Playa Park Zensation

Above all, these 2 gentlemen made our holiday for us. They took the time to get to know our family (2 adults and 2 teenagers) and were encouraging of all to join in the activities. They were vibrant, friendly and so very hard working. The hotel is lovely but these two are what would make us want to return.

We stayed for a full week and every interaction with the staff was outstanding. The facilities are excellent, the food is delicious, the entertainment great fun and the service of the highest quality.

Good & Pleasant Stay

We booked our seven-night holiday through Jet2holidays for two adults and our 16-year-old son. The total cost was approximately £3,000, which included return flights, airport transfers and All Inclusive Plus at Playa Park Zensation.

Overall, we had an enjoyable holiday and there were plenty of positives, but even taking into account the flights, transfers and upgraded all-inclusive package, we didn’t feel the overall experience represented particularly good value for money.

On arrival, the reception staff were friendly, welcoming and always smiley. However, the check-in process could have been much more informative. As we arrived late, we were understandably shown quickly to our apartment and asked to return the following day to complete check-in, which was absolutely fine. However, when we returned, we were simply asked to scan a QR code and complete a form. Very little information was provided about the hotel, its facilities, activities or the surrounding area, other than being handed a small map.

We later discovered there is a useful interactive digital information screen in the lobby containing much of the information guests need, but nobody told us it was there. A short welcome explanation or hotel guide would have made a big difference, especially for first-time visitors.

The food was mixed. On five of our seven nights, it was very good, with the fish dishes and Chinese-themed evening being particular highlights. However, on two evenings, we found the selection poor and ended up settling for pizza and salad. To be fair, the pizza was available every day and was consistently excellent, fresh and clearly very popular. Lunch was consistently good with lots of selection and very fresh salad items.

We also tried the à la carte restaurant but didn’t feel it was particularly worthwhile. The choices were fairly limited, with options such as pasta with a sauce or steak served with rocket, alongside some buffet-style items. We expected it to feel like a more premium dining experience, but the food didn’t seem noticeably higher in quality than the main buffet. The atmosphere also wasn’t especially upmarket, with guests permitted to dine in flip-flops and sportswear.

The pools and sunbed areas were good and met our expectations, although there was nothing particularly special or memorable about them. One confusing aspect is that the Zensation infinity pool is reserved for guests staying in Junior Suites. Considering All Inclusive Plus is the highest board package available, it seems strange that paying for the top food and drink package still doesn’t include access to one of the hotel’s main “Zensation” features.

We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment, which had a slightly unusual layout. The front door opened directly into the bedroom, while the living area and sofa bed were closest to the rear sliding doors. The kitchenette was well equipped, although naturally we had little need for it while staying all-inclusive. The bathroom could only be accessed through the bedroom, meaning our son had to walk through our sleeping area whenever he needed to use it. For a family apartment, this felt awkward and poorly designed.

The daytime entertainment around the pool was roughly what we expected from a family all-inclusive hotel. Unfortunately, the evening entertainment was quite poor and didn’t give us much reason to stay around the hotel at night. During our visit, having the World Cup shown on the televisions in the late-night bar was often more entertaining than the scheduled shows.

The area immediately around the hotel is pleasant enough, with a small commercial area containing several bars and shops, as well as a market held twice a week. Corralejo’s main centre is approximately a 25-minute walk away and has a much larger selection of shops, bars and restaurants.

There is a waterpark and large 18 hole mini golf course roughly 15mins walk away, in addition there’s also several beaches within walking distance, although the ones we initially found were quite small and had a lot of stones. Again, more information from the hotel would have helped. We eventually discovered better beach options ourselves, but it was frustrating that these weren’t highlighted when we arrived, as we would probably have spent more time visiting them.

Overall, the hotel was clean and pleasant, the staff were friendly, and we enjoyed several very good meals. There was nothing seriously wrong with our stay, but equally, very little felt exceptional.

Although the £3,000 package included return flights, airport transfers and All Inclusive Plus through Jet2holidays, we still didn’t feel the overall holiday offered particularly good value for money. If we returned to Fuerteventura, we would be much more likely to book self-catering accommodation and enjoy the wide range of restaurants and bars around Corralejo or another resort further south instead.

Playa Park Zensation provided a decent family holiday, but for us, the price we paid would prevent us from returning. We’re comparing this with other hotels we’ve stayed at across Europe over the years, while also taking inflation into account. Even then, we’re talking about a difference of several hundred pounds, and unfortunately, it didn’t represent the same value for money that we’ve experienced many times elsewhere.