Flipflops and Floaties

Gran Castillo Tagoro, Playa Blanca Lanzarote

We first visited Gran Castillo Tagoro in April 2017, and we are due to return in a couple of weeks for our 4th stay. We have stayed in our fair share of holiday resorts over the years, some good and some not so good. We all agree however, that Gran Castillo is our overall favourite, and that’s a pretty big deal since we rarely agree on anything. I have lost count of the number of family and friends that have booked and stayed at the hotel on our recommendation and have loved it too.

The Resort

• 5 star, all inclusive family resort
• 11 swimming pools. I’m not sure about you but I was sold based on the number of swimming pools alone. One of the pools has four water slides, two of which would be suitable for toddlers and the other two I would say from three or four years and up.
• Kids club that is suitable for ages 4 years up to 13 years, open 10:30am – 1:30pm, and 3:00pm – 5:00pm
• Creche that is suitable from ages 6 months up to 4 years. If you want to leave your baby/toddler in the creche, you can do so for 2 hours a day for free. We personally have never availed of this service so I can’t over any advice on this service. Open 10:30am – 1:30pm, and 3:00pm – 5:00pm
• Small playground (located beside the Dragon pool), with a slide, two swings, climbing frame, see saw, and monkey bars.
• 5D Cinema, you can use this free of charge once on your stay and pay for any additional times you may want to use it. Open 11:00am – 1:00pm and 3:pm – 6:00pm
• Mini Disco with Dan Dream Disco, the mini disco starts at 8pm each night and is followed by entertainment. Some nights it will be the entertainment team from the hotel that put on a show and other nights it will be a magician, singers, acrobats etc.
• Foam Party, ask at reception what day the foam party is on and what pool it is at so that you don’t miss the fun
• 4 Restaurants. You have the usual buffet style restaurant that you would expect from an all inclusive resort. There is also a Chinese restaurant and an Italian restaurant, both of which are a la carte restaurants and are included in your all inclusive package. Just make sure you book the a la carte restaurants 48 hours in advance at reception. There is also an adults only restaurant which is not included in the all inclusive package and only opens a couple of nights a week. If you are on the all inclusive premium package, you can dine at this restaurant once per week for free.
• 2 Snack Bars. Serving sandwhiches, burgers, hotdogs, salads, chips, nuggets, onion rings, ice-cream, yogurts, fruit etc.
• 5 Bars. A pool bar located beside the main pool, A sports bar, An adults only bar, a bar in the night time entertainment area, and the final bar is strategically located next door to the creche, just in case you want to nip straight in for a drink after you drop the kids off.
• Spa. There is an onsite Spa which has a hydro massage pool, and offers various treatments. You can visit the spa once per stay free of charge. Click here to visit the website for the Spa
• Gym, opened from 7:00am – 9:00pm during the summer and 7:00am – 7:00pm durng the winter
• Photographers. They will take pictures with your permission throughout your stay, and you can view them in the evening time just outside the mini disco area. You can also book a time slot for a free photo shoot, and you can purchase as few or as many of the pictures as you like. We always end up spending a fortune on pictures when we are here. I wouldn’t advise buying anything that has to be posted to you (canvases etc), we bought a canvas in November 2018 and 8 months later it still has not arrived
• Free wifi in the entire resort
• Underground parking

Where is the resort located

The resort is located in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote. The resort is huge and has everything you need, so you could happily go your entire holiday without stepping foot outside the grounds. If you do want to venture out however, there are a small number of shops on the hotels doorstep: a supermarket, souvenir shops, bike & stroller rental, clothes shop, café, bar, hairdressers (I got a cut and blow dry here and it cost €58, so not exactly cheap), playground.

It is approx 20 minutes walk along the promenade to Marina Rubicon where you will find a number of bars, restaurants, and a shopping center. There is also a market on in the Marina every Wednesday and Saturday. A further 20 minutes walk past Marina Rubicon and you will arrive in the center of Playa Blanca. If walking is not your thing, don’t worry the taxis are as cheap as chips and will only set you back about €5 to get into Playa Blanca.

5 things we love

1. Staff – The staff are all super friendly, and will help you in any way they can
2. Pools – The choice of pools and the fact that they are slightly heated is a big thumbs up from us
3. Rooms – Although not the most modern rooms they are really spacious and plenty of wardrobe space
4. Food – The choice of food is fab, we particularly love the Italian restaurant

5 things that could be better

I genuinely struggled to find 5 things that we do not love about the hotel. I asked my 4 year old and her response: ‘I love everything in Dan Dream Disco’s hotel mam’.

1. The hotel could be more modern, although this didn’t effect our holiday in any way
2. There could be more plug sockets in the rooms (bring an extension lead with you so that you have plenty of sockets for all your devices)
3. Have more entertainment outside the sports bar for those that don’t want to go down to the kids disco
4. A bigger variety of entertainment would be great, that way if you are staying for 2 weeks you won’t end up seeing every show twice
5. Signs up re pool shoes for the kids, I know some kids have grazed their feet in the pool so a prior warning would prevent this

Rooms

There are a number of different room types that you can choose from. I have videos of a Superior Double Room, and also a Family Duplex with 2 bedrooms. I will try to get more videos on our next trip to update this section.

All of the bedrooms are stocked with toiletries, bathrobes and slippers. The toiletries were replenished daily.

If you are travelling with a baby, you can request a bottle steriliser, changing table and also a cot for your room. These are provided free of charge from reception.

Family Duplex 2 Bedrooms

Superior Double Room

Food & Drinks

Drinks

The only change that I am aware of on this menu since these pictures were taken is that the Mojito is no longer included on the all inclusive package. I believe a Mojito will set you back approx €2.50, so it’s not too bad I suppose. The left hand column is the price you will pay if not all inclusive, the middle column is for those on All Inclusive and the column on the right hand side is for those on Premium All Inclusive.

Kids Drinks

Italian Restaurant

Chinese Restaurant

FAQ’s

1. Would anyone know if there is a HDMI socket in the TV’s in the rooms: Yes, there is
2. What is the best email address to contact the hotel: ccmanager@dreamplacehotels.com
3. Does the supermarket outside the hotel stock toiletries etc.: Yes they do, but toiletries are supplied in the rooms and replenished daily.
4. Is there an age limit for use of the water slides: Yes, the slides are recommended for children up to 6 years old. From what we have seen however, this is not always enforced and older kids have been using them.
5. Does the hotel have alternatives to cows milk: Yes
6. How’s the weather in Jan, Feb, Mar etc.: How long is a piece of string?! The weather changes all of the time, so while you can get averages from previous years from Google, you are never really going to know until closer to the time so stop tormenting yourself trying to predict it.
7. Is pink gin included in All Inclusive Package: Yes, just ask at the bar
8. What happens if we arrive late and the restaurant is closed: The hotel staff will usually leave a platter of food in your room
9. All Inclusive versus Premium All Inclusive: We always opt for the regular All Inclusive as we do not see there being enough of a difference between the two to justify the extra money.
10. Do the rooms have Tea/Coffee making facilities: Yes
11. Is there a Launderette close to the hotel: There is a launderette that will come and pick your washing up from the hotel reception and deliver it back for free. You will pay approx €3 per kilo of washing. Speak to reception to organise this.
12. Are the pools heated: Yes
13. Are the pools salt water: No
14. What transfer company would you recommend: We always use Hoppa
15. Are pool towels provided: Yes
16. Can you take pool towels off site: I have never asked, but we always take them to the beach with us and never had a problem
17. What songs do they play at the mini disco: Madre Tierra (Oye), Chu Chu Uá, Soco Bate Vira, Veo Veo, Chocolate (Choco Choco), Baby Shark, The Super Hero song, Music Man, El tren etc.
18. How far is the nearest beach: There is a beach at the back of the hotel but it is not really a sandy beach, it is full of stones. There are some beautiful sandy beaches that are a 5 minute taxi ride away
19. Do men have to wear long trousers in the restaurants: There are no rules re: long trousers for the buffet restaurant however, men are required to wear long trousers in the a la carte restaurants. This rule is not always enforced though.
20. Are slush puppies included in All Inclusive package: Yes
21. Do people reserve sun loungers by leaving towels on them early in the morning: People will do this no matter where you go, however we never had a problem finding a sun lounger at any time of the day
22. Do you have to pay resort tax: No
23. Is there an iron in the rooms: No, there is an ironing room beside the gym that you can use
24. Is there a hairdryer in the rooms: Yes, but you would be just as quick having your partner blow on your head to dry your hair so I would recommend bringing your own.
25. Is there a fridge in the rooms: Yes, a small fridge
26. Who do you book with: We have always found that booking direct with the hotel is the cheapest. Have a read of a previous blog post we have written on how to book cheap flights too.

This blog post is in no way affiliated with the resort in question.

We would highly recommend a visit to Gran Castillo Tagoro if you are looking for a family friendly all inclusive resort in Europe that the whole family will enjoy.