Elba Lanzarote Royal Village Resort

I was so worried having read some reviews about this hotel before going but IGNORE them!! This hotel is fab, the rooms were spotless, yes the sun lingers were a little saggy in the middle but there was never a fight for one (maybe shade if you really needed it). The pools were excellent so clean and the blue water slides were fantastic! Yes a little cold with the wind factor but that didn’t stop us going down them again and again (kids 7 and 4yrs) The food quality was really good and so much variety every day plus the classic kid staples of pizza and hot dogs for the fussy eaters amongst you. Self service machines for drinks at breakfast was ideal and maybe could be extended to all buffet dining for ease but we never had trouble getting served. Yes the bats got busy but we never waited more than 5mins for a drink and top shelf spirits all included. The entertainment team were all utterly brilliant with hilarious shows, great music, fantastic parties and genuinely something for everyone. It may be a tad understaffed but everyone who worked there did it with a smile on their face, such politeness, always willing to help and working so so hard to make it a great time. We played tennis with the kids with a court all to ourselves. My husband said the gym was great for a holiday gym but we didn’t use the spa so can’t comment. We would 100% recommend the hotel and would book again in the future.

Family of 3 (2 adults + 9 year old child). Flew out last week of August for 7 nights. Overall had a lovely stay.

Accommodation- we stayed in a Junior Comfort Suite which had a seperate bedroom with very big bed and then a lounge area with a sofa bed and additional pull out. It was clean and comfortable. Surroundings were quiet - we all slept very well. Our terrace was completely private and not overlooked although do note many are located next to the walkways around the accommodation so not this private. Room was serviced every day, beds made, towels changed (when we’d left them on the floor). Floor was mopped. Bathroom was clean and pleasant. TV (in both rooms) worked fine, note they are not smart TVs so you can’t log in to your streaming accounts but we were fine with this as mostly out anyway. Plenty of room and comfort for what we needed. Small fridge in room which was handy. Coffee pod machine worked fine (you can buy pods nearby in the supermarkets). Our aircon worked fine. Bath had a shower-from-taps which actually was pretty good for a tap shower. There were some toiletries supplied. Big fresh water bottle was provided most days with the room servicing. Shelves/wardrobe were all clean/fine to use. Hairdryer was handy. There was an iron but we didn’t use it. Dressing gowns and slippers for the adults were provided.

Downsides - room was a bit run down in places, paper coming off wall, old brick work looking very crumbly in places, sealant handing off the bath. Fridge shelves didn’t actually fit and just fell out so we had to take them out to use it. Shower head bracket was broken, it pointed the head at the back wall - we popped a small box behind it to point it the right way and it was then fine to use. Bath sides were a bit high - had to help my son in and out. These are minor points and none of it impacted our enjoyment of the room.

Food. We were half board. There was lots of choice available at every meal. Breads, cheeses, ham, stews, paella (very nice), fish dishes, chips, pizza, fruit, breakfast fry ups, yoghurts, cereals. Some items were definitely better than other others but we all ate very well every day. Pudding was a big highlight for my son - I’m amazed he’s got any teeth left. We swapped one evening buffet meal for a sit down in the Italian restaurant on-site (and option that came with our booking) and it was very nice. Reception were happy to swap our dinner for lunch on a day where we had an evening trip booked.

Downsides - some of the food goes very quickly and is slow to be replaced. Staff hard working and clearly very busy but some of the tables were slow to get cleaned/reset- we always arrived at the start of meal times and had no issues but I can understand why people who arrived later might have been unhappy. Coffee was awful, I tried every combo on the machines over the week but it was all grim - I suggest have a cup of tea and get some coffee pods for your room. A guest we spent time with mentioned issues with allergy info - did not affect us personally but I can absolutely understand why this would be a problem for others with how things are labelled and laid out. There was a full water cooler in the buffet area that didn’t actually work and the drip tray was grim - you can get fresh cold water from the coffee machines but it seemed really odd that the cooler was there at all.

Pool - we had a lot of fun in the pools and they were a highlight for our stay BUT do be mindful that some of the white areas around the pools are incredibly slippery (my son slipped twice whilst walking and we helped a lady who fell and hit her head, again just walking along and fell). The slides were like Lord of the Flies - we saw a few kids get bumped into. There is someone managing how they go down but it’s a bit mad. I tried to discourage my son from here at busy times. There was meant to be a heated pool but we never noticed this - we really didn’t mind the cold though given how hot it was outside. Bar queues, no issues with this. We just went up when it was quiet. We found shady pool spots every day but they did get busy later in the morning. I noted that the hotel info asks you not to reserve beds with towels but lots of people did.

Other things - I had a massage in the spa, it was lovely. Area was pleasant and clean. You can hire pool towels here for a deposit.

Bar drinks were ok although the pre-mixed pina colada and mojito are not great.

There’s a handy shop in the resort selling inflatables, sun cream, water and a few other bits.

My son loved the arcade but some of the machines were not working and it was like an oven in there as no aircon.

We didn’t join any of the evening entertainment but we/my son did a few things in the day - the “animation” entertainment team are all really lovely and great with the children. Kudos to whoever it is in the Pepe costume as they must have been melting!

Reception staff were helpful. Resort staff in general were friendly.

Generally it was clean and pleasant enough around the resort but we did note a few things like a pile of dirty plates had been left by a walkway bin in the residential area and it took 4 days before they were removed, which we thought was a bit odd given all the staff cleaning and gardening in the area. Also there was some sick on a pathway which didn’t get cleaned up until the following day.

Towards the end of the week the resort got notably quieter and things felt much more “4 star” from that point on. It felt like the staff to guest ratio was better and there were less queues and mess etc in general.

The location is handy for trips out - on foot the nearest beach (Flamingo) is 15 mins walk. There are a few shops/restaurants there too (L'Artigiano does absolutely beautiful pasta and if you are looking for a proper Pina Colada then Casa Joaquin is the place to go).

I was really torn between 3 and 4 stars for this review as this is not a 4 star hotel - or at best it’s a budget 4 star hotel. However we have come away happy and enjoyed our stay and no major issues for us, so I think 4 is fair but I am not sure if we would stay here again. It really needs more staff at busy times and some maintenance work on the rooms.

Ramon... mixed us a lovely drink at the pool bar, it was exceptional, as was he! A great asset for the alba.

Awesome hotel with amazing staff thanks for not Dissappointing for what is going to be an amazing week 🙏