Dream Gran Castillo Lanzarote Review

Dream Gran Castillo Hotel Review

We booked to stay at the Dream Gran Castillo in Lanzarote on a recommendation from a good friend. Having never been on a holiday abroad to a hotel with the children before, I didn't know where to start when it came to something suitable for all of us. I wanted to make sure we were looked after. Running a B&B and being providing for others every day of the week means I was definitely looking forward to someone looking after me for a week. Just knowing I wouldn't have to cook would be wonderful. We booked to stay in May 2015 and went for the all inclusive option. The hotel is 5 star and located near Playa Blanca, around a 40 minute transfer from the airport.

dream gran castillo
When we arrived at the hotel it was late and we had been travelling for a long time. We were greeted with a glass of cava and a glass of orange juice for the children. This was a nice touch as we were waiting a little while whilst others checked in. We were shown to our room, a family room with sliding doors in the middle, twin beds and a double sofa bed. Knowing that our children wouldn't share a bed, my husband and I opted for the sofa bed, which was not brilliantly comfy, largely because it was small compared with our King size bed at home. The view from our balcony was absolutely breathtaking and it was a delight to see every morning. I was also impressed with the blackout curtains. It meant that we all slept very soundly indeed.

View from room dream gran castillo

The next day we experienced the all inclusive food. The main buffet restaurant is huge and there is plenty of choice. Breakfast for me was fresh fruit, some yoghurt and a few oats. My daughter ate chocolate cheerios every day and my son ate at least four pancakes covered in chocolate sauce each day. This definitely isn't something they would be allowed to eat at home, so it was a huge treat for them. Throughout our stay the food was absolutely fantastic. There was so much choice each night and it was never the same two nights running. We ate in all of the restaurants apart from the adult only one. We didn't experience any problems in the restaurants and the staff were wonderfully friendly. They even let our son order our drinks for us when he was the first to get to the table one day.


rabbit pizzachocolate fountain   


The hotel is set on a stretch of beach which we enjoyed visiting. The children had fun jumping in the shallow waves and looking for fish and crabs in the rock pools. The island you can see in the distance is Fuerteventura, the closest island to Lanzarote.


Looking at Fuerteventura

The kids club staff were wonderful and it was a great safe place for our children to play. Ours both begged to go each day, which meant that my husband and I could relax by the pool for a couple of hours with a book. One day we even visited the spa. It was really nice to have this option. Our holidays previously have always been to my aunt's house in France, which is great but just like home, so we are on duty all day long and still have to cook and clean. It was such an indulgence not to have to do this for seven days!


spanish flower lanzarote


Our evenings were generally spent at the mini disco. Dan Dream was such a hit with both our children that we are still listening to the CD in the car every weekend now! By the time the disco had finished (8.30) both our children were completely ready for bed, so we went back to our room. The children slept and my husband and I enjoyed either cocktails or cava whilst watching TV. There was plenty of other entertainment during the evening, both for adults and children but ours were just too young (four and six) to stay awake that late.


rum and coke by the pooltequilla sunrise 

There were so many different swimming pools to choose from. They were all clean, if a little cold sometimes! There were plenty of sunbeds and areas to relax by the water in. There really was something for everyone. Children pools, family pools, adult only pools. Wherever you were in the hotel there was something to suit how you wanted to relax.


swimming pool lanzarote

The children's pool was really well laid out and warmer than the others due to the fact that it was shallower. There were lots of different slides and flumes and plenty to keep children of different ages occupied. Both of my children really loved spending time in this pool and we soon got into a routine of going to the children's pool just before we went out to dinner each evening.


 Water slide dream gran castillo

We are already planning our next trip for next year. We have decided that we will probably either get a larger room, or take a blow up bed for one of the children with us so that we don't have to sleep on a small sofa bed!


spanish flowers lanzarote

Below is a video of the hotel and also a video of our holiday in Lanzarote. I hope you enjoy them both. 




If you are planning a family holiday for 2016, I would highly recommend the Dream Place Gran Castillo in Lanzarote. It is reasonably priced and you can fly to Lanzarote with budget airlines RyanAir and EasyJet from the UK.

Disclosuer: I was not asked to write this review. We paid for the holiday ourselves. All opinions are my own and are honest and fair.