The Barcelo Playa Blanca has been on my list to visit since I found out that this hotel was being built – you can’t beat going to somewhere shiny and new, especially when it’s perfectly situated in one of the most upmarket areas of Lanzarote, like Playa Blanca. We saw a good deal with TUI whilst we were looking for a holiday to start the summer and we could tick off two firsts, our first stay at a Barcelo hotel and our first time in Lanzarote.
Lanzarote was a bit of a gamble, we really weren’t sure what to expect as it is one of the Canary Islands that we had previously overlooked many times for the likes of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, but what a mistake this was. Lanzarote is the perfect holiday destination for families looking for luxury break combined with incredible natural beauty – it’s that spectacular that Lanzarote has been designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Playa Blanca is a family holiday destination that actually suits both adults and children. It’s widely regarded as one of the most upmarket and family friendly in Lanzarote, and it’s easy to see why.
In this article, we will share everything you need to know about the Barcelo Playa Blanca, including its location, prices, rooms, food, drink, facilities and whether it’s worth booking a stay here.
What’s it like?
The hotel takes up a sizeable footprint at its coastal setting in Playa Blanca and as we arrived by coach you are struck by the sheer scale of the hotel – the only recommendation I would make is to take a private transfer with TUI rather than a coach – you’ll get to your hotel far quicker to start enjoying your holiday.
With over 700 rooms, various swimming pools and extensive gardens, it’s a real showstopper as soon as you enter this brand new hotel.
The large lobby as you enter the hotel is spectacular, with a large infinity water feature looking out through the large glass windows with breathtaking views out to the hotel pools, ocean and also the islands of Lobos and Fuerteventura in the distance.
Designed by architect Pep Vich, the hotel was designed by taking inspiration from Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape but with a modern twist and it definitely had the wow factor when we arrived at the hotel.
The public spaces across the hotel are so well maintained, smelt incredible and are spotlessly clean (there is even a robot in the reception area cleaning the floors!) and you certainly have the impression that this a high end hotel.
Arrival
There are two reception areas at this luxury resort (calling it a hotel wouldn’t do it justice) as it’s basically two hotels in one, which is becoming more common across Europe. The family orientated Barcelo Playa Blanca takes up the majority of the hotel’s rooms, which is where we stayed, but for adults looking for that extra level of luxury then there is also the Royal Level.
This had a separate check-in area and is best described as a hotel within a hotel and designed for adults only –with exclusive features such as a private restaurant, bar and infinity pool overlooking the marina area. If I was not travelling with kids, then the Royal Level is what I would look at booking when staying at the Barcelo Playa Blanca.
Although it was busy when we arrived at reception, the desks were well staffed so we didn’t have to wait long. I loved the little welcome touches as we arrived, adults are greeted to a glass of cava with orange juices for the kids whilst we checked-in.
After a brief explanation of the hotel facilities with our hotel map in hand we couldn’t wait to check out our rooms and with two teenagers in the family who now want their own space we booked two separate rooms for this trip.
The only part of the check-in process that I didn’t like was the fact that there was no porter service to carry our luggage to our room and our all-inclusive style bands (we were here on a half board basis) but these bands double up as your room key, but thankfully the hotel didn’t insist on us wearing these.
Rooms
There are a range of rooms and suites to choose from which are located across 3 main blocks, and includes the separate wing of the Royal Level rooms, which was where our rooms were located.
On the walk to our room from the lobby we pass azure blue rock pools and red and black volcanic gravel against the whitewashed buildings, the architecture and attention to detail here is impressive and adds a sense of calm to this large hotel.
We booked a family interconnecting room on the 3rd floor consisting of a large junior suite and a superior sea view room which was perfect – the girls loved having their own room (we loved this too!).
We were on a multi-generational holiday and my parents-in-law stayed in a superior sea view room which again was spacious and modern with a huge walk in shower with balcony views toward the ocean, and we all loved the modern and chic interiors of the rooms here.
The décor had that high end contemporary luxury feel, with neutral colours and earthy tones of wood with accents of bright blue. Our rooms in this 4 star hotel would outshine many 5 star hotel rooms that we have stayed in across Spain and offered all of the comforts required for a great family stay including:
- Large flat screen smart TV’s with all the British TV channels along with YouTube and Netflix
- Air conditioning,
- Complimentary high speed WiFi,
- A mini fridge with daily complimentary 2 cartons of water,
- A large safe – big enough to fit a laptop,
- Iron and ironing board,
- Nespresso coffee machine in the junior suite and tea making facilities in the girls double room.
Our trip also coincided with a birthday and we had a lovely welcome from the team at the hotel. When we returned from the pool, the hotel had left delicious welcome cakes, teddies and drinks for the girls in their room and a selection of cakes and champagne for my husband and I to enjoy – yum!
At 37 metres square, our junior suite was apartment like size and having a separate living area gave us a greater sense of space to relax in comfortable surroundings with a sofa bed, and small table and chairs.
Our rooms offered all the space we needed, providing a home from home feel, with great space and facilities when getting ready for an evening, and equally space to chill and unwind after busy days at the pool or exploring. We felt sad leaving it!
The huge king size bed in the suite and the two double beds in the adjoining superior room were so comfortable and had the highest quality Egyptian cotton sheets for the perfect night’s sleep.
Beside the beds and throughout our room were plenty of electrical sockets along with USB A and C ports which are essential for travellers these days with so many pieces of technology to charge.
We had the use of a double wardrobe which offered more than enough space for a week-long trip’s worth of clothes for a family of four, with lots of hangers and multiple shelves. The cupboards were backlit when the door was opened – a detail I really liked. A modern minimalist bookshelf acted as a room divider, and set into it was the 4K HDTV, which spun on its axis, meaning it could be watched from the bed or the sofa in our suite.
Although the open plan bathroom which was gorgeous would not be for everyone’s taste it did fit in with the rooms modern design, but its open plan design is something to consider if you are planning on sharing a room as there is little privacy. In our room we had a walk in rainfall shower and separate bath whilst in the girls room they didn’t have a bath but had a much larger walk in shower.
In both of our bathrooms, were lots of fluffy white towels, powerful hairdryers, bathrobes, slippers and a plentiful supply of Barcelo branded toiletries which were pretty good. Along with the toiletries our rooms also had complimentary dental kits, shaving kits, combs etc. Basically, there was no need to bring a toiletry bag.
My favourite spot of our suite was its large balcony, with views of the hotels landscaped grounds, swim up rooms and toward the ocean – we all loved spending time on our balconies each evening before dinner.
We have stayed at five-star hotels in Spain previously and not had turn down service so it was great that this was offered at the Barcelo Playa Blanca. Each evening was a turn down service which was so nice to return home to and to see what little treats and gifts had been left.
Pools
The biggest attraction of the hotel (from the kids’ perspective) are always its swimming pools, which was one of the main reasons we chose the Barcelo Playa Blanca.
The main 180m long lagoon style pool is spectacular surrounded by beautiful and well maintained grounds and where we spent the majority of our pool time. Because it’s such a large pool it never felt too busy – this pool is divided with half of it being heated which believe it or not in summer in Lanzarote was needed because of the strong wind gusts.
For families with young children there was a kids pool with a pirate ship and slides and if you were lucky enough to book a swim up room, these have private access from your terrace to a separate meandering pool. As you would expect at a hotel of this standard, complementary pool towels are available which could be changed if required throughout the day.
What was nice about the pool areas at the Barcelo Playa Blanca were that if you wanted entertainment you had this in the main heated pool and kids pool but if you wanted to relax and have some quiet time there was another large pool area available, although this pool was not heated.
My personal favourite was the infinity pool which looked such a beautiful spot overlooking the marina but unfortunately this was just for adults staying at the Royal Level.
Even though it was peak visitor season we never had a problem getting a lounger at the pools and there were always lots of umbrellas available, however because of the gusty winds we were never able to really use these, although there are daybeds and hammocks available in a more sheltered spot of the pool complex, but these were really popular. A covered area like what is available by the pool at the Royal Level would be a good idea as many guests around the main pools especially families with younger children found it difficult to find shade.
Facilities and Entertainment
The complex is so well equipped that you could easily stay there for the entire week and be perfectly content. There was plenty of entertainment on offer at the Barcelo Playa Blanca – with everything from pool foam parties, sangria and paella tasting and pool inflatable challenges for the kids.
Each evening offered something different, always starting with a mini disco for younger kids and a nightly schedule of evening entertainment which was held at the huge outdoor arena. The quality of the evening entertainment varied ranging from performances from the in-house team to professional shows but one of the most memorable was the live musical samba parade which we got caught up in after returning from an evening walk around the shops at Marina Rubicon.
Although we didn’t make use of it there was a large fully equipped gym with top-of-the-range treadmills, cross trainers, bikes and weights and incredible views out over the hotel grounds we did use the other sports facilities here including two padel tennis courts, volley ball court and a multifunctional sports pitch.
The kids club looks great for families with younger children whilst the teens club was huge and stocked with games consoles, climbing wall, pool and table tennis tables which the girls loved challenging us on.
One of my favourite experiences at the hotel was the spa, located on the 4th floor. The spa circuit here is well worth the 15 euro charge per person, with its sauna, experience showers, steam room, heated beds but the highlight was its infinity spa pool with its bubble beds, neck jets and incredible views toward Fuerteventura. An outdoor sunbathing terrace and outdoor pool also provided an opportunity to catch some sun during the circuit, its well worth a visit.
The only disappointment from the kids perspective was that this spa experience was only for adults / age 16+), it’s a shame that they didn’t offer a family spa experience like we had at the GF Victoria in Tenerife or the Hilton Vilamoura in Portugal.
Off the main lobby was a large shop, selling everything from snacks and drinks to souvenirs and the Barcelo experience hub was the place to visit if you wanted to book any excursions when in Lanzarote, where knowledgeable staff were on hand to help plan excursions to local attractions and the prices were pretty reasonable.
Food and Drink
The hotel offers bed and breakfast, half board or all-inclusive packages and our stay was on a half-board basis. We typically choose high end hotels and resorts as we spend a lot of time on property and we booked the half board package, which is always our preference when travelling as a family instead of having to look for new restaurants for dinner each night.
However, Playa Blanca was different, dotted around the marina or at the brand new La Sal area to the front of the hotel were so many quality restaurants across a wide range of cuisines.
Both breakfast and dinner is served buffet style at the elegant and aesthetically pleasing Atlantic restaurant, featuring open kitchens enabling you to watch the chefs prepare your meals in front of you.
Breakfast here was excellent, with everything you would expect from a 4-star hotel breakfast offering to start your day – in fact it would rival many five star breakfasts in Spain. There’s an omelette and eggs station, a tasty hot food spread, a continental selection, and baskets of baked goods to one of my personal favourites the fresh smoothie station.
For lunch your options are limited here at the Barcelo Playa Blanca, there is no a la carte restaurant/pool bar in the day serving food or any pool dining or drinks service which was a little inconvenient and needs refinement.
If you are staying on an all-inclusive basis there is a lunch buffet option at their Breeze restaurant which other board guests can pay a supplement toward. There was also a lovely looking poolside dining restaurant called but during our stay this was not open for lunch, even though it was peak season.
My personal recommendation for those looking for lunch is to make the 5 minute walk out onto the promenade and visiting the restaurants at La Sal.
The Atlantic was also the main dining option for guests on a half board basis each evening. With several live cooking areas and multiple stations, the selection each evening offering a choice of local and international cuisines, ranging from fresh fish and meats to salads and an impressive choice of desserts.
I’m not a huge fan of buffets but I was pleasantly surprised with the food choices during my trip, especially after reading mixed reviews about the food online. Each night had a different theme and I would recommend dining earlier in the evening (7pm) to miss the large lines that often formed, but what let the dining experience down slightly were the levels of service which needs some fine tuning, but the hotel is still relatively new.
If you want a change from the buffet each evening there are 2 a la carte restaurants to book at an extra cost, these were Mexico Lindo restaurant and the Asian Koi restaurant which looked really impressive but for some reason were never busy which did put us off a little so we never had a chance to try these plus the kids were more than happy with the choice of food available at the buffet each evening.
When we weren’t out shopping in the evening, we preferred to relax in the comfortable seating areas in the many beautiful public areas of the hotel playing card games or listening to the live music in the bar off the lobby. The sports bar here was also really impressive and was a popular spot to enjoy the Euro’s on the huge TV’s
Location
Location wise, the Barcelo Playa Blanca is a real treat. Once you leave the grounds of the hotel you have direct access to the promenade, and right next to the latest shopping and dining complex to open in Playa Blanca, the stylish Paseo LaSal. This was one of our favourite areas to explore – there were plenty of noteworthy stores here including Boss and Ralph Lauren, a HyperDino supermarket, Fund Grube and a favourite for the kids was La Playa.
Some of our favourite restaurants were also here including Italian pizzas from Restaurant Roma and ice creams from Amorino. You are only a five minute walk away from more shops and restaurants at the stunning setting of Marina Rubicon.
Two popular beaches are also within easy walking distance of the hotel along the promenade, Playa Dorada and Playa Blanca as was the old town of Playa Blanca with lots of shops, bars and restaurants. You can read our guide to Playa Blanca here.
One of Lanzarote’s most famous beaches at Papagayo and the famous Timafaya National Park are within a 25-minute drive. Getting to the hotel from the airport is no more than a 30-minute journey, so if you are looking for a location with short transfer times then Playa Blanca is a good option.
Overall and is it family friendly?
Yes, it’s an excellent family friendly hotel with kids and teen clubs, water slides and more and is highly recommended. There was a lot to love about this hotel; quick and easy to get to from the airport, stunning views, great rooms, fab pools, so it’s perfect for families.
We all really fell in love with Lanzarote and would return to the Playa Blanca in the future.
Ready to book?
Prices at the Barcelo Playa Blanca is available to book through TUI or Jet2 Holidays with regional flights to Lanzarote departing from across the UK.