Any family of 5 will tell you that it is best to book a holiday well in advance. We aren't always that organised though! Our stay at the Barcelo Lanzarote was booked a few months before the summer holidays and we only had a limited number of places to choose from where we were all able to stay together. Don't get me on the whole subject of hotels not guaranteeing that you can have interconnecting rooms. I have to say my expectations for the Barcelo weren't that high (mainly as I looked at Tripadvisor and someone had given it 1 star for being too breezy!)  So luckily I was pleasantly surprised with our stay.

Costa Teguise is only 20 mins transfer from Arrecife airport, but you will not hear any plane noise at resort. The Barcelo Lanzarote is one of the first hotels in the resort. There is not much around it and it takes around 30 mins to walk into town. There is a lovely coastal walk but it has no shade and is a bit far with our boys. This wasn't a problem as there is a courtesy bus that runs from the hotel into town once an hour in the day and the taxis are inexpensive if you choose a different time. 

The room (family suite) was on the small side but we coped. It would be fine for a family of four as there is a bunk bed and two singles. the sofa is also a bed if like us you need it. There is a fridge and microwave. There is also a safe that can be used for an extra charge. 

Bunk beds separated from main room via blind

We were on an all inclusive package which with small children we find works well. We actually chose to eat all our meals at the hotel as we felt that we wouldn't find a better range that the boys would eat elsewhere in the resort. There was always salad and fruit along with freshly cooked meats. The danger is filling up your plate too much.

There is also an a la carte restaurant that we had a booking made for the Thursday. This wasn't very different to the main restaurant to be honest. Although it is was nice to have your dinner bought to you rather than rushing around the buffet with three children wanting everything.

There are 3 swimming pools. A children's pool, a bigger one with slides and a deeper pool where water polo is played and you can use your inflatables. 

There was crazy golf which just required a deposit for the clubs.

We didn't make use of the kids club but there were lots of activities going on day and night. There were also lots of planned adults activities such as water polo, Zumba and crazy golf.

We had a lovely time at the resort, and even though the resort is a little way out from the centre of Costa Teguise we didn't find it an issue.