The catch at La Isla y el Mar Hotel Boutique
Four things stand between the photographs and the stay. None of them is hidden, and none of them stops this being a calm, spacious adults-only hotel, but each one decides whether it is the right hotel for your week.
On our shortlists
- Best adults-only hotels in Lanzarote81 adults-only suites of 50 m² and up, with a heated pool all year
- Best design hotels in Lanzarote1970s apartments rebuilt in 2015 behind volcanic stone, among palms
- Best spa hotels in LanzarotePrivate terrace hot tubs, a wellness centre and yoga on Tuesdays
- Best quiet hotels in LanzaroteAdults-only suites behind stone walls, above the resort's noise
The hotel sits on the hill, so every walk home is uphill.
La Isla y el Mar stands about 40 metres above the seafront on Calle Reina Sofía, on the slope behind Puerto del Carmen's old harbour. Going out is easy: the harbour restaurants of La Tiñosa are about eight minutes down on foot, Playa Chica, a small cove of golden sand, about ten, and the nearest end of Playa Grande about 15. Coming back, every one of those walks climbs the whole way, and it is the drawback guests mention most. There is a free car park beside the hotel, and the Balcón del Mar bus stop, two minutes from the door, is on the island lines to the airport and Playa Blanca.
What to do. Treat the beach as an outing rather than a stroll, take a taxi or the car for the climb back on hot afternoons, and give the heated pool the other days.
In the 50 m² suites the bedroom has no door.
Every suite is at least 50 m², but four of the six categories, the Classic Suite, the Classic Suite Superior, the Junior Suite Pool and the Suite Excellence Atlantic, are open plan: the bedroom opens onto the sitting area with no door between them. For a couple that mostly means space and light. It matters if one of you reads late, rises early or sleeps lightly. The Suite Deluxe, 64 m² for up to four, is the category sold with a bedroom that closes: it has two, and the main one has a door. The Premium Suite is a 74 m² loft with its own dining area.
What to do. If a door matters, book the Suite Deluxe. Otherwise take the open plan as part of the design: the space is generous for two.
Only two kinds of suite have a hot tub on the terrace.
A private hot tub on the terrace comes with two categories only: the Premium Suite, a 74 m² loft with a dining area and a separate bath and shower, and the Suite Deluxe, 64 m² with two bedrooms, a sea view and room for four. The four 50 m² categories have a terrace or a balcony and no hot tub outside. These two are also the dearest rooms: on Tuesday 8 June 2027 the Premium Suite was €412 a night for two with breakfast and the Suite Deluxe €425, against €340 for the sea-view Suite Excellence Atlantic. The wellness centre has a sauna and a hot tub, and the heated pool has a waterfall and hydromassage jets.
What to do. If a private hot tub is the point of the trip, book one of these two first and early, and fit the dates around it.
Christmas and winter cost far more than June.
The hotel is priced for winter sun, and the rate follows the calendar. For the entry Classic Suite with breakfast, the cheapest night for two was €258 on Tuesday 8 June 2027, €330 on 16 February 2027 and €469 on 28 December 2026, between Christmas and New Year. For a stay from 9 November 2026 the Classic Suite was not offered at all, and the only suite available was the Suite Excellence Atlantic, at €292. The June prices on these pages are among the lowest of the year, so a winter week costs noticeably more. There is no tourist tax in Tías, and the 7% IGIC is already in the price.
What to do. For the lowest rates come in early summer. For Christmas, New Year or February, fix the dates and the suite early, while the choice is widest.
Who should skip it
Anyone travelling with children, who are not taken. Anyone who wants to step from the room onto the sand, or to walk back from town on the flat. Light sleepers sharing a 50 m² suite without a bedroom door, and anyone hoping for a private hot tub at the entry price.
Who should book it anyway
Couples who want room, quiet and a good dinner without going far. Every suite is at least 50 m² with a terrace or a balcony, the heated pool runs all year with a waterfall and hydromassage jets, the wellness centre has a sauna and a hot tub, and Kentia Gourmet Club cooks island produce with Canary Island wines to match. Take the Suite Excellence Atlantic for the sea and Fuerteventura from the balcony, walk down to the harbour for fish, ride back up, and the hill stops mattering.
The catch elsewhere in Lanzarote
- Paradisus Salinas LanzaroteCosta Teguise
All-inclusive is the only board: the main buffet repeats itself over a week, and the three à la carte restaurants need booking for dinner
- Hotel FarionesPuerto del Carmen
Outside July and August, minimum stays apply: from January to June most rooms sell only for four nights or more, and in May and June the entry Double Superior Sea View for seven, so a short break there means a summer date or a suite.
- Hotel César LanzaroteLa Geria
No beach and nothing to walk to: Puerto Calero is a 7-minute drive and Playa Grande 12, so a hire car is part of the stay
- Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel ResortPlaya Blanca
385 rooms on 55,000 m²: loungers by the main pools are claimed early with towels
- Barceló Playa BlancaPlaya Blanca
720 rooms on a 100,000 m² site, the largest hotel on the island: a big complex to get around
- Secrets Lanzarote Resort & SpaPuerto Calero
The spa circuit and every treatment cost extra on every board: the circuit is €30 an hour, €70 a day or €95 a stay
- La Casa de los NaranjosHaría
No pool and no beach for now: the nearest swim is Arrieta, a 10-minute drive, and an expansion adding a pool and rooms was under way in 2026
- Hotel Boutique Palacio IcoTeguise
No pool and no beach: Famara is a 14-minute drive, Costa Teguise 21
- Hotel LancelotArrecife
The bars keep short hours, so evenings are spent in town rather than at the hotel
Questions people ask
Good questions about La Isla y el Mar Hotel Boutique
What are the downsides of La Isla y el Mar Hotel Boutique?
Four things stand between the photographs and the stay. None of them is hidden, and none of them stops this being a calm, spacious adults-only hotel, but each one decides whether it is the right hotel for your week. The hotel sits on the hill, so every walk home is uphill. In the 50 m² suites the bedroom has no door. Only two kinds of suite have a hot tub on the terrace. Christmas and winter cost far more than June.
Who should not book La Isla y el Mar Hotel Boutique?
Anyone travelling with children, who are not taken. Anyone who wants to step from the room onto the sand, or to walk back from town on the flat. Light sleepers sharing a 50 m² suite without a bedroom door, and anyone hoping for a private hot tub at the entry price.
Our verdict
A calm, grown-up hotel of big suites above a busy resort, with the pool, the spa and a serious dinner on site. Check availability for the Suite Excellence Atlantic.