Sol Lanzarote - All Inclusive

For what this all inclusive costs, I thought it was a very enjoyable stay. The staff are the highlight for me: they work incredibly hard and are quick and attentive. Danilo on the main bar in the evenings deserves a special mention. He’s constantly busy but stays fast and calm, and Maria does a great job there too. The food is tasty and decent, though nothing amazing; I’ve paid more at other all inclusive hotels and eaten worse. My five stars reflect the price. It’s not a place that will blow you away, but it does its job well for the money.

We went in January and there was entertainment every day, whatever the weather. The heated pool was lovely and warm when the air outside wasn’t, and the snack bar was a real favourite. Meals had plenty of variety, and we enjoyed the food every time. The rooms are huge, with big balconies, and everything was very clean. From the back entrance it’s about a minute to the beach and shops. The main town took around 15 minutes by scooter, or a taxi was only €5-6. Staff were friendly and even kept the reception windows clean. A lovely hotel, I’d happily come back.

There’s lots of room to sit around the three pools, and the beach is right next to the hotel. One pool is heated, which made it noticeably busier than the other two. Check-in was slow, and there was some mix-up about which rooms people in our party had been assigned. Once settled, we enjoyed the activities and entertainment, especially the games Lorenzo organized.

The service was a bright spot: most staff were enthusiastic and worked hard, and the room was cleaned every day. You can request things like extra towels, water or pillows through the hotel app. But the room itself needs refurbishment. Ours, number 1230, smelled damp and showed signs of it, and we saw cockroaches both inside it and in shared areas. The food was basic and repetitive, while the drinks were sweet and not very strong, much like an average all inclusive resort. We tried the pool once, but the one said to be heated was very cold, so we just sat beside it. During our stay, the only people using it seemed to be the aquarobics group. We’ve just come back from nine all inclusive nights, and I don’t think we’ll be hurrying back. It didn’t feel like a solid four star hotel.