HD Lobos Natura Fuerteventura

We had a wonderful family holiday. Location, atmosphere, rooms - all perfect. Expensive but good value.

Nice hotel, but not quite worth the price The hotel is very nice and has recently undergone a refurbishment. Work is still being completed on the spa area, although this didn’t cause any noise disturbance during our stay. We stayed in a family room, which was nicely furnished and had a fridge and a decent shower. Unfortunately, the bathroom drain didn’t work properly, causing the bathroom to flood. There was also an apartment above us, and the sound insulation was poor. Even something as simple as a chair being moved upstairs resonated loudly in our room. Restaurant and food The main restaurant was OK, but the food was largely the same each day, with only limited attempts at introducing different themes. The Chinese offering was probably the most noticeable change, but even that was fairly limited in terms of dishes and choice. We also tried the Italian restaurant, where several items incurred an additional charge. The lasagne was nice, and the children enjoyed their pizza, which appeared to be the same as that served elsewhere in the hotel. One positive worth highlighting is the pizza. It was superb throughout the hotel and consistently one of the best food options available. Pools and sunbeds The three pools were clean and tidy, but the lifeguard seemed to be on a one-man mission to eliminate all inflatables. His whistle was getting more use than a Premier League referee’s! There simply aren’t enough sunbeds for the number of guests. The pools remain closed off until 10 am, and with beds in short supply, I watched guests running to secure the best spots as soon as access was allowed. I raised this with Jose at reception, who argued that there were enough sunbeds and that the problem was guests reserving them early. While reserving beds in advance is certainly an issue, this response missed the point. There is plenty of space around the pools and between the existing beds, so adding a few more to better accommodate the hotel’s capacity would seem a sensible solution. Service and late checkout We also requested a late checkout, which was refused. We were told there was no availability anywhere in the hotel for the additional two hours we had requested. Perhaps that was genuinely the case, but it was difficult not to feel that once the money had been taken, there was little interest in accommodating a reasonable request. Overall We paid £4,600 for a week for a family of four, so expectations were understandably high. The hotel itself is attractive, the rooms are nicely furnished, the pools are clean and the pizzas are excellent. However, the repetitive food selection, lack of sunbeds, noise insulation issues and disappointing response to guest concerns all detracted from the experience. It’s a nice hotel, but at this price, I expected better attention to detail and a more guest-focused approach from management.

The hotel is lovely, very well maintained and clean. The staff are friendly and we enjoyed great service from all the bars and restaurants. We stayed in an Emblem Suite which was very nice, spacious, clean and fridge restocked daily. The Emblem restaurant and lounge is in a lovely location but we were very disappointed with the availability of drinks from the lounge, which we thought was more like an internet cafe, and many items from the food menu in the restaurant were not available most nights. We were so disappointed we went out to eat 4 nights of our 9 night stay due to the limited choice. Ordering from the menu at breakfast was much better, generous portions and reasonably hot most mornings. The adult pool is fabulous, great service, good cocktails made to order and swim up bar - we spent most days there, lovely! We would like to say a big thank you to Yuri, Valeria, Annabel, Maria E, José and Minko at the Emblem restaurant. Also Olimpia, Carlos, and Michael (Adult Pool) and Lifeguard Ouwi! We would return only if Emblem improves to the standard of H10 Privilege and Sandos Royal Elite!

Had a wonderful stay went inclusive and had a great time. The rooms were more than comfortable and the balcony had loungers as well as a parasol and table and chairs. The staff were all friendly and helpful. There was always plenty of food and a good range. We found going down to eat later that sometimes the food was not hot.

We’ve been staying at HD Lobos Natura Fuerteventura from 8 October to 19 October, in a Junior Suite Swim Up EMBLEM with All-Inclusive, and it was an absolute home run! Both the room and the additional EMBLEM benefits exceeded our expectations. We’re checking out tomorrow, and we can honestly say this is the best hotel we’ve ever stayed at. The room and EMBLEM benefits The Junior Suite Swim Up EMBLEM was an excellent choice. The room was modern, comfortable and well equipped, with a large shower, quality toiletries, a coffee machine with capsules replenished daily, a minibar restocked every day and free parking. One particularly nice touch is that your room key is a wristband, so you don’t have to worry about carrying a card around. The EMBLEM benefits really make a difference. Guests have access to a dedicated restaurant for breakfast and dinner. You need to reserve a time slot, but this is absolutely no hassle, and we could even book on the same day. The idea is simply to help the kitchen manage orders and ensure you don’t end up waiting an hour for your food. The food in the EMBLEM restaurant is delicious and of genuinely high quality. It feels like dining in a proper restaurant rather than eating typical all-inclusive food. You have starters and desserts in buffett and main courses from an à la carte menu. The quality and presentation are excellent, and this was one of the highlights of our stay. Bars, drinks and pools Another major advantage of EMBLEM is the selection of premium drinks included in the package, many of which cost extra for standard All-Inclusive guests. There are three bars, including an adults-only bar with a swimming pool. Each has its own menu and a great variety of drinks. The photos show the menu from El Faro, the poolside bar, which also offers a separate menu with more than 10 additional complimentary cocktails. The drinks are properly made and definitely not watered down! The hotel itself is modern and has been renovated last year. In October, it wasn’t crowded at all, and we could easily find a free sunbed throughout the day. This made the whole experience much more relaxing. Exceptional staff and service The staff deserve special recognition. Everyone we encountered was exceptionally friendly, polite and helpful, and communication in English was never a problem. One day, we had a heavy downpour, and the team at El Faro had the extra task of cleaning up the cushions while getting completely soaked themselves. Despite the circumstances, they were laughing, joking and clearly enjoying themselves. It was lovely to see such a positive attitude! We’d particularly like to thank: • Johanna from housekeeping – our room was always beautifully cleaned, and she made lovely figures of people made of towels for us. She always waved when she saw us, and her friendliness made our stay even more special. • Silvia at the bar – always smiling, incredibly kind and even able to say a few words in Polish! That was such a lovely and unexpected touch that genuinely made us smile. A big thank-you as well to Alejandro, the bartender who worked alongside her. • Jeri in the EMBLEM restaurant – a very kind, helpful and understanding waiter who made us feel welcome. Also many thanks for the rest of the staff in the Emblem restaurant - all of the them were very exceptionally friendly. People like these really make the difference between a good holiday and an unforgettable one. A few things that could be improved Of course, not everything was perfect, although the downsides were minor compared with the overall experience. • Food temperature in the main restaurant: Food in the main buffet restaurant and at lunch was sometimes not as hot as it should have been. • Food labelling, allergens, gluten free: Most dishes were not labelled at all, or labels from dinner were left in place at breakfast – for example, a label saying “prawns” next to biscuits. This made it difficult to know exactly what we were putting on our plates, especially when it came to allergens. My wife is coeliac, so she follows a gluten free (sin gluten) diet, so this was a concern. Thankfully, we had no such problems in the EMBLEM restaurant. We could also order many dishes made specially gluten free for her - thank you for the chefs. Both restaurants also have a gluten-free corner with Schär products and a dedicated gluten-free toaster, which is a very welcome feature. • The Italian restaurant: A special mention here because the waiter knew exactly which dishes contained gluten and which didn’t (17.10). His knowledge and assistance were greatly appreciated! Unfortunately, the restaurant is only open on Fridays and Saturdays, and we weren’t informed of this at check-in. • Wet sunbed cushions: Before the pools opened in the morning, a member of staff would hose down the surrounding floor. Unfortunately, some of the sunbeds were also sprayed in the process, leaving their cushions wet. A little more care here would make a difference. • Wi-Fi in the room: The Wi-Fi network was visible, but none of our devices could connect to it in our room. Despite these relatively minor issues, we are absolutely delighted with our choice of hotel and, especially, our Junior Suite Swim Up EMBLEM. EMBLEM is genuinely worth the extra cost. The quality of the food, the premium drinks, the dedicated restaurant and the overall level of comfort make a real difference to the holiday experience. Most importantly, the outstanding staff made us feel welcome throughout our stay. We’ve stayed in many places, but this has genuinely been the best hotel we’ve ever visited. We would definitely recommend HD Lobos Natura Fuerteventura, and if you’re considering staying here, we strongly recommend booking EMBLEM. You won’t regret it!