Select Room & Board Basis | Mercury Holidays

Product Details

Gran Castillo Tagoro

This was our 3rd stay in Lanzarote, this time it was at the Gran Castillo Tagoro, we had previously stayed in 4 star hotels to the right and left of this hotel (you can find the names on google maps). Family of 4, 2 children with hidden disabilites. 

Pros:

- Hotel staff - during our entire 12-day stay, we encountered nothing but very friendly service at every level - chefs, restaurant staff, reception staff, waiters, cleaners, animation team - literally every person was friendly, smiling and always willing to help. Great people doing great work. 10/10.

- Merlin rooms - very nice rooms for children, located in a quiet part of the hotel where you can really relax and rest. The rooms worked great for our boys, who don't like loud noises. 

- Kids swimming pool with slides. Awesome, our kids spent practically 3/4 of the whole holiday there. Quiet, cool pool where you can only hear children playing and the lifeguard with his whistle :) People looking for excitement and entertainment will not find it here because: there is no music, there is no animation team, the bar located by the children's pool does not offer anything reasonable to eat (fries, burgers, nuggets etc. are offered at the bar on the other side of the hotel). A place for families with small children who want to relax in silence. This suited us just fine. If you are looking for entertainment, music, fun in general, use the main pool by the main restaurant, families looking for excitement just ran there :) 

Ok:

- Food - 

The main restaurant, Las Coloradas, is a very mixed experience. The food is very, very repetitive. You can say that after 3 days you have already seen everything that you will eat until the end of your holiday. There were days when it was nice and pleasant to eat there, there was plenty of food to choose from, but there were also days when it was very noisy, crowded, there was nowhere to sit, and many plates were almost empty. The waiters did their best, but there just wasn't enough space. It was far from what you would expect from a 5 star hotel, I have seen much better and better organised restaurants in 4 star hotels. Beware of the juices from the vending machines, on the last day, instead of juice, some liquid was flowing from it, which resembled the smell of... chlorine from a swimming pool. 

The situation with dinners was saved by the Italian restaurant, Portofino (you have to book by using the QR code), which served really great food. Calzone, Cannelloni, Italian Pizza, Pasta Bolognese or Tenderloin Steak - truly recommended. Very friendly restaurant staff, and great location, right by the children's pool with slides. 

Cons: 

- Drinks and cocktails. Here, unfortunately, I cannot write a good word. My wife is a big fan of non-alcoholic cocktails, and in all the hotels we have been to so far, she has always been happy to order her favourite drinks every evening. It turns out that in Gran Castillo, a 5-star hotel, ALL the cocktails are.... pre-made, poured straight from the machine. Forget about the bartender with the shaker who, when chatting to you, prepares you a fresh, great-looking and tasty drink. What my wife got from the machine, it was undrinkable. Some kind of syrup, so much sugar in it! It would be understandable if such "drinks" were served at the pool bar during the day, but you get the same at the main hotel bar. If you like good drinks and cocktails, I'll be honest - take the hotel on the left from Gran Castillo.

- The lifeguard at the children's pool fancied that large pool toys could be used in the children's pool only between 12:30 and 14:30 due to "swimming pool rules". I have read the rules of this swimming pool (big board outside the swimming pool), a few times, and nowhere have I found any point which says that large toys may only be used at certain times. 

- Playstation 4 in Merlin Rooms. A small thing, but neither on the hotel website nor in the room description does it say that you have a console in your room - but to get 2 pads and any game, you have to pay a 70 euro deposit...

The holiday was enjoyable, but in my opinion the Gran Castillo is absolutely not at the level of a 5-star hotel, I would say it is a mid-range among 4-star hotels. If you are planning a holiday with children and you are happy to accept the repetitive and average quality food within the AI framework, I recommend it highly. If your children or anyone in your family has hidden disabilites, we also recommend it, especially Merlin room quiet area. However, if you are a couple, want to have a good time and entertainment for adults, good drinks, cocktails and excellent food, then perhaps you'd better check out other options.

Family holiday

We stayed here for 1 week with 3 year old and 4 month old. In summary a good hotel but there are some problems and definitely not a 5 star. 

Firstly, the rooms. We had a superior family room. Very spacious with a dividing sliding door between the two sections. So you can separate the sofa bed from the bed. Very handy if you have more than one little one to reduce noise.
However, there are some issues with their rooms. 
1. No dressing gowns. Would expect these in a 5 star Hotel.
2. Lack of a fridge. Don't believe other reviews- the rooms do not have a fridge. It's a cool box which clearly states will maintain temp but not cool. We were using to refrigerate our babies expressed breast milk but wasn't cold enough. Had to get ice daily to try and keep it cold enough. Reception's solution was to suggest we keep it at their reception fridge- obviously a 10 min walk to get milk from the kids zone to reception every time our 4 month old wanted milk, including in the night is not an adequate solution. The bars would refuse to give ice on multiple occasions I had to argue to obtain it. Very poor considering this Is meant to be a family resort. 
3. Shower- very hot and cold not change the temperature.

Pools- very cold. 

Food- we were half board. Breakfast not bad but same every day. Evening themed buffets reasonable but not anything amazing. And absolute chaos and so loud all the time, not a calming atmosphere to eat in at all. 

Parks generally good. 

Baby club- non existentent (up to 4 years)

In general good stay, but wouldn't stay again. There are better children's/family resorts.

Good but not 5 star

We loved this hotel during our stay, everything was fine up until the day before when I found a dried brown substance smeared across my toothbrush which smelled foul like faeces. 

We are not posting this review to be malicious, we tried to resolve this matter with the hotel but they showed no accountability and they were even a little  patronising in their response, suggesting the maid had proper cleaning utensils to clean so wouldn’t need to use my toothbrush for cleaning purposes. ( I don’t think that’s the reason my toothbrush had poo on it) 
I have attached screenshots of all Correspondence between ourselves and the hotel. 

As a reader of this review it’s up to you what you take from this, but I will offer some advice if you visit this hotel, hide your toothbrushes and don’t wait until the end of your holiday to tip the maid if you’re putting the do not disturb sign on the door. 

 We feel this may have massively inconvenienced the maid without realising, at the start of the week she seemed so lovely but as our room was on the corner I think she wanted to be in our room first to clean, it was a little too early for us so we politely asked for more time that day and every day after this we left the do not disturb sign on the door the night before so she would know not to come too early. 
 
This ruined the last two days of our holiday, and really upset me that we could have angered a person so much that they would do something so disgusting. 
Please feel free to read the screenshots attached for more context.

Beautiful hotel, until I found suspicious substance on my toothbrush

We were going to Gran Castillo year after year and that stopped somewhere in the region  2018.   Prior to that we went every year for about 5 years straight.      In. 2024 we thought we would try it again.    Talk about night and day.   If you have kids that you want to leave alone and drive others crazy this is the place for you.    Parents who let there kids do whatever they want, run around with plates, sit them on counters and scream.     We thought it was a car crash.      So before you say why didn't you go to the adult section.   Well we did, and it was a enviroment with no atmosphere and a bar tender with a  bit of a chip.   Do get me wrong he wasn't rude but could clearly see he could not wait to get out of there.    We watched close up and he starts about 20 min to the hour and the bar is completely shut at 1 min to  the hour.    Years ago you had sandwiches in a fridge etc... all gone....   The food in the main Resturant was good but the noice and dogging kids ruined it.      The cocktails were all from cartons and were not good at all.   So bad that we avoided all together...  A mojito tasted like Gatorade with ice.    As far as the pool bar goes again nothing like before.    Much of its precooked kept behind the counter so you have to ask for it.    For example if you as for a burger, he gets a cooked burger heats it up and slaps on bun.    It's dry, overcooked and you wonder why you bothered.      The entertainment was watching kids run riot around the stage and parents thinking they are the most perfect souls in the world while they drive you nuts.   

So after all this you can see why we had a terrible time.   But there is some good, the room, fantastic great room, super view, big etc... wonderful.   So if you want to go get your food and sit in the room all day this is perfect for you .

I am not happy to write a review like this but im sorry to say this is the end of Gran Castello for us.

What a change 2018 to 2024

Entertainment- Daytime not much going on, although we sat around the main pool everyday.

Kid Club-  They need to be booked in prior to going, space may not be available.

Evening Entertainment- Good Shows for all of the family.

Food - Not outstanding, definitely not 4-5 Star. I like my food hot, this was not the case.

Pool Side - Plenty of beds, you don’t have to get up at silly o’clock for a bed.  Although they have life guards around the pool, they are busy with other duties, Towels, helping to collect cups.

Pool Snack Bar - Snacks available for children, chicken, nuggets, Chips etc

Grounds - Well Maintained by gardeners, and cleaning staff.

Staff - All staff really lovely, and couldn’t do enough for you.

Since our previous visits things have changed, I take it is down to cost.

At the end of the day, good value, for the price paid.

Honest opinion

Carefully decorated in calming shades of cream, beige and yellow, with light wooden furniture and plush fabrics, the clever design creates a subtle division of sleeping and living areas, without affecting the openness of the room. There is a king size or two single beds, a sofa bed in the integrated lounge area and a large fully equipped bathroom with twin basins, jet shower and bathtub. 
Other features include tea and coffee-making facilities, a furnished terrace, complimentary safety deposit box, pillow menu, mini-fridge and bathrobes.

Superior Room

This option offers one very important extra - the chance to lose yourself as you contemplate the awesome Atlantic Ocean from your terrace. The sleeping area offers a king size or two single beds, while the integrated lounge boasts a comfortable sofa bed and coffee table. Freshen up in the large, fully fitted bathroom, with twin basins and a massage jet shower, or enjoy a relaxing soak in the bathtub after a day in the sun. 
Other features include tea and coffee-making facilities, a furnished terrace, complimentary safety deposit box, pillow menu, mini-fridge and bathrobes

Twin Seaview Room

With a tremendous amount of space, these bright and airy Superior Family Rooms with a chic interior feature a large furnished terrace, a private bathroom with a massage jet shower, separate seating areas, tea and coffee making facilities, safety deposit box, pillow menu, mini-fridge, hairdryer, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi.

Superior Family Room



The Gran Castillo Tagoro, previously known as the Dream Gran Castillo Resort, is a luxurious and popular property located in a picturesque part of Playa Blanca not far from Playa Papagayo beach, on the southern coast.

Enjoying sweeping views over the sea and surrounding scenery and featuring design inspired by 16th century Canarian history and colonial architecture, this hotel is an excellent choice for your stay on the warm and welcoming island of Lanzarote

##### Choose to relax and unwind in stunning surroundings:

Within its lavishly designed exterior you will find an array of leisure facilities including a number of restaurants and lounges, an extensive spa and range of activities and entertainment. There are also 11 swimming pools to enjoy which are located around the hotel's extensive grounds and terraces.#

Light and airy Superior Rooms are decorated in a classic maritime style fitting to the hotel's location. They have a spacious terrace with scenic views of the surrounding area to relax on. All rooms have an en suite bathroom with jet massage shower and are also equipped with a range of amenities such as a satellite TV, safe, telephone, hairdryer, mini bar* and FREE Wi-Fi.. Upgrades to a Superior Comfort Room, Seaview Room, Junior Suite and Senior Suite are available at a supplement.


North America

Canada

Escorted Tours

South East Asia

Philippines

Private Tours

Africa

Madagascar

Vietnam

Holidays

Escorted Rail Journeys

Europe

Malta

Namibia

East Asia

Taiwan

Indian Subcontinent

Bhutan

Portugal

All trip types

River Cruises

Botswana

Central Asia

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Tibet

Cambodia

Thailand

Multi-Centres

Latin America

Costa Rica

Mongolia

Middle East

Dubai

Indian Ocean

Maldives

Mauritius

Kenya

Sri Lanka

Australasia

Australia

Cuba

Japan

South Korea

South Africa

Cyprus

France

Indonesia

Kyrgyzstan

Czech Republic

China

Morocco

Tanzania

Peru

Brazil

Albania

Kerala

Chile

Nepal

Escorted Walking Tours

Ethiopia

Algarve

Romania

Jordan

Borneo

Malaysia

Uzbekistan

India

Turkey

Tenerife

Madeira

Lanzarote

Benidorm

Bali

Croatia

New Zealand

Fly Drives

Mexico

Israel

Ecuador

Egypt

Netherlands

Norway

Italy

Spain

Seychelles

Iceland

Austria

Oman

Gozo

United Arab Emirates

Costa del Sol

Greece

Gran Canaria

Caribbean

Antigua

Grenada

Majorca

Saint Lucia

Abu Dhabi

Barbados

Fuerteventura

Opening Times

Mercury Holidays opening times

About Us

Contact us

Online Brochures

Order a FREE Brochure

Terms and Conditions

ABTA & ATOL

How to Book

Holiday Insurance

Airport Extras

Charities we support

Early Holiday Booking

Privacy Policy

More Info

All inclusive holidays are all about keeping things simple and stress-free. Leaving you with the sense of relaxation, knowing everything is covered and there are no extra expenses!

All-Inclusive

Pay no extra for being a solo traveller with our no single supplement special offers!

No Single Supplement & Solo Offers

Stay longer for less, with our stay 14 nights pay for 7 nights holiday deal! This offer is available with a great selection of our hotels

2nd Week Free & 14 Night Offers

Stay 21 nights pay for 14 nights! Choose one of our excellent value long stay holiday offers. Stay longer for less!

Trip Type

Sort by

More Info (view all)

Gran Castillo Tagoro

Choose to relax and unwind in stunning surroundings: