Iberostar Costa Calero Hotel

Just back today from the Hotel Costa Calero, many of the reviews we read before going were true, the hotel is immaculately clean and the staff work really hard to keep it that way. I think the hotel is in a great position, just a minute or two walk away from the pretty little marina, where it is very quiet and tranquil, but also a short taxi ride away from the more livlier resort of Puerto Del Carmen. Unfortunately i felt along with many other guests that the entertainment left a lot to be desired, there are a couple of outside shows and the rest are handled by the resident animacion team. The entertainment started at approx 9.30pm and lasted for approx an hour and then nothing after that, no disco as mentioned in the brochue. The food was plentiful,although repetitive, the service in the restaurant and bars was excellent. One thing to be wary of, we hired a car from the hotel for a days sightseeing, we had only been out about an hour when my husband noticed it had a compelte bald tyre on the front, we returned the car to the hotel at approx 11am to find that the car hire people had left for the day and were uncontactable. We had to wait until the following day to take the matter up with them, they did give us another car although reluctantly and said that driving a car with a tyre in that condition was ok in Lanzarote i asked a couple of other guests to check the tyre with me and all agreed that it would definitely be considered illegal in the UK, so beware!. The Thalassotherapy centre is a must for a chill out,you have to pay 12 euro's each even if all inclusive but its definitely worth it. All in all a lovely holiday,and a lovely hotel, the hotel was only half full and because of this we felt lacked a bit of atmosphere. We would recommend this hotel but definitely feel its suited to the more mature guest

To be fair to this hotel I think maybe we are quite fussy - this will help you to put this review in context! We stayed for a week 2-9th Feb 2006 - don't forget that the weather in the Canaries can be very changeable at this time of year - and whilst some were happy to sit by the pool in a bikini for me it wasn't quite shorts weather and I needed a cardi because of the breeze which can keep temperatures down a bit. Other guests had said the weather for the 2 weeks before had been awful and they had hardly any sun, we had mixed days but enough sun to get a tan - do bear this is in mind. The best way we can sum up this hotel is that as a 4* some aspects are barely 3* and some are definitely 5* so the rating is probably fair overall. Facilities, cleanliness and location are definitely 5*. We had probelms with some of the staff - a very rude waitress made us walk out of the a la carte restaurant, and the reception staff are mostly ok but have a habit of ignoring you and finishing their task before attending to you. Also the food we would rate as a 3*. The choice is good each day and the breakfasts excellent, but dinner very repetitive and some strange combinations. Also, their labelling of food at the buffet was a little irregular so you werent sure what you were getting! We have stayed at some 4 and 5* hotels where the food was much better. They let themselves down on this. It would do for a week I suppose but 2 weeks and you'd be fed up. Although we were AI for a week, we ate out down in the pretty port twice as we didnt want to eat the same things. The A la carte restaurant is only open 1 day a week and I understand it is themed each week. The week we were there it was seafood and whilst I don't mind seafood, the choice was very limited for a so called a la carte - only 2 starters, 2 main etc etc. We didnt bother, but that was because one particular member of staff was so rude, so we left and ate in the buffet again!!! Pools etc are lovely. Pleased to see they look after the cats! Lack of clarity in how to use / find facilities though. No one explained to us that you had to pay extra for the indoor spa / pool which i think is a cheek if you are AI, especially if weather is duff and you would like to use it - a bit off we thought. Also had to pay extra for alot of drinks which I have had included in other AI resorts. Rooms were nice, spacious and clean with a great sea view, although would have been nice to have loungers on the balcony as did the ground floor rooms. Also as AI I would expect soft drinks to be complimentary in the minibar, no such luck. Just water. A small but annoying point - the flower bed on our balcony was absolutely full of weeds that threatened to take up the view! For the amount of staff around that were cleaning I felt this could have been dealt with in small amount of time and the first impression would have been so much better. To sum up - great for a relaxing break in a great location, but we felt it was pricey for the standard. If you can get a late deal you might feel a bit happier. Next time we will stay at the 5* Hesperia down the road B+B and eat out - better value I feel. PS - Go on the submaribe safari - it's great fun!

Just come back from a week away with my parents. Fantastic hotel, brilliant staff, great selection of food and the entertainment is second to none. My husband and I are keen swimmers and the pools are absolutely amazing. Only 1 of them is heated though. We did swim a couple of times in the other pools (1 of which is salt water) and we definately felt refreshed. Unfortunately we didn't have good weather but the hotel made the holiday. If you have a choice, pick a ground floor room. The rooms have everything you need and you can open the patio doors and lay on your own sun lounger, helping yourself to drinks at the pool bar (if you are all inclusive this is brilliant.) This is one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in, absolutely immaculate everywhere you look. We will certainly be returning later this year.

Just returned from the Iberostar Costa Calero, and overall it was a very nice hotel.I would agree with the other reviewers in that it is very clean, in fact there was nearly as many staff as guests! The grounds are well laid out and very spacious, so IF the sun shines there are plenty of choices regarding sunbeds etc. The facilites are generally of a good standard, one exception is that there is no room service, which I would expect of a four star hotel. The food was plentiful, but I agree with other reviewers in that it is a bit repetitive and the quality though good is similar to other hotels which offer H/B or A/I. On the subject of staff, they were mostly good, polite if not always friendly. The one exception were the day reception staff, a very rude woman and her smarmy male counterpart. Initially we had a room over the piano bar/reception which was noisy, feet clicking, doors slamming etc. We asked the following morning if we could change rooms to a ground floor patio room by the poolside which were only two story and very quiet. The female receptionist basically interrogated me as to why I wanted to change and when given the reason argued with me about the reasons, bascially she said that we were lying! At this point she passed me on to her colleague, who then proceeded to have a conversation in Spanish about us, and judging by the looks was not complimentary. He then told us that these rooms had a supplement (which we had already stated we did not mind paying) and that there was none available, which was an obvious lie as I had already done a recce and saw that at least half were empty. We were then told to come back the following day to see what could be done. At this stage I was quite put out, their general rudeness I felt was unacceptable, surely in a hotel, a move of rooms is one of the usual requests guests make? That evening I asked the night receptionists (who were very nice), they told me that there was no supplement and that yes there were rooms available! Unfortunately I was told I would have to arrange the move in the morning. So once again I went back to reception to the same rude woman (still rude, following morning) who was as dismissive as I have ever encountered. We finally were moved to a lovely room with our own patio and sunbeds, which just happened to be directly behind the pump for the swimming pool, I didn't mind (it was a quiet pump) but I thought it was very petty on the part of the male receptionist. Of all the ground floor rooms in our week away, only about a third were occupied, so there was no reason to be given this particular room, anyway it was much quieter than the previous room, only one floor above and far enough away from the hotel so no piano music or people walking around (we didn't have to pay a supplement either, so he lied about that too!) This thankfully is the worst that I can say about the hotel. The weather was not great, only 1 full day of sun and two half days:-(, we did however avail of the thalassotherapy centre which at 12E per visit was not too bad. There is a very large free-form pool half indoors-half outdoors, with various water jets for tired legs/backs etc. There are also various plunge pools, hammam and sauna so on the bad days we went here. We also had massages (30-40E) which helped while the days away. Overall, this hotel is for you if you want to get away from it all. It is very quiet, average age is 50, good smattering of germans, scandanavians and British (Irish). The hotel practically shuts down at 11.30 after the cabaret is over. On the up side, is the fact that Puerto del Carmen is only 5 mins in a cab, so if you want more lively entertainment it is a short distance away. The resort of Puerto Calero itself is lovely, again very small and quiet, but very tastefully done and has lovely cliff walks on both sides. Both my friend and I (mid thirties) thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would have no hesitation recommending this hotel if you are looking to get away from it all, and all you want is peace and relaxation.

Just returned from two weeks in the Iberostar Costa Calero. The hotel has exceptional staff who are friendly and professional. It is also extremely good value for money - clean, modern and comfortable. The evening entertainment was not always to our particular taste but it is varied and the Piano Bar provides low key entertainnment (musicians) about three times a week which we found very nice. Whilst on the subject of the Piano Bar, the drinks waiter, Acaymo, works five nights a week and will cater for your drinks needs extremely well, worth a tip we thought! The hotel provides you a credit card on all-inclusive so no nasty wrist bands. Service in all the bars was speedy and quality of drinks provided surprised us. Brand names like San Miguel and Torres Brandy all on all-inclusive deal. In the Restaurant a reasonable selection of table wines - red, white, rose and Cava were abundantly on offer. The food is of reasonable quality and can be a bit repetitive if you are there for two weeks but generally this wasn't an issue for us. This hotel also supplies bottled water whenever you could possibly need it. They even put three litres a day in a fridge in your room. The hotel, unlike a lot of Spanish hotels, has a cat friendly policy for its half a dozen or so cats. Food and a kennel is provided by the hotel for the felines who provide entertainment and company if encouraged. They are very well behaved cats and wouldn't bother you if you are not a cat lover. It is excellent to see them looked after. The resort itself, Puerto Calero, is a small fairly upmarket resort and is great for couples. Generally, the Iberostar Costa Calero provides an exceptional package for the money and we will definitely return. We are a married couple in our early 40's and have travelled extensively and stayed in quite a few 4 and 5 Star hotels so know what to expect. We would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel as a good value destination, well worthy of its 4 Stars. The weather in early January was a bit mixed with seven sunny days, four cloudy days and three rainy days but from experience that's Lanzarote in January!

I have just returned from Xmas and New year in Costa Calero Lanzarote. I have to say you would have to go a long way to better the staff and the beauty of the resort, but thats where it stops, if you dont eat fish the options are minimal and what meats etc were brought out, were brought out day after day, quite a few peeople had upset stomachs. If the weather isnt great there isnt anything to do other than the spa which isnt covered by the all inclusive package. There isnt any tv chanels in english other than the news. There is entertainment nightly but it was more for children than adults, and the one other bar they have closes promptly at midnight. The resort isnt central to town so if you go anywhere you have to go by cab, there are buses 3 or 4 times during the day but nothing in the evening. I was bored during the day because of the weather but i felt extreemly sorry for the people with children

This review is based on a visit the week before Christmas 2005. The Iberostar Costa Calero is situated in Puerto Calero, about 3kms from Puerto del Carmen (a rather tacky resort, I felt). It's five minutes down to the port and ten minutes up which makes a pleasant evening stroll. In the port are boats, shops, bars and restaurants (including an English pub and Irish bar). There's also a small supermarket that provides most tourist wants. The hotel check-in was efficient and friendly – very good English is spoken. They were very helpful when I lost my room key! Our room was reasonably large and had very comfortable beds. There was lots of hanging space in wardrobe and plenty of lighting for reading. It contained one armchair (two would have been nice), a desk and chair, a TV with three English speaking stations – Sky News, CNN News and Eurosport but no UK radio stations. There was also a mini-bar/fridge however the safe was payable at reception (which I thought was a bit penny pinching). On the patio there were two chairs and small table. The bathroom was spacious with a bath with shower over, WC and bidet. There was a hair dryer, plenty of mirrors, sockets and lights. Tablet soap and liquid soap were provided as well as plenty of towels. For breakfast there was a fantastic selection – buffet style. Omelettes, eggs, and bacon cooked expertly on the spot. Toasters were a bit puny but you could have bucks fizz for breakfast. Eating on the open air terrace (weather permitting) affords great sea views. The evening meal was also buffet style with a great choice and great salads. You must try Canary potatoes and mojo sauce! Drinks were reasonably for a hotel(33cl bottled beer – 2.5 euro). The meals were definitely vegetarian friendly (we are veggies). The waiter service was expert, friendly, welcoming. Cleaning everywhere took place constantly and was to a very high standard. I think a hire car is needed to see the island and to get about generally. The courtesy bus to PDC was unreliable on the only day we used it. Car hire is much cheaper (than the hotel based franchise renter) if booked at PDC, the airport or before you arrive. For internet access there is a network of six computers. The charge was 1 euro for 20 minutes. At least 1 or 2 machines were down at any time but they were regularly repaired. Leisure facilities – there are six pools. One was heated (December). There’s loads of sunbeds and swimming towels were provided. There is also a small gym and games room with table football etc. A separate company provides a heated salt spa swimming pool, sauna, steam room, hot and cold pools and gym – 12 euros per day. Treatments cost extra. The clientele is mainly couples including many Germans and Scandinavians and a few French. Pros Quiet location Quiet hotel – quiet guests (mainly couples and 30 plus) Comfortable Very clean and safe environment Great food Very friendly staff Good English widely spoken. Cons Evening entertainment rather weak but enthusiastic! Not on the coast (which probably keeps it quiet) Building site for villas to the north but no noise from this Need a hire car (but this opens up the island to you) Overall Hard to beat. An exceptional hotel.

We changed to this resort because our Hotel in Mexico was damaged by Hurricane Wilma - and we had Hurricane Delta whilst we were in Lanzarote -so we were obviously not meant to escape the effects of high winds - all the windows in the reception area were blown in! Despite all this - the hotel is beautiful; all the staff is lovely and worked very hard to get things right for us after the storm. The food is very nice - both breakfast and dinner. The rooms are kept spotless (thank-you Beatriz for the towel swans, fans etc). The evening entertainment is interesting (one night being described as a travesty, but was actually a la Danny La Rue). I would particularly recommend the spa treatments (separate management so you can't charge it to your room - it was £140 for 3 days treatment - tip for the ladies - ask for the white mud and not the brown unless you want to feel like you are about to spontaneously combust).Would recommend this hotel and would certainly go back. PS watch out for nude hikers and artists with cats in buckets (a surreal week).

Everything was absolutely lovely and above our expectations. The standard of cleanliness, service and facilities in the hotel were all great, we found no faults at all. Especially good for us was the location. A short stroll down to the marina, Puerto Calero, really made the holiday. A change of scene from hotel luxury, viewing the beautiful yachts, sampling the restaurants and bars and a spot of shopping. Our favourite was Planet Pammie, a gorgeous shop with lots of beautiful, inexpensive jewellery and gifts. For those wanting beaches there was a free shuttle bus into Puerto del Carmen but having been there on previous holidays we stuck to Puerto Calero. We´ll definitely go back!

Myself, my partner & our 6 month old baby have just returned from this hotel. It was really nice. The Hotel is spotless, large, airy, and generally great. The bedrooms are really good sizes, we had a family suite, which was good as the cot did take up alot of room. There was also a fridge in the room, which was a god save to keep her bottles in. The only down side about the room was there is no tea or coffee making facilities. The food was really good & in the evening was varied, however the lunch menu got a bit boring. The only bad thing about this hotel is the so say 2 heated swimming pools. They were freezing, even myself an avid keen swimmer could not bring myself to get in. So there was no way we could take the baby swimming. Puerto Calero itself is nice, but only go here if you want a quiet relaxing holiday, as apart from a dozen restaurants & boats there is nothing else to do. There is also no beach here. They are just starting to build at the resort, there is currently only 2 hotels here, so think in about 2/3 years it will be totally different. I am a travel agent and took alot of time sourcing the right hotel, so I was overall quite pleased with the holiday, despite the swimming pools.