Gloria Izaro Club Hotel

Gloria Ízaro is an aparthotel in Puerto del Carmen, built around the useful idea that a diving holiday does not have to mean living out of one suitcase. You get a separate living area, a kitchenette and a terrace, with air conditioning for the return from a warm day outdoors. It suits couples, families and friends who would rather have room to spread out than a standard hotel room with one chair doing all the work.

The atmosphere is sociable rather than hushed. There is an outdoor pool with loungers, a restaurant, bars and organised entertainment, so you can keep the evening simple without making another expedition. The hotel’s website is available in English, and the property is geared towards English-speaking guests as well as visitors using German, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian.

You are in Puerto del Carmen, Spain, at C/ Salinas, 9, in the resort’s tourist harbour area. Playa Chica is about half a mile away on foot, while Puerto del Carmen Beach is around 0.7 miles away. This is not a hotel where you step straight from the grounds onto the sand, so allow for a short walk in dive kit only if you enjoy making life harder than necessary.

The useful part of town is close enough for an evening wander. Puerto del Carmen’s centre, with its bars, restaurants and nightclubs, is about 1 km away. El Burro and The Purple Turtle are around 0.3 miles from the property, with The Vu at roughly 0.4 miles; Foxs Bar, Heineken Bar and The Melting Pot are also within about 0.5 miles.

For a change of scene by car, the Monument to the Campesino is about 8 miles away. Lanzarote Airport is around 3.8 miles from the hotel, making the final leg of the journey short and straightforward.

The apartment layout is the main reason to choose this address over a conventional hotel room. A separate bedroom gives you somewhere to shut the door, while the living room has a sofa, seating area and dining space. For a couple, that means one person can make coffee or watch television without turning the bedroom into a breakfast room. For a small group, the two-bedroom apartment gives you a more workable arrangement than sharing one sleeping space.

The kitchenette comes with a hob, microwave, toaster, kettle, fridge and kitchenware. That is handy for breakfast before an early start, for keeping drinks cold when you get back tired and salty, or for making something small when restaurant food feels like an undertaking. The apartments also have a bathroom with a shower and hairdryer, a flat-screen television, WiFi in the public areas and a drying rack for clothing.

Air conditioning should make the night easier after a day in the Lanzarote heat. A terrace and outdoor furniture give you somewhere to sit without balancing a glass on the windowsill. Daily housekeeping is included, and accessible facilities, a lift and wheelchair-accessible areas are available; upper floors can also be reached by stairs only, so check the layout that suits you when choosing your apartment.

The main restaurant serves buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, with show cooking at breakfast and dinner. The hotel describes breakfast as varied and complete, which should cover the practical business of getting fed before heading out and finding something substantial on your return. Special-diet menus are available on request, and packed lunches are offered when the day’s plan starts away from the dining room.

There are two named bar spaces: La Solera Chill Out and the Bar. A snack bar, on-site coffee house and vending machines for snacks and drinks add useful options when you want something quick rather than another full meal. The restaurant also offers themed dinner nights, while the bar has happy hour; both give the evening a little structure without requiring you to leave the property.

The kitchenette means you can keep the arrangement flexible. Take the buffet when you want food sorted, use the apartment for a quiet supper, or walk into Puerto del Carmen when you fancy a change. The local choice begins close by, with several restaurants and bars within a few minutes on foot.

The outdoor pool is the obvious place to settle into a slower afternoon, with sun loungers, umbrellas, pool towels and a solarium around it. There is also a children’s pool, which makes the pool area workable for mixed-age groups. If your ideal post-dive activity is horizontal and involves very little decision-making, the ingredients are here.

For something more active, the hotel offers water polo, table tennis, darts, archery and billiards. Bicycle hire and car hire are available when you want to explore beyond Puerto del Carmen, and a golf course lies within 3 km. These are practical diversions rather than a programme you need to organise your whole day around.

Evening entertainment includes live music or performances, bingo, themed nights and programmes for different ages. A shared lounge and television area provide another low-effort option. The overall choice suits a couple who wants a pool-and-drink day as easily as a family or group looking for a few activities between outings.

Check-in runs from 16:00 and check-out is by 11:00. You need to tell the property your expected arrival time in advance, and the minimum age for check-in is 18. Cash is not accepted, so plan to pay by card. WiFi is free in the public areas, and the front desk is open around the clock.

Luggage storage is available, which is useful if your flight and room times do not line up neatly. The hotel also offers a tour desk, car hire, currency exchange and laundry. A safety deposit box is available, and daily housekeeping keeps the apartment side of the stay from becoming a second job.

Children of all ages are welcome. Cots can be requested for children aged up to 2, while the apartments’ living areas and kitchenettes give families more breathing room. Quiet hours run from 10:00 to 21:00, an unusually daytime-shaped rule worth noting if you are planning a lie-in after a late evening or a slow recovery day.

The hotel carries Travelife certification. Gloria Thalasso & Hotels has invested in renewable energy since 2007, using solar panels, biomass and aerothermal systems across its properties.

More than 80% of the energy used for swimming-pool heating, hot water and thalassotherapy and spa facilities across the group comes from renewable sources. It is a concrete energy programme rather than a vague green label, with the technology doing the talking.