Las Marismas, Fuerteventura

pancakes101

Hi, just wondering if anyone has stayed at the Las Marismas hotel in Fuerteventura, looking at booking a holiday there and just want to get some peoples opinions on the hotel and if what the all inclusive options like? thanks!

murfinsurfin

It's one of the better hotels in Corralejo, backing onto the waterpark & the market. I used to leave lots of travellers there when I worked part time for Budget Travel, every one of them loved it. Our best friends stayed there in 2009 & we ate there with them, the food was quite good. Heading towards town centre turn right instead of left & you will hit El Campanario, a shopping centre with the cheaper supermarket, HiperDino, but in the square is a regular market, music sessions with open air restaurants. You're close enough to town, 10-15 mins walk to centre, but far enough away from the bustle to relax.

mikedragon32

Great hotel, clean, big rooms, pool and surrounds are spotless, but I would not do all inclusive there as the food wasn't all that great quality. Although, if you have kids it probably would make sense as they can get ice-cream, drinks and snacks all day without hassling you for cash!

Blizzard

We loved this apartment hotel. Definitely one of the better in Corralejo-great apartments, lovely grounds, very clean and well kept. We've stayed elsewhere in Corralejo and would only stay there if travelling there again. See for yourself by checking tripadvisor.com.

I would definitely second what previous poster said about not going all-inclusive (unless you got it dirt cheap) as it's a short walk to the main strip where all the restaurants are-and better food and selection to choose from. We travelled with kids and had stuff bought from shop and usually stayed around kiddie pool or in between the kiddie and larger pool - away from restaurant/pool restaurant so they never really asked for anything and if they wanted something we got snacks from the apartment. There is a shop on site although we didn't go there but used one in town.

Also, I think this hotel usually accommodates families with young children in the ground floor apartments near the pool. Wouldn't hesitate recommending it.

Oh, only drawback is there is no air-conditioning but this wasn't a problem as we were there for Easter and New Years times. Having said that after a visit to Lanzarote in August when there was a heat wave we were delighted to have an apartment with a/c. Just something some people might require. I do think they have ceiling fans.

Lastly, we rented a car and there is car parking available inside the gates just beside the hotel entrance and no extra charge for this. Enjoy.

murfinsurfin

I probably didn't express myself right with my first post, I would never recommend All-inclusive, even to my worst enemy. We had lunch there during the day twice, it was pretty good, cheap etc. All-inclusives destroy the areas they are in, as local cafes & restaurants get nothing. A friend of mine had a cafe that did the best burgers I have ever tasted, eat your heart out Eddie Rockets, The 'armbands' crew called in on a regular basis, the worst of them ordered a 1.5 litre of water, between 6 of them. I'm not saying they should not be there, but we need the mix, & most fo the restaurants here are very good, with some exceptions.
We're here for a week as I write, in Erika apartments, on the beach, opposite Waikiki, God this is heaven, right in the middle of Carnival. Going down to Rosie's for the Lamb special later, if you know what I'm talking about I bet you're jealous.
And free WiFi to boot.

Blizzard

murfinsurfin wrote: »

We're here for a week as I write, in Erika apartments, on the beach, opposite Waikiki, God this is heaven, right in the middle of Carnival. Going down to Rosie's for the Lamb special later, if you know what I'm talking about I bet you're jealous.
And free WiFi to boot.

I'm very jealous. Enjoy your holiday!:D

meg3178

Check out the photos and reviews as well on www.tripadvisor.co.uk. The posts above are very similar to on T.A. Enjoy your holiday. We're going to Corralejo in July, staying in a private complex, as the flights from Shannon were great value and the cost of the trip was cheaper in total than any of the brochures. Have a great time.

murfinsurfin

Just back, after a fantastic week, got there Saturday, the rains had stopped Friday. Did a meal in Rosie O'Gradys, the lamb was superb, &, of course, a meal in Sombrero, can't believe we've been doing that for 14 years, & they still have the same staff, must be doing something right. Las Palmeras shopping centre is finally open, the one opposite the petrol station, & El Campanario seems to be running down a bit already. Vodafone have pulled out, as well as a few others.
We stayed in Erika Apartments, went with Sunway. Their rep is Leonardo, the Italian Pat Kenny, don't get to close or you will get splinters. The Erika was done by Budget in the old days, but they have had a makeover like you would not believe. Free WiFi, so safe, so clean. Then when it really gets hot, whisper air conditioning at €40 per week. Even with Waikiki going full blast, we slept like logs, because of the triple glazed windows. Only drawback, the loo is internal,with no extraction fan, so bring a scented candle, & don't stay with casual acquaintances, it could be embarrassing.
There are extra Policia Local , so it's very safe, but they are getting bored, so be careful when driving, they seem to be using every little known law to get extra revenue.
El Cotillo is still as beautiful as ever, my darling wife pointing out on the nudist beaches, the amount of Brown Thomas branches:D

mikedragon32

Sombrero was one of the highlights for us in Corralejo.

We ate there twice on our holiday there (it was one of only two we returned to) and really loved it. As we were there late the second time, the chef joined us for a drink and a chat.

Fuerte is certainly my favourite of the four main tourist islands. Will have to take a look at Erika, but I reckon next time we go, we'll go south.

murfinsurfin

Only problem about down south is that they only speak Spanish & German, very little English is spoken. Remember also, it gets much hotter than North Island. We went down south in 2005, it was 31C in Corralejo, but it was 44C in Jandia. TUI(Thompson) sent a Load of English there in 2007, a not to be repeated effort as far as the tourists were concerned.

mikedragon32

Only problem about down south is that they only speak Spanish & German, very little English is spoken.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

murfinsurfin

Nein bitte, no es problemo para us multilinguals, it's just that the Germans have been coming to the south since 1933, the observation villa & the airstrip is still there, many of the senior staff from the WW2 Eastern Front came at the end, some great stories, but German sense of humour is an acquired taste.
The real problem, I find, is the heat, at Calima time in summer, it can reach just under 50C, not the nicest place to be.

Good German joke about the guy staying in the hotel who is not happy with the hotel soap. Hilarious or what?

Ich möchte Sie bitten, keine dieser kleinen Seifenstückchen mehr in meinem Badezimmer zurückzulassen, weil ich ein großes Stück meiner eigenen Lieblingsseife (Dial) mitgebracht habe. Bitte entfernen Sie die sechs ungeöffneten kleinen Seifenstücke von der Ablage unter dem Medizinschränkchen, ebenso wie die drei weiteren Stücke aus der Seifenschale in der Dusche - sie stören mich.

mikedragon32

My german isn't so good (and we're dragging the thread waaay off topic)...

Ein Pferd geht in einen Stab. Der Barkellner bittet um um " warum das lange face". Die Pferdenantworten, " meine Frau und Kinder starben in einem Auto crash"

Not a big fan of Costa Calma, but was very taken with Morro Jable. The beach is awsome at the light house and the waves are fantastic. It's also much quieter than Corralejo. Usually take holidays around the september/october time of year so we avoid the crazy heat anyway.

Leslie91

We're staying in las marismas in June. Great to read all the good reports. Very interested to hear more about where we should eat. Is 'Sombrero' a restaurant?. Any other recommendations will be very welcome many thanks.

murfinsurfin

Sombrero is more an institution than a restaurant, we have been going there for 14 years, & the staff are mainly the same people, a good sign when you consider that the recession hit there more than most places in Spain. It makes for a special night, especially if there are two of you, the specials are terrific. It's down by the harbour area, just past the statues. It's a Swiss national that owns it, but he is truly a local, watch the amount of natives who visit. They do a local menu, but the meat is to die for, the presentation alone makes the visit worthwhile.
There are lots of other good places, just be wary, the normal rule is 'If they try to pull you in, it can't be that good'. Unfortunately with the recession that rule is a bit out of date, but watch the customer base first. One of the best Tapas cafes has changed hands, Cafe Antigou del Puerto, & has gone seriously downhill. again it used to be a place to visit. Tripadvisor is probably one of the better places to check on restaurants. Enjoy the break, I miss the place.

mikedragon32

Is Tony Roma's still at the top of the Strip? Looked like it had just opened when we were there, but they do bloody good ribs! Huge portions. Reminded me of a few restaurants in Chicago.

That's worth a visit if it's open and you're into ribs.

+1 on Sombrero. I did some reviews on TA of a couple of restaurants including one to definitely avoid! Have a look for them under my profile there... same username.