As I’ve got older, my holiday ‘tick box’ has gradually got longer. Here is what was on the list when my wife and I decided to take our first trip after all the lockdowns: Covid safety awareness; a hotel with high standards of food and service; a pedestrian only promenade; good weather without a long flight or transfer to the hotel. We also wanted all these attributes at a price that wouldn’t involve a re-mortgage. Give me a few more years and no doubt I’ll add a couple of extra things to the list!
We came up with the Hotel Seaside Los Jameos in Playa Pocillos, a quieter corner of Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote. As it turned out, this 530 room resort hotel with its low rise white painted complex of rooms surrounding its sub-tropical immaculate landscaping and two swimming pools, ticked every box.
Covid safety:
The hotel was very Covid aware. In fact, it felt safer than back home! Masks had to be worn in the restaurant, which was all buffet self-service and in other public areas. Hand sanitizers were everywhere, including extra supplies in bedrooms. Despite these protocols the hotel struck a good balance of being Covid conscious without it feeling intrusive.
Food:
Served in one large main restaurant, surrounded by terracing, the food is the ‘star act’ here. It was relentlessly tempting. Whatever sense of moderational intent you might have had, the moment you were faced with the range of food on offer, the diet plan was postponed until tomorrow … again! One guest told me “everything’s my favourite”.
Each night reflected a different national theme of meat and fish dishes, many of which could be freshly cooked for you by a chef then and there. Additionally, there was always a good choice to accommodate vegetarian and vegan diets. It is no coincidence that the souvenir shops near the hotel all sell elasticated belts!
I was lucky enough to be offered a personal backstage tour of the hotel’s immense kitchen area, which was spotlessly clean, modern and impressively well organized. Head Chef, Vicente told me: “I am always trying to improve the guest’s dining experience.” When I diplomatically mentioned to him my one pet personal niggle about needing better display signage for various food items, out came Vicente’s notebook to jot down this suggestion.
Location and resort:
One of the reasons we selected this hotel was its proximity to the airport at Arrecife. This was only a ten minute and ten euros taxi ride from the airport.
Walk out the back of the hotel and within seconds you are on the flat pedestrian-only palm lined promenade with several shops and restaurants. The only danger was trying to avoid cyclists and various other pedal contraptions that could be hired for a few euros.
Head out the front door of the hotel and you are just minutes away from a bus stop and taxi rank.
Ambience and rooms:
We had an immaculately clean and comfortable room with lots of storage space, a great shower, balcony overlooking the sea, air conditioning, a safe (at an extra charge), tea making facilities, a fridge and a TV that gets the main British channels.
The hotel offers standard, superior and deluxe rooms, but the only real difference relates to the view from the balcony, and whether or not you want sunbeds, robes and slippers. Family rooms, with interconnecting facilities and several rooms for the less mobile are all available.
The layout and design of the hotel is a tribute to the legacy of Cesar Manrique, including the fact that all doors had to be blue to reflect the hotel’s coastal location. Manrique was Lanzarote’s most famous artist, sculpture, architect and influential nature activist, who was responsible for the island’s low-rise architecture. Now even Lanzarote’s airport is named after him.
The resort:
Now a 7 km sprawling resort, Puerto del Carmen is Lanzarote’s largest, busiest and most popular resort. It has to be said that with its central area closely packed with bars with sports screens, restaurants and souvenir shops no one is going to go hungry, thirsty or without a T-shirt. The truth is that this part of the resort, about a 30 minute walk from the hotel, is not to everyone’s taste. We preferred the hotel’s quieter end and location.
Verdict:
The Seaside Los Jameos is difficult to fault. Not just because of all the tangible attributes I have mentioned and others like the mini golf, tennis, spa and gym, but because of the overall ‘guest service’ approach.
It is not difficult to see why this hotel is so popular with repeat guests. General Manager Beate Sekula told me, “at any one time an average 50% of the guests will have been here before. I tell all my staff to walk around the hotel and look at it as if you were a guest”.
Whether you want a multi-generational holiday with children and grandchildren, a quiet escape to the sun or a safe haven as a single traveller, the Seaside Los Jameos might just be what you are looking for.
Travel Facts:
By way of example the room rate for a superior room, all inclusive, on a flexible booking for 1 week from the 4th – 11th June 2022 is £1,311.38.
For further information visit the hotel’s website at: www.los-jameos.com
