"Review of the Barceló Active Resort, Costa Teguise, Lanzarote: 10–17 August, Royal Level
We travelled as a family of three, two adults and one child (14), and stayed in a Junior Suite, room 2101.
This review is solely in respect of the Royal Level experience.
The Room
The room was well laid out, with drinks provided in the fridge upon arrival, and was a good-sized space for a small family, with our wee lad sleeping on the ready-pulled-out and dressed sofa bed.
The air conditioning throughout the apartment was very poor and was only effective after two days of being left on continuously. Upon entering the room, I called reception to report that the air conditioning wasn't working, owing to how poorly it was operating. In fairness, they sent a maintenance man around fairly quickly. However, he placed his hand on a very old vent and said, "Yes, this is working."
I insisted that it wasn't working properly, so he climbed up a stepladder and into the ceiling unit, removed an incredibly dusty filter - leaving dust all over our suitcases - and returned five minutes later having cleaned it. The air conditioning did then work better, but for a warm country and at the premium level, I would have expected a modern electrical air-conditioning unit.
The other complaint is the television(s). The room had a television in both rooms, both of which had locked settings. That is to say, I accept that you won't necessarily get digital broadcasting on foreign holiday TVs, but the TVs have been locked so that you may not even apply English subtitles. We all used our phones if we were in need of entertainment in the rooms, so perhaps this is true of other guests too, but if that's the expectation, the TVs being a feature are altogether redundant for any non-Spanish-speaking guests.
The cleaner for the room, however, was fantastic. She was incredibly thorough, attentive and very polite. Our room was always immaculate after she carried out her work, and I have zero complaints on this front.
Facilities & Pools
The restaurant on the Royal side was good enough, but, as with many all-inclusive hotels, was a little lacking. Service was busy and the staff tried their best daily to contend with the demands, but little things hold this place back from being a much more enjoyable experience. For example, breakfast foods were always running out, salt shakers were empty, and there were no cups available for hot drinks.
These are very trivial things, but if you pay for the premium upgrade, you just expect everything to be there without having to run around asking already busy staff to help you. Tables at meal times were limited, but it was not the worst we've experienced.
The food overall was good, with plenty of options, but not remotely high quality. Desserts were a particular disappointment.
The Grab 'n' Go snack bar was very handy for families with kids throughout the day and always had some convenient options available.
The pools on the Royal Level, including the shared pool with heated and non-heated saltwater pools, are overall good, but clearly in need of some better structure for the reservation of beds and pods. More money also needs to be spent on infrastructure to create more shaded areas to accommodate families.
Every day was welcomed with a queue for the sunbeds and pods, with grown adults racing for key spots, and specifically the pods. This caused adult women who occupied the same three pods for a whole week to strop about the place, shout, and demand help from reception staff when they didn't get the pods on any given day.
This is not the fault of the hotel or its staff, but it does speak to the calibre of clientele you may encounter here.
The final gripe is that while everyone fights over the beds, pods and umbrellas for shade, the parasols themselves don't even fit in the bases. Teguise is notoriously breezy, and you will often see a full-sized metal parasol whizzing across the pool and striking an unsuspecting guest.
This is so easily fixed by simply buying new, properly fitted parasols. How much would this cost for, say, 20 of them? The cost of two family stays? It seems a poor mentality not to provide these and focus on safety.
Champs Bar
Unfortunately, we never made it to the Champs Bar, due to its opening hours. Sadly, whoever is responsible for this bar is totally unaware of the English sporting calendar, the ongoing international athletics tournaments and the commencement of the English football league.
Had they opened and shown the English domestic football matches, around 15 paying customers would have marched through their doors on multiple afternoons. Instead, their timetable of events seems to gear more towards late-evening and early-hours South American football matches, rather than the midday and 3pm UK kick-offs.
On-Site Italian Restaurant
Good enough food, and it's good that you receive a free meal as part of the Royal Level package.
However, we arrived 15 minutes early for a table at 8pm. There were no more than four actively occupied tables, and the staff member who welcomed us asked us to wait outside and come back in 15 minutes because he "only has one chef".
Again, I understand it is busy and I understand they're under pressure, but when you pay the premium upgrade, you expect to be seated. We would have gladly waited until 8pm for an order to be taken and would have gladly paid the full price for drinks while we waited.
Little details hold this hotel back, and I feel it is because they've pushed everything to capacity to capitalise on the peak of the season, but haven't put the controls in place or spent the money needed to retain high standards.
Staff
Restaurant staff in the hotel restaurant were very good, as too were the bar staff. All very busy, but they worked quickly and tried their best to cater to everyone.
Reception staff were also helpful and allowed us to store our bags after check-out. They were all very friendly and welcoming.
GOA Bar
Excellent staff, brilliant on-site food in the form of toasted sandwiches and nachos - perfect for the kids in the middle of the afternoon while playing at the pool - and branded soft and alcoholic drinks which were almost always excellently made.
High praise for the staff there, as well as the staff conducting the entertainment. Barbara is a highlight, always so friendly and personable, and everyone around us enjoyed her presence and her water aerobics sessions.
Good music from the entertainment, which everyone seemed to appreciate, especially the gentleman singing and playing the saxophone.
Summary
We were informed upon check-in that the entire hotel was at full capacity, and boy could you tell.
The hotel is great for families, and certainly for those with small children who will make the most of the multiple pools and children's entertainment. However, I feel the hotel lacks something in its definition of what exactly it is.
The name suggests an Active Resort, which would provide much more in terms of sporting experiences - things such as water polo or football events would be a welcomed addition - but really, the active part is aimed primarily at the on-site gym.
However, the hotel is also aimed at families in a conventional all-inclusive style holiday, and this leaves the message and the overall vibe a little confused.
The food isn't the best, but it is passable, as there are plenty of good options, especially for young people. I feel the price is a touch too high for what it is, and I probably expected more from such a vast hotel spanning both sides of the same street.
I feel the hotel needs to establish more clearly what it is, rather than being a catch-all, in-between facility. Money needs to be invested in things that would provide a significant improvement to the user experience, such as more sunbeds, new parasols, more pods, and maybe even a shelter on the Royal Level where those with sunburn or different needs can be with their family safely at the poolside.
Admittedly, our experience was marred by the selfish guests crying over poolside pods, but we did enjoy the stay and are grateful to the staff, who are clearly working their fingers to the bone through every service to give guests a good experience.
We would stay again, but the standard needs to be raised on the Royal Level for the cost of the stay.
We all appreciate that peak season is tough, but a few more temporary staff, a few upgrades to the facilities, and a more defined structure as to what the resort and its identity are would be very helpful."
