TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach
TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach is a low-rise, bungalow-style aparthotel at the southern tip of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, in the resort of Playa Blanca, run by Nordotel in TUI's BLUE For Families collection. Its 300 apartments sit behind Playa Flamingo, a sandy bay sheltered by breakwaters, and families with young children come for the calm, shallow water a few steps away, the kitchenette in every apartment, a free Baby Lounge for the under-twos and free kids' clubs from age three.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who it suits, what the all-inclusive price covers and the trade-offs of an older, not-quite-flat resort.
TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach sits at the southern tip of Lanzarote in Playa Blanca, a low-rise aparthotel of 300 bungalow-style apartments behind a sandy, sheltered beach. It's run by Nordotel in TUI's BLUE For Families collection, and the draw for families with young children is the combination of a calm bay a few steps away, a dedicated Baby Lounge for the under-twos and free kids' clubs from age three. Every apartment has a kitchenette, so you can warm milk and put together simple meals in the room, and most face the sea or the pools. Set against that, the apartments are dated rather than freshly refurbished, the site isn't flat, so there's some pushing a pram up and down slopes, and the splash park is aimed at the under-sixes rather than older children. It sits below the five-star resorts nearby on price, and its strengths are the sheltered beach and the under-three baby facilities rather than waterslides or new rooms. You'll get the most from it if you want a walkable all-inclusive week with a baby or toddler close to a calm beach, and don't need the newest rooms or big waterslides.
Best for
You want a calm, sheltered beach a few steps away, a Baby Lounge and clubs for a baby or toddler, and a walkable all-inclusive base you can leave on foot for the town.
Maybe not for
You want freshly refurbished rooms, flat ground throughout, or big waterslides and a splash park that holds older children's interest.
Best ages
Babies and toddlers especially, with the Baby Lounge for under-twos and free clubs from three. Older children have less to do in the water.
What stands out
The breakwater-sheltered bay right across the promenade, the free air-conditioned Baby Lounge, and a price below the five-star resorts nearby.
What to check
How the slopes and steps work with your pushchair, and that the beach's lifeguard cover is on when you plan to swim.
Where is it?
Playa Blanca, at the southern tip of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, directly behind Playa Flamingo beach, about 40 minutes from Lanzarote Airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits in Playa Blanca, how the bungalow apartments are laid out, and the one thing to weigh before you book.
TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach is a low-rise, bungalow-style aparthotel: 300 apartments in blocks of no more than two floors, spread across the site and facing either the sea or the pools. It's self-contained but not walled off from the town. A flat, paved promenade runs along the seafront in front of the resort, and you can follow it straight into Playa Blanca town centre, about a 15-minute walk, past shops, bars and ice cream stops. The address is Avenida de las Canarias, in the municipality of Yaiza, and it's run by Nordotel under TUI's BLUE For Families collection. You may still see it listed under its earlier names, Holiday Village Lanzarote or TUI Family Life Flamingo Beach, on older reviews and some booking sites. TUI rates it four out of five on its own family-focused scale, which is separate from Spain's official star system; booking sites and reviewers disagree on that official rating, citing anywhere from two to three and a half stars, so it's worth judging the resort on what's actually included rather than a single star figure. It's also listed as a TUI Green & Fair hotel.
The one thing to weigh before you book is the ground. The site isn't flat. There are slopes and some steps between sections, and families travelling with a pushchair mention a steep hill and a fair amount of pushing up and down to reach the room, the pools or the beach. Getting onto the promenade and down to the sand is flat and paved, but moving around the resort itself takes more effort than a level site would. The apartments run between the Timanfaya Hotel at one end and the Playa Blanca promenade at the other. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is 11am. For the island beyond the resort, its beaches and when to go, see our Lanzarote guide.
Every restaurant and bar
The main buffet, the two beachfront a la carte restaurants, the poolside snacks, all four bars and how the all-inclusive works.
All inclusive is the board most families book, and the wristband covers buffet meals, poolside snacks and local drinks; breakfast-only and half board are the other options. There are four restaurants and four bars, and it helps to know which are included and which cost extra before you arrive.
The Restaurant is the main buffet, with garden and pool views and indoor and outdoor seating. It serves international, Spanish, Oriental and Italian food from a live cooking station, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, with theme nights at dinner. There's a dedicated children's buffet section and high chairs, and vegetarian, vegan and special diets are catered for; Christmas and New Year gala dinners are included on all inclusive. No booking is needed. Families rate the choice, and the children's section and desserts in particular, though a week of buffet food can start to feel samey by the end, as it does at most all-inclusive resorts in the Canaries.
Taverna is a beachfront a la carte restaurant serving Spanish and international dishes, open 10am to 9pm. On all inclusive you get one meal here per stay, so it's the a la carte treat rather than an everyday option, and you need to book a table. High chairs are available, and it also opens to people walking the promenade, not just hotel guests.
Green & Grill is the other beachfront a la carte restaurant, a grill open for dinner from 6pm to 9pm with views across the bay towards Fuerteventura. It carries a charge on top of all inclusive, and you need to book. High chairs are available.
The Mediterranean Snacks is the poolside snack bar, open 11am to 5pm for snacks and ice cream, with a Grab & Go self-service option, and it's included on all inclusive. High chairs are available here too.
The four bars are the Main Pool Bar, which pours the full range of local and international drinks, La Terraza for soft drinks by the garden and pool, the Blue Moon Bar, and THEAS Coffee Shop on the beachfront. THEAS serves Segafredo coffee, smoothies, ice cream, cakes, crepes and waffles, and unlike the other three bars it carries a charge rather than being included. On all inclusive, drinks are served from 10:30am to midnight.
How the dining works
The main buffet and the poolside snack bar take you as you come, with no booking. The two beachfront a la carte restaurants, Taverna and Green & Grill, both need a table booked. Taverna is included once during your stay on all inclusive; Green & Grill and the THEAS coffee shop are charged on top.
The apartments
The four apartment types and which suit a family, then the eight pools and the sheltered beach below.
The apartments come in four types, from a one-bedroom for a family of four up to a three-bedroom sleeping eight. They're bungalow-style and low-rise, each with a kitchenette and a private balcony or terrace. Guests describe them as spacious, though the decor is dated.
| Apartment | Sleeps | Bedrooms and beds | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Bedroom Apartment | Up to 4 | One twin bedroom, plus a lounge with two sofabeds | The standard family apartment |
| Superior 1-Bedroom Apartment | Up to 4 | One twin bedroom, plus a lounge with two sofabeds | Adds bathrobes, slippers, an iron and board and a safe |
| 2-Bedroom Apartment | Up to 6 | Two twin bedrooms, plus a lounge with two sofabeds | A family of four can sleep in separate rooms, or two families share |
| 3-Bedroom Apartment | Up to 8 | Three twin bedrooms, plus a lounge with two sofabeds | Available on request |
Every apartment has a kitchenette with a fridge-freezer, a hob, a microwave, a kettle and a coffee machine, which is the useful part with a baby or toddler: you can warm milk, sterilise bottles you've brought from home and put together a simple meal on your own timetable. There's also a flat-screen TV, air conditioning, a shower bathroom, a hairdryer, free Wi-Fi and free bottled water. The Superior apartments add bathrobes, slippers, an iron and board and a safe, but the room itself is the same layout. Many apartments look out over the sea or the pools, though that's a guest observation rather than something TUI guarantees, so don't count on a particular view.
One layout point comes up often with young children. In every apartment the sofabeds are in the lounge, and the lounge is also where the external door is, so some parents are uneasy about a young child sleeping in a space that isn't secured from the outside. Apartments are allocated before you arrive, so it's worth knowing the layout rather than something to request around. There's a wheelchair-accessible apartment with a roll-in shower, though some blocks still have steps.
Pools and water features
There are eight pools, most of them outdoors and filled with fresh water, with free sunloungers and parasols at all of them. The main pool is the large one, 38.30m by 14.80m and from about 0.90m to 1.60m deep, open 9am to 6pm, and it's the centre of the family day. A second, smaller main pool, 21.00m by 8.40m and 0.60m to 1.60m deep, open 10am to 5pm, is billed as the quieter chill-out pool, though in practice children use it too, so don't count on it being calm. A separate activity pool, a steady 1.10m deep, is used for pool games and aqua aerobics rather than lengths.
For younger children there's a small dedicated children's pool and two more shallow children's pools, all about 30cm deep, plus the aqua park: a shallow splash area, again around 30cm, with waterslides, a tipping bucket and a waterfall palm tree. The important detail for babies is the age limit: all of the toddler and children's pools, and the splash park, are officially for ages 2 to 5. Children under two aren't catered for in the pools, so the Baby Lounge, the Baby & Tots Club and the sheltered sea are where the resort points the very youngest. The splash park is aimed at the under-sixes, and families with older children note the slides don't hold their interest for long.
Most of the outdoor pools, including the main pools, the children's pool, the splash park and one of the baby pools, are heated from November to April; the activity pool and the other baby pool aren't. There's also an indoor pool in the spa that's heated year-round, but it's adults only, minimum age 16, at all times, so children can't use it. As at many Canaries resorts, guests mention loungers being reserved with towels early in the day and left empty.
The beach
Playa Flamingo is the resort's beach, a public bay of fine white-blond sand directly across the promenade, so it's a short, flat walk from the apartments rather than a distance. It's around 200 metres long, with small black pebbles and rocks embedded in the sand at the water's edge, so it's worth watching little feet going in.
The feature that makes it work for young children is the shelter. Two breakwater dykes reach out into the sea and calm the water inside the bay, so it's warmer and flatter than an open beach, and it shelves in gently for paddling. It's this that families praise most, though a few describe the bay as small or man-made because of the breakwaters. The beach is lifeguard-supervised, though cover isn't guaranteed at every hour, so check locally before you rely on it for anything safety-critical.
Playa Flamingo doesn't hold a Blue Flag; the Blue Flag beach in the town is the separate Playa Blanca beach in the centre. There's no natural shade, so you'll want to hire an umbrella from the beach's own supplier, and there are public showers and toilets and a ramp down onto the sand. Kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel gear, jet skis and diving are available to hire on the beach, though not through the hotel. One first-hand note worth knowing: the tide moves everyone's kit up the sand through the day, so park your towels high.
Babies and toddlers
The Baby Lounge and clubs by age, the swimming and sports for children, and the days out beyond the gate.
For the under-twos, the centrepiece is the Baby Lounge, a dedicated air-conditioned room near the main pool that's free to use. It has a microwave, bottle warmers you can use there and changing facilities. TUI also hires out baby equipment such as bottle warmers and sterilisers for use in your apartment, which carries a charge; the ones in the Baby Lounge are free. Cots and a playpen are free, every restaurant has high chairs, and a pushchair can be hired from reception if you'd rather not bring your own. There's an on-site playground too.
The clubs split by age. The Baby & Tots Club takes children from birth to two for a charge, six days a week, with cooking sessions and character visits from Captain T, TUI's mascot. The Kids' Club is free and runs in two age bands, 3 to 6 and 7 to 12, with two two-hour sessions a day six days a week, so there's one day each week without an organised club. Both age groups also have a paid evening version, a Baby & Tots Club Evening and a Kids' Club Evening for ages 3 to 12, for families who want supervised evening childcare rather than an early night in the room. Older children have free Teen Activities for ages 13 to 17, and there's a free Stay & Play session and a free Parent & Tots Swim. The paid clubs carry a charge, which you'll see when you book.
In the evening a mini disco runs six nights a week, with entertainment starting at 7pm, earlier than at many resorts, which helps if you're working around an early bedtime. There's free early-evening entertainment for ages 0 to 4 and free kids' shows for 5 to 12, plus character meet-and-greets and kids' parties.
On resort and nearbyThings to do
Plenty is included, and much of it is aimed at families. There are free family football sessions, First Kicks football for ages 2 to 5 and a football academy for older children, alongside a free Parent & Tots Swim and a paid swimming programme that runs in the school holidays: Splash4Fun for ages 4 to 7, Swim School for 5 to 9, a Rescue Academy for 9 and up, and one-to-one lessons for children and adults, with places limited, so book early.
On dry land the free activities include #BLUEf!t keep-fit for families and adults, aqua aerobics and yoga (both from age 16), aqua fitness boards, a CYBEROBICS virtual workout screen, cooking classes for children and adults (the children's version with Captain T), and a run of competitions, quizzes, gameshows and a staff-versus-guests team day. There's a gym for over-18s, table tennis, darts and billiards, and a games and TV room. Evening entertainment runs to live music, quizzes and shows. Paid activities include bike hire, from kids' bikes to e-bikes, through a third party and with a deposit, and tennis on a single clay court with rackets to hire.
The hotel doesn't run watersports on the beach itself, but you can kayak and snorkel at the Papagayo coves nearby, and boat and catamaran trips leave from Marina Rubicón, about 2.8km away. The Flamingo Spa & Wellness Centre is for over-16s, open 9am to 5pm daily, with two treatment rooms, an indoor heated pool, a whirlpool, a Finnish sauna, a hamam steam room and a relaxation area. Back, whole-body, partial-body and classical massages, hot stone massage, reflexology and sports massage are all bookable there for a fee, through a third-party supplier; whether simply using the wellness area is included on all inclusive or costs extra isn't spelled out, so ask at the spa desk.
Off resortThe area and days out
Playa Blanca town is a 15-minute walk along the seafront promenade, with shops, bars, restaurants and the ferry terminal. The easiest family outing is Aqualava Waterpark, about 900 metres away next to the Relaxia Lanzasur resort: a lazy river, a wave pool, a shallow children's pool with gentle slides and bigger slides for older children. It's ticketed separately and isn't part of the all-inclusive here. Montaña Roja, a small volcano you can walk up, is about a 10-minute drive.
From the marina in town, a ferry crosses to Corralejo on Fuerteventura in about 40 minutes, an easy day trip for the dunes and beaches. Marina Rubicón, 2.8km away, is the base for boat trips and catamaran tours. Further afield, and best with a hire car, Timanfaya National Park is about 30 to 40 minutes' drive: a volcanic landscape with camel rides and geothermal demonstrations, and the island's headline sight. The Papagayo beaches, a string of sheltered Blue Flag coves good for snorkelling, are about 10km away, reached by car on a park access road that charges a small fee, or by boat. In the north of the island, roughly 50km off, are the César Manrique cave attractions of Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes, and his Cactus Garden; a submarine tour is a family favourite too. Lanzarote is small, about 60km by 25km, so with a car most of it is within 60 to 90 minutes; book the car ahead.
Loves and gripes
What guests rate and what they flag, how it sits against the other Playa Blanca resorts, the journey and the weather.
Across the review sites the picture is solidly positive. It scores 8.1 out of 10 on Booking.com from around 4,000 reviews, and 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from around 4,500 reviews, where it's ranked 29th out of 43 hotels in Playa Blanca (checked June 2026).
What families love
- The sheltered, sandy beach right across the promenade, and how safe it feels for little ones.
- The Baby Lounge and the quality of the kids' clubs.
- Friendly staff.
- Spacious apartments, many with a sea view.
- The walkable location, close to the town and promenade.
- Good value against the pricier resorts nearby.
Worth weighing
- Dated apartments, functional and clean but not freshly refurbished.
- The sofabeds sharing the lounge with the external door, which unsettles some parents of young children.
- Slopes and steps across the site, and pushing a pram up and down.
- Splash-park slides that older children find tame.
- Loungers reserved with towels, a common Canaries gripe.
- Buffet food that can feel samey by the end of a week.
A couple of one-off notes from single reviews: one family called it their least favourite of the TUI BLUE hotels they'd stayed at, likely measured against newer, higher-spec resorts in the range, and one mentioned ants in the kitchenette.
Against the other Playa Blanca resortsHow it compares
Flamingo Beach sits at the budget-to-mid-range end of Playa Blanca, and its neighbours are mostly pricier five-star resorts. The Princesa Yaiza, on Playa Dorada, is a five-star with a much larger children's world, Kikoland, covering ages up to 12; it costs considerably more, and Flamingo Beach is the more affordable choice with a Baby Lounge the Princesa Yaiza doesn't match in the same form. The Iberostar Selection Lanzarote Park, a few minutes' walk away, is a five-star with seven pools and eight waterslides, so it's the stronger pick for children of about five and up, while Flamingo Beach is better set up for the under-threes. The H10 Rubicón Palace is another five-star, more luxurious and pricier, with a baby club from one to three, where Flamingo Beach is the mid-range equivalent with a broader baby offer from birth. Next door, the Relaxia Lanzasur includes the Aqualava Waterpark with a stay, a real waterslide advantage, though parents comparing the two on Mumsnet preferred Flamingo Beach for its food and family programme. In short, its strengths are the sheltered beach, the under-three baby facilities and the price, rather than waterslides or five-star luxury.
The journey and the seasonsGetting there and when to go
Lanzarote Airport, at Arrecife, is about 30 to 35km from the resort, roughly a 30 to 35 minute drive. On a TUI package the shared coach transfer takes around 40 minutes, and on a free-child-place booking the child's transfer is included; either way the transfer has to be booked as part of the package, so it isn't automatically laid on. Public bus route 60 runs from the airport to the Muelle Playa Blanca stop near the resort in about 50 to 60 minutes, and the Casas del Sol bus stop is about 400 metres from the resort. From Playa Blanca's marina, the ferry to Corralejo on Fuerteventura takes about 40 minutes.
The resort is open year-round, and there's no bad month for a warm-weather break. Winter days sit around 21 to 22°C with little rain, mild for a young family that doesn't do well in fierce heat. Summer is hot and dry with near-constant sun, good for the pool and beach but with strong midday sun to plan around. The shoulder months, April to May and October to November, give the best balance of warmth, a warm-enough sea and fewer people.
Month by monthWeather
These are typical monthly averages for Playa Blanca. The south of Lanzarote is drier and sunnier than the north, so they apply to the resort directly. Humidity is low to moderate from July to September and barely registers the rest of the year. The sun is strong from April onwards, with the UV index extreme in July and August, so factor 50 and shade are essential for babies and toddlers through the warmer half of the year.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 14° | 17 mm | 3 | 19° |
| February | 21.5° | 14.5° | 16 mm | 2 | 18° |
| March | 23° | 15° | 11 mm | 2 | 19° |
| April | 24° | 16° | 4 mm | 1 | 19° |
| May | 25.5° | 17.5° | 1 mm | 0 | 20° |
| June | 27° | 19.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 21° |
| July | 29° | 21° | 0 mm | 0 | 22° |
| August | 30° | 21.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 23° |
| September | 29° | 21° | 4 mm | 0 | 23° |
| October | 27.5° | 20° | 12 mm | 2 | 23° |
| November | 24.5° | 17.5° | 15 mm | 3 | 22° |
| December | 22° | 15.5° | 17 mm | 3 | 20° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.
Practicalities
Health and safety, the on-site services and getting about, then the questions parents ask most.
There's a doctor on site daily from 9am to 5pm, and pharmacies in Playa Blanca town, a 15-minute walk away. The tap water is safe to drink but tastes of desalination, so most people use bottled water; free bottled water is provided in the apartments. Pets aren't allowed, and there's no smoking indoors, with outdoor smoking areas provided.
On site there's a mini market, an ATM and currency exchange, self-service and service-wash laundry with detergent available, an excursion desk, luggage storage, safe deposit boxes and free Wi-Fi throughout. Parking is uncovered, free on all inclusive and doesn't need reserving, and car hire can be arranged through a third party. For accessibility, there's a wheelchair-accessible apartment with a roll-in shower, a ramp onto the beach and wheelchairs to hire for a fee, though steps and slopes remain across parts of the site.
For UK travellers, your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and have at least three months left beyond the day you leave Spain, and there's no visa needed for stays under 90 days. The EU's Entry/Exit System, which records a photo and fingerprints at the border in place of a passport stamp, is being introduced. A UK Global Health Insurance Card, the GHIC that replaced the EHIC, covers emergency treatment on the same terms as Spanish nationals, and comprehensive travel insurance is still worth having on top. There's currently no Foreign Office travel warning against visiting the Canary Islands, though advice can change, so check the Foreign Office's Spain advice before you travel for the latest entry rules and any updates.
The questions parents askQuestions
Which apartment should we book for a napping baby?
Choose on the layout rather than the floor size. In a one-bedroom the children sleep on sofabeds in the open lounge; a two-bedroom adds a second bedroom with a door you can close, which is the one to book if you want a baby to nap or go down for the night away from the living space.
How much is the Baby & Tots Club?
It's charged, and club prices change, so check the current cost when you book. The Kids' Club from age three, by contrast, is free.
Is the spa included on all inclusive?
Treatments such as massages are always charged on top. Whether simply using the wellness area, its indoor pool, sauna and steam room, is included or costs extra isn't spelled out, so ask at the spa desk on arrival. Either way it's adults only, from age 16.
Is the beach a Blue Flag beach?
No, and for a young family it doesn't matter. The award in the area goes to the separate Playa Blanca beach in the town centre. What makes Playa Flamingo work for little ones is the sheltered, shallow water behind the breakwaters, not a flag.
Can a baby under two use the pools?
Officially no. All the toddler and children's pools and the splash park are for ages 2 to 5, so plan on the sheltered sea and paddling at the water's edge for a younger baby, with the free Baby Lounge for feeds and changes. Don't expect to use the paddling pools until a child is two.
Do we need to book the airport transfer separately?
Yes. It comes as part of a TUI package rather than turning up automatically, so make sure it's included when you book; on a free-child-place booking the child's transfer is covered. If you've booked the hotel on its own, you'll arrange your own way in, whether a taxi, a private transfer or the number 60 bus.
What isn't included on all inclusive?
Most eating and drinking is covered, but a few things are charged on top: the Green & Grill grill restaurant, the THEAS coffee shop, spa treatments, and the paid clubs and swimming lessons. The Taverna a la carte restaurant is included, but only once per stay rather than as often as you like.
Do the kids' clubs run every day?
They run six days a week, so there's one day with no organised club, which is worth knowing if you were counting on childcare for every day. The clubs also split into a morning and an afternoon session rather than running right through the day.
See more TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach photos
Open the TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach photo gallery →
Useful links
- TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach: the resort's own site for the apartments, board, clubs and facilities.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Lanzarote with little ones: our guide to the island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
