Last week I booked a last minute solo spa break to Lanzarote. I had a shitty stressful week and had a couple nights off (no kids!!) so I immediately jumped on Skyscanner to see if there were any cheap flights somewhere.
I was really surprised to find out that one of the cheapest options is Lanzarote.
It was quite a long flight to Lanzarote (advertised as 4.5 hours from Manchester, but it was actually 3 hours and 40 minutes round trip), but we found a flight for as low as £28 return!!
Temperatures averaged 20 degrees Celsius and the lure of the winter sun beckoned!
Before I knew it, I had booked a five-star package holiday to a gorgeous hotel in Playa Blanca with a lovely spa near the golden sands. (Although the spa was a little disappointing, it was still a wonderfully relaxing trip!)
It was lunch time on Wednesday.
We were scheduled to leave Thursday morning!
I asked all my friends if they could come with me, but it’s harder than I imagined to get my friends in their 30s to give up their jobs, kids, family, pets, etc at the last minute to come with me. Luxurious spa break!
So I bought a stack of books at Manchester Airport, loaded up my phone with music and podcasts, and set off on a solo adventure for some R&R.
It was exactly what I needed, pure bliss.
I had some work to do for an upcoming campaign, so I spent the first morning shooting. After that, I was able to relax freely and was secretly very happy to be alone. I drank my all-inclusive beer in a plastic cup and read a book in the sunshine as I slowly moved between the hotel’s eight pools.
I strolled along the promenade, stopped at cafes and bars, had a drink, and listened to a podcast that was laugh-out-loud funny and probably made me look like a total weirdo. I jogged, swam, ate, relaxed, read, and sunbathed.
If you’re thinking of going on a solo spa vacation or a solo getaway to relax somewhere hot and sunny, I can’t recommend it enough.
Here are the details for a spa vacation to Lanzarote.
Details from my trip
I booked with Jet2Holidays. Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada, All Inclusive costs a total of £659.
We chose Jet2’s all-inclusive package deal because it was easy. I have traveled with Jet2 many times and know and love it. We were able to book everything with Jet2 and felt safe and comfortable.
It was more than I wanted to spend so I really shouldn’t have spent that much. I originally found a sale on the Jet 2 package for £410 and it looked great, but it wasn’t available when I tried to book. The next best one was just as great, so we got a deal of £50 more, then he got £50, then £50 more, and suddenly we had more money to spend!
Spa Hotel in Lanzarote
We stayed at Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada.
The hotel itself was really nice and in the most perfect location. My room was nice and spacious, the food was delicious, the hotel had 8 pools, and the beach was right out the gate.
But it wasn’t perfect.
I was annoyed that all the “exclusive” areas, which were a big selling point for me, were actually off-limits unless I paid an upgrade fee. All the great photos of the infinity pool and adults-only pool have been upgraded.
This is the main pool area
main pool area
Pool area upgrade
After a long journey to get to the hotel and an hour in the front line to check in (and no drinks offered), we were told there was a family room at the back of the hotel. Area facing the children’s park. The woman at the check-in desk made a frown on her face and waved vaguely in the direction of the back of the hotel to emphasize that I had been pushed into an unwanted area, which wasn’t very nice.
Check-in lines are the longest and slowest!
“But don’t worry,” she said cheerfully. “You can stay in an adult area with a nice view…for 70 euros a night’.
I wasn’t expecting a free upgrade, but I was annoyed that they put one adult traveler in the family area even though there were rooms available elsewhere. So he refused the upgrade on principle, especially when he had already paid over £650 for a 2 night holiday!
Maybe he cut off his nose to tease his face. I wasn’t expecting an upgraded room, but it felt like I was intentionally put in a bad room to get me to pay extra for an upgrade.
Halfway through check-in I was offered a drink, but it was half a glass of lukewarm prosecco. It definitely wasn’t the “welcome cocktail and cold flannel” the website promised, and the whole check-in process wasn’t a great start to my vacation.
More photos from the hotel can be found below.
Thankfully the rest of the hotel was lovely. The food was great and everywhere felt spacious, clean and inviting.
Playa Blanca, Lanzarote
I loved Playa Blanca. It was so cold that it was perfect for a solo spa vacation.
The area was mostly filled with young families and older couples. Despite it being February half-term in the UK, it felt quiet and peaceful.
Playa Blanca is a new resort on Lanzarote and is still under construction. In fact, there was some construction work going on next to the hotel, but we didn’t notice it until right before we left, so it didn’t affect our stay at all.
Playa Blanca has a long and wide boardwalk along the coast, perfect for a stroll. There is a beautiful marina at one end, and cafes, bars, restaurants and shops at the other. It’s lovely to walk around here and I loved walking from one end to the other after dinner.
The beach is also really beautiful. It’s sheltered by a man-made cove, so it’s calm, warm and perfect.
I will definitely return to Playa Blanca with my kids.
I don’t think I will stay at Dreams Lanzarote again. Consider staying at the hotel next door, Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel Resort. The main reason I say this is because I could hear the kids club at this hotel and it looked like a lot of fun. Dreams Lanzarote’s kids club was very quiet in comparison, so clearly Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel Resort is more popular with families.
The spa
I’m not going to lie, the spa at Dreams Lanzarote was very disappointing. The staff were not welcoming and we had to pay extra to use the spa swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. The wooden beds around the pool were uncomfortable and felt like we were in an underground concrete bunker.
I paid to enter and it took about 8 minutes.
The spa also doesn’t open until 13:30, which seemed like a missed opportunity during the winter months when Lanzarote’s mornings are often cloudy. A morning spa treatment would be lovely before the sun breaks through the clouds.
The spa treatments were quite expensive, but this was within expectations as they are normal prices for what you would find in a luxury hotel. I went to the spa to inquire about a massage but was told to come back later. So I went for a walk to the beach and ended up getting a foot massage on the beach for 20 euros and it felt so good!
Admittedly, this was more of a “relax and take care of yourself” type of vacation than a spa vacation.
The spa pool was disappointing. It was very concrete and had a bunker-like feel. There was also a sauna, steam room and small jacuzzi here, but the loungers were uncomfortable. You have to pay extra to get in here, which may be worth it on a cold rainy day, but not if it’s sunny outside.
Things to do in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote
If you are an ‘action person’ then a holiday in Lanzarote is not for you. Lanzarote is an island where you can relax, enjoy the sunshine, play water sports and enjoy the local restaurants and bars. If you want to continue with your daily activities, you will be sadly disappointed.
Although there are a few things you can do, your Lanzarote vacation will mostly revolve around hotels and beaches (choose a good one!)
You’ll need a car to get to most places, but my friend Chloe has lots of suggestions for Wanderlust Chloe.
If you’re feeling adventurous, this volcano buggy tour looks like a lot of fun.
This full-day Lanzarote tour is the perfect way to easily see all of Lanzarote’s main attractions.
If you’re traveling with kids, spending a day at Aqualaba Waterpark is a must.
If you want to see some of Lanzarote’s best beaches and also enjoy kayaking, check out this catamaran tour to Papagayo Beach.
Thoughts on the solo spa break
- Two nights was enough. I couldn’t have been more bored and lonely.
- Lanzarote is never far away for a two-night getaway.
- The weather in Lanzarote in February was lush and green. The temperature rose to around 23 degrees Celsius, and it was sunny and very bright.
- However, a hotel with a heated pool is a must!
- I didn’t think it was weird or self-conscious to be alone.
- But I think it would have been better if my friends were with me.
- It could have been cheaper if we didn’t get the all-inclusive package deal. I don’t feel like I got my money’s worth with the all-inclusive.
- If I were to go again, I would probably book cheap flights on Ryanair and cheap accommodation on Booking.com. There are plenty of villas and plenty of places to eat out, and it’s easy to book a private transfer or grab a taxi on arrival.
- I will definitely return to Playa Blanca.
- 100% would do this again!
- If I were going with kids, I would stay at the Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel Resort as the kids club looked like a lot of fun.
If I were to go again…
If I were to go to Lanzarote again, I would definitely stay in Playa Blanca.
Book cheap flights with Ryanair (honestly, they’re really cheap from Manchester)
And I would book a small apartment like this one.
And airport transfer here.
More hotel photos
My room was really nice, but the view was disappointing.
Really nice bathroom with fluffy towels, nice products and a good shower
separate toilet
Bar lounge area with evening entertainment
Click here for rooms that can be upgraded
I loved that there were lots of different areas to sit around the hotel and plenty of loungers and chairs.
This beautiful beach is right outside the hotel
I wouldn’t do an all-inclusive again because there are so many nice places to eat and drink right outside the hotel. I want to pay a few euros and have coffee outside!
In Playa Blanca you can walk all the way along the coast and it is very beautiful in the evening
