Latest Reviews for Playa De Los Pocillos

As this is outside of the main Puerto Del Carmen resort, it is quieter and more relaxed. It is ideal for couples (and families) who want to relax and recover from a hectic work life at home! By staying in Playa De Los Pocillos, you give yourself the option of both the relaxed time and the party time should you chose as taxis into Puerto Del Carmen ar cheap and easy to get. In fact, instead of advising people to stay there, I should probably be trying to put you off so that it stays as a quiet, peacefull and beautifull area. Of course, I can only comment on this area for the time of year that we went. It was not during school holidays and during October.

Don Paco Castillas was a breath of fresh air:

I was a bit dubious about the hotel following certain reviews that I had read, stating it was unclean, bad location, terrible food with a choice of only lamb or rabbit all week.... However, I can HIGHLY recommend this hotel to anyone expecting 3 star quality and value for money. We went in October 2008, the week before half term. We are an engaged couple who were looking for a relaxing holiday, not a party central holiday that is more suited to the centre of Puerto Del Carmen. The hotel complex is in an excellent location, about 5 or 10 minutes to the East of Puerto Del Carmen by taxi (only €4). This was not a Brits Abroad type of place, which was just perfect. The beautiful beach is just a couple of minutes walk from the back of the hotel and the beach is enormous, clean and stunning with fine dark sands. There are plenty of small bars and restaurants along the front should you fancy a couple of drinks on an evening, but if you want to have a bigger night then you can always jump in a taxi to Puerto Del Carmen. We were All Inclusive in the resort, so we only went out a couple of times to the local bars for a pint or 2 after sunset. The main hotel bar is friendly, efficient and All Inclusive offers a good variety of spirits, a nice local lager and several soft drinks. The food we found to be excellent. It is not 'haute cuisine' for those more used to eating at Nobu, but there is a big buffet offering a very wide variety of dishes at lunch and dinner. Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Lamb, Beef, Rabbit, rice, potatoes, chips, vegetables, soup, bread rolls, pastas, a nice salad bar, a good desert buffet, beer, wine, soft drinks.... a large choice and all very good. Breakfast is standard each day, but again there is a good choice of different eggs, beans, frankfurters, bacon, cold meats, cheeses, yoghurts, fruit, breads, croisants, pastries, tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc. You will NOT be dissappointed with the food unless you are a food snob and will only eat lobster and caviar. The rooms were cleaned 5 days out of 7. We were in a 'suite', which was what we got through Thomas Cook. It was comfortable and a very decent size with a nice balcony. To sum up, we had an excellent holiday made better by the friendly staff, great food, clean hotel in an excellent location that was great value for money. It's not 5 star, but you're not paying for 5 star so be realistic in your expectations and you will enjoy!

all in all we enjoyed our holiday. we booked our trips in the town as they were much cheaper than from the reps and the trip called full island tour was well worth the 44 euros we paid each included our lunch and all entrances to sites

have just returned from 2 weeks in this hotel and must say we enjoyed it very much. yes its a big hotel i think 2 hotels made into one but the srevice is second to none with all staff doing everything to please.our room overlooked the pool and the sea in the distanceeverything in the room was great with one exception i do think the beds need renewing theyve seen there better days and just let the room down slightly.with the safety deposit box and as much bottled water free each day it was good value for money. yes there are loads of german people there but all were pleasant enough to us.and we are looking forward to a return visit next year

everything was great abt the bungalows except the pool as it wasnt heated

Arrived in the evening given keys to a 2 bed apartment in g block . Very spacious with a good walk in shower ,2 balconys 1 with sea view . Found that pool area not big enough for size of complex . If you wanted sunbeds you needed to be up early and by the pool at 8am . Entertainment in bar was very good but drinks over priced and varied in price on what bar staff were on duty . We found a great bar opposite the main door of the complex . Its called the Celtic Inn run by Mike and his family . Good food and drink prices . Had some good meals out , puerto del carmen about 15 min walk when turning right from the hotel and Matagorda about the same when turning left . Beach is flat but very blustery and the sand very hot .The weather did reach into the 100s a few days . Some entertainment around the pool and waterpool most days . The maids where good and changed the towels nearly every day as long as you put them in the sink . The sheets were changed regular aswell . Overall we had a good holiday . This was a good base and would say its better for older children rather than toddlers .

This was our 7th holiday in 8 years to this hotel. We did consider a change this year but were drawn back because of the guarenttee of excellent service and food. We were not disappointed. A few weeks before our trip (only back a few days) I emailed the hotel requesting a room on the 4th floor, this was responded to within 1 hour advising that they would do their best to accomodate and when we arrived both our friends and ourselves had rooms on the 4th floor, in fact in the same rooms as last year. The hotel has all the features we require, good food, good service and quality rooms. This has it all and with it being located in the quieter resort of los Polcillos then you do not get the noise you get in Puerto Del Carmen.

The only complaint that I have was not with the hotel but with Thomas Cook, the flight was ok but the service on board by the staff was not so 1st class. Food was very good though but spoilt by the seemingly lack of attention and in particular the space in the cabins. When will airlines start to realise we are not cattle but pay a lot of money to travel in some sort of comfort for around 4 hours. There were empty seats on both flights and I am sure they could have laid out their seating much more spaciously. I have travelled with different companies over the years and this was the worst yet.

Ignoring this one down side I would recommend anyone to try this hotel, many of my friends and colleagues have done so and have not been disappointed.

A lovely resort full of nick nak shops. We hired a flintstone bike and cycled to the airport which was good fun and only 10 euro's for an hour. Transfer to and from airport was only 10 mins which is a bonus. I would defiantly come back to stay at this resort. The Hotel San Antonio looks nice.

On arrival the reception staff couldn't have been friendlier. The hotel was FULL of Germans doing there usual seat/sunbed saving and they were exceptionally rude but there seemed to be plenty of sunbeds providing you didn’t mind which pool you were around. The room itself was basic, tatty and in need of a make over, however, it was comfortable and was no problem to us. By no means was this hotel a 4*, the food was basic and there was little varition. The entertainment was suited to young children and the elderly but the Crazy Show was deffinatly worth watching. If you want a seat in the theatre you need to be in there by 9pm. Day and night there is a self service bar where you can help yourself to soft drinks and alcohol which was good.

The resort itself had a lovely beach and promenade to walk along. There were plenty of shops all around the cove but if you want cheap duty free, go to Puerto Del Carmen and get it there, its a lot cheaper!

Overall we had a great holiday but feel we got poor value for money. We expected the hotel to be alot more luxurious. I will not be returning to a RIU again but this is simply because I would not wish to spend a week with the Germans again.

Playa de los Pocillos is a quiet resort, but with enough bars and restaurants and shops to keep you happy, within a short taxi ride or 30 min walk of Puerto del Carmen. Beach is clean with sunbed hire available for 8 euro per day, for 2.

Lanzarote has become 'THE' most expensive island in the Canaries, not just my opinion, this was the opinion of people who have lived on the island for many years, and with the pound/euro exchange rate I would say is an expensive choice for a holiday. You can find the odd cheap bar, but I dont want to go on holiday and sit in one bar all night 'cos it's cheap'. Just buying a couple of drinks through the day you will be surprised how quickly it all mounts up at 3-4 euros per 500 ml,(just under a pint) and soft drinks costing the same. Main meals costing anywhere between 7-16 euros. Supermarket costs for food are also sky high, loaf of bread 2.50 euro, packet square ham 3 euro, square cheese 3 euro, put with that, a large packet of crisps and a couple of drinks, and dinner from the supermarket is going to set you back about 22 euro.

If you are thinking buying any cameras while away, do your homework first before you go and if not check the internet while you are away. Some of the Indian electronics shops 'not all' are just rip offs that will try and sell you a refurbished camera from the USA, which comes with only a 90 day american warranty, no good to you when you're back home. Ask to see the box, and the warranty card from INDSIDE the box and beware of any box that has 'PRINTED IN THE USA' on it or an american warranty card. From my experience though, with the exchange rate as it is 1.23 euro to the £, it's not much cheaper than home, and as previously stated, check the internet while you're out there.

In my opinion an excellent, clean and peacefully located apartment complex, close to the beach and surrounding area of Playa de los Pocillos.

We had one of the refurbished apartments apartments but they were still completing others while we were there. We found the staff to be very helpful and polite at all times, all areas were clean and tidy, and we saw only a couple of cockroaches in the 2 week stay we were there, in what we have normally experienced to be an infested Canary Islands, and I assume this can only be down to the cleanliness of the hotel.

We had a 2 bedroomed apartment which was very spacious, with a pool view, cleaned 5 times a week with bed linen changed once a week, and towels changed twice a week. Our room had an air conditioning unit in the lounge area and a TV. which showed english channels, both available to hire for 18 euros per week each, and also a mini-safe in one of bedrooms, also for hire.

The complex has 4 pools spread out across the complex, and I did not see any reserving of sunbeds by any of the nationalities staying here, (German, British, Spanish, Irish, Dutch). The main pool has a small bar and restaurant on the side. Small beer costs 1.8 euro and a large beer is not obtainable in either of the hotel bars. The entertainment did seem to be centred around the Spanish guests as most of the other guests went out at night. There is also a short cut through a gate at the back of the main pool area, which leads to the main road and beach about 5 mins. walk away. This is closed between 10.30 and 11.00 at night and will add another 5 min walk around the complex to the main reception area when this is closed.

Can't comment on the food as we were self catering, however you could visit the main canteen and pay per adult and child for the evening if you wanted to, approx. 10 euro per adult, and 7 per child.

The complex is a good 30 min. walk away from Puerto del Carmen, aprox. 4 euro taxi ride, or 1 euro each on the regular bus service. Surrounding area of Playa de os Pocillos has numerous bars, restaurants and shops, and is only a 10-15 min walk from the smaller resort and beach of Mata Gorda.

Overall a good, clean apartment complex, in a quiet location, close to a lovely(dark sand)beach, within easy reach of Puerto del Carmen if you want it.

Beaches were kept very clean. Looked a little bleak in this particular area. What were the empty concourses all about. Lots of space,but nothing going on.

Having recently returned from this hotel with my family,I have to say how disappointed we were with certain aspects. Upon arrival the 'sea view' room was non existant. The view from my room consisted of a side wall and a further wall protruding to the front of my room which was painted black, oh! I could see acouple of trees!!! The rooms were very shabby with rust rings around the bath water outlet. When the toilet flushed it filled with dirty brown water. We instantly told reception and were told that it would not be possible to do anything until Sunday. We did not even bother to unpack. However true to their word we were relocated on Sunday. These rooms were far superior to the first two in as much as the furniture was light, modern looking and more to the point,m when the toilet flushed it was at least clean water that filled the pan.

Unbeknown to us, the towel fairy came at some God forsaken hour of the morning to reserve sunbeds. Despite signs around the pool area and notice in the pack in the bedrooms that this is not allowed, I was told by reception that people will do what they want to do. Sadly, we found ourselves drawn into the seat lottery as we had young children with us, and as the hotel is so vast, it was important that we could see them and they could see us.

Food, well what can I say. There did not appear to be much variation and although everything always looked attractive, there were several things that we recognised from the meal before, but disguised for the next meal.

Childrens entertainment was low standard and supervision was poor. Although the two young people with them were very pleasant, more care is needed on the safety side. Evening disco was geared very much towards 4 years old and under with little or no translation for english speaking children.

Main theatre. The shows were very good but the theatre was very uncomfortable and unless you wanted to watch whatever was on the screen, mainly football,and prepared to sit in there from 7 onwards, you stood no chance of getting a seat. There appeared to be no air conditioning in there. Also, one evening football was being shown on a T.V. screen just outside the theatre. I object strongly to this, and if people want to let football rule their lives on holiday, there should be a room somewhere, or at least put the screen on the other side of the hotel. Pool bar staff charming.

Would I return to Riu, never.

will not be returning!!

My husband, 2 children and mum have all just returned(thank god!) from a weeks stay at this hotel. the hotel was full of Germans which ment that we had the usual towels on sunbed syndrome with people getting up as early as 6am to reserve beds. some of these were then not sat on until 3pm!! Unfortanately as we had young children who were in the pool we needed to be able to see them from our beds so I hate to say it but we were drawn into the sunbed dash!! the pool was freezing, as it is sooo windy never really gets a chance to heat up which is very dissapointing for children who love the water like ours.

The Food, well all I can say is that whatever we had for dinner that was left over they used it in the omletes for breakfast the next morning, put it in pasta for lunch and then used whatever scraps were left to make the Pyella the following night!! Deserts were tasteless, on several occasions they put out what looked like bowls of brown sloppy snot!! I must say that the hotel was very clean and the staff very nice, but i would not call it a 4* hotel. Our first bedroom we were given was very tatty and looked more like a 2* room. We did manage to change on our third day to a much better room. The entertainment by the hotel staff was very good, but again we had the German seat thing going on in the theatre. There was not enough seats to start with as this only catered for one hotel they obviously hadn't taken that into consideration when they bought the hotel next door and combined the 2. The kids club was very poorly run, no signing in and out. My mum took my children to a fun afternoon in the pool which consisted of a few tacky floats one member of staff in the pool the other sitting on the side. My eldest got bored so my mum took them out without the staff battering a eyelid or even realising they had gone. All in all we are please to be home and would not return even for a free holiday!!!