Riu Paraiso Lanzarote

My partner and I have just returned after a week at the Riu Paraiso in Lanzarote. We received a very warm welcome at reception and were checked in within minutes. We arrived at around 11:30am and our room was ready for us which was a great surprise and very welcoming. We were allocated a rather large clean room with a terrace which was situated in an extended part of the hotel by crossing a bridge. The hotel is very large (400 + rooms). The food was very plentiful with variations for everybody. The terrace bar got very busy in the late afternoon through to after dinner. Entertainment every evening. The animation team were excellent at organising the daily activities. I thoroughly enjoyed the aqua fitness sessions. It took us approximately 12mins to walk into Porto Del Carmen where there are shops bars and restaurants galore. There is a frequent bus service which can take you to Playa Blanca or to Arrecife and Costa Teguise.

Back from a 10 night stay at this lovely hotel. Travelled with my husband from 7th to 16th September. We were lucky with our room I think, in the main block with a pool and direct sea view, not too far from reception, on the 3rd floor. Food: Food at the buffet was consistently good. My husband can be fussy but he was happy. Food always hot, lots of choice, restaurant didn’t ever feel overly busy considering the size of the hotel. Breakfast was probably the best meal, especially the churros. We ate at the pool bars for lunch a couple of times, again everything was hot and plentiful. We ate at both restaurants which are also buffet except they bring your drinks. Canarian restaurant wasn’t good but the Asian was. That could just be down to our food preferences though, Drinks: Drinks were good, never a huge queue for any bar (we didn’t go to the evening entertainment as it’s not our thing). If there was a queue it went down quickly, and there are self serve soft drinks, beer and wine. Cocktails ok. The all inclusive choice of spirits was great and everything I asked for was included, such as cava. And baileys which I like taking to bed with me at the end of the night. You can get bottled water from any of the bars to keep in your room. Room: We were in a great location. Not sure how I’d feel if we had been in a room over the bridge though. We tend to go to bed early and get up early, and a couple of nights outside our room was quite noisy but didn’t bother us too much, rooms were cleaned every day and fresh towels. Fridge and safe in room but no iron. Shower is good. Shower gel and conditioner are provided but I wouldn’t recommend the conditioner. Hairdryer is fine and I have a LOT of hair. Pool: No problem getting sun loungers at any time of day. There are some areas that are shaded under a canopy all the time. And the rest have parasols. There are some nice little alcoves at the back of the quieter pool. We preferred the quieter pool over the bridge. Water was a bit cold but also a relief with the heat we experienced during our stay. Pool towels are included and can be exchanged throughout your stay. Staff: We’re all lively and friendly. They all seemed really happy to be there. Buffet and bar staff were quick. Location: There is a gate at the back of the hotel. If you walk about 15 minutes to the left there is Los Pocillos with shops, bars and restaurants (recommend Marco’s bar and Shahi Indian restaurant). Walk about half and hour to the right and you are in Puerto del Carmen. We didn’t go to the beach but it’s right outside the gate. All in all a fantastic stay and will definitely return!

Good: . Food selection and quality / taste = Excellent . Swimming pools = very nice . Lots of sun loungers around the pools with no issues getting them. . Shower quality and shower temperature in room = Excellent Bad: Pretty much everything else: Flat, poor quality drinks, room dated and very basic with TV not working, not enough seating room in the stage areas, speakers not working on 1 side of the main stage area resulting in poor quality sound, mostly poor quality entertainment, seating too formal in the main stage area, 0 fun atmosphere at evening entertainment, room not cleaned when requested, fridge / tea / coffee / bottled water in room not re-stocked, a cockroach infestation (see attached), staff mostly not friendly, foul smell in parts of the resort, nearly everything self-service, not even milk served with coffee at breakfast and only water offered by waiting staff at evening meal. The place is massive so expect to potentially be walking a lot. Other guests complained about the heat inside parts of the resort. The first couple of nights I was absolutely freezing with only a thin sheet over me on the bed to hand. I asked reception and eventually found a thin blanket that helped. The place seems to have a kind of cult fan base who return year after year. I don't understand why given my experience. I posted about the cockroach situation in a Facebook group about the hotel to raise awareness while hoping for some support or reassurance but mainly just got fun poked at me / nasty personal insults fired at me before my post was taken down.

Ok. The hotel was spotless and the staff were all lovely. There were loads of sun loungers and lots of shades so no fighting for space. The bedrooms were lovely too. The downsides of this hotel were the food, drink and entertainment. The speciality restaurants were just different buffets and the main buffet was pretty similar day in and day out. There were no themed nights so it was all samey. The food itself in the buffet was pretty underwhelming. The main thing we enjoy on holidays are cocktails and this hotel was so bad for them. The cocktails came out of a machine and were terrible. The glassware was also tiny so even if you got a beer it was in a tiny glass. We went for a week and that was long enough. FYI no beer mats or straws which is good for the environment but does get you covered in drips.

it is to early to tell completely - but we have been allocated x2 rooms in the far flung reaches of the hotel with a flat roof view - even though I booked very early doors through Tui - not the best I have ever stayed in and first time in Riu quite possibly the last - i have a disability and have to walk miles to all the main bits of hotel - if booking make sire you are not in rooms starting with 2. I will review again after the holiday.