When we were looking for a family holiday in the sun, the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Mogan in Gran Canaria ticked all the right boxes.
This is our review of the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Mogan, Gran Canaria.
Opened in 2017 it’s Gran Canaria’s newest five-star hotel featuring 422 rooms and suites in luxurious, modern and contemporary surroundings.
Upon arrival at Las Palmas airport (after a 4 hour flight with Thomson) we were met by staff from the hotel waiting to take us to the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Mogan.
That was the last we saw of our luggage until we arrived in our room, which made for a stress free start to our holiday. (When we booked direct with Radisson Blu they had an offer providing complimentary return private transfers for stays of 7 nights or more.)
After a 35 minute journey through some spectacular tunnels carved through the mountainous volcanic landscape, we arrived at our home for the next seven days. The lobby was large, bright and had a really slick and modern feel to it, providing a great first impression to the hotel.
We were personally welcomed to the resort on check-in by the staff and instantly felt at home and a nice welcoming touch at the Radisson Blu was that they offered champagne by the glass on check-in for adults and juices for children.
Our Room
We stayed in a two bedroom luxury pool view suite which was truly stunning and at 80 square metres it was spacious, luxurious and the perfect choice for a family when visiting Gran Canaria.
As we opened the door to our suite we were taken by surprise just how large and impressive it was – modern and tastefully decorated, with contemporary décor. Our suite contained two bedrooms, separate living room, large outdoor terrace and two bathrooms.
As Club Carlson Gold Elite members we had a welcome gift of cava, fruit and macaroons in our room, which was a really nice gesture.
As you would expect from one of the leading luxury hotels in Gran Canaria, our room was of a very high standard offering all of the comforts required for a great family stay including:
- 1 x 55 inch flat screen television,
- 2 x 48 inch flat screen televisions,
- Air conditioning,
- Complimentary high speed WiFi,
- A mini fridge with daily complimentary 2 bottles of still and sparking water,
- A large safe, 2 irons and iron boards,
- Nespresso coffee machine and tea making facilities along with a selection of magazines.
The large living room gave us as a family a greater sense of space to relax in comfortable surroundings with a 55 inch flat screen wall mounted HDTV, double sofa bed, and small table and chairs.
A large desk , comfy ergonomic chair and plenty of power points provided the perfect environment if you needed to catch up on work – the only issue was that the Wifi coverage was so poor you struggled to connect to the internet.
The two bedrooms in our room were a great size and I always think a sign of a good hotel is when the girls start making themselves at home, which they did at the Radisson Blu.
Their beds were covered with some of their favourite toys from home and they loved the fact that the 48” HDTV in their room had features such as YouTube and Apple TV built in so they could watch their favourite shows.
Having a separate sleeping area to the children does make a big difference when in a hotel. When you are all in the same room you typically have to go to sleep early, basically when they go to sleep, so having this extra space offered in the suites at the Radisson Blu was fantastic.
The two extremely comfortable king size beds in the two bedrooms of our suite had the highest quality Egyptian cotton sheets for the perfect night’s sleep. Beside the beds and throughout our room were plenty of electrical sockets which is essential for travellers these days with so many pieces of technology to charge.
The four white fluffy bathrobes and slippers left at the bottom of our beds were a lovely addition. The girls in particular loved relaxing in their robes after their shower before getting dressed for our evening meal.
We have stayed at five-star hotels in Spain previously and not had turn down service so it was great that this was offered at the Radisson Blu. Each evening was a turn down service which was so nice to return home to, the girls in particular liked the towel art on the beds (although this was dependent on who made up your room -it would be great if the hotel was consistent on offering this high level of service on each night of our stay)
What I really liked about our room was the amount of storage space on offer. We don’t tend to travel light when we go on holiday and our suite had the perfect amount of storage space for our clothes and luggage.
We had two great bathrooms in our suite, featuring his and hers marble counter-top sinks, large mirrors and a plentiful supply of This Works toiletries infused with their signature fragrance of revitalising Mandarin and Rosemary.
Along with the toiletries were complimentary dental kits, shaving kits, combs etc. Basically, there was no need to bring a toiletry bag.
Our favourite bathroom of the two had a large walk in shower, complete with one of the best waterfall showers we have used and a separate bath. The other bathrooms had another large walk in shower with waterfall shower.
What was great about the suites at the Radisson Blu was that they had a large private terrace, with a large dining table for four along with four luxurious padded loungers.
This was perfect for spending time by the pool as it meant that we could relax in the private gardens and terrace of our suite but were within a short walk of two of the three pools at the hotel.
Pools
There are three impressive heated pool areas at the Radisson Blu Mogan surrounded by beautiful and well maintained grounds.
On our first morning in Gran Canaria the girls were up bright and early as they couldn’t wait to dive straight into the pools and have fun.
We spent the majority of our time at the large zero entry freeform pool where the girls in particular thought it was terrific as they practiced their swimming, relaxed on their floating lounger and diving to collect their Zogg’s diving toys.
Alongside the zero entry pool was the children’s pool and in particular was a big hit with the girls, complete with splash towers, fountains and a colourful inflatable bouncy slide.
What was nice about the pool areas at this hotel were that if you wanted entertainment you had this in abundance in the zero entry pool and kids pool but if you wanted to relax and some quiet time there was another large pool area available.
Although we had our own loungers to use as part of our suite, we would never have had a problem getting a seat at the pool as there were always lots of loungers available.
The cleanliness of the pools was of an exceptional standard. Each evening and morning before opening, the pool areas would be cleaned thoroughly, the picture below is one of the pool cleaning robots.
Our pool time was so relaxing and the girls enjoyed so much that they didn’t want to leave the pool. The only time we could coax them away was for our visit to Palmitos Park.
Dining
Our stay was on a half-board basis and one of the main reasons we tend to stay at luxury hotels around the world is because we spend a lot of time on property and the Radisson Blu did not disappoint.
I was a little worried about the quality of the food at the hotel after reading comments on Trip Advisor but I shouldn’t have, breakfast and dinner are all fabulous here. Both breakfast and dinner is served in the smart surroundings of The Larder Restaurant, it was so nice to be able to dine al-fresco or within the stylish restaurant.
When we came across the Larder restaurant for the first time we were taken aback by its chic surroundings.
Starting with breakfast we were greeted upon arrival a beautiful buffet selection awaited us with lots of options from hot cooked breakfast to small pastries, a gluten free section, fresh fruit, yogurts and cereals. Complimentary newspapers from around Europe (The Times, Daily Mail from the UK) were also available for guests.
One of the girl’s favourite options at breakfast was the fact that they could freshly squeeze their own fruit juice.
The live cooking station was another highlight with chef’s that were so friendly as they made omelettes, eggs, pancakes and waffles to order.
Breakfast at the Radisson Blu was of the highest quality and highly recommended. The wide range of breakfast items are selected from the best of Continental, North European, and American cuisine and were fresh, delicious and complemented by excellent service.
Dinner was great at the hotel, served buffet style featuring a wide range of dishes from around the world along with a live cooking station where you could select fresh meat and fish to be cooked according to preference. The levels of service offered by the chefs at the restaurant were superb and the food on each night of our stay was delicious.
The children loved the dessert station which had a dazzling display of ice creams, desserts and even a candy station.
We tried to experience all of the restaurants during our stay and had lunch at the hotels upmarket Italian restaurant called Filini. Specialising in a la carte Italian cuisine our pizza was delicious, however service was disappointing on our second visit.
We also dined at Il Taglio restaurant and bar for lunch which offered child friendly meals and children’s cocktails which was a favourite for the girls. There was also a choice of light bites and drinks to choose from, and prices were good value.
The Amenities
There was so much for all the family to do at the Radisson Blu. The recreational facilities on offer really is extensive and is what sets this hotel apart from the majority of other hotels in Gran Canaria.
There was so many activities to take part in you really didn’t need to leave the resort including rock climbing walls, full service spa, gym, beach volleyball, football and tennis facilities.
The girls did use the facilities of the VIC kids club which was complimentary, where activities included painting, games and crafts.
A highlight for the girls however was at the mini disco each evening where they would dance and have fun meeting new friends from across the continent.
Daytime entertainment was from the hotels animation team who worked really hard to keep guests entertained across the hotels facilities at various times of the day. My daughters and I had a great time with the morning splash workout to a catchy Spanish track and aqua aerobics.
Evening entertainment is something that I feel the hotel could improve upon, although there was entertainment on offer, such as bingo and a blind date style game, it was very out of place for a 5 star hotel. It would have been nice to have live music in one of the bars alongside evening entertainment.
Location
Situated in Mogan the hotel was just a pleasant 10 minute walk into the centre of the beautiful seaside town of Puerto de Mogan.
This was our first time in this part of Gran Canaria and were taken aback just how pretty the town was with its cobbled flower filled streets, whitewashed buildings, restaurants and lovely little shops ranging from designer brands to one that the girls loved called Ale-Hop.
Canals run through the town toward its harbour giving its nickname ‘Little Venice’. If you like the beach there was a lovely little beach in Puerto de Mogan, but the pools at the Radisson Blu were so good we couldn’t get the girls to leave the hotel facilities.
Overall
The Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Mogan is an impressive luxury resort hotel that is really family friendly.
We have stayed at other 5 star hotels in Gran Canaria but after our stay at the hotel this is now our family favourite. The only flaw was that levels of service across housekeeping were inconsistent during part of our stay which was disappointing and not something we would expect from such a luxury hotel brand.
However any issues that we encountered were quickly resolved by the hotel management which we hope were isolated incidents as the hotel has only recently opened. Even with these issues the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Mogan is a very impressive 5 star hotel in Gran Canaria and a hotel we would return to in the future – we had such a great time.
