"Just returned from a fortnight at the Hotel Costa Calero and overall we were quite happy with our stay. It was our first time here, and first time on Lanzarote for almost 20 years.
We were on the standard all-inclusive regime which was fine for us as all drinks we enjoyed were available in that package.
We arrived around 11.15am after an early flight and fortunately we were able to check in, and our room was available immediately. This was a very positive start to our holiday. We were given a “garden view” room on the ground floor overlooking the main pool. It was a nice room, cleaned daily by an efficient housekeeping service. There was plenty of storage, a comfortable bed, a safe and tv in the room, decent bathroom, and a patio area with table and chairs and two sunbeds. The only downside to the patio area was the plethora of neighbouring guests who passed by on their way to friends/relatives’ rooms nearby – this meant you had to pull the curtains to for privacy when getting dressed or after you had been in the shower. Also, it was a rather shaded area due to a large concrete overhang that formed part of the building which meant there was little or no sun on the patio. No real gamechangers, but I think next time we might ask for a sea view room with a balcony.
The hotel itself is huge, but in a small, quiet, and mainly residential resort. It was a 5 minute walk down a very steep hill to the lovely marina where there were a selection of bars and restaurants and a couple of shops. The walk back up is tough one though so be aware it’s not great for those with reduced mobility.
The hotel has 3 large pools and a kids one too. We based ourselves around the larger pool that had swimming lanes set out and also a “beach” area with a lot of sunbeds. We found no need to reserve sunbeds at all - there were always plenty available. Selfish guests, of course, were out very early in the morning reserving the specific sunbeds they wanted next to the pools but we never found it necessary.
Breakfast and evening meal are taken in the La Magdelena restaurant and the food was of a very good standard. Lots of choice and we never found ourselves struggling to put a meal together. The only issue we have with the restaurant was the somewhat miserable, unfriendly waiting staff. Some were fine, but the majority were young and it was as if they’d been told to be formal, unsmiling and unable/unwilling to engage with guests.
Lunches were at the outdoor Oyembre restaurant. Again, the food was very good for a lunch service, and you helped yourselves to beer, wine and soft drinks. It was often very busy and the staff struggled to keep up with clearing the tables. It did concern me that guests did seem to wander in and out freely regardless of whether they had lunch as part of their regime. I suspect a lot of half board guests availed themselves of the free food and drinks. It was a similar situation at the two pool bars and in the evening where room cards were often not swiped, just a nod of the head and you could have whatever drinks you wanted. As guests who had paid a lot of money for all inclusive the lack of checks on other guests who may have been half board, and therefore should be paying for all their drinks, was very frustrating.
The evening entertainment was split over two venues. Upstairs was the Piano bar where there was entertainment four night a week. This was usually a solo artist – a singer, a saxophone player and guitarist one other night. That was all fine, and there was a nice outdoor seating area too, if you didn’t mind taking in the smoke and vapour from guests who smoked/vaped. The service in this bar was generally poor though, a real lack of staff. I queued for 10/15 minutes several nights for a drink. The lack of staff going around clearing tables was also frustrating.
In the downstairs Bar Matelenas there was entertainment every evening, but the bar service here was dreadful – a lack of staff and a separate queue for “Prestige” guests who would jump the queue which was very annoying. There was more of a social club feel to this bar and added to the lack of good bar service meant we generally avoided going in there. There were a lot of kids around too, which was odd for the end of June – obviously some parents have no hesitation in taking their kids out of school.
There were other areas around the hotel where you could sit and chat, have a drink and relax in the evening which was nice. There was also a conference room available showing the World Cup matches.
We didn’t partake in any of the activities, but there was a daily programme of events. We were given a pass to use the spa one day but didn’t use it, but it did look ok from a distance. The hotel puts on a free bus to Puerto del Carmen three times a day which we used once, and there is a public bus stop a couple of hundred yards away that gives you good access to the rest of island – we went to Playa Blanca twice, which cost 2.75euros each way and took about 25 minutes. There is a taxi rank just a few yards down the hill from the hotel too.
So, a generally positive stay to be honest. There were a number of minor things that concerned us, particularly the lack of staff at the bars and the perceived ability of half board guests to get free drinks and food, but overall, we enjoyed our stay, and I think we would return, maybe during the winter months.
The hotel management does need to take note of the issues I have mentioned because these seem to be very common complaints from guests recently."
