Inside the Spanish holiday resort with toasty temperatures in Autumn, spectacular spas and desserts to die for

AS my beautician releases the tension in my shoulders – and the wine I drank at lunch takes effect – it’s a wonder I don’t fall asleep.

I’ve just had a lovely face and shoulder massage at Hyatt’s Dreams Playa Dorado in Lanzarote and I can safely say that I’m sufficiently relaxed.

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I arrived at the resort in the Canary Islands the day before feeling exhausted from work.

But this hotel has an atmosphere that immediately relaxes you.

Things start off as they should when I’m greeted with a glass of cava upon check-in.

Although the hotel offers both B&B and half-board packages, the all-inclusive option is worth the extra charge, as is the quality of the food and drinks.

I spent my first day enjoying the 20-degree temperatures by the pool and washing down my lunch with a pina colada the size of my head.

The temperatures in Lanzarote are a pleasant 26 °C in October and a very mild 23 °C in November.

My room was in the adults-only section, but the hotel is kid-friendly, with a kids’ club for ages 4 to 12, a teen club, and a water park to keep everyone busy.

If you’re looking for variety during the week, there are nine different pools, a beach, five restaurants, four pool bars and a sports bar.

A scattered packet of chips delayed our journey

The spa where I had my fantastic treatment also has a sauna, jacuzzi and a 25m pool.

On our first evening we enjoyed dinner in the main buffet restaurant and drinks in the lobby.

The hotel’s entertainment program is relaxed, but there is usually live music while you enjoy a drink in the evening.

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The next day we were invited on a catamaran excursion. The boat, bookable through the hotel, was fully electric and was operated with the aim of protecting local wildlife.

At one point, a stray packet of chips delayed our journey for a few minutes as the deputy captain took it upon himself to fish it out.

Hotel guests can book a group catamaran for £95 per person or £70 per child. The journey takes three to four hours, including drinks and snacks.

As part of this, you can stop at a beautiful bay for swimming and snorkeling.

After disembarking at Marina Rubicon, a ten-minute walk from the hotel, we headed to the hotel’s Sugar Reef beach bar for an authentic Canarian lunch.

Delicious food, wine from the local Yaiza vineyard and music from a three-piece string orchestra ensured I was sufficiently relaxed for my amazing spa treatment.

That evening we ate at the hotel’s Asian restaurant Himitsu, which I would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed vegetarian sushi, a delicious tofu katsu dish and pad thai.

I was sad to have to leave Dreams the next morning, but I shouldn’t have done that as there were even better things to come.

If I thought Dreams was fancy, Hyatt’s Secrets Lanzarote, our next destination, was a step up.

Not least because we stayed in a suite with a swim-up pool.

In addition, a huge living room, a spa bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub, a separate dressing room, a bedroom and a large terrace for sunbathing made it very special.

With Balinese beds, palm trees, and a gorgeous beachfront location, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were somewhere far further away than the Canary Islands when exploring this adults-only hotel.

Volcanic rock gives the water a neon tone

Here too, you can choose between B&B, half board or all-inclusive, depending on your wishes and budget.

The hotel has six restaurants and five bars. On our last evening we ate at Sugar Reef.

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The delicious meal included a banana chocolate bomb, arguably the best dessert I have ever tasted.

Secrets also features a huge gym and spa with a large hot tub, ice bath, infrared sauna and more.

As tempting as it was to stay there, it would have been criminal to miss the opportunity to explore outside of the resort.

We visited the Bodega La Geria vineyard, one of the oldest on the island, with breathtaking views of black volcanic rock.

You can book a tour and tasting for £10.

There is also a lovely gift shop that sells wine and jewelry.

From there it was just a short drive to the incredibly green lagoon of El Golfo, where the island’s volcanic rock gives the water an almost neon, glowing hue.

However, go sooner or later as it gets very crowded when the buses arrive.

But the best part of Lanzarote?

It must be the instant relaxation that warm temperatures and quality hotels just four hours from the UK bring.

It’s the ultimate fly-and-flop for fall.