We stayed at Don Paco Castilla in February, and had a very relaxing break. The complex was not overfull, and held a mixture of nationalities, that complemented each other well - Germans, Dutch, Irish, British. We enjoyed getting to know our European neighbours and were glad we hadn't ended up in a 'British only' complex.
Although some of the complex is a little tired many of the apartments are being refurbished. Our one bedroom apartment was on the ground floor with a terrace overlooking the pool, and was sufficiently comfortable for our requirements. It was very clean and the maid was very helpful. We had to pay a small charge for the in room safe, but it wasn't a lot, and this is quite normal in this kind of complex. We didn't bother watching the TV as we were only there for a week, but there would have been a small charge if we had wanted to, though again this wasn't unreasonable.
The staff were very friendly and helpful at all times, and did their best to make our stay successful. We took half-board and ate in the restaurant for breakfast and most evenings. the food was fine for the price we paid. There was always a reasonable selection, and Salem and his staff were brilliant!
The complex is in a lovely quieter part of the resort and is a few minutes walk to the long sandy beach of Playa Los Pocillos. We hired sunbeds most days for 8 euros a pair and also found the sea warm enough to swim in. The local shops and bars are just right if you want to wander quietly around. We walked the half hour along the promenade into the main resort one evening, but in our opinion found it too brash and in your face, and we couldn't wait to get back out.
There are numerous car hire places locally and you can see most of the island in a few days. Organised trips are expensive, so it's better to hire your own car, which is very cheap.
It isn't far to Arreciffe airport - about 15 mins in a taxi, but the planes come in over the sea and don't really disturb you.
All in all this was a great break, that was goo value for money, and we would definitely go there again.

I too have just returned from Don Pacos and have to agree with the previous comments. Don Pacos complex is quite large and has some lovely pools and is kept immaculate by a seemingly army of cleaners/pool staff/maintenance people.

We stayed in a studio which was obviously compact but still had room for a dining table and chairs. A large balcony (although they looked directly at the opposite block it was still lovely to sit there and chill out) The rooms are basic but have everything we needed (except a toaster but a bit of creativity over the hob ring sorted that problem out!).

I didn't eat there as we were self catering and only saw two cats the whole fortnight that didn't bother anyone.

Its location can be a down side if you like you restaurants/pubs a bit livelier as the ones nearby were quiet, although it isn't high season at the moment so depending on when you go this will be different. It is a good 25-30 minute walk into the next area of bars etc in Porto del carmen and is a boring walk as there are no shops/bars/etc only beach on one side and apartments/hotels on the other for most of the way. A taxi is only 3.50 euros to the main bustle of restaurants near the casino and only 5-6 euros all the way to the harbour where there are some beautiful places to eat and lots of fish restaurants.

If you do walk head to the beach then turn right at the beach for Porto del carmen, turn left to walk to Matagorda.

Having been a little concerned from some of the listings on this site I can say if you want a nice clean place to stay and lovely weather then don paco/lanzarote are great. So if you've already booked - have a fab time. If you're thinking about it I hope the above helps.

Best wishes to you all and happy holidays wherever life takes you. x Debby.

If anybody's interested we have just returned from the DonPaco apartments having stayed in a self catering apartment for a fortnight. We can recommend them - yes some fixtures and fittings are a little shabby but you can see that there are continuous improvements going on around the complex with air conditioning also being fitted. However everything is very clean with lots of staff working hard. The pools are all great and we found one just for adults which was nice. We always ate out so cannot comment on the hotel restaurant but it certainly smelled nice and is just 9 euros each. There is a fair bit of walking to do from the apartments so suggest that for the elderly or infirm it may not be the best situation. Yes, we would definitely stay there again.

Just come back after a weeks stay at the Don Paco, to be honest was a little worried after reading some bad feedback on the hotel, but actually had a great time. On arrival at the airport we went to the Jumbo canarias tours office where the staff were friendly and they immediately got us into a taxi and straight off to our hotel which is only 10 mins away from the airport. On arrival at the hotel the staff were friendly and attentive, the hotel was spotless and immaculate, we had a 1 bedroom apartment which was spacious and clean with all equipment we needed it looked like it had been recently been refurbished and had a new bathroom, which they seemed to be doing across the hotel. The choice of food in the evening was excellent at least 3 meats/poultry plus fish and vegetarian plus a great salad bar, breakfast too had a good choice of continental and spanish/english food, couldnt really complain, plenty to drink, local brands but absolutely fine. snack food during the day was plentiful and an average variety. The pools were a little cold but fine once you were in, although there was a heated pool too that was lovely. The animation team for the kids were great and friendly. Location - really in the los pocillos/Matagorda area which is quieter than the main Playa del carmen strip, so if you want family, good beach, a few shops and bars/restaurants this is great, if you want bars/discos and shopping daily then its about 20-30mins walk in the centre. We hired a car for 3 days which was great we managed to see most of the island. For the money we paid - well worth it!