Hesperia Lanzarote

If I had written this review after our first week it would have been a lot worse, however, thanks to the guest experience team our second week was better. First impressions of the hotel is that it is in a nice, quiet location, check in was slow and a bit chaotic, I'd left my mum outside with the cases and asked for some help to collect them, however she was left waiting for about 10 minutes (outside) and then the receptionist actually went herself to help her with the cases. We paid for all inclusive and a room with a sea view. The room was fine, a bit dated and not 5 star but the view was beautiful and this made up for it. After we had unpacked we went for a walk and decided to have a drink at the Portofino bar overlooking the sea. This is where things started to get a bit strange. We were asked if we had preferred club and if we didn't we couldn't have a drink in that bar. It was quite embarassing to be told this and so we quietly got up and left. This was the start of a consistent pattern with the way some (not all) of the staff behaved throughout the holiday. The worst experiences we had with the service (or lack of it) was at the pool bar. There is no pool service for drinks so you have to get up and go to the bar and you get the distinct impression that they don't want to serve you. On the one occasion that my mum went to the bar she came back and said that the girl had rolled her eyes at her when she asked for a different sized glass. We had breakfast the first morning in the buffet, it wasn't great, it was greasy and there where birds flying into the restaurant, trying to eat the pastries! Not only that once again, there is no service! You have to get your own tea and coffee as well as your breakfast. We had lunch at the same restaurant (World cafe) and whilst the food was better once again the service was terrible. We were offered one drink with our lunch but no one asked us again if we wanted anything else to drink, you got the distinct impression that one drink was the limit!!! In addition when I went to get a coffee, I was told that the coffee machine was locked and only available for use at breakfast and therefore you had to ask for a coffee, which again seemed to be a problem for the waitress!. To summarise the rest of the experience: Positives: The guest services team really tried to make our experience better. They upgraded us to a beautiful room and preferred club for the last five days of our stay. The preferred club experience is worth the upgrade but only because the standard all inclusive was poor for a five star property (it actually says unlimited luxury on the key card, I don't think that the owners of this hotel understand the true meaning of luxury!) The spa is very nice and has everything you need for a relaxing experience The food in the evening at the a la carte restaurants was generally very nice and the service was better. The location of the hotel is nice, quiet with lovely views, although there is no beach nearby you can get a taxi or walk to a beach. Beautiful sea view from the room. Room for improvement: The service or lack of it. The standard all inclusive is not at a five star standard. The attitude of some of the staff - you get the distinct impression that they don't like the guests or their job. It appears that the hotel is understaffed and the few employees who do seem to work really hard and do their best are working to compensate for the terrible attitude of their colleagues. Having to queue for dinner in the a la carte restaurants due to no booking system in place. At some of the restaurants you queue and then are told there is no availability! The quality of the buffet breakfast could be better - no avocado or smoked salmon and limited fruit and pastries. The shower in our room ran barely warm for the first week, after complaining we were offered a repair or a room change which we accepted. The rooms are a bit tired, the tv (in our first room) didn't work properly.

The staff are fantastic, friendly and nothing is too much trouble. We stayed in a suite with jacuzzi bath, dressing room, private terrace and swim up pool. Great choice of on site restaurants, be prepared to put on a little weight! Weather was great, cloudy until mid morning and then sunshine for most of the day, don’t believe everything the weather apps tell you. Will definitely be back for another week of doing nothing but there are plenty of activities if you prefer.

We wanted some warmth, to be near the sea, to enjoy good food and drink in a luxurious hotel with excellent amenities. Secrets has all of these. The hotel offers spacious areas to sunbathe, swim and relax. There is a great choice of restaurants .. themed buffet, Italian, Fish, Grill, Sushi and Vegan and also bars and cafes. You can go on the app to select any activity for the day, book the spa, check menus and entertainment in the evening. A very lovely venue.

The location was very scenic, only about 10 minutes drive from the airport but in a quieter part of the island, away from loud streets and busy pubs. The beach and the beach walk was at the back entrance of the hotel area, easily accessed. The common places were modern, spacious, beautifully decorated. Plenty of choices for restaurants, beautiful pools with plenty sunbeds around. Staff was very polite attentive and going over the top to accommodate. We got upgraded to a gorgeous suite, and with the preferred club membership was worth the upgrade, with secluded resting/snacking/socialising area, certain reserved places throughout the complex and restaurant options that were exclusive to members

After queuing for hours at the airport due to EU regulations and landing in a storm, we arrived at the hotel with a pleasant welcome. Drinks and cold flannels were handed to us while we waited to be checked in. Our cases were taken to our room which was ready. We booked preferred all inclusive after reading previous reviews. The room was spacious with toiletries, fluffy towels, robes and was spotlessly clean. We had a problem with our safe and the staff members arrived promptly to fix it. After showering and getting ready we made our way to the Oceana restaurant only to be told that there were six couples in front of us. Therefore, we made our way to the Portofino restaurant and was also told that there were five couples in front, but they would take our telephone number and call us. We proceeded to the bar where there were a lot of people waiting for drinks and only one person serving. Not good. We waited for some time and after 20 minutes, a server came to us to order drinks. We had received our drinks and then received a call to say that our table was ready. We had to take our drinks into the restaurant. The following nights we decided to go out later and we sometimes got in straight away. Four out of the seven nights we had to wait. It wouldn’t be so bad, if there was an area at the Oceana where you could relax and have pre dinner drinks. The main building is a walk away and so we used to go back to our room and wait for the call. I do not like buffets and that is why we booked preferred. One of our nights in the Oceana we encountered a team member being extremely rude and loud to the other staff members. Not something you want to hear while having a relaxing dinner. The preferred swimming pool was lovely to sit at while the weather was good and the servers were really polite and friendly. Always offering drinks at the pool. The staff members (other than the above said person) were all lovely and extremely helpful. The hotel is looking a bit tired and the sun loungers at the preferred pool could so with an upgrade. Would I stay again, NO. There are better hotels elsewhere on the island. We spoke to a few others who also said that they would not return.