Hotel review: Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden (Fuerteventura)
Hankering for a return to the Canary Islands? Matthew Hirtes has stayed at more hotels in the Canaries than anybody else (probably). Here’s his verdict on Fuerteventura’s Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden.
Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden….a fresh, new concept in the south of Fuerteventura
Ambience
Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden is a newish hotel. It felt even newer as I visited on the first day of reopening with everything spick and span. But with its brilliant white exterior and soothing light interior with colourful beach and cactus fruit photos inside my junior suite (one of 150 rooms), it’s impossible to imagine this hotel as anything but zestful.
Drink
Cocktails are of the pre-made variety rather than mixed-on-the-spot type but they were refreshing enough, especially when supped in the poolside setting. I found it amusing that the risqué-sounding Sex on the Beach had been rebranded as Love on the Beach in the pool bar’s all-inclusive selection of classic cocktails. Well, everywhere else had been sanitized.
Other cocktails include Caipirinha, Daiquiri, and Mojito (all priced at 5€ for non-all-inclusive guests). Something I’d like to try on a return is MariGold Hemp Protein Beer (33cl bottles available for 3.60€). A select wine list nonetheless finds space for local, national, and international vintages with ecological wines from D.O. Penedes (16€ a bottle) and a vegan Chilean rosé priced at 15€.
Food
Choose from a full English or a lighter Mediterranean breakfast at the La Oliva buffet restaurant. There are three themed dinners weekly (Asian, Canarian, and Mexican). Staples include hearty estofado de ternera (beef stew), arty Lemon Bite (a warm dessert exclusive to guests), comforting fideuá mixta (a Valencian noodle dish), and the meticulously prepared, and usually mistranslated, fogonero (pollock).
Locale
The location is not quite beachfront but a glorious stretch of sand is just 250 metres away. Head right along the promenade for a further 1.75km and you’ll reach the hustle and bustle of Morro Jable. Travelling in the opposite direction, it’s a 80-km drive to the airport.
Price
There are three types of room: standard economy, deluxe twin, and junior suite. These are priced dynamically, but rates are reasonable for a four-star hotel. Consult the leading British tour operators for the latest tariffs.
Contact Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden
Website page: https://lemonandsoul.com/en/hotels/FUE255/lemon-and-soul-cactus-garden.html
Address: Calle las Afortunadas, 35625, Morro Jable, Las Palmas, Fuerteventura
- Tlf: 928 54 10 72
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Disclaimer: I stayed at Lemon & Soul Cactus Garden as part of a press trip arranged by TravelMedia.ie. The Guardian published my original article. Whilst I still prefer the north of Fuerteventura, this hotel was a great base to appreciate what the south of the island has to offer.
Matthew Hirtes, our resident broadsheet journalist, moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria back in 2004. He’s travelled extensively through Spain, covering it for such publications as Telegraph Travel, Metro, and The Independent. The author of Going Local in Gran Canaria: How To Turn a Holiday Destination into a Home, Matthew truly is a resident expert.
Matthew writes for two sections of Spain Buddy: Moving to Spain and Spanish Football as well as providing Reviews
