"We’ve just returned from a week at Barceló Lanzarote Active Resort, travelling as two adults and four children aged 10, 8, 5 and almost 3. This was our second stay at a Barceló hotel in Lanzarote, so we had fairly high expectations, and overall we had a really enjoyable stay.
We had two one-bedroom rooms, with one adult and two children in each. Each had twin beds pushed together in the bedroom and a double sofa bed in the living area, as well as a balcony overlooking the pools. We were in Block 8 and thought the location was excellent.
The resort is effectively split into two halves, separated by a road with a zebra crossing. Do be careful when crossing, particularly with children, as not every vehicle necessarily stops. Check-in is on the sea-facing side of the resort, which felt the more modern of the two in terms of reception and communal areas. There are some lovely outdoor seating areas, plenty of sunbeds, shaded places to sit and eat, two large swimming pools and a smaller toddler pool.
We stayed on the opposite side, where there are another two good-sized pools, a pool bar and the main entertainment area. One pool on each side of the resort is heated. We measured the pools outside our room at around 27°C, which we found perfectly reasonable.
One thing we really liked was the availability of chilled water dispensers at the bars. Being able to refill water bottles throughout the day without having to queue at the bar or continually get bottles of water was really useful.
The pool-bar food was also a big hit with our 8- and 10-year-olds. There were chips, chicken nuggets, burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings etc. available during the day, so they were very happy being able to grab something when they were hungry.
We ate all our main meals in the buffet restaurant and thought the food was of a good standard. There was always a good selection of salads, cold meats, cheeses and fresh fruit, and we could always find something all four children would eat. We’ve seen reviews complaining that the food can become repetitive, but I think a certain amount of repetition is inevitable with an all-inclusive buffet over a week. We certainly all ate well.
Having previously stayed at the Barceló in Playa Blanca, we did feel the buffet there was a step up in terms of quality and freshly prepared food stations, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with the food here.
Breakfast does become very busy after around 9am, so going a little earlier is worthwhile.
We’d also read reviews about the sunbed situation before travelling, but personally didn’t find it anywhere near as bad as some reviews suggest. The pool areas are cleaned in the morning and are roped off until around 9am, so inevitably people wait for the most desirable beds immediately around the pools. However, we generally sat near the toddler pool and never had to reserve beds. There were always sunbeds available somewhere – you just might not get the exact position you want.
There is plenty happening around the pools during the day too. We saw activities including water polo, water aerobics and yoga on paddle boards, so older children and adults who want to join in are well catered for.
The main point I would highlight for families is that I think this resort is much better suited to older children and confident swimmers than very young children.
The main pools are quite deep. Even our 8- and 10-year-olds couldn’t stand up in much of them, although fortunately they’re both strong swimmers and absolutely loved the pools. If your children are around 7+ and confident in the water, I think the pool facilities are brilliant. If they aren’t able to swim, it’s something I’d definitely be aware of.
Unfortunately, the toddler pools were probably our biggest disappointment. The small pool near our room had lots of black debris in the water, to the extent that we found it inside the children’s swimming costumes afterwards. The toddler pool on the other side of the resort wasn’t really a better alternative, as the paint was peeling from the bottom and it generally looked in need of some maintenance. The water was also very cold.
There is a splash area which looks great in photographs, but again I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as being aimed at toddlers. It has slides and a large tipping bucket which periodically releases a huge amount of water. Some children were having a great time in there and I can imagine it being fun for children perhaps around 6–10, but our almost-3-year-old and 5-year-old found it overwhelming. If you’re imagining a gentle toddler splash pad for little ones to paddle and play with buckets, this isn’t really that.
Our 5-year-old also tried the kids’ club twice. On the first visit the staff were lovely and the children were making volcanoes, which she enjoyed. On her second visit there didn’t seem to be as much of a planned activity and she became bored and came back early, so our experience there was mixed.
My other area for improvement would be the children’s evening entertainment. The mini disco started at around 7.30pm but seemed to consist of around five songs and was finished within roughly 45 minutes. If you’re still eating dinner and arrive a little late, there isn’t much of it left.
After that there was quite a long gap before the main evening entertainment, which generally started around 9.30–10pm. The later entertainment itself was actually very good – we saw bands, a magician and dance shows and thought the standard was high. However, particularly during the August school holidays when there are so many families staying, we felt there was an opportunity to offer much more for younger children in the early evening. Games, children’s karaoke or simply extending the mini disco would make a big difference.
One other small inconsistency we noticed was that the Champs Bar isn’t included in the all-inclusive package here, whereas it was included when we stayed at Barceló Playa Blanca, which surprised us.
Overall, though, we had a great week’s holiday. The rooms and pool areas were good, the children ate really well, there was plenty of food and drink available throughout the day, and our older children particularly loved the pools.
For families with older children who are confident swimmers, I would happily recommend it. For families travelling with toddlers or young non-swimmers, I would just go with the awareness that the facilities for that particular age group aren’t as strong as the rest of the resort.
With some improvements to the toddler pools and a little more thought put into entertainment for younger children in the early evening, it would have been an even better family experience."
