Reviews by Lanzarote Retreats Guests

One of the most relaxing and fun holidays we have ever had! And that goes for adults, children aged 13, 12 & 10 and a 18 month old baby! Quite a feat!
Eco Chico and Chiquitita yurts were lovely, the chickens, eggs, donkey, the Finca overall and the beach nearby were all great. Add to that a beautiful island, friendly people (both the locals and the Finca team) and fab food, and you have a recipe for an ideal holiday.
We'll be back!

One of the most relaxing and fun holidays we have ever had! And that goes for adults, children aged 13, 12 & 10 and a 18 month old baby! Quite a feat!
Eco and Chiquitita yurts were lovely, the chickens, eggs, donkey, the Finca overall and the beach nearby were all great. Add to that a beautiful island, friendly people (both the locals and the Finca team) and fab food, and you have a recipe for an ideal holiday.
We'll be back!

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We found Lanzarote very interesting, particularly the volcanic areas and various Cesar Manrique projects and did considerably more sight-seeing than anticipated on what was essentially a beach holiday. The beaches were varied and lovely, the Canarian food sensational and the yurt accommodation was charming, comfortable and as sociable or private as guests preferred it to be. The boat trip to La Graciosa and catamaran trip to Punta Papagayo were
particularly enjoyable experiences.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
We pre-arranged car hire for four days of our fortnight and ended up extending that for a further week, as although Arrieta is in easy walking distance and has beach, supermarkets and restaurants, there was so much to do further afield. Car hire was extremely good value (as is everything in Lanzarote).
Other than that, just book your trip for as long as possible, safe in the knowledge that you can look forward to a brilliant holiday. The owners and staff couldn't have been more helpful which meant that we could relax from the moment we touched down to the moment we joined the queue for check in. (Thanks Michelle, Tila, Jill, Manuel and co. x)

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, Lanzarote Retreats use solar and wind power, rubbish is sorted for recycling and there are bikes available for guest's use. A number of local people are employed at the finca and the owners seem very supportive of other Lanzarote businesses.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent - very relaxing, but also educational. The holiday was perfect for our family with three children between 9 and 14 yrs, but seemed equally suitable for those traveling as couples, or with toddlers and babies. We have never previously repeated a holiday, but this is one destination that we will seriously consider going back to.

Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

**** Some wonderful memories, I would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend

This was our first time to Lanzarote and we're really pleased to have spent it in the Beach House. Perfect location, literally down some steps (not steep) to the beach - where the wind surfing is amazing, supermarkets, cafe's and restaurants. The spa pool is very relaxing, the top deck is perfect for sunbathing and drying off after a lovely dip. The kitchen facilities are more than adequate, but the dishwasher didn't dry the pots and we were only left one tea towel for a week. We decided to sleep in the twin room, next door to the lovely big bathroom, which has loads of wardrobe space and is very comfortable. We were more than happy here and would love to stay again. Michelle and staff are very accommodating and relaxed and nothing appears to be too much trouble. Would we recommend a stay here? Without hesitation :-)

If you're looking for a holiday that encompasses the comforts you would enjoy in your own home, while enabling you to relax in your own pool, within minutes stroll to the harbour in Costa Teguise then this is the place to stay. A wonderfully quiet haven in Lanzarote. We will definitely return again.

What a fantastic weeks holiday we’ve had – 6 nights Garden Cottage and 1 night in the Chiquitita yurts. The quality of the accommodation, friendliness and helpfulness of the Braddock family and staff made the week very special. We added an extra dimension to our holiday by leaving at home our mobile phones, laptops, Nintendo DS and the electronic gadgets we’ve come to rely on. We also decided on no car hire and to use public transport to explore the island, included in this was a determination to use shops, bars and restaurants in Arrieta choosing our food daily and not succumbing to the traditional “Supermarket” shop.
So how did we do? We loved being 10 minutes walk from Arrieta. We’d buy fresh bread twice a day from the village and for breakfast eggs were gleefully collected from the Finca’s brood. We had walking shoes with us for the path to the beach/Arrieta and would change into a Summer sandals by the beach bars. 3 days we used the Arrecife bus, it took us to The Cactus Garden in Guatiza – a real “wow”, The Cesar Manrique Foundation – “stunning” and Costa Teguise via Arrecife.
Our 11 year old son is half boy/ half fish and we jumped at the chance to go on the organised trip to La Graciosa so that he could snorkel in the marine reserve. Not enough people booked the trip but Tila enabled us to do the trip independently. At Graciosa we walked to Playa Francesa ourselves and it really was a snorkelers dream. The free tourist guide book also recommended snorkelling at Playa Jabillo’s man made lagoon, Costa Teguise. After the great success of La Graciosa we headed here. Snorkelling was terrific but 5 hours in Costa Teguise reminded us about how special the Eco accommodation at Finca de Arrieta is – we hailed a taxi for a swift return!
Are we going to book again? Yes! We want to show off this gem to family and friends.
Would we do anything differently? Yes! Next time we will hire a car but the other modern trappings we’ll happily leave behind.

Just back from staying at Casa Lila. Probably one of the best generally equipped Villa's I have ever stayed at. Punta Mujeres is fairly quiet but great location for relaxing or exploring the island. Michelle and her team are very helpful and great fun! We will definatley be using Lanzarote Retreats again but in another location to experience other locations. Casa Lila is a lovely villa and we do not see how anyone would be disappointed staying here however a car is essential as not much nightlife nearby, but we went for a relatively relaxing holiday so were not too bothered. We actually got engaged whilst there!!!!! Thanks for an enjoyable holiday Michelle....

We had a really great holiday in the chico Yurt. I wish I had a garden so I could put up my own! Fresh eggs everyday, bbqing fresh fish bought from La Graciosa and beautifull stary skys... all contributed to a great stay. Thank you

Thank you all for a truly relaxing and fun family break. It has been our most successful family holiday to date and we hope and plan to return in 2011 with a new baby in tow. Our boys, aged 2 & 3, relished their freedom and roamed around the site visiting the animals and their new found friends. It was our first visit to the island and we were really taken with the North, there are lots of beautiful beaches and villages to visit and our favourite restaurants were right on the doorstep in Arrieta. I'd really like to keep this hidden jem to ourselves but if you must visit I hope you find it as wonderful as we did.

We have just returned from Villa Palmitas. We have had a great holiday. We have been in the house for 2 weeks with 4 adults, a 2 year old child and a baby. It's really child friendly!!!
Good service, great house, short-drive from the airport and located between Puerto Calero and Puerto del Carmen.
What do you need more?
Fabulous!!!!

Had a great week in the Eco Yurt. Very comfortable and relaxing. This was our first time to Lanzarote and exceeded all our expectations. The volcanoes were fascinating and there were lovely quiet beaches to relax on or to walk along. The various tourist sites designed by Cesar Manrique were great to visit and not at all touristy. Finally we found some great restaurants and cafes to eat in. Michelle and Tilla do a great job making the experience in Lanzarote a great one. Thanks to you both for that.

Hi Michele & Tila,

Many thanks for a great holiday, the villa was wonderful, plenty of room for us all. All the extras with toys, travel cots etc make it great and very easy with children. Hope to be back before the year is out!

Thank you once again, Caroline & Hannah

"This is our second time staying with Lanzerotte Retreats and without doubt it’s the mixture of style, luxury, green living and warm welcome from Michelle, Tila, the kids and the donkey who all make you feel like one of the family. We had the best of both worlds splitting our 14 night break in April between the Eco Chiquitita Yurts followed by Fishermans Cottage. It really was a great combination for my husband and I. Marc likes to hop on a wave and check out the surf and I like hopping onto one of the bikes and pottering around the beaches and little shops. The free fresh eggs from the on-site chickens is the perfect way to start the day and a massage at sunset from the lovely Joy is a must. Michelle can organise for her to come to you. We both had a massage in Fishermans Cottage looking over the sea at sunset...lovely. Thanks for another great holiday. We love how you guys approach your business and life style. Luxury, Green, Friendly and refreshing – perfect. Julia Jasmin Gupta and Marc Rowedder xxxxx"

Stayed March 31st until April 12th

"This is our second time staying with Lanzerotte Retreats and without doubt it’s the mixture of style, luxury, green living and warm welcome from Michelle, Tila, the kids and the donkey who all make you feel like one of the family. We had the best of both worlds splitting our 14 night break in April between the Eco Chiquitita Yurts followed by Fishermans Cottage. It really was a great combination for my husband and I. Marc likes to hop on a wave and check out the surf and I like hopping onto one of the bikes and pottering around the beaches and little shops. The free fresh eggs from the on-site chickens is the perfect way to start the day and a massage at sunset from the lovely Joy is a must. Michelle can organise for her to come to you. We both had a massage in Fishermans Cottage looking over the sea at sunset...lovely. Thanks for another great holiday. We love how you guys approach your business and life style. Luxury, Green, Friendly and refreshing – perfect. Julia Jasmin Gupta and Marc Rowedder xxxxx"

A brilliant holiday. We stayed in the Yurt Suite which was super luxurious - loads of space, gorgeous furnishings, fluffy towels, fully kitted out kitchen and brilliant bath. Our 18 month old loved it. She spent all day running round the yurt, playing with the piles of toys available, feeding the chickens, snoozing on the day bed. Lanzarote itself was a pleasant surprise - lots to see, food was great and really easy to pop out for trips in the morning and still have whole afternoon to relax at beach or pool. Also, the babysitting was easy to set up so had some great nights out too. Thanks Michelle and Tila!

a truly memorable trip for all of us - our 3 children LOVED it (all boys aged 4,3 and 9 months) - really felt at home - loads of outside space to run around in and perfectly placed in Lanzarote to do stress free day trips

Michelle, Tila and all their kids were so welcoming and helpful

I can't wait to recommend this place to friends and really hope that we return next year (would definately try the yurts out next time)

THANKS xxx

We had a great stay, the yurts were wonderfully peaceful spaces.thank you

Stayed for a week in Casa Hibiscus in May 2010. The owners were very hospitable , friendly and obviously cared about customer service.They even gave us a lift to a local restaurant and back. The house is very clean and well equiped in a pleasant, quiet Spanish Village with small bars and two good local restaurants. There are idyllic quiet beaches just North of the village. Great place to stay if you want to avoid busy resorts.

Just got back from a brilliant 10 day spell at the Finca. We all loved it! We stayed in the Twin Yurts for the first week, and then the last few days in the Eco Chico Yurt (thanks Michelle for being so flexible when our flights were cancelled!). We were on holiday with our two girls (3.5 and 2 yrs). They loved the freedom of the Finca, and totally fell in love with Molly (they haven't stopped talking about her since we got back). The location of the Finca is perfect to explore the island, the local beach is superb for kids and the beach bar does delicious (kiddy friendly) tapas and delicious Mojitos. The atmosphere is so chilled, and we were able to have a very relaxing holiday and fun filled break... What Michelle and Tila have achieved with the Finca is a triumph!

Just spent a week in the Eco Garden Cottage and had a fabulous time. The Cottage is lovely as are the shared areas - the pool area is stunning. Our son made good use of the trampoline and Molly the Donkey (she was very accommodating!). A great place for families with young children with both toys and tolerance in abundance! We very much enjoyed exploring the north of the island and found a fantastic beach on the road to Orzola and enjoyed a trip to the island of Graciosa. Enjoyed sampling food / fish at numerous places. Will be back next year.