all day and all night. Get a pan and a wooden spoon and run the spoon around the inside of the pan a couple of times. Then turn the pan upside down and hit it once with spoon and this is a copy of the sound of the lift from the apartment.

This is not to be booked if you have any difficulty with walking as going to simple places like the pool means you have to be very fit. We met people with walking sticks who had not been out all week due to the fact that even getting out of the reception car park was too steep.

The Blue Star was cheap, clean and had a little supermarket for lovely fresh bread etc. If you want good views, a nice pool and basic sleeping and a cheap place and realise that Puerto Rico is only a three euro taxi away, then I would say go, but not for me again, personally.

Review date: 23 October 2007 - A HotelStreet visitor from Merseyside, England, UK wrote:-

Review title: "A Total Joke - Do Not Go!"
Travel date: October 2007
The hotel was a disgrace. We had money stolen, no air-con, had to pay for the TV and didn't get a clean towel all week. The staff were rude and unhelpful.

The resort of Puerto Rico is beautiful but I strongly advise people not to visit the Blue Star Hotel unless you want a disaster of a holiday.

Review date: 23 January 2008 - A HotelStreet visitor from Wales wrote:-

Review title: "Do Not Stay Here!"
Travel date: August 2007
What can I say? The Blue Star was a disaster from the beginning! After landing in Gran Canaria at 02.50 in the morning, the first thing we wanted to do was unpack, then sleep. This was impossible due to the puddle of smelly water on the kitchen floor of our apartment!

In the morning we thought things can not be that bad after all. We were on holiday and wanted to make the most of it. This was until we were making breakfast in the apartment and found thousands of tiny white bugs running around the sink area and over all the plates. The bathroom (aka 'The Dungeon ') was worse. My sister was running a bath as she was fed up of having a cold shower but once the bath was full she turned off the tap which proceeded to fall off the wall into her hand sending a mass of gushing water all around the bathroom and into the sitting room and kitchen. The room was flooded as reception took 20 minutes to send someone down to stop our in house water fountain but at least we drowned a few of our unwelcome lodgers (the white bugs)!

We complained to reception who refused to move us from that awful room due to being too busy. We thought our room was bad but it was nothing compared to my parents' room. They had a toilet that didn't flush and a rusty bath (which we have taken photos of and passed to First Choice - they should definately pull out from this hole).

The pool area was a joke. The whole place is in need of a good paint - well, actually, there are so many cracks and holes in the walls I say knock the place down and start again!

Overall this place is a joke. On the day we were leaving everyone we spoke to had the same opinion as us. We were actually more fortunate than some people. A nice couple from Nottingham had their room broken into on the second day of their holiday!

Gran Canaria is a lovely place but this apartment block is a shambles! If you are booked here, good luck, you will need it.

Review date: 31 October 2007 - A HotelStreet visitor from Newcastle, England wrote:-

Review title: "Fantastic"
Travel date: August 2007
My first stay at Blue Star was in 2003. It was fantastic then, and is constantly being improved. I personally can not think of what more you could possibly want for the amount you are paying for this accommodation.

Review date: 21 July 2007 - A HotelStreet visitor from Reading England, UK wrote:-

Review title: "Not too Good"
Travel date: July 2007
We arrived at the apartment at 1.45 p.m. only to find dead cockroaches on the floor and the apartment very dark and not looking too good.

Won't be going back it is only a two key and not a three star. The new apartment wasn't too bad. If you are going to book, ask for any thing in the 800s.

The place is nice if you like walking up hills but the taxis are cheep and plenty!

Review date: 07 April 2007 - A HotelStreet visitor from Liverpool, England wrote:-

Review title: "Much Better Than Expected!"
Travel date: March 2007
After reading some of the reviews about the Blue Star, we were ready to cancel our holiday! When we arrived, the apartment was spotless with plenty of room. Only two channels on the TV but we weren't on holiday to watch television anyway! The glass lift was an experience but was always working and we never felt unsafe using it. There are two other lifts available too.

The pool and surrounding area was really clean, although may be crowded during the summer as it's quite small. Didn't see a single insect the whole time we were there and there was only one small cat walking around by the pool. The staff were really friendly and helpful although you can't change money at reception after 9 p.m. and the shop next to reception sold everything but also closed quite early (9 p.m.). The sun beds around the pool were really uncomfortable and had no adjustable backrest so you have no choice but to lie flat.

The man made beach is three euros in a taxi and reception will ring one for you. It's gorgeous down there. White sandy beach and clear water and loads of restaurants. Sioux City, the western theme night is great and free bar all night!

If I was going to give you advice, I would request a room no lower than the fifth floor as reception is on the eighth and the pool is on the fifth. If you go lower you'll get no view of the sea and will wait a good while for the lift to take you up or have to take the stairs (and there are lots!). Blue Star is not luxury but you are not paying for luxury. It's in a good location and most importantly, really clean!

Review date: 25 June 2007 - A HotelStreet visitor from Yorkshire, England wrote:-

Review title: "Very Surprised"
Travel date: November 2006
What ever you read, if it is a bad review, I would say go as it is fine. Rooms are clean and the people are great. This is not a joke.

Review date: 29 July 2007 - A HotelStreet visitor from Chatham, Kent, England, UK wrote:-

Review title: "My Visit To Gran Canaria"
Travel date: September 2006
Very pleasant and helpful staff. Overall apartment was clean. Pool area very clean. The only downfall was that there was no air conditioning but there were fans available to hire at reception and the cooking facilities were very basic as they only had one ring but it was cheaper to buy food out.

Overall Puerto Rico was a beautiful place to visit and Gran Canaria as a whole is simply stunning and we would definitely go back.

Review date: 21 February 2006 - A HotelStreet visitor from London, England, UK wrote:-

Review title: "Stand Your Ground!!"
Travel date: February 2006
The pictures featured on the website are a bit idealistic to say the least! We arrived at five in the morning to be faced with a room in the dungeons of the first floor, with only two lifts that take you as far as the fourth floor. The lift that should take you down to the first floor was out of order and looked like its fixings were falling off the walls! Very unsafe!

As my mum is asthmatic, we camped in the reception area until the receptionist arrived at eight am and were relocated to the sixth floor after midday.

The rest of the stay was fine! The apartment was clean apart from the cockroaches (and they supplied the spray for those!) and the views from the balcony were of blue sea as far as you could see!

Review date: 23 March 2005 - A HotelStreet visitor from Reading, Berks wrote:-

Review title: "Blue Star"
Travel date: March 2005
My partner and myself stayed in these apartments for second time this month. I was a little disappointed to find that the restaurant had shut, only leaving a poolside bar which offered snacks only.

Not a day went by without the lift not working, we were on the fourth floor and this in fact make it hard work, particularly when we were leaving and had heavy suitcases. I, in fact, i was stuck in it on one occasion and to my horror found the alarm wasn't working either!!

Having said that, the staff are warm and appear happy and the appartment was very clean and comfortable and couldn't be faulted.

These apartments are certainly not placed for the elderly or people who have trouble walking. Puerto Rico is a very beautiful place and I've enjoyed my time there. We will definately be going again but maybe to another apartment closer to the beach and town.

Review date: 10 February 2006 - A HotelStreet visitor from Scotland wrote:-

Review title: "Not Happy"
Travel date: June 2003
As a family, we were looking forward to our first stay in Gran Canaria, as other family members had been holidaying here for a few years. The Blue Star Apartments were the last drop off point for the transfer bus from the airport, all we wanted to do was get settled in and go for something to eat.

The reception area was always clean and tidy, our accommodation, on the other hand, was a lot to be desired. Apartment 13, well, this was supposed to be a terrace with table, chairs and a parasol. You guessed it – none, but there were plenty of cats using the terrace as a personal bathroom. The room was disgusting, we couldn't even use the wardrobe area to hang up our clothes, the smell that came from it was disgusting.
Further to reporting it to the hotel reception it took them six days to move us to another room. They said because it was fully booked there were none available and refused to move us to another apartment building in the area.

The pool area wasn't very clean. The paint chipping around the pool and discolouring the water, I had to take my son to the doctor because he developed a rash. There was a barbecue night but the food was under cooked or not at all and the money returned to the holiday makers.

Karaoke night, the 'DJ' actually chose the songs for the people to sing, not the other way round. It was a joke!

This holiday was the most disappointing out of all the holidays we have had abroad. I will say this though, Puerto Rico itself is a very lively and very friendly place.