Sandos Papagayo Arena Beach Resort

Beaches at Papagayo, Lanzarote

by karen_mo

Beautiful and unspoilt sandy beaches. Not great for swimming for kids as the current is strong. The road up to the beach is mad and rocky and the beach is poorly signed which means that the crowds are less! This beach makes a wonderful change from the more commercial beaches of Costa Teguise and Puerto Del Carmen.

Quality resort with excellent facilities

by TripAdvisor Member Keswickjohn

Our family spent a week at Papagayo Arena during February 2005. We found the food and facilities excellent and our teenage children enjoyed the Gymn, Spa and night club as the highlight of the holiday.

The restaurant was noisy and busy during meal times and one big complaint is that smoking is allowed in the restaurant. We will in future be looking for a location with no smoking restaurants.

Overall a quality hotel with lots to keep you entertained. The on-site "Animation Team" were excellent, always organising and involving people in their events.

We exeperienced very poor weather during our time in Lanzarote with very heavy rain. This would have spoilt our holiday but the facilities in the hotel meant we could find something indoors.
Note - The building leaks like a sieve during heavy rain and they had buckets and towels everywhere.

We had a brilliant holiday and would happily return ...

by TripAdvisor Member Lincoln

My wife and I returned from two weeks at the Papagayo Arena on 3rd October and felt compelled to add our comments. Having read the many and varied reviews of this hotel before we went, we were somewhat concerned with what we might find – on arriving at the hotel I felt more like a hotel inspector than a holiday maker! However, we need not have worried and overall were very impressed.
We have done 5* all-inclusive in the Caribbean and no, it wasn’t as good as that, but then it only cost half as much, so what can you expect?
Our room was clean and spacious, with (unusually) masses of wardrobe space for clothes. The air conditioning was effective. There was a lovely bathroom with double sink, large bath with powerful shower. Towels were replaced daily and bedding most days. One day we returned to our room after 6 pm to find that we had been “missed out” but a simple call to reception and 10 minutes later two maids turned up to service our room. There was only one English-speaking channel on the television, CNN, but surely people do not go on holiday to watch TV? Only one criticism of the room – there was a charge for the in-room safe which seemed a bit petty for an “all-inclusive”.
The beach in front of the hotel was a bit grim but I think this was made clear in the brochure. Having said that, people were using it, which seemed a bit odd as we were only a short walk from excellent beaches.
There was building work beside the hotel but in no way did this affect guests. The hotel is set in a largely residential area, private villas etc. and there are no shops or bars nearby (there was one nice-looking restaurant just a short walk up the road if you felt the need to go out to eat) but again this would be clear to people if they did their homework in advance. When the building work is complete I imagine you will be able to walk along the costal path to Playa Blanca and also the new Marina Rubican, just around the headland - a very attractive new development.
Basically this hotel is the last building before you enter the nature reserve containing the Papagayo beaches. A 10-minute walk from the hotel brings you to the first of these – clothes optional at the far end, a further 5 minutes along the beach. The walk is along a stony track but it is in no way a difficult walk. We had a rental car for the whole of our stay so on occasions did drive to the beach but to be honest given the state of the un-surfaced road it was more pleasant to walk and didn’t really take any longer. By car it was about 3 kilometres but you could park right behind the beach. The beach itself was brilliant, wide and clean with rocky coves at one end and never too crowded.
On the whole we found the food excellent – plenty of variety and of a good standard. In a two-week stay we need not have eaten the same thing twice. Due to the size of the hotel the main restaurant was very large, which did make it somewhat frenetic. Although the Italian restaurant led directly off from the main dining room, there was a much nicer atmosphere – the ceiling was lower, as was the lighting and this created a much more pleasant ambience. We found the food and atmosphere in the Chinese excellent and ate there on four occasions. We did not try the French restaurant, but neither did many others – it seemed deserted each time we looked in! The Green Bar had a nice atmosphere too and some pleasant live music but the Canarian was again rather large and suffered because of this. However, the terrace outside was very popular – it was quite an achievement if you got a seat. We never had to wait long to get served at any of the bars.
One minus point about the public areas was the fact that, although there were designated non-smoking areas, these were unclear and not enforced. As for comments about uncomfortable seating – get a life! All furniture and décor seemed to have been chosen to create an attractive and ethnic setting – not to stop people drinking!
We found the hotel staff very helpful and friendly- most with a good standard of English. We didn’t spend time around the pool during the day preferring to explore the island or go to the beach, but on passing through there always seemed to be plenty of sun loungers. Most days we ordered a picnic lunch which didn’t vary but contained far more than you needed (for each person there was a 500ml. bottle of water, 2 rolls, cheese, boiled egg, pate, tin of tuna, tomato, 2 pieces of fruit, yoghurt, etc.)
The evening entertainment was not really to our taste – flamenco dancers, magic shows, karaoke, audience participation, but seemed to go down quite well with the multi-national audience. There were a couple of tribute bands – Earth, Wind & Fire and The Backstreet Boys – a bit obscure I would have thought! We would have preferred more music and perhaps a chance to dance as the disco did not open until midnight and on the couple of occasions – around 12.30 - we tried it was virtually empty, perhaps because it was a cash bar and those seeking their last free drinks of the night had headed down to the all-night grill for beer and wine.
Finding your way around was a little confusing when you arrive (the map they give you is useless) but you should very quickly get your bearings.
Overall, we had a brilliant holiday and would happily return. It was our first visit to Lanzarote (having had mainly long haul holidays over recent years) and we were most impressed both with the island and the hotel. If it’s your first trip, hire a car and see the island!

second time we have been here and didnt dissapoint us

by TripAdvisor Member eyepye

we have just returned from papagayo resort,we travelled from 28 nov 0 4 to dec 5 04.we went here nov 03 and liked it that much we returned again.the weather was different this year rain sun clouds and some dead logusts. we found every thing just as good .we had a lovely room in h block central for every thing .the only thing we didnt like this time there seemed to be a lot off spanish familes with lots off noisy shildren running round the dining room. we walked into playa blanca most days a long the beach quite a way but nice ,not a good idea if you have a buggy though you can get a taxi for about 3 euros .

Disappointed holiday this time !!!

by A TripAdvisor Member

We have just returned fron our 3rd winter break to this hotel. The first visit was Oct 2003 when everything was just fantastic ( hotel had just opened). We then went again in Oct 2004, and again had a superb holiday with absolutely no problems, However, we regretfully now must advise holiday makers, that some standards are dropping to unacceptable levels for a 4 star hotel.
Customer mix has always been predominantly Spanish, then German, and then British. This hasn't bothered us at all - go to a Spanish hotel & expect Spanish - we find the food selection even better then ! We met some really nice people from a cross selection of nationalities out there. No problems with the sun beds - there are loads and loads of them. Lots of building going on directly around the hotel, but this doesn't creare any problem for the hotel guests, other than the not very pretty approach to the hotel obviously. No noise/dust etc at all. The "beach" directly in front of the hotel is just a rock and shingle stretch, but with 3 main pools & 2 kids pools in the hotel it wasn't a problem for us. The fabulous papagayo beach isn't that far away, and seems to be popular.
Problems we found this year concerned us to the point that we had to complain to reception on 3 occassions. Cleanliness standards in some of the rooms, plus general decor and passageway carpetting is going downhill - stains on carpets etc. Our room was not cleaned for 2 days, so no clean towels/toilet paper etc. There are 5 bars on the complex, however of the main 4 only 1 or 2 were open at key times, and with limited staff - so we were queuing up to get a drink before dinner, and repeating the process after dinner. The staff just didn't seem as happy as in previous years - probably due to a bit of embarrassment at the queuing ! Food overall was very good, but this time the quality was just not there - very tough meats etc, and the food wasn't very hot. They have also discontinued mini bars in the room - but you can buy soft drinks from reception or from vending machines to stock up your in room fridge - V/expensive though @ 1.55 euros for a can of coke !
We will be sending a copy of this review to the hotel ourselves, plus a more detailed version to the General Manager of the hotel. We are normally very easy going people who just go with the flow, but after 2 great holidays here, this time we were obviously disappointed and felt let down.
As an aside, the weather was OK, sun & cloud with temps up in the lower 20's. Only rained as we were boarding the aircraft to fly home yesterday.

Great Holiday

by TripAdvisor Member Vicky90

Just returned 30.9.04, read all above which we found helpful, we went with sunset leisure and had a great time. Daily maid service, use their towels, everything you need is here. Rooms were comfortable, food and drink plentiful and 24 hr, so if you can't sleep you can visit the pool bar and chat with other insomniacs all night. Staff were friendly and we found they could not do enough to assist you. Food is abundant, best A/I I've ever done. Hotel is huge but safe enough to let my nine year "old off the lead"for a bit. Not many shops but free hotel bus takes you to Playa Blanca if you need a "retail fix". For a luxury relax it's the place to go.

Playa Papagayo

by Bigs

"One of these beautiful beaches"

"Wonderful colors in the evening!"

"Little camels are raised here"

"View over the sea to Fuerteventura"

In between you can see Los Lobos, a little vulcanic island

"Rainbow without rain!"

"Little lizard!"

This little lizard was lying right next to my beachtowel....funny!

Papagayo/Playa Blanca

by duet62

"Peaceful"

Papagayo is about 20km from Playa Blanca and is very peaceful, ideal for a restful holiday, not your actioned packed. It is quiet far from the busy parts of the island. Beware though there is a nudist/naturist beach, although no one really bothers or takes any notice, but if you have teenagers, they will be shocked.

In Playa Blanca itself there is more to do with some lovely beaches the best being Playa Dorada, great for snorkelling.

"Papagayo Arena Hotel 4*"

We had read plenty of reviews on this hotel, which all came out great, so was really looking forward to this holiday. But slightly disappointed when I actually arrived. The structure of this hotel was fantastic, and yes the staff were very helpful. The areas around the hotel are very clean, the pools are fantastic and the room was great. Well worth the money paid.

The food on the other hand, maybe I was expecting too much, but did not think the food was upto 4* standard, there was variety but would not eat some of the food because (my husband being a butcher) the cuts of meat were old, the eggs they did at breakfast were old eggs and so tended to stick to salads and croissants.

Also the entertainment was not brilliant.......the kids enjoyed it at the games level, but the nightly entertainment was not upto much.

This would be a great hotel if in a different area, it is away from the main towns and to get anywhere you need to either hire a car or take all the excursions which becomes expensive.

Great if you are looking for a quite time for relaxation only.

THE BIG PLUS WAS ON OTHER REVIEWS I READ ABOUT THE COCKEREL WAKING YOU UP EARLY WELL I WAS RIGHT OPPOSITE THE YARD IT USED TO LIVE IN..........IT IS NO LONGER THERE

"South Island Tour"

This was a great tour which explains a lot of how Lanzarote is today. You get to ride on camels, see Fire Mountain and the Timafa National Park which is spectacular........also get to taste some of the local wine (bonus).

The camels are really looked after too so no worries there. They do half a day then get the next day off........oh to be a camel