It isn’t often we return to a resort; it breaks our traditional view of never going back – you don’t get to see new things if you keep going back to the same places.   In this case however we decided to make an exception and re-book at the Apartamentos Galeon Playa in the centre of the resort of Costa Teguise.

We fell in love with Costa Teguise in Lanzarote when we visited in February 2017 (see our previous review here ) and it seemed a perfect place to return for our winter break.  The price is reasonable, the resort is highly suitable for Sue and it’s just a nice quiet peaceful resort.

Circumstances forced us to visit at the start if January, so maybe 5-6 weeks earlier than last year, but we weren’t overly worried as some friends had been there the previous week and had reported temperatures of 28’C.   Unfortunately this didn’t roll into our time there, and the week started off cloudy, very windy and quite cold.  The weather forecast was 14 to 17’C but the wind was making that feel much cooler, especially at night.  A few showers thrown in for good measure made it less than an ideal experience on this occasion, but in fairness it was still better weather than back home.On this occasion we were joined by our daughter and fiance, and this was a pleasant experience but they were also a bad influence, encouraging us to stay out late and sit drinking cocktails in bars!   It did however give us an opportunity to broaden our view of the resort and visit some new places on the island.

Around the resort, we visited some old favourites like Erik’s bar and cafe, the Black Bull and Flintstones, and try out some new venues like El Patio, Casa Blanca and the Texas Steak House to mention a few.  Top cocktail bars for us were Vali, close to the apartment and David’s Bar, up on the Plaza Pueblo Marinero.  Best value bar appeared to be next door to David’s, where they did a self service bar which could knock off €4 off of the price of a jug of cocktails, and on top of that their jugs were 1.3L instead of the standard 1L.

Drinks at all the bars appeared to be free flow and although quite expensive – €5 to €7 for a cocktail, you normally got a triple shot in your glass.  this could often be a bit of a nuisance if you ordered a rum and coke and there was no room in the glass for the coke!

We hired a car for the day again from our preferred rental company Cabrera Medina, which cost €40 including all insurances.  Just €2 increase on last year.  Plus we got an upgrade as the car of choice wasn’t available.   Roads in Lanzarote are excellent with many having been upgraded in 2014, and driving is easy, although care should be taken in the meandering small streets in some towns, including Puerto Del Carmen which has many one way routes.

One place revisited was the Castillo Santa Barbara, perched on the edge of the volcano Mount Guanapay.   On this occasion we visited the pirate museum inside the castle and were pleasantly surprised as to its overall size, while only costing a meagre €3 per person. Recommended, if for no other reason but the views from the top of the castle.

A significant figure in Lanzarote is the native artist Cesar Manrique and many places on the island are attributed to his architectural skills.

We visited a few new places on this trip while we had the car, one of which is Mirador Del Rio, a viewing point designed by Cesar Manrique in 1974 which sits 500m up a cliff face giving amazing views over the north of the island and the neighbouring island of La Graciosa.

Apart from the now recognisable styling of the artist Manrique, the observatory is surprisingly lavish inside, and hosts a small cafe with large panoramic windows as well which is a bonus.    Entry fee is €4.75 and is well worth it, but make sure you go on a good clear day – the road to the venue is a little hairy as you leave Haria with a few tight twists and turns (but no steep drops) while the coastal road via Arrieta is a less scary proposition.  The views on the Haria road make up for the more demanding driving.  But nothing in comparison withe the climb up Mt. Teide in Tenerife!

On the road back we dropped the youngsters off at Jameos de Agua, yet another CM creation taking advantage of caves and and underground tunnels.  Unfortunately this is not disabled friendly so we sat outside patiently and waited for their return.  But again, a place worthy of a visit but be warned,  a busy place popular with local bus trips.

From there we travelled the one hour cross country route to the Fire Mountain nationa park of Timanfaya, drove through the impressive lava fields (which oddly look like some has ploughed up acres of concrete ready for recycling).    As we exited the park ay Yaiza we stayed for lunch at a favourite find on our last trip, Restaurante 7 Horas, and were not disappointed.

The hotel itself continues to upgrade – as we arrived we could see they had completed the changes to the atrium, and where now working on the main entrance – the reception is apparently down for an upgrade later in the year while they continue to upgrade rooms to junior suites.  Amenities, activities and staff friendliness and attentiveness remain high quality, but unfortunately apart from a coat of paint we found our room (10165 – same room as last time) in exactly the same state as last time (read here) apart from maybe a coat of white emulsion and a repair to the sliding door in the toilet.  But from a furnishings point of view it was slightly disappointing they had not upgraded anything, especially the ageing / uncomfortable beds and sofas, the TV continues to be lacking in English channels, and the wifi connection was worse than ever, for the most part it was unusable.   But being free it’s difficult to complain about it.   I would have rather paid extra and got a working and consistent connection.   With the room price being up by nearly £50 over last year  (14% increase) it would make us think seriously before staying again – we found newer looking rooms around the resort on booking.com for similar rates.

Verdict – we weren’t disappointed in the resort on our second visit, although we would definitely go later in the year (March/April) next time.   Whether we stay with Galeon Playa will depend on the state of the rooms, fixtures and fittings at booking time.

 

Rob and Sue’s World Traveller visited Apartamentos Galeon Playa, Lanzarote  in January 2018.