Salobre Hotel: Gran Canaria with Kids away from the Tower Blocks

The south of Gran Canaria has a reputation, and it isn't an entirely good one: rows of hotel blocks, towel wars over sun loungers, entertainment blasting from loudspeakers. The Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity may sit right in the middle of this region – but it feels like a different world. Instead of lining the promenade, it stands around 250 metres above the sea in the volcanic hills near El Salobre, nestled between a golf course and a garden.

Read on to find out what the Salobre does really well for families, where it asks for compromises and who it's not right for.

The Salobre at a glance

Location	El Salobre, municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, south of Gran Canaria
Category	5 stars, fully renovated in 2016
Size	307 rooms and suites spread across several buildings, up to 11 floors
Pools	7 outdoor pools, including a children's pool and heated pools
Beach	Playa de Meloneras approx. 5 km, free shuttle
Airport	Gran Canaria (LPA), approx. 40 km, around 30–40 minutes by car
Meal plans	Breakfast, half board, full board and all inclusive available
For kids	Children's pool, indoor playroom, playground, seasonal kids' club (ages 4–12), babysitting for a fee
Especially good for	Families with young children, winter travellers to the Canaries, parents with a soft spot for golf or wellness

Location: mountains instead of a beach promenade

The Salobre sits on a hill above the coast, surrounded by reddish-brown rock formations and the 27-hole Salobre Golf course. Depending on your room, the view stretches over the golf course, the mountain backdrop or all the way to the dunes of Maspalomas and the Atlantic.

This location is the key decision you need to make before booking: you're not staying by the sea, but peacefully up on a mountain. In return you get tranquillity, wide views, hardly any noise and a resort that doesn't feel crowded even in high season.

Distances:

• Playa de Meloneras: approx. 5 km – free hotel shuttle, hourly during the day
• Maspalomas with its dunes and lighthouse: approx. 10–15 minutes by car
• Playa del Inglés: around 7 km
• Puerto de Mogán ("Little Venice"): approx. 25 minutes west by car
• Las Palmas airport: approx. 40 km, with its own motorway access right at the resort

Our tip: book a hire car. The beach shuttle covers your beach days, but for trips with kids – Palmitos Park, Barranco de Guayadeque, Roque Nublo, the fishing villages in the west – you're very limited without a car.

Rooms: from 42 m² to a family suite with kitchenette

The Salobre is one of the few hotels in this category where families with two or three children don't automatically have to book two rooms. The relevant categories:

Double Deluxe (42 m², 2 people) The basic room with a private terrace or balcony, rain shower and panoramic bathtub. For couples or parents with a baby in a travel cot

Triple Deluxe (45 m², 2 adults + 1 child) A slightly more generous layout with an extra bed. The simplest option for small families.

Junior Suite (84 m², 2 adults + 2 children) Our favourite for families with two kids: a separate living room, a second bathroom and a small kitchenette with fridge, microwave, coffee machine and crockery. Warming bottles, mixing baby food, storing snacks: all without room-service surcharges. The junior suites are on the upper floors, some with sea views.

Junior Suite Familiar (87 m², 2 adults + 3 children) The family version with a little more space. For families with three kids, it's the only sensible option in a single room.

Deluxe Suite (77 m², 2 adults + 2 children) Separate bedroom and living room, oval bathtub, large furnished terrace. Available with golf course or panoramic views.

Seven pools – and why that's the real highlight for families

The pools are spread across several levels and parts of the building. That sounds like a hassle, but it's exactly why the Salobre rarely feels full despite its 307 rooms: everyone spreads out.

• Children's pool: shallow outdoor pool with free loungers and parasols, right next to the play area
• Pool on the 7th floor: heatable, with views over the golf course – the most family-friendly main pool
• Pool on the 5th floor: also heatable
• Pool on the 6th floor: unheated, usually quieter
• "Sunset" infinity pool on the roof terrace: heatable, spectacular 360-degree views – ages 16 and up only
• Pool on the 4th floor: exclusively for guests of the eSencia programme (surcharge)
• Aloe Wellness Spa pool: heated outdoor pool in the wellness area, available for a fee (around €25 per person; direct bookings usually include one entry per person per stay)

Good to know: the most beautiful pool in the hotel, the rooftop infinity pool, is off-limits for kids. But there are plenty of heated alternatives – a real advantage, especially in the winter months.

For kids: solid, but no non-stop entertainment

The Salobre sees itself as a peaceful resort – and yet it has a proper kids' area:

• Indoor playroom with an adjoining outdoor playground and children's pool
• Kids' club / mini club for children aged 4 to 12, seasonal, several times a week, free of charge – with childcare in German, English, Spanish and French
• Babysitting service for a fee, on request
• High chairs, kids' menus, travel cots usually free of charge on request
• Golf lessons from age 4 – the driving range is free for hotel guests, and a golf shuttle runs to the course

To be honest: if your kids need a tightly scheduled programme from morning to night, the Salobre isn't the right place. The kids' club runs seasonally and several times a week, not continuously. Families looking for a relaxed setting with a pool, playground and plenty of outdoor time will love it here – families expecting a full-on club-hotel programme, less so.

Food: six concepts and a relaxed breakfast

When it comes to food, the Salobre is clearly a cut above the regional average. Six restaurants and bars are spread across the resort – from the buffet restaurant with show cooking and a leafy courtyard, to the pool bar and an Italian spot by the golf course, to the à la carte restaurant for a child-free evening and a rooftop terrace overlooking the dunes of Maspalomas.

For families, this mainly means: you won't eat the same thing twice in a week, and you don't have to leave the resort to do so. Meal plans from breakfast only to all inclusive are available. For families with young children, half board is usually the most sensible choice: the pool area is plenty for lunch, and in the evening you can choose between the buffet and à la carte.

Wellness, golf and sports: the parents' side of the deal

While the kids are in the pool, there's genuinely plenty going on for grown-ups:

• Be Aloe Wellness Centre with massages, facial and body treatments, Finnish sauna, steam bath and ice fountain; direct bookings include one entry per person per stay
• Gym in partnership with Technogym, overlooking the dunes of Maspalomas; with the "Wellness a la Carta" service you can even book equipment to your room
• Free activities: yoga, aqua fitness, aerobics, Nordic walking
• Golf: 27 holes right on the doorstep (Salobre Old, North and South courses), free driving range, club and cart hire, pro shop, free golf shuttle
• Mountain biking: the hotel is certified "Cycling Friendly" – CCTV-monitored garage, workshop and bike wash area
• Water sports (surfing, kitesurfing, catamaran, snorkelling) through external providers on the coast
• "Friends of the Garden": a botanical walk through the gardens explaining Gran Canaria's endemic plant life – surprisingly good for curious kids

Beach: 5 kilometres and a free shuttle

The Salobre has no beach of its own. The hotel shuttle runs free of charge every hour during the day to Playa de Meloneras, a well-kept, family-friendly stretch of beach with a promenade, restaurants and calm water.

From there, the coastal path takes you on foot in around 30 minutes to the Maspalomas lighthouse and the start of the dunes. With kids, this makes a lovely half day: beach in the morning, ice cream on the promenade at lunchtime, back to the hotel pool in the afternoon.

If you want more flexibility, take the hire car: Playa del Inglés is around 7 kilometres away, and the sheltered bay of Puerto de Mogán about 25 minutes to the west.

Day trips with kids nearby

• Maspalomas Dunes – a little patch of desert with a lighthouse at the end; most beautiful early in the morning or at sunset
• Palmitos Park – bird park with dolphin and bird-of-prey shows, butterfly house and aquarium, around 20 minutes by car
• Aqualand Maspalomas – water park for older kids, approx. 20 minutes
• Puerto de Mogán – colourful fishing village with canals, a boat jetty and a calm sandy beach
• Roque Nublo – hike to the island's landmark, short and doable even with primary-school-age kids
• Barranco de Guayadeque – gorge with cave dwellings and cave restaurants
• Whale and dolphin watching from Puerto Rico – Gran Canaria is one of the most reliable spots in Europe

What you should know before booking

1. Not a beach hotel. If you want to stroll to the sea in your bathrobe in the morning, this isn't the place for you.
2. The rooftop infinity pool is for ages 16 and up only. You'll have to enjoy the best view in the hotel on your own. PS: the kids' club is on the same floor!
3. Hire car strongly recommended. The location is peaceful – and without a car, a little isolated.
4. The resort is spacious and hilly. It works with a pushchair thanks to the lifts, but it takes a moment to get your bearings at first.
5. The spa pool costs extra (around €25 per visit); direct bookings usually include one entry.
6. The kids' programme is seasonal. Ask for specifics beforehand.
7. Dogs up to 5 kg are allowed on request (for a fee).

Best time to visit

The south of Gran Canaria is warm all year round: in winter, daytime temperatures are usually 21 to 24 degrees, in summer 26 to 29 degrees. For families, the off-season between October and April is the most attractive – exactly when the Salobre's heated pools come into their own. If you come during the German summer holidays, you can take advantage of the hotel's summer offers, which at times include free golf from June to September.

Who the Salobre is right for

Perfect for you if: you want winter sun without a long-haul flight, are travelling with young children, value peace and design over entertainment, care about good food and are planning on a hire car.

Not ideal if: you want to stay right by the sea, are looking for a club hotel with all-day entertainment, are travelling without a car, or have kids who expect slides and a water park at the hotel.

Frequently asked questions about the Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity

Is the Salobre Hotel child-friendly? Yes. There's a children's pool, an indoor playroom, a playground, a seasonal kids' club for 4- to 12-year-olds, kids' menus, high chairs and babysitting for a fee. But the hotel keeps its calm character – it's not a classic club hotel.

How far is the Salobre Hotel from the beach? Playa de Meloneras is around 5 kilometres away. The hotel offers a free shuttle bus that runs hourly during the day.

Are there family rooms at the Salobre Hotel? Yes. The Triple Deluxe (45 m²) sleeps two adults and one child, the Junior Suite (84 m²) two adults and two children, and the Junior Suite Familiar (87 m²) two adults and up to three children under 12.

Can children use all the pools? No. The rooftop infinity pool is for ages 16 and up, the 4th-floor pool is reserved for the eSencia programme and the spa pool belongs to the wellness area. The children's pool and the pools on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors are open to families.

Do you need a hire car at the Salobre on Gran Canaria? Not for the beach – there's the shuttle for that. For exploring the island, yes, and the hotel itself recommends it.

Does the Salobre offer all inclusive? Yes, all inclusive is available, as are breakfast, half board and full board. For families with young children, half board is usually the most relaxed option.

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