We travelled to Dreams Lanzarote, Playa Dorada resort and spa, (previously known as Hesperia, Playa Dorada) 26th July - 9th august 2022. We booked in May 2021 in the midst of UK lockdown unsure what the future of travel would look like, but inspired by a trip to Dreams in la Romana (Dominican republic) that we really enjoyed pre kids. We were excited to see the hotel group with a new European site and booked based upon that.
We were husband and wife and two girls aged five and seven and we stayed in a spacious family room that comprised a super king bed and two full sized single beds with a large en-suite (bath over shower) and balcony which looked over the car park, with the sea in the distance.
Whilst this would not be the most ideal aspect of the hotel, it was very peaceful day and night, I think if we had paid for a pool view we may have found the evening entertainment a little noisy if we opted for an early night with the kids.
FOOD
We paid in advance for all inclusive (ultimate luxury) which included all meals and snacks, branded drinks and cocktails, room service and fully replenished mini bar. There was a large buffet restaurant with show cooking and three a la carte restaurants which didn’t need pre booking. We were lucky enough to get a table at these without waiting every time we tried although they did offer a pager service if they were unable to accommodate you immediately so you could go to the lobby bar and enjoy the entertainment or have a drink whilst waiting. The food was fresh and plentiful and varied. But as a family by the end of the two weeks we would have benefitted from a few extra restaurants (as we have come to expect from recent Sensatori hotels). That said, the hotel is ideally located between two marinas where the restaurant and bar scene appeared to be thriving. We took a stroll down to both places to visit the shops and for the girls to get a hair braid.
ENTERTAINMENT
There was a water park-style pool and a regular pool with two smaller kids pools as part of the complex. Our kids preferred the regular pool and we preferred the chilled out vibe at this one too.
The children attended the kids club 11-1 several times which would a nice air con space away from the midday heat and the daily mini disco around the pool and the weekly foam party in the pool. There was plenty for them to do but to be honest our kids enjoy each other’s company and are happy in and out of the pool all day.
There was a bar with air hockey and pool tables which we did use a few evenings and teen area with VR headsets. The evening entertainment was tolerable and though not really our thing. We find that in most places though the kids were entertained by some circus skills acts and some singing and dancing and the atmosphere was good but for my husband and I the entertainment was pretty cheesy. The first week there was lots of “noise” amongst the guests about how long the bar wait times were and waiting 40 mins for a drink by the pool and in the evening was frustrating but they seemed to take on a kid of newly trained staff in our second week and the service improved vastly. We are pretty laid back on holiday and a wait for a drink isn’t too big a deal for us but there were quite a few upset guests.
OUR RATING
We thoroughly enjoyed this holiday but we didn’t feel it was the 5* that jet2 advertised this to us as (we would rate Sensatori Ibiza and Tenerife - now both no longer under the Sensatori label - as superior).
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the few small issues we had (a leak in our room) were rectified professionally and immediately. Whilst we aren’t in a rush to rebook (there are too many other places we want to visit) I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to friends and family looking for a nice break without a long flight time.
REVIEWED BY: Victoria Burgess, mum of two
