Elba Premium Suites

My husband and I recently spent five nights at Elba Premium Suites Lanzarote in a Prestige Suite to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. We booked through TUI and paid approximately £2,300 for the holiday. Before booking, we spent a lot of time reading TripAdvisor reviews, which were largely positive at the time. Unfortunately, our experience did not reflect those reviews. The Positives - • We were extremely lucky with the weather throughout our stay, which undoubtedly enhanced our holiday. Had the weather been poor, I'm not sure how the hotel would have coped in terms of indoor seating and bar service. • The housekeeping team were excellent. Our suite was cleaned impeccably every day, and bed linen and towels were changed every three days. We left a tip for our cleaner daily, but she never took it, which speaks volumes about her professionalism. The Negatives - Chronic Understaffing The biggest issue throughout our stay was the apparent lack of staff. In virtually every restaurant and bar, service felt stretched and slow. At many meals, we had to ask a manager just to get drinks ordered. Adults-Only Bar The adults-only bar was often staffed by just one barman, who was not only making drinks but also clearing glasses from tables. He worked incredibly hard and we tipped him several times during our stay because he genuinely deserved it. On one evening, the bar even ran out of a particular type of glass. Adults-Only Buffet Restaurant The food and service in the adults-only buffet restaurant were disappointing throughout our stay. The limited number of staff was obvious, food choices were often poor, and empty serving dishes were not always replenished promptly. On one occasion, I had to ask about a particular dish and was told to wait another ten minutes. Italian À La Carte Restaurant This was by far the biggest disappointment of our holiday. We had a 9pm reservation and arrived looking forward to what should have been one of the highlights of our stay. Instead, the experience was poor from start to finish. We had to ask for drinks several times, and one of the glasses on our table had a significant crack in it. Even after this was pointed out, we still had to remind staff twice more about our drinks. There were very few starters available by the time we were seated. The charcuterie board contained just a handful of meat slices, and the focaccia bread was burnt and dry. For our main course, we ordered the meat lasagne. When it arrived, it was dry, overcooked and unappetising. We left without finishing it and didn't even stay for dessert. While we were there, another couple complained about a bottle of wine that had not been served cold. After being given an ice bucket, they still requested to speak to a manager several times. Instead, a chef came to the table, but communication was difficult as he spoke very little English and a waitress had to translate. The guests were clearly dissatisfied with how their concerns were handled. Lunch Options One major downside of the Premium Suites concept is that adults-only guests can only use the adults-only restaurant for breakfast and dinner. For lunch, your choices are either the adults-only pool snack bar or the main buffet restaurant used by all hotel guests. The pool snack bar menu was underwhelming. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad, which consisted of sliced breaded chicken fillet rather than freshly cooked chicken. My husband ordered the chef's salad with ham, cheese and egg, but the ham resembled pale bacon and was left uneaten. The rest of the menu was largely burgers, pizza, toasties and chips, with very few healthier options available. The main buffet restaurant was equally disappointing. Some tables were left in an appalling state after families had finished eating. While I was shocked at how some guests left their tables, I was equally surprised that staff were not clearing and cleaning them promptly. There were also occasions when food items ran out completely; at one point I even had to point out that there was no lettuce available. Adults-Only Pool Area The adults-only pool area is simply too small for the number of guests staying in the Premium Suites section of the resort. There are not enough sun loungers, and those that are available are packed tightly together. As with many resorts, guests reserved loungers with towels early in the day and often didn't appear until mid-afternoon. Depending on where you managed to find a lounger, the music could be quite loud, and there was frequently a strong smell of fast food coming from the nearby snack bar kitchen. Overall Verdict While there were positives, particularly the excellent housekeeping team and the good weather, we left feeling that the hotel is struggling with understaffing and inconsistent food quality. For the price we paid and the expectations that come with booking a Prestige Suite in an adults-only premium section, the overall experience fell well below what we expected. Would we recommend Elba Premium Suites Lanzarote? No. Would we return? Unfortunately, no.

We had the perfect suite for us in the premier area (adults only). Adults only restaurant and dining area too. Separate aircon in lounge and bedroom, both were very good and easy to adjust. Generous sized bathroom with bath and shower and all worked well with plenty hot water. Two tv’s with selected English channels. Lounge had sofa bed also. Large private patio area with double lounger and seats and table. Adults only pool was well used but not too crammed with loungers and umbrellas. All food we had (breakfast and evening meal) was buffet style but fresh, well prepared, big variety with fish and meats being cooked on the spot. Gym, daily classes and spa were all very good & well planned. Our overall experience here was very good. Whole place is clean, well maintained and well thought out. Helpful polite staff. 15 mins walk to nearest beach or free bus pickup from hotel to one further away. 15 min walk to local bus station for services around island. Would we go back? Yes!

Entertainment team is the best lulu and ramon

This is our 6th visit. We love the bungalow set up and the grounds. They are well tended and very clean. Over the years we believe that food has improved, both the variety & standard. More specialist tastings have been added to the Jameos bar area, but we still feel that most of the entertainment effort is aimed at children. Jameos bar: Chus makes this bar a fun, enjoyable place to be. His (& Adrianna's) customer service, especially Chus's individual & vibrant personality, are a credit to Elba. The days that they don't work are dull. Please don't ever quash Chus's vibrancy & entertainment abilities! Improvements: *some of the sunbeds are past their best; *Some tweeks to the Jameos menu or specials would be welcome; *numbering the tables might help with food service especially when other staff cover for Chus & Adrianna; *Is it time for another adults pool to be built? When there are lots of 3+ bungalow occupancy groups the pool area is very congested & doesn't feel like a premium experience. We come back repeated because of Chus, Adrianna & Dany but noted that this time there had been alot of staff changes, Nadia is a great loss as she brought enormous positivity & energy to every exchange.

Just back from this hotel. I would say it’s 3* needs to do a bit of work to justify a 4* having been to other hotels in the area that in our opinion are much more in line with what you’d expect. The good points: we liked how the rooms are set out. Very private and good to have your own external space. The food was good in the mirador restaurant at breakfast and tea, plenty of choice particularly of fresh healthy options, which we prefer. For this reason we also choose to eat in the buffet at lunch, the salads were brilliant. Never had issue getting drinks in any of the bars day or night, drinks were fine. We went to the main pool as much more space around the beds and plenty of shade. Lots of beds, no issues getting one. There is a gated entrance at the back of the hotel that is very close to the las margaritas bus stops, for the circular route that can take you anywhere in playa blanca for €1.40 every half hour so very useful. You can walk to the main promenade and beaches but if you had mobility issues you might struggle as it’s a 20 minute walk away. We found generally all the staff helpful. The grounds are really lovely and well maintained. The bad points: our room was not cleaned for the majority of the week, the beds made and towels refreshed only. Things that should be provided e.g daily water, weren’t on 2 occasions. The way the bed was made was lazy and utterly ridiculous as the beds pulled out and everything just tucked in at the back, no attempt to turn anything back meaning we had to constantly pull the beds out to do this. The only time it was properly cleaned was the last day, either a change of cleaner or someone after a tip… we’d already been to reception to highlight this and ask for our room to be cleaned early in the day. The receptionist was totally disinterested and unhelpful. As this is supposed to be something you can request she reluctantly said she’d arrange it. But it didn’t happen, normally coming after 4pm which was totally inconvenient. The balcony in the mirador was filthy, not leaves from nearby trees but hair, glass, fluff dust. The water glasses in the buffet Resturant and the dishes were often dirty. The animation team appeared to do a great job in the day but we felt relying on them for evening entertainment meant it was not great. Some acts brought in were also of a poor standard. We used the adults pool on the first day but didn’t bother again. Crammed in like sardines, same people reserving beds all day. People being very loud. Poor shade and a selection of beige food in the snack bar, including the salads! It didn’t feel like a premium experience. Will we go back, probably not as like I’ve said, plenty of other places that offer a better experience.