Hesperia Lanzarote Hotel

Having just spent a week in the Hesperia, I am still in disbelief that this is rated as a 5* hotel. In fact, I'm very sure that in any other country it could not be classified as such... The Hesperia is an imposing hotel with a magnificent lobby & very helpful reception staff. It also has 2 very nice swimming pools. Our room was comfortable, though definitely not worth the expense. The maid seemed to be rationing soap & shower gel - she didn't replace them until we actually ran out. The main restaurant was good & I would recommend the evening buffet. However, on arrival at the hotel, we were told about the two other restaurants on site where booking ahead was necessary. We decided upon going to La Caleta during the week where Canarian cuisine was served. However, the menu was limiting; there were so few options that if you decided you wanted fish for a main course you either had to have the same variety of a fish as a starter or were stuck with a rather bland salad or soup. I opted for a steak & was rather surprised when having ordered this rare the waiter replied 'medium-rare?'. Despite assuring him that I really did know the difference between rare & medium-rare steak & really wanted the former, I got the latter - which is shocking considering the reputation & price of this restaurant. I would also add that the restaurant is small, has a charming view of a high sea-wall, & there is no non-smoking section to it. However, the main shock of our stay in the Hesperia was the coakroach. Yes, we actually saw a cockroach in the main dining room where the buffet was laid out. It ran over some poor man's foot. Lanzarote might have a hot climate but that close to food preparation in a 5* hotel you do not expect to see a cockroach scurrying about. The underlying problem is that the Hesperia does not seem to recognise that it needs to treat its guests well. There are other hotels on the island which offer similar amenities. Personally, I would recommend trying one of them instead.

Date of stay 11th July to 18th July 2005 My boyfriend and I have just returned from a week at the Hesperia Lanzarote and having had such a pleasant time I would very much like to share my views of the hotel complex. At home we have very busy working diaries and so we were really looking for a week in the sun to relax and unwind. Suffice to say that we did just that. We honestly look and feel about 10 years younger!! We felt like royalty from check in to check out. I am relatively well travelled and I like to invest the time in researching the hotels which I would like to stay in. I am very particular about cleaniless, customer service, amenities, comfort etc and I am very pleased to say that the Hesperia delivered consistently high standards in all aspects of our holiday. The restaurants were very nice with a wide range of culinary delights. I am vegatarian and this often proves to be a little awkward when abroad but even I had no complaints as there were plenty of dishes available. I should point out a few things which may be a little negative. 1) The hotel was perhaps not even half occupied which meant that it was quiet and sometimes lacking in atmosphere. On the plus side, we had a great pool view and the staff were extra helpful and friendly. 2) You will need to hire a car as the nearest shops are at Costa Calero, just a 5 minute drive, but quite a long walk if you just want a newspaper. 3) I would also advise that you touch up on your basic spanish as we did not know any of the useful phrases and although the majority of staff were able to speak English, not all of them could. These 3 points aside, I would highly recommend this hotel to anybody after a relaxing holiday in the sun. I don't think there are many hotels like the Hesperia in Spain (unfortunately). Happy holiday hunting!

We visited the Hesperia last November after reading so many great reviews, getting a great deal on Expedia and being fed up with the usual standard of European "tourist" hotels, but not having the bank balance to usually go five star! The hotel really lived up to expectations. The welcome was warm and friendly and we had a great room looking out onto the pools and the sea. The room was very stylish and very comfortable - although a few more english channels on the tv wouldn't go amiss - I also thought that for a five star hotel they could have had a cd player in the room, but this is just a minor point. The reception and bar areas are extremley stylish and we spent some time in the bar listening to the pianist each evening - once a week they have a jazz band too. We didn't eat an evening meal in the hotel as we felt that the prices were a bit too steep and also the restuarants seemed rather empty. Breakfast was amazing - I don't think I have ever seen such a huge choice of fresh food - plus hot food made continously for you (omlettes etc). The only complaint was that there were waiters to serve you coffee - but they often didn't - and were very hard to attract and persuade to provide us with any hot drinks (very strange indeed). The pool area was great - loads and loads of space to choose from, comfy loungers, and luckily for us warm enough weather to be able to swim. There are at least six different areas to choose to sit in, by the pools or overlooking the sea. Given that the hotel was only about half full, there was plenty of room for everyone. We also ate at the poolside bar/cafe which was quite good (although a little pricey and a little too rigid on their closing times). As for the hotel being too quiet - for us we needed to relax and this was exactly the place for it - no screaming kids and no loud guests - just peace and quiet in a stylish modern comfortable hotel. We though that the resport was nice too - very very small but at least that meant no rowdy types. Enough nice places to eat in the evening to sustain us for seven days - although any longer and it may have been a problem. Overall a great holiday in a great hotel. I would happliy go there again.

We stayed in the Hesperia last year for one week and really enjoyed it. The hotel is beautifully designed, the reception area is lovely and there are lots of nice pieces of art and sculpture dotted around. The rooms had a balcony and sea view (all of them) and a dressing room area as well as bathroom - even a pillow menu so you could choose what type of pillow to have! The whole place was immaculate. The spa was lovely and also the gym was good. Only 10 mins walk to puerto calero for dinner. Breakfast was good, we ate in the hotel the first night but were not really impressed so we tended to go to Puerto Calero. We hired a car on site from the hotel which was great as no queuing to pick it up and no hassle to drop it off. There is plenty to see and do on the island and we were impressed. Hotel was exceptionally quiet (about 50 people staying there), was great for service, loungers etc but not the place if you are looking for buzzy nightlife - there was a piano player in the evenings which was nice, there was also a nightclub but we never say anyone in there! You will not be disappointed by the Hesperia, also we booked our trip online on expedia and only paid £35 each for the room per night (flights we booked seperately) - excellent value.

We have just returned from a short break at the Hesperi (13-20 Feb 05) and found the hotel to be first class bar none! We had read the other reports listed here and can only echo the style, quality and excellent setting of this fine hotel. Peaceful, classy, modern and clean. We do feel we should also comment about the service. It was a trip to celebrate our Wedding Anniverasary and also encompassed my husbands bithday. On returning to our room on his birthday, which was midway through our holiday, we found the staff had left a complimentary cake - complete with candle and it was excellent too - he ate the lot! The weather for our trip was not that good (trust us to pick a week of the worst weather for 34 years!) but the relaxing atmosphere and variety of facilities at the hotel ensured we were not disappointed in that respect. It is only a 10 minute walk to the Marina at Peurto Calero where there are a few shops and a few more restaurants. A 15 minute drive in a hire car (hireld cheaply and easily at the hotel) to Peurto de Carmen is the nearest place for lots of shops and bars. Taxi to the hotel from the airport should cost you no more than 15 Euro. Oh! By the way. We couldn't understand why it was so quiet either.. so shhhhh - lets keep it our secret! Its lovely! E-mail me if you want to - I'll be happy to tell you what I can if it helps!

We have just returned from a short break to the Hesperi, loved the food, service, room just a short walk from Puerto Calero very relaxing. Hotel seemed verry quiet which added an air of excusivity!

I just came back from a one week holiday during New year at this nice hotel. Having spent already a lot of time in nice 5 star hotels, i was excited to know whether this Lanzarote hotel deserved its reputation on this website. There are a lot of things to say, first, that the Hotel as previously mentionned is very modern, clean and new, which may result in a serious lack of atmosphere, but this depends on the taste ( I liked it). When we arrived ( we were 5, with a child) and were shown the room, we had a view on some aweful bungalows, even though we paid a sea view supplement. We had to change rooms, but didnt revceive any apology. The rooms are very modern and nice, but the bathroom is very small. I liked the terrace with chairs and the view is nice ( room 219 and 220). We paid via a tour operator ( around 300 euros a night, half board), which is pretty expensive, but realised a few days before leaving that there was an offer on a website for 109 euros with sea view and breakfast!!!! The hotel seemed so empty, and there were no animations at all ( there is a nightclub; but there isnt really a huge ambience). The pools arent heated ( excpet for children, but its 30cm) and there is no real garden, it really looks like a " tourist" hotel. The service was so aweful, from the first minute, to the last minute... and even though the personnal were nice, nothing appeared to work. We never received towels and Toiletries for three people in the room. When we asked something it never came, at the restaurant there were a lack of personnel and it took a long time to get served, even though the restaurant was never busy. The service wasnt what you expect from a 5 star ( the breakfast buffet for example was excellent, but no service, coffee was served by the waiter but he never seemed to realise when we wanted some coffee). There were mistakes in the bill at the pool Bar and the new year dinner cost almost 200 euros and wasnt worth it. But on the other hand, the food is excellent ( except at the pool Bar, where the choice is really small, they dont even have a Mixed salad, and it was much needed with the heat!!). The Caleta restaurant is really excellent and gastronomic ( altough expensive, around 60 euros per person), and the italian and buffet restaurant are really excellent, with the buffet being wide and delicious ( risotto, pasta, steak, fish paella... with show cooking). I must admit that overall, the quality of the food and rooms are excellent, but the service and over the top price appear to be very annoying. But having visited the other best hotels on the island, the Melia Salinas ( very old, not clean at all, huge brown building) and the Princess Yaiza ( very Bavarian like) I must admit that The Hesperia is a good choice on Lanzarote ( altough there isnt really a lot of things to do around the hotel without a car; even though Lanzarote ( and Cesar Manrique, the artist that createc most of the monuments on the island) is a very pleasant island, with hot weather in december/ january

We have just spent a week at the beginning of December 2004 at the Hesperia Hotel, Lanzarote. This hotel is a 5 star plus and I certainly wouldn't argue with that. We had a fantastic time and could not beleive how immaculate the hotel and grounds were and how helpful and polite the staff are. The standard of cleanliness is amazing. The hotel is only a year old and boasts beautiful grounds a pool bar and four pools. It has a gym and beauty spa and hydrotherapy pool. There are tennis courts, squash and archery for the more active. There is a large lounge area which has a piano playing each evening and at weekends a local band in a second bar area. I would definately recommend anyone to go here if you want a peaceful and queit relaxing holiday. The food was excellent and there was lots of variety. There is a coastal path from the hotel to the harbour at Puerto Calero which is about a 5 to 10 minute walk. This path has lots of lighting and seating and is a pleasant stoll of a daytime or an evening. At the harbour at Puerto Calero there are numerous shops and restaurants which are reasonably priced and offer a wide range of food to cater for most tastes. There is a very relaxed atmosphere at these restaurants. They have local music playing which is very low key and by no means rowdy. This hotel and resort would definately suit couples looking for a romantic relaxing holiday. Transfer times from the airport is approx 15 - 20 mins. We hired a car for three days and ventured to Playa Blanco and Papagayo which took approx 20 minutes. I could not fault this hotel at all and would definately recommend anyone to go and see for themselves. Happy Holidays!!!

We stayed in the hotel for 8 nights and thought it was a fabulous place. We were looking for a quiet holiday with no noise and plenty of sunbeds. Well this had it all. And very stylish too!! I do agree the hotel could do with a cosy bar or restaurant just as a sort of focal point. There were very few guests (apparently the hotel is never busy -not sure why?) although at breakfast it seemed busier. The breakfast area and terrace are great, the food fantastic with lots of choice (people complain???) We did try lunch once at the pool bar and that was good too. The area close by the sea is gorgeous and has another bar area which is very pretty. Room service is very pricy - 10 euro's for 2 cups of coffee ( we did not realise it cost 5 euro's to get it to the room so we did not bother with that again - I don't think many people did). The walk to the marina is very pretty and only takes 10 minutes. We had a few days with terrible weather and the spa was a welcome relief, it is not a pool but a proper spa so did not mind paying extra for that. We will definitely be back.

I totally agree with the Surrey user..what a fabulous hotel (and I have stayed in some of the best worldwide)! From the complimentary cocktail while we checked in to the spacious, immaculate contemporary rooms with amazing bathroom, this hotel got our holiday off to a great start. Breakfast was fantastic, with a great selection of hot food cooked in front of you as well as a tempting array of cold food. As the Surrey writer says, loads of sunbeds around the many different pools - a nice touch was that chilled apples were brought around to you twice a day! A couple of niggles - The hotel is in a remote spot and while the walk to the marina takes 15 mins, if you want a taxi to Purto del Carmen, you have to book it in advance. Like a lot of 5 star hotels, this one lacked atmosphere in the evening and there was hardly anyone around. But there is a good selection of restaurants/bars at the marina. The menu at the poolside bar/restaurant was very limited and uninspiring for such an elegant hotel. In spite of the few niggles, and bearing in mind that I am a very fussy traveller, I would definately recommend the Hesperia and look forward to returning.