Parent Review – Lopeson Baobab, Maspalomas

The Flight

The flight from Dublin took just over 4 hours. We brought plenty of distractions for our son such as an etch a sketch, a laptop with DVDs and a few books and toys. We also brought plenty of snacks and milk. The flight there was ok. There were a few meltdowns and socks were thrown at the man in front of us (who was not impressed) but we managed to distract him and finally he fell asleep with one hour to go. On arrival we collected our luggage and stroller from the baggage carousel and headed for our bus. We got to our hotel by 11.30pm and our son slept soundly until 9 the next morning. The flight home was a different matter… the lap top ran out of battery, we had no milk and the toys we brought had lost their allure. There were a lot of meltdowns and I pretty much watched the clock the whole way home. It was all worth it though!

The Hotel

We booked the Lopeson Baobab Hotel on a half board package which included breakfast and dinner. The hotel has a strong African theme and is absolutely huge with 7 pools including a  fake beach with shallow water and a fantastic enclosed toddler and kids pool with slides, a seesaw and loads of water toys. There is also an indoor ball pit, a bouncy castle, table tennis, fantastic changing facilities throughout the hotel and a kids disco at 1pm and 8pm. There are also fake animals throughout the grounds such as zebras, elephants, giraffes and flamingos. Our son was almost shaking with excitement on the first day when he met the hotel’s mascot, Panchi, a giant shark which the kids seem to love.

The rooms are air-conditioned with a balcony and clothes drying line. There is also a large bath and wet room. There was no kettle in our room but the hotel can arrange a baby kit if you pre book it with all your essentials included. The hotel is also completely stroller accessible and is designed with kids in mind.

The buffet is great with fresh meat and fish prepared while you wait and a great selection of kids dishes. For breakfast you get omelettes, eggs, cereal, fruits, yoghurt, toast, pancakes and of course churros, a Spanish favourite consisting of a long donut with hot chocolate. For dinner there is fruit, meats, pasta, fish and chicken nuggets and much more.



There is also evening entertainment and baby sitting can be arranged although we did not avail of this.

There is a beauty solon on site but no spa. The Lopesan Costa Melanores is the sister hotel of Lopesan Baobab and is just across the road. This hotel has a spa and you can book treatments through reception.

The Town

Melanores is  a sophisticated town on the southern coast of Gran Canaria. The weather in April is an ideal 22/23 degrees Celcius, perfect for younger kids. It is close to both Maspalomas and Playa de Ingles. The beach at Maspaolmas is about 600 metres from the hotel as is Maspalomas lighthouse. Our son loved the beach and its clean and sandy but the water can be a bit choppy. There is a large shopping centre and a great water front area filled with restaurants, bars, cafes and designer shops. There is also a walkway to the famous sand dunes. You can also walk to the Melanores beach which is almost 2km from the hotel. This is smaller, more compact beach with a few restaurants and bars dotted along it. We ate lunch out on the water front every day while our son napped.

There are also plenty of supermarkets selling nappies, baby food, formula and fresh milk. The cows milk was always gone in the evenings so buy it earlier in the day.

Activities

We took day trips to Palmitos Park and to Puerto de Mogan. Palmitos Park was stunning, set into the hills at the end of a long canyon. There were tropical plants and birds and loads of monkeys and other creatures. There was also an aquarium. I would highly recommend it! We booked a trip to Puerto de Mogan through Thomson and were driven by bus to Puerto Rico where we got on a boat to Mogan. The town was stunning and there was a play ground in the centre which our son loved. I looked around the market which had a lot of handbags and jewellery and my son absolutely loved the beach. Its much calmer than the beach in Maspalomas and its small and perfect for kids.

All in all we had a fantastic trip. Our son was happy so we were happy!! I would recommend the area for a family holiday.

By Susan