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Jackie from Leeds travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
Independent
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2009 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: This is the second time we have been to the Balcon del Mar, and have to say it's a great place.
It's only €20 taxi from the airport, so don't pay for holiday company transfers!
The Balcon del Mar is in the "old town", which is much nicer IMO than the "new town"/strip. It is on the top of a hill, but many parts of Lanzarote is hilly, and if you're fit and well, you'll be ok. It's far enough away from the noise, but close enough to walk easily. If not, a taxi won't cost much.
There are around 80 something apartments in the complex, all on ground level due to Lanzarote building regulations.
There are two pools, one large one, which has kids shallow ends, and a smaller one which is very deep in places.
We stayed in apartment no 60, which was next to the smaller pool and had a sea view. This was on the same row, a few doors down from where we stayed last year, which was what we requested as it seemed the best place. Obviously, we are only able to give our opinion
on the apartment we were in as the other apartments were dotted all over the complex in various area's.
The apartments are very nice and comfortable, with everything you need. The beds are comfortable, and there is plenty of drawer and wardrobe space. The bathroom had a bath/shower etc. The kitchen had a standard two-ring cooker, plenty of work surfaces to prepare, a good size fridge and small freezer compartment. Enough cutlery, utensils and crockery - even a teapot and coffee pot! There was a can opener (albeit a rubbish one), a corkscrew/waiters friend, and a few sharp(ish) knives. Being the good boy scout/sad English person, we took scissors, tin opener a good knife and a corkscrew and tattie peeler!
There is a breakfast bar, plus some (not v comfy) stools. There is a standard sofa and two chairs. Plus a mattress that can be pulled out from under the sofa. Plus a coffee table, some more chests of drawers/cupboard. There is a TV, which you have to stick a couple of euro's in, but there is only CNN and Channel 4 in English (but who watches TV on holiday).
The terrace was lovely, and overlooked the partially obscured sea. The terrace had a standard plastic table and two chairs, and had a small garden with a palm tree! The terrace was very private and was shielded from the wind. The maids came and cleaned thoroughly five times in one week (and didn't come til the afternoon!) and made the bed and washed the pots!
They changed the bed linen once and the towels twice.
There is a pool side bar serving the usual snacks and drinks. The owners were very friendly.
There is a cat sactuary nearby, and there are a few cats around, which aren't bothersome at all. Infact, they probably keep the insects at bay.
All in all, these apartments are terrific. At the end of the day, we paid less than £30 a night. What do people want for that much? The Ritz? Fair enough, it was low season, but it's not that much more for high season.
PROs:
Nice location, cheap, good shower, V clean, quiet (low season anyway, don't know about high season), private terrace (where we were, others weren't as private), friendly helpful staff, clean pools, plenty of sun loungers.
CONS:
I am being petty here: Could do with a lick of paint on the door frames on the terrace and a little modernisation, but nothing REALLY bad or wrong at all. The pool was v cold, but it was the end of winter! There are no parasols next to the pool. The internet at €1 for 10 minutes, is expensive. The wind whistled through the palm trees and on a particularly windy day, could be relatively noisey (I am being petty here again).
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Friel from Glasgow travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
Globespan
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2008 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at the Balcon Del Mar for two weeks, the apartments were clean but very dated and dull. The place could do with a total refurbishment, but until then we will not be back.
Staff are very friendly and the pool was cleaned on a daily basis.
There are around twenty cats living here too, they are from a local cat sanctuary although we did not find them a problem.
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andrew watson from darwen travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
on own
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2008 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: excellent large apartments clean just what you need pool nice reception staff very helpfull alot of cats but they dont bother you will be going back jason and rachel at the pool bar are very nice and will point you in the right direction for food etc only 10 min walk down hill the hill is not that bad unless you are pushing a wheelchair or pram 16 euros in taxi from airport and very hot
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Keri from Cardiff travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
OTBeach (internet)
on a friends holiday.
There were 5 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2007 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said:
We have just returned from a week self catering at the Balcon Del Mar Apartments.
Location - the apartments are about 15 minutes from the airport. Don't waste your money on a holiday company transfer as the taxi cost about 11 euros each way. But be prepared for a long queuue for a taxi at the airport to get to the resort; it looks daunting but does clear very quickly.
The apartments are set up on a steep hill that leads into the harbour; it was perfect for us because we wanted to be on the outskirts of the action but close enough to dip our toes in the nightlife and stagger home after a few drinks!
The hill can be a bit daunting after a day on the beach but treat yourself to a taxi back up with all your bags - it only costs about 2 euros each way!
Hotel / Rooms - you get what you pay for with the Balcon Del Mar; the accommodation is basic but VERY clean. Our room was cleaned six days out of the seven we were there and to a high standard. The previous occupants left a bottle of wine in our fridge and a bag of ice in the freezer; to re-pay the compliment we left half a bottle of vod and some tonic for the next weary travellers!
There are, I think, about 40 or so self-catering apartments in the complex and all have sea views (even if some are a bit obscured). All the action in the apartments centres around the pool bar which is run by a very friendly english-speaking team. There are two pools plus a third smnaller kiddies pool. If I had to crticise anything it would be the fact that there are no umbrellas for the loungers and very little shade; perfect for sun-worshippers but not so much fun when it gets baking around mid-day.
In general the apartments are very quiet but there is a local disco somewhere in front of the complex that must have opened about midnight and went on until about 4am - but, hey, it is everyone's holiday and you have to expect a bit of noise! The windows blocked most of it out and it never caused us a problem.
There were 3 of us in our apartment; 2 in a twin room and one on the settee in the lounge. Be warned that the settee does not convert into a double bed; you get what you see and it remains a (slightly hard) settee that doubles as a bed.
Staff - the staff at the hotel were evry good; the Reception Staff speak several languages fluently and when we made requests (taxi bookings, extending the hire of the room, etc), they handled it efficiently and effectively.
Overall we had a brilliant week at the Balcon Del Mar and would recommend it to couples and groups. But travellers with young children may find the lack of extra activities you get with large complexes and the steep hill a bit of a challenge.
By the way we only saw one of the cockroaches that everyone on here keeps talking about - and that was in a shop in the village! :o)
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Conor from Meath travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
Budget
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2007 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The apartments are as basic as anywhere else but very clean.
Maid service comes around twice a week.
We stayed here for two and only spotted one cockroach which was dead there is plenty of cats around who kill all the roach's and the cats are clean and well looked after.
There are lots of good resturants close by and the pool bar which is under new management(Jason and Rachel great couple just don't mention the chinese shop) is excellent,spotless, great food and snack's, also some enterianment in the evening's for all ages.
We're going back just for the craic in the pool bar.
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Ashley Rogers from Glasgow travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
find rooms . com
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just returned from 2 fantastic weeks staying in Balcon Del Mar Apts.
Accommodation is great. My boyfriend and I stayed in a 1 bedroom apartment. The bedroom is a good size with two bedside cabinets, a dresser, a large mirror, and sliding-door wardrobes with plenty of space for clothes. There is a good sized window (with bars on the outside for your safety - sounds daunting but certainly doesnt take away from the overall look of the apartments).
The kitchen is basic, with just two rings for a cooker, but to be honest, who wants to stay in and cook on holiday anyway?! There are plenty of cupboards for storage, and a kettle, coffee maker, and toaster were provided in our apt.
The bathroom is lovely, very clean. Suite consists of a shower into a bath, there is ood water pressure which can be altered and desired temperature is always easily achieved.
The kitchen into the sitting room has a breakfast bar with three high stools, then in the sitting room there is a couch (with a bed underneath), a coffee table, and two large chairs. There is huge bay window with a door onto the balcony.
Balconies are a great size, in all of the apts. All look out to the sea as well. Obviously some still have better views than others, but thats expected. Balconies are a sun trap too for all sun lovers.
There are 80 apts all in so its not that large compared to others. There are two good sized pools. The main pool, situated in front of the pool bar (and featured in all the photos shown on sites of the apts) is lovely. There are two large circles split by a little concrete-style bridge. The smaller circle is good for kids, but the larger of the circles is very deep, and you are unable to stand. The other pool (which I never sat at) is 2m or just over, all round.
Now to the poolside bar. The bar is owned by an Irish couple, Mark and Fiona. They are absolutely fantastic and if you need to know anything about the island or where to go for something, just ask and they will do their best to help you. The bar staff are fantastic too, Lynn and Hazel. However, I did hear that there was to be a new manager and so Lynn and Hazel wont be there. I can only hope that the new staff will be just as friendly and welcoming. Im sure we can trust Mark and Fionas judgement.
If you do visit, do tell them that Ashley and John-David from Glasgow say hello and send our best.
So.... thats the accomodation.
The resort of Puerto Del Carmen itself is great. Balcon Del Mar is in the Old Town and only about 10/15 min walk from the new town. To be honest, its better to stay in the old town and go to the new town than be in the new town all the time. A taxi from Balcon del Mar to the new town is between 2,80 and 3,30 euros - depending on where on the strip you want to go.
A taxi rank is just outside the apts and to the left, and if you go on any excursions (I recommend the Grand Tour and the Fuerteventura Dunes) then you get picked up right outside the apts at the bus stop across the road. Perfect.
All in all I was very pleasantly surprised considering some reviews I had read on here.
There are some cats about but they wont bother you unless you decide to feed them, in which case you'll have a friend for life! They keep the cockroaches down (of which we saw about 2.... and they were dead.... on a path). So not a problem on that front.
Hope I have helped, and I will definitely be back as soon as I can!
Regards,
Ashley.
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Katie davies from stockport travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Absolutely disgusting, as soon as I went into my hotel room I found over a dozen cockroaches. I felt physically sick; never will I return to this apartment again!
It has also put me off Lanzorote itself!
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peter watson from middlesbrough travelled to Balcon del Mar Apartments with
excell airways
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 | rated the Balcon del Mar Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The apartments are very clean as when we where there the cleaners came round every single day to clean the rooms the only thing we did not like is the pool was not very big as it did look a good size in the mags
The views from some of the rooms are out of this world I will be back again in the near future.
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