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| Lanzarote Hotels |  Lanzarote Destination & Resort Browser showing full range of accommodation |
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| Life Around Town | ||
| Arrecife | The first view which most of us have of Arrecife is the one which we see from our aeroplane as it comes in over the sea to land at the Lanzarote airport. Arrecife is the capital of the island and (outside siesta-time) is a hive of hustle and bustle. Behind the palm-lined beach promenade, apart from the main street of Léon y Castillo, the streets are narrow and, for the most part, one way. When I first came to the island in 1983, it was, for me, unattractive and a place to be avoided. It did have some places of interest - two castles - the Castillo de San Gabriel (built in 1574 and now converted into an archeological musuem), and the Castillo de San José (built in 1779 and now a museum of Contemporary Art). It also has a large natural harbour. In recent years, however, great pains have been taken to give the town a face lift and it is now a much more interesting and attractive town. It has about half of Lanzarote's population of approximately 80,000 and it's most outstanding landmark is the Gran Hotel - an ugly high rise building (the only one on Lanzarote, thank goodness). | |
| Arrieta | A quiet but pleasant fishing village on the north-east coast. It is noted for the restaurants where the main courses consist of the fish brought in by the local fishermen in the morning. | |
| Costa Teguise |
Having regard to the manner in which it came into being, Costa Teguise should be a prime example of what a model holiday resort should look like. There was no town or village here until, in the 1970's the massive state-owned Spanish company 'Rio Tinto' bought the whole area in order to build exactly that - a model holiday resort. As a result of political and economic changes, the company was later privatised and it's ownership of the area sold. The present town is the result of these changing circumstances. It is one of the three main tourist areas, has long golden beaches and an 18 hole golf course. Unlike Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, Costa Teguise has no 'old village' upon which to build a centre of activity. | |
| Haria |
Haría is known as the 'village of the thousand palms' - and it does have many palm trees. It is unique (and fortunate on an island like Lanzarote) in that it has a supply of water. Added to that, there was once a tradition that a palm tree was planted whenever a child was born. Hence, the abundance of trees. It is a quiet and peaceful place. | |
| Orzola |
Apart from being an attractive fishing village, situated on the north coast of the island, Orzola is important because it is from here that the ferry leaves for the island of La Graciosa each day. Orzola is a favourite village for many people. | |
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| Playa Blanca | Together with Papagayo (the famous group of beautiful golden sandy beaches), Playa Blanca now monopolizes the southern coast of Lanzarote. This once small fishing village is now witnessing the construction of luxury developments such as four-star hotels, a marina and golf courses. Playa Blanca is now a major tourist resort. I believe it to be the nicest tourist area on the island. Ferries depart at regular hourly intervals each day from the harbour to the nearby island of Fuerteventura, some 6 miles distance. | |
| Puerto del Carmen |
It has to be described as Lanzarote's principal tourist resort. Long golden beaches and plenty of hustle, bustle and night life. The place to be if you want to 'live it up' - it has clubs, discos, a casino and the like. A long main road runs the whole way along behind the beach. On one side of the road (the side opposite the beach) there is a continuous line of commercial premises (shops, retaurants, banks and so on). The beach side of the road has been landscaped and is very attractive. | |
| Teguise | The capital of the island until 1852, at which time Arrecife became the capital. It has beautiful buildings all around the market square, with the old Church of Parroquia San Miguel and the Museum of Palacio de Spinola nearby. | |
| Uga | Uga is located between Yaiza and the vine growing area of La Gerria. This village replaced one of the same name which was buried as a result of the volcanic activity which took place between 1730 and 1736. It is an attractive and unusual village. One gets a good view of it as one travels along the main Arrecife to Playa Blanca road. The village is slightly below the level of the road but a slope rising up on the far side carries the road leading into the vine growing areas. A journey through these areas is yet another unusual and unique experience. | |
| Yaiza | An exceptionally pretty town, to be found 'en route' to Playa Blanca. It is a delightful place and one which you should take the time to wander around. The local council has built terraces into the sides of the mountains and planted palm trees and lots of bouganvilleas. Twice voted the Most Beautiful Village in the Whole of Spain. There are a few traditional restaurants and cafes. 'La Era', in particular, is a restaurant worth a visit. | |
