Just returned from a week at the Gran Castillo, we enjoyed our stay there. There were no problems and the service from all the staff was excellent. Our check in was slightly long but we sat down and were offered a glass of chilled juice. Once we were checked in we found we had been allocated a nice pool / partial sea view room in a nice position. Some of the rooms did seem to be a bit of a hike from reception. The receptionist explained all the layout of the hotel and what was on offer.
The room was excellent, it had its own walk in wardrobe area along with a safe. The bathroom was of high standard but we found the shower head in the seperate shower room had collapsed, I reported it to reception and it was fixed within the hour! The size of the bed was upto USA hotel bed standard, it was huge! A good size sitting area then onto a nice terrace. (room 1118) The people who had checked out of the room before hand past a kettle and a plate full of coffee sachets/sugar etc into us that they had waited 3 days to get. I took it in gladly! It does not advertise that kettles available but obviously they are.

The TV channels are not upto much, only bbc world, sky news and mtv in english. There is a golf channel though!! Breakfast, buffet style and we sat outside every morning. General service was excellent all round. Even to the girl doing all the eggs, pancakes etc always had a smile and willing to cook eggs how you wanted them. We did not use the hotel for other meals, prefer to eat out at restaurants.
The pool areas were clean, though the towel hut seemed to open at different times each day. One thing I must add is the animation team for the kids ( we had none with us) were excellent. Carlos and crew put on some very good stuff for them especially centred around the Easter Theme. It was not in your face as it is in some hotel ie: notices about what is happening each minute of the day! Well, I have been as honest as I can be about the hotel, I noticed a review recently gave it the thumbs down, I can only imagine they expected better...each to there own! We certainly enjoyed our stay. Hope this review helps anyone thinking of staying there. Will gladly answer any questions.

Just returned yesterday after a weeks half board at the hotel. I have two children aged 2 and 5 and found the accomodation to be spacious and fairly well equipped. The walk in wardrobe sounds good but without enough shelves and adequate hangers it is quite basic. The bathroom is very clean and spacious and well equipped with toiletries. Do take flannels and tissues. The shower temperature does fluctuate not sure if this is on purpose to give you that spa treatment of hot and cold!! Bath is huge enough to bath two children comfortably.
We were on half board so we had enough choice at breakfast and dinner. We preferred the early sitting and enjoyed nice touches such as cigars for Fathers Day and champagne cocktails on a couple of days. Both sittings for dinner are busy so if you want a romantic quiet dinner then avoid and go the marina. The kids club is ok but understaffed but they kids entertainment was good at Easter. They had an Easter Egg Hunt, egg painting, face painting, bouncy castle, mini disco and games. They fully encourage the parents to join in so if you enjoy "Head shoulders knees and toes" go every night at 8pm.

The only time we encountered abruptness from the staff was when we asked for our mini bar to be emptied as we wanted to keep milk for our children in it. Also if you order continental breakfast to your room which is included in the price you will be hit with a 6 euro room service fee which is not mentioned on the menu. This also applies to any drinks ordered from the bar.

I used the spa pool on my own, but some of the adjoining facilities were closed, but the sauna and steam rooms were open. The spa pool is spoiled by loads of older children splashing and shouting.

The other guests who were mainly Spanish they like to shout/talk very loudly in the morning and even the double glazing does not block the noise. If you like peace and quiet then don't choose holiday times.

There was one local bar round the corner, a restaurant a couple of souveneir shops and a kids playground but little else. You can go to the Papagayo Hotel next door but we didn't bother.

Overall we had a good holiday with good weather and may return the the future.

Firstly the hotel is listed as a 5* Hotel .
I have stayed in many superior hotels and personally would rate this a 4*.
The hotel has a lovely lobby area quite moorish,The reception staff are friendly and helpful however i found lanzarote to be a very Spanish Canary Island and majority of the staff do not speak good English .
The majority of guests staying at this hotel are Spanish 60%
Irish 20% German 10% English 10%.
The bedrooms were very clean and excellent standard and cleaned daily.Our bedroom was equipped with a Mini Bar, Sofa and chair,Television although only Sky News and MTV channel in English.The Balcony area was also spacious with a round table and chairs .Bathroom had a seperate shower area,toilet area and a Bath quite spacious.

FOOD
If you are a Half Board guest your evening meal included is in the main buffet restaurant,This is a very large restaurant which is very noisy My main concern was that the chef cooking meat raw on the grill was using the same utensils on raw and cooked meat .This put me off a little and with the noise and hustle and bustle we only ate once at the resaturant for evening meal.
The food choice was ample but to me resembled a Butlins self service .Not what you want if you are at a 5* hotel.
If you didnt wish to eat at this restaurant there was the Sansofe restaurant where you had a 30euro allowance towards the Alacarte menu . The food here was excellent although again there seemed no ambience in the restaurant and most evening there would only be a couple of people eating here.
There is also a snack bar by the pool area serving a basic menu for lunch .
The el Olivio restaurant was only open at lunchtime food here was excellent and the view of the sea was a perfect setting.
MY Advice would be to stay bed and breakfast and eat out as by the Marina Rubicon area the restaurants are Superior well worth eating in any of them around the Marina(20 minute walk from the hotel).Playa Blanca town is approx 45 mins walk away quite a distance a car or taxi is a must .

The pool area
There are 3 pools ,1 large pool which was freezing and the most central this pool because of how cold the water was most peopl did not use , another pool which was heated this was still cold but used mainly with families and another pool which was again freezing and not used very much .
There was no pool service you had to walk to the snack bar where you had to get drinks yourself.
Some days the beach towels were non existent and every day when the sunbeds had been used never were they tidied away for use the following day . These standards i would expect from a 5*.
The hotel was a minutes walk away from the sea but there is no beach just rocky, The Nearest beach was a 15 minute drive away
The hotel was also full of children maybe because it was close to easter holidays.
.
I loved Playa Blanca but i wouldnt come back to the hotel again mainly because i want quiet ,luxury ,excellent food with restaurants that have a nice ambience and missed the little touches usually received at other hotels stayed .

I'm amazed that anyone could give this hotel 1 or 2 stars. I agree it could be marked down slightly for the standard of the evening buffet (too expensive!) and the evening entertainment (poorly attended) but everything else was top-notch. The rooms in particular are first-class - for a 'holiday' hotel - clean, spacious, very comfortable bed, marvellous bathroom etc. Hotel grounds are attractive and the public areas are impressive. Staff are polite, smart and attentive. The breakfast selection was the best I've seen - fish, meats, cheeses, pastries, hot selection galore - and it was all fresh, well-presented and very tasty! Take advantage of this breakfast and you really won't need anything other than a snack till evening time. Make sure you get a table outside by the pool - but take a cardigan just in case there's a cool breeze blowing.
The walk to the Marina and Playa Blanca was most enjoyable. I was impressed how much attention is paid to keeping walkways, borders and public facilities clean, well-maintained and attractive. The Marina Rubicon in particular is lovely. Sitting in the sun, enjoying a freezing cold Dorada (local brew) and watching the yachts sail past was wonderfully relaxing. I agree that you would probably not want to walk into town/to the marina in the evening but we had a hire-car which also came in very useful for exploring the rest of the island.
All in all we had a fantastic week. Lanzarote is a lovely island. It's volcanic scenery was awe-inspiring. In my opinion and having driven round most of the island Playa Blanca is easily the place to stay. By comparison our day in Corralejo (Fuertaventura) was disappointing - personally I found it a little dirty and down-market.
In conclusion I would have no hesitation in recommending both the hotel and resort. Can't wait to go back!