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I happened to be working in Gran Canaria and decided to take a couple of days off to go with the family on a staycation. So we decided to go to the Gran Hotel Lopesan Villa del Conde. Located in Maspalomas.
It is a colorful five-star hotel designed after traditional Canary villages with tiny houses and buildings spread across. The main building replicates the church of Aguimes, also in Gran Canaria.
Location-wise, it is barely 100 meters away from the sea connecting to the main promenade of Costa Meloneras.
We had three days stay, and I will break down the most important events in this post.
Check-in & Check-out at Lopesan Villa del Conde
We arrived around 2 PM. The impressive dome where the reception is located makes you feel as if you were in a cathedral. When we approached the reception desk, there were not many people. Nevertheless, they were well staffed, and it barely took us 30 seconds to be attended by one of the receptionists. She asked for our IDs and started the checking process by explaining all the hotel facilities to us.
She gave us a map and explained where the rooms, entertainment areas, and restaurants were. This is a tricky hotel as it is divided into different buildings and Vilas, and it is easy to get lost. Still, they were concise, giving instructions, so we were confident every moment about where our room was.
We got a lovely junior suite, but since we had come sharply at 2 PM, it wasn’t clear from the previous guest. They invited us for a welcome drink and to the bar downstairs, and they said they would send us a message as soon as the room was ready.
As soon as we filled up the checking form (on an iPad), I started receiving SMS messages on my phone—our turn for breakfast and dinner. We were hosted on half board, and this is a big hotel where many families come for vacation; therefore, they organize the dinner and breakfast in turns so that it won’t be chaos.
Around 45 minutes later and while enjoying our welcome drink, I received an SMS on my phone stating that the room was ready you should go to. So after collecting the small luggage they nicely stored for us, we headed to the room.
We also asked to pay directly at the point of sales. As we didn’t have any credit, checkout was a matter of dropping our hotel card keys in a box. They reminded us by SMS the day before, so check-out was straightforward.
Rooms
Rooms at the Lopesan Villa del Conde are lovely outside and on the inside. We enjoyed every bit of our stay. Our room had stunning views with two balconies—one equipped with a table where I did some work overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Internet connection is free, so I could spend some time working in the morning before heading to the pool. The rooms are checked every morning and afternoon for amenities and to prepare the beds.
There are plenty of amenities in the spacious washroom, all of their premium quality Scrubs for the skin, shampoo conditioner, and every kind of lotion. The towels are soft and large. They also place one pool towel per person in the room.
An excellent detail is that they offer a large pool plastic bag to pack towels and pool or beach gadgets in every room. Very useful.
Additionally, we got a bottle of Cava and strawberries with chocolate. Nice touch, thank you, Lopesan Villa del Conde.
Entertainment
The day we reached was a bank holiday on the island, so there was quite a lot of local crowd. When we finished preparing ourselves to go down after check-in, there was a vivid party in the main pool. Everybody was dancing, playing games, eating and drinking. The hotel entertainment team directs everything. It was a fun vibe, and we stayed there until 7 PM, enjoying the party.
The hotel has an extensive entertainment program, from bingo to activities for the kids, aerobics, water spinning, and every kind of game.
At night, around nine and after dinner, there is a show in the central plaza. We saw the magic show, and it was amusing.
There was so much to do inside the hotel that we didn’t have time to go to the beach.
The mini club is the place for the kids to have fun. Caretakers have a program in the morning and the afternoon, and you can leave the little ones for a couple of hours.
This is very convenient as they can interact with other kids while you enjoy a nice lunch at their pool restaurant.
Common Areas
There are several pools at the grand hotel Villa del Conde. One is quiet, and they don’t allow kids to let people rest and relax.
But that’s not a problem because there are many other options. Large pools were across the center of the hotel and even one for kids next to the Miniclub.
The central pool is more like a lake and has several shores with sand resembling a beach. There are many sunbeds, but in busy seasons is recommended to go early to grab one in a good location.
There is a pool at the end of the hotel with seawater. That was the one we enjoyed the most. It’s like swimming in the crystal clear sea.
There are several bars across the hotel, some of them in the sand themselves, so it is easy to grab a drink or something to eat without going too far. They also offer service on the sunbeds, so you dont need to go anywhere to call someone.
The central plaza with the “church” just behind is spectacular and is where the significant activities happen in the hotel.
The reception is enormous, and it resembles a cathedral. It’s majestic to go inside. The only flaw is that the bar at the reception the lobby bar is closed for some reason, and it looked a bit sad.
We didn’t have time to try the Spa (called Thalasso and charged separately), but the word is that it is a true mindfulness and wellness experience. In addition, they have a line of beauty and health products that is the same as you find in the rooms.
Restaurants and Bars at Lopesan Villa del Conde
There are two main buffet restaurants where breakfast and dinner take place. One is called the patio, and the other is La plaza. La Plaza is a vast buffet restaurant where drinks are served, but you help yourself with the food. The selection is extensive, and it’s not only big but also excellent.
Breakfast has way more things than you will be able to try. Remarkable are the lavish fruit stations.
For dinner, we had different kinds of fish, all very fresh. The meat is of a prime quality, live cooked at the point you wish. You can get fresh pasta or wok from one of the chefs at the live cooking stations. There is a vast range of bread, side dishes, and desserts.
The dinner they offer is not monotonous as we experienced international and Asian theme dinners there. During the Asian dinner, they served sushi, Asian rice and noodles, curry, and some Chinese cuisine. On the other hand, there is also a huge option for vegetarians and for those who are not so adventurous with flavors.
There were three live cooking stations: meat, fish, and wok.
This is not a fine dining restaurant, but for a vacation resort, I must say that the food was very high-quality, and we were happily surprised.
For lunch, we liked the restaurant by the pool called Alpendre. Again, fresh and quality food with surprisingly affordable prices is cheaper than the restaurants on the promenade.
There is an à la carte restaurant called OVO, fine casual dining, where you can have dinner.
There are several bars across the hotel, and the one in the central plaza is where the show happens after dinner. In addition, they have another chillout bar next to the sea where you can enjoy the sunset with a cocktail.
Customer experience.
We left with a feeling of having a good experience. All the staff was kind. They were accommodating requests from anyone, which is a lot to do because the hotel was bustling when we went in August.
The servers always have a smile on their faces and are keen to help. Reception is impressively helpful. They would help you navigate the ample hotel facilities and activities. Housekeeping came every day and made sure we had everything we needed.
One morning we left our things in a sunbed on our way for breakfast. In the meantime, they took our things to clean the sunbeds. When we went inquiry, the pool boys immediately returned our bag, explained that they took it to clean, and helped us find another sunbed.
I received an SMS mid-stay asking how things were going and if there was anything they could do to improve our experience. So that was another nice touch.
I hope they will use more SMS subscriptions during my next stay. For example, chef recommendations, today’s lunch menu or specials, and the beginning of activities (I missed bingo).
Conclusion
Overall we had an excellent stay, and I stress the staff’s kindness and the food quality. Outstanding facilities well-maintained with so many options for kids and grown-ups to spend a few days under the sun having fun.
The concept of a village is very creative, and sometimes we felt we were not in a hotel but rather in an old Spanish village.
Lopesan Villa del Conde is a vacation hotel, so do not expect anything fancy. Nevertheless, it’s a five-star experience, and I won’t remove any single bit of a star from it. I found the experience to provide good value for money.
