Hotel Castillete

This is my favourite place to stay when I’m on holiday from Lanzarote. It’s right by the beach, with a terrace facing the sea and La Gomera in the distance. The hotel is clean, breakfast is great, and the reception staff are wonderful and very helpful. Sitting on the veranda at night is lovely. There’s free parking right outside, and the port is about a 10-minute walk up the maritime avenue. I don’t understand the complaints. It’s a three-star hotel with really good three-star prices. If you want five-star luxury, you’ll pay through the nose.

The balcony has a 180-degree sea view, and the location is handy, right on Av. Marítima near central Santa Cruz and within walking distance of the port. But the place was too hot and noisy for us, and I’d try another hotel next time. The old building has no air conditioning. Even in mid-June, it was unbearably hot with the windows open overnight, which let in the sounds of party-goers, cars blasting music, and people recycling a lot of bottles into the glass bin right under our balcony. It made for a restless night. The room itself was fine and as expected from the photos, and the kitchen had cutlery, glasses, and frying pans. The fridge also kept clicking irregularly through the night, adding to the noise.

The best part of the room was the view. Otherwise it was very average, and the rooms desperately need updating. It was extremely hot even with the door open to catch the sea breeze, and there was no air conditioning or fan.

NEVER BOOK The property took 50% of the cost the day after I made the reservation, even though the booking conditions said payment was due one day before arrival for a one-night stay. I’ve tried contacting the hotel by WhatsApp, email, and phone, but haven’t heard back in three months. Booking.com hasn’t been any help either.