H10 Timanfaya Palace, Lanzarote

Pleasant stay

Hotel appears quite grand when viewing online, but does need a bit of an uplift. Large windows were dirty, if cleaned, would be quite remarkable. Cigarette ends seen in plantations both inside and out, shame really, given the hotel provide places for these. There are a few steps that you need to carry your case up/down. Not an issue to us but we did help a few elderly couples during our stay. Picture attached. Room was really spacious, we were upgraded on arrival. The bed was huge but the mattress was firm. We spoke to reception and got x2 toppers added which made it so much more comfortable. There is plenty of storage also. Showers are large and spacious too, with an overhead, rainfall shower head and ordinary shower head that can be removed from the holder. Pools are excellent. One deeper than the other, depends on your preference. There were plenty of loungers too. The pool bar was great, placed in between the pools. The coffee shop was fabulous and well worth a visit (level 1). We had the la carte meal in the designated restaurant. The food was lovely, the atmosphere was really pleasant and relaxing also. The main restaurant, the food can be quite samey. I am gluten free, let them know and they will show you daily what you can, and cannot have. Just be cautious though, I was told a tray of sushi had been made gluten free but guests were using the same tongs for all the sushi, there were no designated tongs for the gluten free only. For me, the contamination would have made me unwell. Big shout out to Pepe. He was amazing at going over the foods for me. He looks for you and is so efficient in what he does. The entertainment was ok, some nights were better than others. But, the table service was a great touch, and whats more, they use branded drinks and pour them in front of you. The staff there, work really hard. You can also use the piano bar which is lovely. Connor from TUI was a great help to us. He is so welcoming and friendly too. Can speak to him about anything. The location of the hotel is fantastic, it looks out onto the sea. There is a walkway to the town also. Very picturesque. Had a pleasant stay overall, and would return.

Just about perfect!

We have just returned from our umpteenth visit to the Timanfaya to celebrate our equally umpteenth wedding anniversary! To us the Timanfaya is perfect in every way. The rooms are spacious and spotless, the food is excellent and varied, the staff are without exception friendly and efficient, the evening entertainment is professional and thoroughly enjoyable. A huge bonus is not having to stress about getting a sun bed - we just wandered down at any time of the day and had no problem at all. Both the outdoor and indoor pools are a delight and we even took a dip in the sea which was great fun. During our stay we walked the length of the promenade from the lighthouse to Papagayo and popped in to have a look at several other hotels. In our view the Timanfaya has no equal in Playa Blanco or probably in Lanzarote for that matter. We love it!

Lovely hotel, but room location a let down and different classes of rooms are confusing

We decided to return to Playa Blanca after 19 years away and chose this hotel based on its good reviews and adults-only. We booked directly through our travel agents and paid for a sea-view room, half board. On arrival, we were greeted with a welcome drink, which was a lovely touch. However, our room was not ready. We were advised that rooms were not available until 3 pm, given wristbands and told we would be contacted on our mobile phones when our room was ready. Fortunately, we were able to access our room at around 2.30 pm. We were allocated room 345, right at the far end of the hotel building. The room itself was lovely, bright and modern, with tea and coffee-making facilities and toiletries provided. The safe was available for an additional charge. However, the location of this room is worth considering, as the walk would be challenging for anyone with mobility issues. Unfortunately, the view was a real disappointment. Although we had technically been given a sea view, it was only partial, with much of the outlook overlooking a gravel area where a camper van appeared to be parked up as a residence and a dog barking all the time, there was also a turret blocking any further views of the sea and hardly had any sunshine on the balcony. We returned to reception to explain the issue, as we had specifically paid for a sea view. We mentioned that other hotel websites offered different room categories for full and partial sea views, but we were told that our room was classed as having a sea view. We asked whether we could pay to upgrade to a room with a better view. We were advised that a room might become available two days later, but we would have to vacate our existing room by 10 am and would not be able to access the new one until 3 pm. We accepted this. However, later that evening, we received a letter pushed under our door asking us to contact reception. We were then told that the room we had agreed to move into was no longer available and there were no other options. We approached our TUI rep for help and also asked reception what was available immediately. We were given keys to view a junior suite, but the balcony was not brilliant, and we did not feel the additional cost was justified. As we were heading back to reception, we noticed room 202 being cleaned, with guests and suitcases nearby. We asked whether this room was available and discovered that it had both a sea view and a pool view. It was classed as a Superior Sea View room. We decided to pay the additional 14 per person, per day, and upgrade to the Privilege package for another additional cost. This gave us access to the Kasbah la carte restaurant, a private coffee lounge and a separate sunbed area and other extra items in our room. This was an updated room, however at night we could hear what was a air con unit, this was not our air con unit, but I think the hotels. I found it very difficult to fall to sleep, so I had the ceiling fan on as white noise. However, trying to secure the sea view we thought we had paid for was frustrating. It would have been helpful to have clearer information about the different room categories when booking. Having spoken to repeat guests at the hotel some tour operators only offer Superior rooms on certain dates, and the room allocations are hit and miss. We met one couple that turned out there family member had room 345 and agreed it was not the best view. We dined at the Kasbah restaurant and never had issues with getting a reservation, I would advise down loading the H10 app before leaving the UK as you can book for the restaurant before hand and see the menu. We really enjoyed both the food and the service. As someone who needs to eat gluten-free, it was particularly nice to find plenty of choices on the menu, clearly marked with allergy symbols. This made choosing suitable dishes much easier and gave us a much more relaxed dining experience. Unfortunately, the buffet was a very different story. There were no allergy symbols alongside the dishes and no separate gluten-free area, making it difficult to know which foods were safe to eat, apart from salads and fruit. I appreciate that the staff were generally friendly and willing to help, but the team members I initially approached did not seem to know which foods were gluten-free. Eventually, I gave up asking and settled for salad. I then approached a gentleman called Daniel to ask about gluten-free desserts. He was helpful and confirmed that the rice pudding and fruit were suitable. He also offered carrot cake or chocolate cake, which he arranged to have brought out from the back. The following day, however, I approached another gentleman to ask about gluten-free desserts and found him very dismissive. He told me there was no rice pudding and that it was only available on Sundays, then walked away. This left me feeling uncomfortable, and that evening I decided to skip dessert altogether because I felt like I was being a burden. We chose to eat at the Kasbah restaurant instead, where the gluten-free options were much easier to navigate. The next day, I spoke to reception and explained my experience. When I approached the same gentleman the following day, his attitude was completely different. He took the time to walk around the entire buffet with me, explaining which foods were suitable and which were not. I appreciated his help, but having to go around the whole buffet asking about every dish became quite a chore. I did not want to feel that I was creating extra work for staff simply by asking what I could safely eat. Clear allergy labelling, a dedicated gluten-free section and better staff training would make a significant difference for guests with food intolerances and allergies. The hotel itself is beautiful, and the staff are generally friendly and welcoming. The location is good, although the walk to the marina took us around 50 minutes, so this is worth bearing in mind if you prefer to be closer to the centre. The marina market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday, which is well worth a visit if you enjoy browsing local markets. We also booked a trip to Fuerteventura, Corralejo through TUI . This was very convenient, as the package included a coach pickup directly from the hotel, ferry tickets and transport back to the hotel afterwards. We spent the whole day in Corralejo and really enjoyed it My advice would be check exactly which room category you are booking. Look on the hotel website first, you can upgrade to privilege whatever room option you have. For anyone who needs to eat gluten-free, and does not want to keep asking staff go for the Kasbah restaurant (only available for Privilege guests) Overall, we enjoyed our return to Playa Blanca, but a few improvements would have made our stay much more relaxing and enjoyable.

50th Birthday Celebrations

This wonderful hotel has been a firm favourite for us over the last few years. Our first ever trip here was for our honeymoon and when deciding where to go to celebrate my 50th birthday we could think of nowhere better. Our 6th trip to the Timanfaya Palace was just as enjoyable as all of our other holidays here. The rooms are excellent, the food is superb, with lots of choice (including catering very well for gluten free and other dietary requirements) and the staff dedicated, friendly and hard working. The hotel is in a great location and offers a fantastic, relaxing holiday.