Los Tulipanes, Lanzarote

Since we only had one night in Lanzarote, a result of having booked the cheapest flight from Andalusia to the Canary Islands, we didn’t put too much effort into looking for accommodation. Location and price were by far the most important factors, and Los Tulipanes in Puerto del Carmen got our booking.

We arrived shortly after reception closed, but they’d given me instructions by phone regarding where to find the key. On arrival, though, a large sign directed us to the bar at the rear of the complex, which was closed. We had to retrace our steps, but found the key just where we’d been told it would be.

In the room, the light switch was located far away from the door, and we discovered that we had twin beds instead of the double I’d been expecting. When I asked the next morning, the friendly receptionist said that they don’t actually have any rooms with double beds. Odd.

The main problem for me, though, was the lack of extra blankets. Each bed had a light coverlet and a thin blanket, but temperatures dropped at night. I stole Craig’s blanket and put on a jumper, but still woke up shivering during the night.

Towels and sheets were provided, but there was no soap in the bathroom for washing your hands, which I found really annoying. Similarly, the kitchen boasted a kettle and a toaster, but nothing to make with them — I didn’t expect it at the price we were paying, but it would have been nice to have a couple of teabags or packets of 3-in-1 coffee. However, the water pressure in the shower was fantastic, which is always a plus.

On another positive note, the staff were friendly and helpful. The receptionist went out of her way to find out how we could get to the port, checking online and calling the bus company, since the bus we wanted to take was disrupted by Carnaval celebrations.

On the whole, our stay was acceptable, and good value for money. If you arrive while reception is open you’ll avoid most of the problems we had, but I wouldn’t personally stay there again — mostly because I didn’t like the tourist-box feeling of the whole town. Fuerteventura was much better!

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