Reviews of Paradise Island Hotel, Playa Blanca

After reading other comments I was very wary of this hotel.
The cleanliness was fantastic, the rooms were very nice.
The food was edible,lots of choice, the chinese was nice and offered every other night. The pool area was good, only one fault which was the jacuzzi was not working!!! For a 3 star all inclusive we could not fault it. Please ignore negatives about hotel from others and try yourself, if you dont like the food, there are plenty hotels in Playa Blanca, especially the steak/tex mex at Rubicon marina end, 10 out of 10 food excellant.

We stayed at Paradise Island in Playa Blanca and had a wonderful, comfortable and relaxed holiday. After reading reviews about this hotel we were apprehensive and we did have a bargain £550. for two weeks, all inc.we thought ah-oh! But on arriving at night, the hotel was well presented with lighting and the booking in procedure was fast and staff very pleasant. We met friends already there who were really pleased and excited with showing us the apartments. They were massive and very comfortable and although we had hoped for a pool view room we were not disappointed with the view we had over the sea and a glimpse of the next island Fueterventura. With a volcano opposite the hotel that you can take a guided walk up to the top and see the stunning views. The hotel was very clean and the food was very good for those who like to try different dishes. Plenty of fish and meat and pasta but still loads of french fries for the British! Food was served in the restaurant from 7.30 am till 10.00am then sandwiches in the Pool Bar till the opening at lunchtine in the restaurant. Drinks Hot,cold and alcohol served all day. Help Yourself to sandwiches at 4pm till restaurant opens at 6.30. Bar serving bottom shelf local spirits and liquers (Bring on the apple schnapps and lemonade - mmmm)! The pool area was a bit noisy with music but lots of entertainment for families. The staff really enjoyed getting you involved. We tried the archery at the bottom of the complex. Sorry to the man on the bike! But mostly we caught the shuttle bus to Playa Dorada beach. Fantastic! A nice walk back along the promenade to the taxi rank based in high street and 3 euros back to the hotel.
A nice drink in the pool bar and then get changed for dinner. Best time to eat is between 7 & 8 as the restaurant does get packed after eight. The waiters do their best and are friendly but a little help from yourselves is welcome. We did visit a couple of the posh hotels, Yaiza Princess did Riverdance show, anyone can go in and have adrink and watch the shows as in the Gran Melia volcano hotel- WOW! This hotel is based in the Rubicon Marina, a very up to date area with plenty of bars and cafes to people watch. We hired a car from the hotel which cost us 100Euros (about £80) for three days and we visited all round the island in three days. The map was very easy to read and the roads very easy to follow. The trip to Timanfaya National Park was very interesting and as I am not a trip doer I found it very enjoyable. The Miradore de Rio was also excellent and very good value at 4.5 euros each. It has stunning views. The rest of the days were spent intense tanning. But we had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday and we would certainly visit again and especially Paradise Island. A great base and location.Give it a try!

Playa Blanca is a lovely town with many bars,restaurants,duty free shops and excellent beaches. It also has many fine looking and modern hotels,but Paradise Island is NOT one of them.

We,3 of us,my uncle,my son and myself went all inclusive with Thomas Cook for 11 nights.

On the plus side the accomodation is spacious,with a balcony front and back and it is kept very clean by the cleaning staff and cleaned 5 times a week.



The negatives and there are quite a few.The whole complex needs modernising as it looks old and tatty compared to other hotels in the same H10 group of hotels, to which it belongs.

The swimming pool is miles too small to cater for the amount of guests it has staying there.The facilities are appalling.I tried to use the free gym,but most of the equipment was either broken or from the dark ages.The tennis court,football/basketball court,mini golf and childrens play area were untidy and fences damaged or un maintained.

The outside streets from the hotel are litter strewn and the hotel is a half hour walk from the resort centre.You can get a taxi for under 3 euros though.

Also as we were all inclusive the food was included,but this was absolutely awful! If it wasnt for the Chinese side of the restaurant,although this was only average at best,we would have starved! I dont know how many varieties of mediocre you can serve up. Most of the Spanish speaking holidaymakers didnt use the all inclusive option as they knew what we didnt until a couple of days into the holiday.

There was supposed to be snacks available all day,but these were just Ham sandwiches all the time and nothing else and there was no access to free bottled water unless you paid for it in the supermarket next door.

During the holiday all our best meals were eaten outside of the hotel's restaurant.



If it was advertised as Self Catering and used just as a base to explore the Island in a hire car,on bicycle or by bus and foot it wouldnt be too bad,but if you are an experienced traveller you would demand a lot more.



The Thomas Cook excursions,Catamaran trips on the Catlanza and Rubicat were brilliant as was the Northern Delights excursion to visit Jameos Del Agua and Cuevas De Las Verdes and the magnificent views from Mirador Del Rio.



I would highly recommend a holiday in Playa Blanca but make sure you stay in somewhere other than Paradise Island.

JUST RETURNED FROM THIS HOLIDAY AND MUST SAY I NEED ANOTHER ONE . THE HOTEL AND THE POOL AREA AND THE ROOMS ARE GREAT. HOWEVER THE FOOD IS SO BLAND AND BORING YOU WILL EAT OUT IF THERE FOR 2 WEEKS. THE HOTEL IS 100% GEARED TOWARDS SPANISH VISITORS, WHO BY THE WAY ARE THE RUDEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVER KNOWN. TAXIS ARE DIRT CHEAP AND PLAYA DORADA BEACH AND ACCESIBLE BY FREE BUS. THE BAR STAFF GO SO SLOW TILL 11pm THEN SPEED UP WHEN YOU HAVE PAY, SO DOUBLE ORDER EVERY TIME. WONT GO BACK TO THIS HOTEL BUT MAYBE THE RESORT

The apartments and grounds are very clean and well maintained. What spoils this holiday is that the food is put under the warmers 30mins before Buffet opens and is cold by th time you can get there, the chilled cabinets are not capable of keeping the salads and deserts cold. In the chinese section the food is only hot if you wait for them to fill it up but again very quickly goes cold. The complex was full of spanish and along with the cold food, there is the battle of the spanish who constantly want to push in front of you in the buffet. If you want a sunbed by the pool then you have to get your towel out by 8am. The spanish will put their towels out but not sit on the sunbeds until 4pm. if you move the towels you get a torrent of abuse.

Dont be put off by the negative comments about this hotel, we stayed (me and my partner and 4 children aged 3, 4, 17 and 20) and we had an absolutely fab holiday when we arrived after our flight was delayed all the staff at reception wanted to make sure was that we all got something to eat even though it was 11.30 at night and the restaurant was supposed to close at 11.00, all the staff were incredibly helpful and their customer service puts us Brits to shame. The hotel is spotlessly clean and even though there is a plethora of litter at the end of the day caused by guests, by morning everything is clean again. The food is plentiful and of good quality and there is authentic Chinese food every other night again with a very selection. The apartments are cleaned every day and are very spacious with a huge double bed and a very comfortable sofa bed. Each apartment has its own sit out area, either a balcony or a patio type area and the apartments back on to the pools meaning that you can still get peace and quiet at the busiest times of the day. The facilities here are plentiful including 3 bars, a quiet get away from it all bar with piano music every night, a very lively poolside bar which is the centre of the daytime activities and an entertainment centre bar for the evenings which gets very busy and very warm in the evenings as there are nightly shows, quizzes, bingo and kids disco held there. There was mostly only one person behind the bar here but they rifle through people's orders and you dont have to wait too long to get served. The nightly entertainment team also double as the 'animacion' team during the day with fun games and music again centered around the pools. There are tennis courts, a crazy golf course, mini club for 5-10 yr olds and baby club for little ones up to 4 yrs old. The second night we were there there was a spectacular samba drumming show after supper which only served to get us all in the mood for the week ahead. There really is something for everyone, as the complex is a good 1/2 an hour walk from the centre of Playa Blanca, there is also a free shuttle bus service that takes you to the centre of this very pleasant resort town but be warned if you do walk, the land between Paradise Island and Playa Blanca is not exactly a joy to behold, very uneven footpaths, lots of building work going on (Playa Blanca is a relatively new and still growing resort) and lots of litter about but Paradise Island itself is a haven amongst all this. Mealtimes will probably try your patience the most, there are lots and lots of guests and I would recommend you eat at the less popular times because it can become a bit of a stampede but again, given the number of guests it can hold, mealtimes are run as efficiently as they can be. Mealtimes will be especially manic if you have young children with you but there are lots of very friendly restaurant staff who will help you as much as they possibly can. We came back and just a few days later we were pricing a summer 2009 back to Paradise Island as I am sure we will return there. Couldnt possibly mention (or remember) all the facilities but we had a great time and would recommend Paradise Island to anyone but hey, we're all different and I'm sure the people who left negative comments had their own reasons for doing so. Lastly, if you want to tour the island I'd recommend hiring a car as even though there is a decent bus service, Playa Blanca is a bit of an outpost on the island and it can be a trek by bus to see all the things the island has to offer although I would thoroughly recommend taking the South Tour of the island (google Lanzarote South Tour for more info) its a full day with lunch and you get to see so much of the South of the Island, you can even ride a camel!!

After reading all these bad comments I was not happy to go on holiday.

Maby the hotel was bad before but now I couldn´t find a problem. Staff is friendly and helpfull,food is good for a 3 star hotel,swimmingpool is clean ,the rooms are big and well cleaned.

Overall I enjoyed my holiday and I will recomend this hotel to my friends.

HAVING JUST COME BACK FROM PARADISE ISLAND RESORT - PLAYA BLANCA AFTER STAYING FOR A WEEK, I THOUGHT THE RESORT WAS WONDERFUL FOR THE MONEY.

THE APARTMENTS ARE EXTREMELY SPACIOUS & CLEANED WELL EVERY DAY.

THE FOOD BEING ALL INCLUSIVE FOR THE WEEK WAS THE BEST ALL INCLUSIVE RESORT I HAVE BEEN TO.IF YOU DIDN'T WANT THE USUAL MEALS IN THE EVENING, THEY HAD A CHINESE RESTAURANT, FRESHLY COOKED TO HELP YOURSELF TO WHICH WAS OF A HIGH STANDARD.

THE WAITRESS STAFF IN THE BARS & RESTAURANT WERE WONDERFUL. THE POOLS WERE THE CLEANEST I HAVE SEEN, & THERE ARE 3 LARGE POOLS & BABY AREA POOLS. THERE IS A WELL RUN KIDS CLUB. THE WHOLE COMPLEX IS KEPT CLEAN & TIDY.

THE ONLY THING THAT LET THIS PLACE DOWN WAS THE LACK OF DECENT EVENING ENTERTAINMENT. THEY HAD THE USUAL BINGO, KIDS MINI DISCO ETC, BUT THIS ALL TOOK PLACE INDOORS IN AN UN-AIRCONDITIONED ROOM. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER TO DO THESE THINGS OUTDOORS. A FREE BUS TO THE BEACH IS INCLUDED, BUT TAXIS ARE CHEAP TOO.OVERALL A GREAT RESORT, A GREAT HOLIDAY & WE WILL BE GOING BACK.

Just spent a great week at this fab resort.After arriving very late at night we were fed straight away (Before checking in)and then spent our first night getting a very good nights sleep.The food was great.We all ate well for the week but other guests said it was the same food every week so glad we were only there 1 week.The apartment was brill.Large and very clean.The facilities were also well looked after although the spanish guests dont know anything about manners!The pool was great to cool off but again the Spanish claim it for themselves so make sure you get your towel on a lounger early.(All signs asking you not to are ignored.)If you dont want to spend all your money on trips hire a car.The welcome meeting is just a big sales pitch to get you on the trips but we went into town and spoke to Kim at Posh cars who was excellent.If you want to go to Timanfaya,go on the Camels,gowine tasting andgo to tegise market the thomas cook rep will charge 81euros each but if there are 4 of you in a car the whole lot will cost just 82 euroes for all of you(car hire+entrance to timanfaya+camel ride.)Thats a saving of 245 euros!Daughter and her friend did splash out on the catalanza trip living the high life and said it was money well spent.All in all a great holiday and would recommend it highly.

Have just returned from a week's all inclusive holiday at this very nice hotel. It's a good 3 star with large apartments which are brightly furnished with good sized bathrooms. Probably in need of some renovation within the next few years, but not dilapidated in any way. Ignore some of the bad photos some people have posted on various review sites, overall the place is lovely. The gardens are well tended and the pool area is very clean, with a freshwater pool (watch out - some hotels in Lanzarote have sal****er pools).



The weather was excellent, getting hotter towards the end of the week - there were a lot of burnt bodies on our last day, don't be fooled, the sun is scorching, but the breeze makes it feel cooler, so make sure to wear plenty of sun protection.



The food is really what lets this hotel down, even though it's not terrible, and there is quite a good variety, it's nearly all cold by the time you sit down to eat it (ok if you're a salad lover), although the chef does a freshly cooked section each night, usually fish or pork chops. The breakfasts were not too bad, again, mostly cold by the time you sit to eat them and the fight for the toaster with the spanish and german guests is a sight to behold!!



Playa Blanca is a long, thin resort with the best hotels at each end. The newly constructed Rubicon Marina area is by far the nicest part, although it's right at the far end of the resort and a good taxi ride from the Paradise Island, don't even think about walking it in high season - too hot. There is a Cafe del Mar at the Marina, but it hasn't caught on like the one in Ibiza, it was very quiet and without atmosphere bearing in mind we were there in peak season. Don't go to Playa Blanca if you like a lively resort, Puerto del Carmen is the best bet for that with lots of bars and restaurants and a good long stretch of beach with crystal clear waters.



Overall, if you've already booked, you'll have a nice holiday, but if you go for two weeks, make sure you go on some excursions, or as we did, hire a car (far cheaper option) and see the sights of the island. The trips organised by the hotel are very expensive 120 euros for two adults and one child to go to the volcano tour - it actually costs 8 euros each to get in and you can get a decent car for 85 euros for 3 days.



Be warned, there are no bargains to be had at Teguise Market which is held every sunday, and even though you can barter, you can't get the sellers down, they have their set bottom price and that's it!! definitely worth a visit for the experience, but a rip off, Playa Blanca market (held once a week, think it's on Fri or Sat) is much smaller but also much cheaper.



Overall, a nice hotel which is a little out of the way with large apartments and a nice pool area , certainly more than a stroll from the main resort areas and with no bars or restaurants nearby. Mostly family orientated with the main entertainment emphasis being on the kids mini disco. Self catering would definitely be the best option as, by the end of the week, all the guests we spoke to thought that the all inclusive option was probably not the best idea.

Had read a few reviews on this aparthotel before travelling and was slightly worried about what I would find. We travelled as a family (2 adults & 2 children 15&12) and this was one of the best holidays we ever had. I can't understand why anyone would find fault with this place. Food excellent (so much variety) apartment very clean, staff worked extremely hard, and so much to keep adults and children entertained. Restaurant times vey flexable allowing you to make use of the free bus to the beach and be back in time for lunch. Playa Blanca town only a 15 minute stroll, beautiful. If you prefer a taxi it only costs 3 euro. Our 2 weeks flew by and our children can't wait to go back. Our rep Thomas was excellent and very informative and always available. The trips we booked through him seemed slighty more expensive than what was being advertised in town but you must remember with the rep so much was included (ie. picked up from your hotel, camel ride on Volcano tour etc.) and with the other tours these are extra. The only negative part of the holiday were the Spanish holidaymakers. The majority of them were so rude!! Dutch, French and English people were really nice. If you have booked to go to Paradise Island you will have a brill time.

This was the first time we have been all inclusive in an European type area. We found the accomodation to be clean and pleasant and suitable for our needs of two adults and two kids. It was nice having a sea view and balconies on both sides of the apartment. All I would say is to make sure that your air-con and TV are included in your package as we ended up paying extra (well actually I refused to get the TV, me being a beligerent type). The hotel his part of the Hotel Lopez group.



The pools were clean, we went in peak season and as I suspect is the case in many places it was v busy, you had to be early to get near the pool. We ended up catching the free bus down to the Playa Dorada beach most of the time, the bus leaves and returns to the hotel about 8 times a day (its only a five minute journey). We found this beach to be excellent, the snorkelling was brill, we even found an adult resident barracuda around the central rocky island (we named him Barry). You can hire 2 x lounger and umbrella for 7.50 euro for the day.



The town was a typical resort type town with the usual mixture of seaside tatt, exclusive brands (and fakes) being sold. There was a selection of bars and restaurants, with a couple (OK several) English/Irish bars



The food was OK, I would say it was commensurate with a 3star hotel, breakfast was the best meal of the day. My daughter and I very much enjoyed the Chinese nights. I think most of the food was very Spanish/European, but that should not be a shock or put you off. If you must strictly survive on chips, beef burgers and ice cream then I beleive it is possible.



We were there for only a week, so only did one tour. That was Timafaya National Park to the volcanoes, my husband and I found it to be very interesting and informative, my daughter said it assisted with her GCSE coursework (of course she might just trying to make me feel good). The volcanoes are beautiful and still active, but dont go expecting flowing lava rivers, because they have long since stopped. The wine tour was good and the method of production unusual.



Infront of the hotel is an EXTINCT volcano, which is worth a walk up, I would suggest early in the morning before it gets too hot, there is a large crater and terrific views of the islands to look at. It takes 20-30 mins to walk up it, its not too strenuous, although I would suggest sensible shoes.



The weather of course was excellent, at 10am someone turns on the sun and keeps it on until 8pm and there is the usual gentle breeze. If you are out of the breeze you fry.



I would mark the hotel down on the facilities like crazy golf and tennis, I found the facilities to be badly designed and poorly maintained. But there is an excellent pitch and put between Playa Dorada beach and the Rubicon Marina, there is a Tennis/Day Centre where the bus stops to drop you off for the beach.



Generally I would say a positive experience of the hotel and resort, although I am glad I was only there for the week.

I went to Lanzarote and stayed at Paradise Island in Playa Blanca for a week with my fiance in April 2008. We were all inclusive.

After reading many negative comments about this hotel, i became nervous about going. (Maybe the older you get the more you complain... im only 18!) However i had a great holiday, and the hotel was lovely. Our room was cleaned everyday of the week apart from Fridays and Sundays.

Drinks if you are all inclusive are always avaliable, with the choice of water, the local beer, coke, sprite... etc.

The food was nice, however after a few days it became repetitive, and sometimes nothing on the menu really took our fancy.

The Chinese Restaurant was ok, but nothing great.

The pools were lovely, and the free sun loungers were very relaxing if you want to get a tan!!

I have read in other comments about people complaining about cockroaches and other creepies in their rooms, me and my fiance saw one cockroach the whole time we were in Lanzarote, and it wasnt even inside!

Our apartment was light, airy and fresh with beautiful views of the mountains.

I highly recommend the Mountain Park and lava fields tour, it was a fun day out for any age!

What a great holiday i just got back yestrday and i want to go back already ...everythign was perfect the staff the pool and the food ...everyone was helpful ..good mixture of people on the holiday ...would recommend the hotel to anyone who is looking for a relaxed holiday

I went on an all inclusive stay with my husband and 2 kids aged 3 and 10 at the end of october 2007. We did read some reviews before we left which were very mixed ... some good some bad and some very bad which was quite scary. However we did go with an open mind and decided we would enjoy our holiday no matter what.... after all we cant afford to go abroad very often!! We arrived at the hotel (after a very speedy scary taxi journey) later than scheduled since our flight was delayed but the check in staff member was still very pleasant that late at night. We initially did find the smell a little repulsive but found this only to be very late at night when they were watering the many plants and trees around the hotel with stagnant water.The rest of the time we were unaware of any smell. Since most people have been complaining about the food in their reviews let me cover that aspect first... although our stay was in late october and not peak season it was still a busy hotel but we always managed to find a table for our family. We were pleasantly surprised by the choice of food on offer with different dishes every day. There was always a chef show cooking a main dish which varied every day and six days out of seven was something we liked. There was also a suitable range of kids foods.. not all fried and greasy as has been suggested, so our kids were catered for too. Our favourite meal had to be breakfast where you could have a fry up if you liked or fresh bread or our favourite which was the endless supply and variety of pastries and cakes. The choice of yummy desserts was also impressive and we had a try at them all ( dont be put off with how the puddings looked because they tasted great!) There was always fruit and salad at every sitting and although sometimes the bananas or apples were a little "past it" (who wouldnt be in that heat?) the melon was gorgeous and i ate nearly my whole bodyweight in melon during my weeks stay. During our stay there was a chinese buffet on 4 nights to give you a bit of a change where the choice was limited to 2 dishes with different rices and noodles but was extremely tasty. The kids enjoyed the ice cream which came in a wee pot for less mess and they could have as much as they liked all day. Plenty of soft drinks, wine, beer,coffee and tea all day and alcoholic drinks included in all inclusive were fine for us. I particularly enjoyed the kids slush with alcohol added mmmm. The only downside was the speed of the bar service later in the evenings when there was often only 1 member of staff serving so there was usually a long slow moving queue but as we were not heavy drinkers this did not bother us too much. The apartment was clean and spacious enough for our needs and room to self cater if you wished. There was a bath as well as a shower which was brilliant for our 3 year old son. On the creepy crawlie subject we had NO ants and NO cockroaches in our apartment, in fact the only "beastie" we seen was a dead cockroach on a secluded path. The poolside was always clean and we had no trouble getting a sunbed or parasol although there was the usual towels on the sunbeds at silly times of the morning but there really was no need for that. Although the staff were not unpleasant they did keep themselves to themselves but the kids team of entertainers did come out of their shell and get right into the fun which was quite amusing for us adults. We took our kids to the entertainment most nights and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves with parrots,snakes, games and mad song singing. We walked to the beach once which took about half an hour and it was lovely but the rest of the time we took advantage of the free bus. We went on a few excursions while we were there and would reccomend the submarine and the Teguise market and highly reccomend the "rancho Texas" where the food, birds of prey show and collection of exciting animals was a brilliant family day out. To sum things up this is a brilliant hotel for all the family and we enjoyed everything about it. We would have no doubts whatsoever about reccomending it to anyone or returning ourselves.