Trip Report: Lanzarote Part 1

Clareboy

My wife and I spent two weeks in Lanzatote during January and February 2011. It was our first time to stay in Lanzarote and we were very impressed. We are a middle aged couple, so we were looking for somewhere quiet as we are not interested in bars or nightlife. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading my trip report.

Lanzarote - January 26th to February 9th

In November 2010, my wife Mary and I decided that we really needed a post Christmas break from the Irish winter, so we booked two weeks in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. We were lucky that Ryanair was still operating a once weekly flight from Shannon to the winter sun destination of Lanzarote. We booked a two week stay at the Molino de Guatiza apartments in Costa Teguise. We decided to visit the more laid back island Lanzarote rather than the busier and more popular Canarian islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. We had visited Lanzarote on day trips in 2003 when we holidayed on the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura. I was amazed by the unique volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote and impressed by its singular architectural style. At that time, we said that we definitely would return to visit what I would regard as a very special island. I love wild, barren and rocky places and certainly Lanzarote fits the bill. The pristine white villages standing on the black volcanic landscapes were also a lasting memory. The place has a neatness, a tidiness and a sense of uniformity that really appeals to me.

Lanzarote - Island of Volcanoes

Lanzarote is situated in the Atlantic Ocean about 1000 km south of the Spanish mainland and about 125 kms from the coast of Africa (Morocco). It is the fourth largest island of the Canary Islands, which are an autonomous region of Spain. The dimensions of Lanzarote are 60 km from north to south and 25 km from east to west. Most of the island consists of solidified lava streams with both extinct and dormant volcanoes. Lanzarote was born out of fiery eruptions that have given the island its extravagant and tortured landscapes. The population of Lanzarote is 140,000, of which 75% are Spanish, 4% British and 2½% Irish. The capital is Arrecife, which has a population of 60,000. Tourism is the biggest industry with 5,500,000 visitors in 2008.
Because of its unique landscapes and ecosystems, Lanzarote was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993, the only island in the world to have such a designation.
Tourist development on Lanzarote is confined to three resort areas; Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca. Puerto del Carmen is the largest resort area on the island and is famous for its hectic nightlife – 40 Irish pubs! Enough said! We chose the quieter resort of Costa Teguise, which is situated on the east coast of Lanzarote, just north of Arrecife, the capital. Costa Teguise is the location of the Palacio Mareta, one of the residences of the Spanish Royal Family.
Visitors to Lanzarote in January and February can expect temperatures of around 20 to 25C, so it is a favourite destination for the winter sun seeker.



Cesar Manrique 1919 - 1992


Lanzarote owes much of its unique character and special status to one great man – César Manrique (1919 – 1992), artist, architect, planner and environmentalist. After spending many years in the USA, he returned to his native Lanzarote in the 1960s, just as mass tourism was about to take off. He appealed to his native Lanzaroteans to remain faithful to their traditional style of architecture and not allow their beautiful island to be blighted by the high rise hotels and apartments that have blighted so many parts of the other Canary Islands and mainland Spain. He also convinced the government of Lanzarote to ban the use of advertising billboards on the highways. César Manrique was also behind the strict planning laws on Lanzarote which restricts the height of new buildings to 5 stories and regulates the architectural styles that are permitted on the island. All houses in the countryside must follow the traditional style, with only green or brown painted doors and windows allowed. Buildings in coastal areas may paint their external windows and doors in blue. Manrique realised that houses and farms fitted into the tableau of the island’s picturesque panorama as did the sea and volcanoes.
During his lifetime, Manrique designed 6 Centres of Art, Culture and Tourism in Lanzarote, which are truly outstanding examples of sustainable tourism and stand as lasting monuments to this exceptional artist and architect. Manrique was a man ahead of his time and he formulated a model for the island’s development that would respect the environment and be scaled according to the limited size of the island.
It is impossible to imagine Lanzarote today without César Manrique as his artistic and architectural creations have made the island one of the most singular destinations in the world. He had a talent of combining art with nature and he created some really spectacular visitor attractions. Other examples of his works can be seen in Tenerife, in some of the other Canary Islands and in Ceuta. He lived a simple life and did not smoke or drink. César Manrique was tragically killed in a road accident near his home in Lanzarote in 1992. The César Manrique Foundation continues to promote the ideas of the great man into the future. Thanks to César Manrique Lanzarote’s favourite son, the island has avoided the worst excesses of mass tourism and is an example of sustainable tourism for other parts of the world to follow.



Lanzarote as a movie location



Lanzarote’s primeval volcanic landscapes have been used as a location for a number of films including; One Million Years BC, (1966) starring Raquel Welch in a fur skin bikini, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (1976), When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth ( 1970), The Land That Time Forgot (1975), and Clash Of The Titans (2010).

Shannon to Lanzarote

We had an early start on Wednesday January 26th as we had to be in Shannon Airport to catch the 08.10 Ryanair flight to Lanzarote. As we queued at the boarding gate, we met with a lady from Ennis that we knew. She was booked into a hotel in Puerto del Carmen for a week, so we arranged to meet up with her during our stay in Lanzarote. Most of the passengers were middle aged or elderly people. We left Ireland in cloudy conditions, but as we flew southwards, the sky cleared and we had magnificent views of the coast of Portugal. About half way into the flight, an elderly female passenger suffered an asthma attack and had to resuscitated by the crew using an oxygen tank. Luckily, she recovered, so we did not have to make an emergency landing. As we approached the Lanzarote, we flew over the three small volcanic islands to the north. The views were truly spectacular and a prelude to the delights in store for us. As the plane approached the airport from the sea, we experienced very violent turbulence and had to overfly the airport. We then flew over the jagged volcanic mountains in order to approach the airport from the landward side. As the aircraft came in to land, it shuddered violently and lurched from side to side – scary stuff! It was the roughest landing that I have so far experienced. We were certainly glad to be finally on solid ground. One of the crew told us that cross winds are a frequent problem at Lanzarote Airport and flights are often diverted to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura.
It was a nice bright sunny day in Lanzarote and we felt that we had fast forwarded to summer. From the airport, we boarded a bus to Arrecife, from where we caught a connecting bus to our final destination – Costa Teguise. Luckily, we had only a short walk from the bus stop to our accommodation.



Molina de Guatiza Apartments


I had booked 14 nights’ accommodation at the Molina de Guatiza Apartments through www.booking.com. I had chosen this apartment complex because of its reasonable tariff and its location on a quiet residential street close to the beach and within easy walking distance of a supermarket, the bus stop and restaurants. We were very impressed by the complex, which consists of 36 apartments grouped around a pool and sun terrace. It is built in the traditional Lanzarotean style, white washed with green doors and windows. We were allocated apartment 27 on the 3rd floor. Our apartment contained an open plan lounge/dining area, kitchen, bedroom and balcony. The apartment cost us €25 per night. There is no on site restaurant, but the pool bar serves a basic menu and will deliver meals to the apartments. After settling in, we caught a bus back to Arrecife and did some grocery shopping in LIDL. We were very tired that evening after being up since 5 AM, so we retired to bed at around 8 PM.



Costa Teguise




Costa Teguise is a purpose built resort, which was developed in the 1980s and designed by César Manrique. It is situated on the east coast of Lanzarote, north of Arrecife the capital. The development has been designed in a simple and attractive style of architecture to blend with the volcanic surroundings. The vegetation consists of palm trees, cacti and other exotic plants which grow from the black volcanic soil. The whole area has been carefully designed to combine the arid volcanic surroundings with a tropical atmosphere. A magnificent double archway over the main road designed by César Manrique in the traditional style marks the northern entrance to Costa Teguise.
On our first full day in Lanzarote, we decided to explore our local area of Playa Bastian and Costa Teguise. The weather was cloudy and changeable with occasional showers. It reminded us of a typical ‘Irish summer’. Luckily, we had brought our rain wear! We walked along the attractive coastal promenade, which is traffic free and reserved for pedestrians and walkers. As we strolled along, a magnificent rainbow framed the resort.
The beaches were deserted, but we could see that they were very well equipped with sun loungers, parasols, toilets and showers. As well as numerous children’s playgrounds, there are also playgrounds for adults, which consist of all kinds of exercise machines for all age groups. I have seen similar outdoor gyms in mainland Spain. It is a policy of the Spanish government to have a fit population.
As we approached the centre, we came across many Irish and British bars, cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops. The centre of downtown Costa Teguise is the Pueblo Marinero (Seaman’s Village), which is a recreation of a traditional Lanzarote village designed by César Manrique.
The weather improved in the afternoon and we were able to sit and relax and enjoy the warm sunshine. We enjoyed a large cold beer at the ‘Inn on The Square’, which cost only €1.50 a pint! I have actually seen pints of beer advertised for only €1 a pint during ‘happy hour’. Must be a beer drinkers paradise! Later that evening, we had a 3 course evening meal in the Pueblo Marinero for just €9 each.
We were certainly very impressed by our first day in Lanzarote, which was of course only a fore taste of the incredible places that we were to visit over the next 2 weeks.
At the southern end of Costa Teguise lies the Palacio Mareta, which is a holiday residence for the Spanish Royal Family. It is a complex of typical Lanzarotean buildings and was originally designed by César Manrique for King Hussein of Jordan.
The tourist accommodation in Costa Teguise mainly consists of apartment complexes and a number of very spectacular luxury 5 star hotels. The most impressive hotel that we visited was the Hotel Beatriz, which is situated on the edge of the resort near the badlands. There is no church in Costa Teguise, so Sunday mass is celebrated in the Hotel Beatriz in one of the meeting rooms. On entering the hotel, we were amazed at the internal layout which features a vast glass covered central patio with a waterfall cascading down one side to a seating area interspersed with tropical plants and rocks imbedded in the plush carpeting. The bar is situated on a island surrounded by a flowed stream and accessed by wooden footbridges. Great masses of greenery drop down from the surrounding balconies. After mass, we had a drink in the lounge and just gazed about us in amazement and wonder. Certainly, the Hotel Beatriz was the most impressive hotel that I have ever been in and it was a glimpse into the 5 star super-luxury lifestyle. The Gran Melia Salinas is another spectacular hotel in Costa Teguise, which was designed by César Manrique. It features a lush central tropical garden with cascades, water features and streams crossed by foot bridges. A magnificent sculpture of a reclining female figure adorns the main lobby.

Teguise

The ancient town of Teguise is situated about 10 kms inland from the coast and was the capital of Lanzarote until the 19th century. It is a very good example of an old colonial Spanish town, full of quaint cobbled streets and oozing with local charm. We decided to visit Teguise on our second day in Lanzarote. We alighted from the bus at the town hall, which is housed in an old medieval convent. Outside of Sunday, which is the day of the Teguise Market, the biggest on the island, Teguise is a nice quiet and historic place to visit. We strolled up through the narrow atmospheric streets to the central plaza, which is dominated by the churchof Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe – Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is the oldest and largest church in Lanzarote. We took many photos of the typical streets and buildings. On a mountainside outside Teguise is the Castle of Santa Barbara, which dominates the centre of the island. Both the east coast and west coast can be seen from this vantage point and it was used a lookout for pirates in olden times. All the older settlements in Lanzarote are situated inland as a precaution against pirate attack.
The weather was quite sunny and bright when we left Costa Teguise, but it later started to cloud over and a huge ominous black cloud formed over Teguise around midday.
What followed was a torrential downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. The central plaza was turned into a lake and some of the stepped streets became cascades of flood water. It later cleared up as we made our way back to Costa Teguise on the bus.

Teguise Market

On our second Sunday in Lanzarote, we returned to Teguise to visit the famous Teguise Market. It is the biggest market on the island and attracts people from all over. Fleets of buses are laid on the bring people from all parts of Lanzarote. We had little interest in the market stalls, but what really attracted us to Teguise on that Sunday was the display of folk music and dancing by musicians and dancers in traditional costume. It was the best display of folk music and dancing that I have seen and I was able to take some videos with my camera. The musicians played guitars, mandolins and drums while some of the group sang. The dances portrayed the different traditional farming practices on Lanzarote.

Hope you have enjoyed reading my trip report so far - Part 2 to follow soon!