Los Zocos Impressive Lanzarote

The location is great, the staff are friendly, and it seems well set up for families. But the food on the all-inclusive plan was horrible. After two days, we’d had enough and ate out for the rest of our stay. The rooms also need more careful cleaning. On our first day, a fly was still squashed on the wall, and the curtains had stains that looked questionable. Those are basic things that should be dealt with between guests. I don't understand why children aren't allowed in the à la carte restaurant when this is meant to be a family-friendly hotel. And floaties aren't allowed in the pool either, which also seems odd for a place aimed at families. The omelette station was another letdown. The man making them seemed to hate his job and got annoyed when asked for an omelette. That's a shame, since the omelette is usually the best part of an all-inclusive breakfast. The hotel has potential, but it needs to improve.

The kids have plenty to do, with mini golf, the mini and maxi clubs, and pools for different ages. It's a child-friendly place, and the food has a good range for everyone, with lots of variety through the week. It's in a good spot near the beach and promenade, and works well for full board or all-inclusive stays. Housekeeping could be more thorough for new arrivals: we found hair around the room, and toothpaste marks and splashes were all over the bathroom mirror. I understand a room may not be spotless every day during a stay, but it should be properly cleaned before a new guest checks in. Some of the cocktails we tried tasted off. The Strawberry Daiquiri in particular tasted like chlorine, so we were better off sticking with beer and wine.

We had the best week at los zocos. The animation team did a great job getting both adults and children involved, and the staff were friendly and helpful. Our room was cleaned daily and came with fresh bedding. The hotel is beautiful and close to shops. There's also an excursion shop next door where you can book day trips, which are well worth doing. The restaurant was great, and the pool bar had snacks and drinks in between meals.

The food was consistently good, and the pizza shop was one of the few bright spots on this trip. The noise from it was another matter: our room was right beside the shop, with banging, chopping, and kitchen activity going on throughout the day. This was our third stay at Los Zocos, and sadly it'll be our last. The apartments next to ours were occupied by members of the Animation Team. On several occasions we smelled a very strong cannabis odor. I reported it by email but got no reply. The smell eventually stopped, but afterwards the team members kept staring at us in a way that felt intimidating. There was also frequent shouting, screaming, and disruptive behavior outside the apartments late at night, from around 11pm to 2am. We didn't feel comfortable reporting it again because we were worried about possible repercussions. We also saw behavior on several occasions that felt highly unprofessional for staff living on site. I'm not easily shocked, but employees who live and work within a hotel complex should show some professionalism. Instead, the area around our accommodation felt completely inappropriate, and we felt unsettled and unsafe. The experience overshadowed our whole holiday and left us with no confidence in the hotel's management or staff oversight. The food was the only positive I can genuinely take from this final visit.