We booked a week in Lanzarote over Easter through easyJet holidays. Package deal, flights from Leeds Bradford, all inclusive at the Barcelo Lanzarote Active Resort in Costa Teguise. Came to about £2,800 for the four of us which I thought was reasonable for school holidays. We have done Tenerife twice before and wanted to try somewhere a bit different.
The flight was about four and a half hours. We had a morning flight out which I would always recommend if you have small kids. Archie (4) watched Bluey on the iPad for most of it and Rosie (18 months) screamed for the last 45 minutes because her ears were hurting on the descent. The couple in front turned around twice. I wanted to say something but Chris gave me the look so I didn't.
Transfer from the airport to Costa Teguise was about 20 minutes which is nothing. One of the shortest transfers we have ever had.
The Hotel
The Barcelo is massive. Like genuinely huge. You could walk for ten minutes and still feel like you haven't seen half of it. The grounds are nice and well kept and it felt safe which is important when you have a four year old who disappears the second you look at your phone.
We had a standard double room which was fine. Clean, decent sized, had a balcony. TV worked. Aircon worked. Mini fridge worked. Everything you need and nothing you don't. I have seen people on TripAdvisor saying the rooms are dated which I suppose is fair but I am not paying for the room, I am paying for the pool and the sunshine and the fact that someone else is cooking my tea.
One thing I would say is that the hotel is pretty isolated. It is about a 40 minute walk into Costa Teguise town. We did it once with the double buggy along the main road and I would not do it again. There is a coastal path as well but it looked a bit rough for a buggy near the hotel end. Even on the road it was just too far in the heat with two small kids. If you want to get into town regularly I would either hire a car or get taxis. We got a taxi back and it was about £5 which was worth every penny.
The Food
We went all inclusive and I am glad we did. The main buffet restaurant is big with loads of choice. Breakfasts were really good. Full English stuff, pastries, pancakes, fruit, yoghurts, cereals, decent coffee. Archie lived off pancakes and Rosie ate about three bananas a day.
Dinner was good but I will be honest, by day five it started to feel a bit samey. They rotate the menu but certain things are always there and you do start to feel like you have eaten everything twice. The quality of the food is good though. Proper meat, nice salads, fresh fish on some nights. Nothing to complain about really. Just the nature of all inclusive buffets I think.
The pool bars did food during the day as well. Burgers, pizza, chips, that kind of thing. Handy if you don't want to leave the pool for lunch. Drinks were included and the cocktails were fine. Nothing amazing but they do the job. There are some premium bits that are not included like certain ice creams and branded spirits. They don't take cash at the bars for extras which is annoying. You have to go to reception and put credit on your room which takes ages and the staff seemed a bit confused by the process every time we tried.
The Pool and Beach
Several pools to choose from which was great. The main pool is big and there is a separate kids pool area. Rosie loved the shallow bit. Archie wanted to be in the big pool the whole time which meant one of us had to be in with him at all times. We did shifts basically. Chris did the mornings, I did the afternoons. That is what holidays with small kids look like.
The nearest beach is Playa de las Cucharas which is about a ten minute walk from the hotel. It is a nice beach. Golden sand, clear water, backed by a long promenade with restaurants and bars. The one thing nobody warns you about with Costa Teguise is the wind. It is windy basically every day. Apparently it is one of the top windsurfing spots in Europe which is great if you are a windsurfer but not so great if you are trying to eat a sandwich on the beach without getting sand in your eyes. We took the kids down a few times but the wind made it tricky with the baby so we ended up spending most of our time at the pool instead.
Timanfaya National Park
This was the highlight of the trip for me. We hired a car for the day (about £45 from a place on the main strip in Costa Teguise) and drove over to Timanfaya National Park on the west side of the island. It took about 40 minutes to get there.
The landscape is absolutely mental. It looks like you are on Mars. Red and black volcanic rock as far as you can see. Archie kept saying we were on another planet which was cute until he said it for the thirtieth time. You can't walk around the park on your own. You have to either do the coach tour from the top or drive up to the Islote de Hilario where they do the geothermal demonstrations. They pour water down a hole and it erupts back up as a massive geyser which both kids found hilarious. They also throw dry brush onto the ground and it catches fire instantly because the temperature just below the surface is insane.
On the way in there is a camel ride place called Echadero de los Camellos. It is about £12 per camel. We stuck Archie on one with Chris and it was probably his favourite thing from the whole holiday. Rosie was too small so I just stood and watched. The ride is about 20 minutes and you go around the volcanic landscape which is pretty cool. No need to book, just turn up.
We also drove to El Golfo on the way back which has a green lagoon caused by the volcanic activity. It is worth a quick stop. You can see it from a viewpoint above and it takes about five minutes. The drive around that whole west coast is stunning honestly.
Teguise Sunday Market
On the Sunday we got the bus to the Teguise Sunday Market. The market runs from about 9am to 2pm in the old capital town of Teguise which is a short drive inland from Costa Teguise. The bus costs a few euros each but the situation at the bus stop is a nightmare. There is no proper queue. Just a load of people standing around and when the bus arrives everyone pushes to get on. With a buggy and two small kids this was stressful.
The market itself is fine. It is huge, there are apparently over 300 stalls. Loads of fake designer sunglasses and handbags and the usual tourist tat. But there are also some nice local craft stalls selling handmade jewellery and ceramics and bits made from volcanic rock. The town itself is really pretty with old stone buildings and cobbled streets and there is a nice square in the middle where some musicians were playing. We had a coffee and Archie had a crepe and it was a pleasant morning out. I would say two hours is enough. We had three and that was slightly too long with the kids getting restless.
Aquapark
We went to Aquapark Costa Teguise on our second to last day. It is the biggest water park on the island, about a ten minute taxi ride from the hotel. Entry was about £25 per adult and £18 for Archie. Rosie was free.
Archie had an amazing time. The slides are good and there is a decent kids area. Some of the bigger slides have height restrictions so he couldn't go on everything but there was more than enough to keep him busy for a full day. Rosie just splashed about in the toddler pool which she was happy enough with. The food inside is okay and reasonably priced. We had hot dogs and chips.
I had read some mixed reviews beforehand and I can see why. Some of the facilities are a bit tired and the sun loungers have seen better days. But the kids had a brilliant time and at the end of the day that is all that matters. I would say it is more suited to kids aged about 4 and up. For babies and very young toddlers there is not a huge amount to do.
Would We Go Again
Yes. Lanzarote is a really nice island. It is small enough that you can see a lot of it in a week if you hire a car for a couple of days. The volcanic landscape makes it feel completely different to anywhere else we have been. Costa Teguise is quiet and family friendly and the hotel was great for the kids.
The things I would change: I would hire a car for more of the trip instead of just one day. The hotel is too far from town to walk with small kids and having the freedom to explore would make a big difference. I would also probably go in May or October rather than Easter to save a bit of money and hopefully get slightly less wind.
The staff at the hotel were generally lovely. The entertainment team especially were brilliant with the kids and ran activities during the day that Archie got involved with. The animation team do a mini disco every evening which Archie absolutely loved. There are evening shows later on but we never made it to those because the kids were in bed by half eight.
One more thing. If you are going to Lanzarote and you only do one thing, do Timanfaya. It is genuinely one of the most amazing places I have ever seen and even the kids were impressed. You don't get that very often.