Is this the best location for all triathletes? Yes!
Club La Santa has been on my ‘to visit’ list for many years now, especially the more I become hooked on triathlon. Located on the Northern Coast of Lanzarote, this luxe holiday paradise is only a 25 minute drive from the airport, making it the perfect place for both active people and those wanting a bit of down time. I’ve always known Club La Santa to be predominantly a triathlon playground that is so good, professional triathletes from around the would flock there in off-season to get ready for racing.
On this particular visit we were heading over for the launch of For Every Adventure clothing (that is another story, which I will get to), but whilst we were there doing that, we took advantage of the facilities in front of us. Who could blame us right?! Due to COVID restrictions and limitation of staff, there were a few areas closed, and the resort had a strict ‘negative COVID test’ policy on arrival. If you’re reading this and are looking to visit, please check on the official website to get the latest information www.clublasanta.co.uk
What are the activities at Club La Santa?
As mentioned there were some things closed or not running due to COVID, such as the bouldering centre and the twin South pools (for renovations), but there was plenty to get stuck into. To quote the hotel directly, they have ’80 sports and 500 weekly activities available’, it is safe to say you’ll never be bored! As mentioned, lots of triathletes come to Club La Santa to use the facilities to train, swimming in the 50m pool or the villa-front lagoon, running on the brand new SMART running track, or simply utilising the incredible backdrop for a cycle out around the nearby lava fields. During our stay we even met Lucy Charles-Barclay, who was doing some filming in the pool, and spotted Michelle Vesterby doing laps around the track. If they’re training here, you know you’ve got the best facilities available in front of you.
You can enjoy all these activities
- TRX
- Windsurfing
- Functional training
- Aerial Strength, stretch and relaxation
- Tennis
- Dance (ballroom, jazz etc)
- Indoor racket sports
- Road and mountain biking
- Indoor cycling
- Fitness centre/gym
- Pilates
- Crossfit
- Boxing classes
- Zumba
- Ball games
- Stretch classes
- Aerobics & Step
- Athletics (using the blue track)
- Bungee superfly
- Zumba
- Golf
- Yoga
- Watersports (like standup paddle boarding)
- Running
- Waterfitness
- Body Bike
- Gymnastics
- Bouldering
- Dive and snorkel
- Les Mills classes (combat, pump, step, balance)
- Triathlon specific training
- Other activities like hula hooping and slack lining
As you can see, there is a lot to chose from, and as mentioned some are not available right now, but I assure you there is plenty to be seeing and doing during your stay at Club La Santa. Obviously you don’t have to do activities, you can pick and chose on a daily basis, as there is always something happening. They also offer sport specific training camps across the year, for example trail running, yoga, and of course, triathlon weeks. There are even courses offered in non English language, showcasing just how multinational CLS is. But, to give you an idea of what we managed to do in just three days, please see below… no wonder I slept well every night!
- Mini golf (you cannot beat this… and apparently I cannot beat my husband!)
- Swimming 50m pool (swam here twice a day)
- Stand up paddleboarding
- OWS in the Lagoon
- Road cycling
- Mountain biking
- Bike fit at the performance centre
- Stretch class
- Track running
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Crossfit
Booking activities
It is incredibly easy to get yourself booked onto activities or book out equipment, you just need to download the Club La Santa app. After checking in, take your phone with the downloaded app to the Sports Booking Centre, the hub of the whole resort, and they’ll give you a QR code to scan and you’ll be ready to go!
Once you’ve done this, on the app you’ll now see your points you have to use for your bookings. Some activities require more points or at an additional cost because they are either excursions or specialist activities. You can then go and select a booking time for the different activities, for example pool swimming in the 50m, you could book the lanes at different times of the day, or you can book onto a class that is happening later. You can also select equipment hire for specific slots, including road, mountain and hybrid bikes from Cannondale. The options are endless!
Bike fit at Club La Santa
I decided to take my new Liv Avow TT bike over to Club La Santa to have a bike fit by their onsite bike mechanic (and awesome triathlete), Ben Price. I’ll be doing a stand alone review of this to go into a bit more detail about what it entailed, the outcome and why I’d recommend it if you’re taking your bike over to Club La Santa. A bike fit is such an important service to invest in if you ride a lot. After all, comfort is king, and when you can find comfort AND power, you’ll wish you’d done it sooner! Watch this space for the full Bike Fit review.
The facilities
The facilities are quite incredible. For example, you have a children’s play area, a bounce park (trampoline style holes in a sprung floor – lots of fun), 18 hole mini golf course, a leisure pool with a diving board, a huge area for fitness classes called the Volcano, cross fit areas, tennis, ping pong and racket ball courts, a bike performance centre, water sports centre, the track with full athletics facilities, bike centre and of course, the pool restaurant. Again, we visited in the gradual reopening after lockdown, so some things weren’t quite ready to re-open.
The room
Our room was bright, spacious and well designed. It had an open plan kitchen/living area, a large balcony with two sun loungers and a space to eat. We spent quite a lot of time out here, whether it be drinking morning cups of coffee, or hanging out our wetsuits and swimwear after our morning pool sessions. It was a great space to soak in the view of the lagoon and the distant caldera.
The bedroom was also spacious with a window that looked out to the lagoon, and the other window over the running track. There was plenty of space for clothing and storage, with a handy spot to put your suitcase to unload. This particular apartment had two bathrooms, which made things easier time wise for us as we tried to squeeze so much into three days! One was the larger bathroom, complete with hair dryer etc, and the other was a compact toilet and shower, with the sink outside the room. You will have toiletries in the bathroom along with both a bath and beach towels for you to use.
The kitchen was a sleek and modern design, with everything you could need for your stay. We were self catered and used these facilities to eat in. We had our breakfast in the apartment everyday but ate at the pool restaurant on two nights. There is also the sofa area, which is where the TV is and to be honest, I think I sat on this sofa once and the TV never got touched! Who has time for TV in a place like Club La Santa?!
Restaurants and food options
We were self catered at Club La Santa, which was great way to keep the trip a little more affordable. However they do offer both half board and all inclusive services should you want to completely unwind and let someone cook for you! We didn’t see any of this, but there were lots of professional athletes staying here who were sharing their food images from the all inclusive restaurant – and it looked good! There is a shop onsite, and prices are all very reasonable. Please do remember though, that the shop does close from 2pm until 5pm daily, so head over first thing to get everything you want for the day. Oh, and there is a bakery at the back of the shop with freshly prepared goods such as seeded loaf bread and of course, delicious sweet pastries as well.
We did visit the La Piscina pool restaurant/bar a couple of evenings. On the first night, both of us had one of their incredible salads, which was literally the best salad I’ve ever had! I decided to go for the sea and mountain salad that had so much goodness packed in there I didn’t have any space for a starter or desert! Nick went for a classic chicken salad, and that too was far from your run of the mill salad. The best part was that they were both an absolute bargain (especially for the amount you got), at around 12 euros. On the final night, and after a particularly active day, we treated ourselves to a pizza and a glass of wine. Again, both excellent, and with great service too.
Staying during COVID
Please note that it is always best to check directly with Club La Santa to get the official entry requirements, however when we stayed, even though Spain doesn’t require UK residents to present a COVID test on arrival, to stay at Club La Santa, you will need one.
It is also important to note that face masks are required at all times around the resort, unless you’re eating or taking in part in an activity. Everything is super clean and you 100% feel like the resort are doing everything they can to keep you safe. I personally felt very happy staying here for that reason.
Overall opinion
I can imagine in peak season this place is absolutely booming! Even just a glimpse as they were in the process of reopening, I can 100% understand the appeal of it. I loved how each morning the Green Team (that’s the name for the activity staff you’ll see around the complex, as name suggests, all dressed in green), host their morning gymnastics session dotted about in locations so anyone can join in. They would do a synchronised stretch session and because they were so spread out across various places in Club La Santa, it just meant you could stand by and have a go! What a great way to begin your day.
I can’t comment on some things, such as the other two 50m pools, or how it might be booking on classes etc in peak season or when it is busy, but from our experience we simply loved it. Training wise, in just those 3 days I’ve felt fitter and happier than I have in a long time, it was like going on a fun bootcamp! We’ll definitely be back to both train and have a holiday.
Club La Santa manages to be all things to all people. For example if you have little ones, there is a kids club, nursery services and play areas, meaning parents can relax or spend time being active together. If your partner prefers being active whilst you want to simply read by the pool (or head off to the Wellness Centre for a spa day), there is that option too. You don’t have to be active all the time, it just so happens the options are there, and the options are pretty vast!
For us, Club La Santa has clearly cracked that important holiday balance between fitness and relaxing, something you just can’t find anywhere else, or at least, not as comprehensively or so beautifully delivered.
*Club La Santa kindly provided a complimentary three day stay whilst we did our catalogue photoshoot for the brand new UK multisport brand, For Every Adventure
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