LanzaHOTTIE! (Lanzarote)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Lanzarote
Date:	06/03/09 (248 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great weather, great scenery, great all round holiday

Disadvantages: None

My parents have owned a time share in Lanzarote for as long as I can remember. Up until I was around 16 I visited at least once a year. I class it as my second home!

I haven't been for a few years now but I'm going for a week in April and I can't wait.
Some people might have put off a holiday to Lanzarote by thinking it is dare I say it..a 'chavy' holiday destination. This is mainly due to the likes of Stacey Slater (Eastenders) holidaying there! I can happily confirm this is not the case. It's an extremley beautiful island that is generally visited by a mixed bag of respectable and cultered people.

I would not recommend Lanzarote for people wanting a lively, clubbing holiday (Tenerife would be the better island for that). Nor would I recommend it for thrill seekers or people wanting an adventure type holiday. I would deffinatley recommend it to familes, people wanting a relaxing holiday and people who enjoy discovering new things.
Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands and is situated 79 miles off the coast of Africa. Even though the islands are close to Africa, they are actually Spanish islands and the language spoken is also Spanish. There are seven canary islands and Lanzarote is the fourth largest even though the island is only 37 miles long and 12 miles wide.

It is a clean, unspoilt island. Most of the buildings are white and due to local autority regulations there are no eye sores such as billboards or high rise buildings.
Lanzarote has all year round good weather and only has 5.5 inches of rainfall each year! The daytime temperature typically varies between 21 and 29 degrees depending on what time of year you visit. The wind picks up in the evenings though so don't forget to take a jacket out with you!

There is one airport on the island - Arrecife airport, which is situated between Arrecife (the capital) and Puerto Del Carmen. Getting a taxi to your destination is fairly inexpensive because of how small the island is. Most UK airlines fly to Lanzarote and the flight time from London to Lanzarote is around 4 hours.
The first thing you will notice when visiting Lanzarote it how black the island is. In the 18th and 19th century the volcanos on the island erupted and ended up covering the island in black sand and rocks. It sounds a little grim I admit, but it really is an amazing sight. Due to the dry climate and lack of erosion much of the island has remained pretty much the same as it was back then. Much of the island is unspoilt, untouched and unbelivable.

The second thing you will notice is how many volcanos there are. There are hundreds of volcanos scattered all over the island, many of them still live! (Don't tell the kids this though - I remember being terrified they were going to errupt!)
Whilst the volcano erruptions made a big affect on the surface, they also affected below the surface. The Cave of Los Verdes is well worth a visit. It is the longest volcanic tunnel in the world (6km long, 15 metres high and 15 metres wide). I would include a photo but it wouldn't really capture it. You have to be there to really appreciate the giant molten looming caves and sheer size and beauty.

Again because of the dry climate there is not much vegetation or greenery. Cactus and palm tress are Lanzarotes equivalent of Englands grass and oak trees. It makes a very nice change!
Costa Tequise is where I stay when I visit. It is a quiet town, on the east of the island and around a 15 minute drive from the airport. There are plenty of shops, resturants and sandy beaches there. It is nearby Teguise which is a small, traditional town with lots of cobbled streets, old buildings and churches to discover. Every Sunday morning Teguise is home to a huge, traditional market where you can pick up pretty much anything.

So what else is there to do and see in Lanzarote?
A must do is Timanfaya National Park which is situated on the north west side of the island. I took this paragraph from discoverlanzarote.com - "The Montañas del Fuego (Fire Mountains) were created between 1730 and 1736 when more than 100 volcanoes, covering more than 50 km², rose up and devastated this part of the island (including several villages)".
You drive right out into the volcanos and the first thing you come across are camel rides. The camels have a seat either side of their humps so you don't have to ride alone. I used to love this as a kid! Then a short drive away you discover just how hot it is just a few metres below the surface (temperatures reach between 400°C and 600°C). Demonstrations include watching food being cooked on a grill which is placed over a hole in the ground (there's also a resturant where you can eat the food), dry bush being placed into a hole in the ground and catching fire almost immediatley and putting water into a hole in the ground only for it to spit out seconds later in a mist! Next up is a coach ride which takes you round the 'fire mountains'. It's full of crators and things you will have never seen before. Many people have described it as looking like another planet. The tour also features audio commentary in different languages.

There are 2 Parks for the kids and animal lovers - Rancho Texas (situated nearby Puerto Del Carmen) and Guinate Tropical Park (situated in the north). Rancho Texas is a park that has all different animals from tigers to skunks and crocodiles to sealions. There are live demonstrations, panning for gold, wild west shows, pony rides and places to eat. Guinate Tropical Park is set at one of the highest points on the island. It has a large variety of tropical birds and animals. They put on a really good parrot show and you can get a photo with the birds afterwards. It is also the home to Penguin Paradise which lets you see the penguins from above and below the water. Unlike Rancho Texas this park does not have a theme, it is set in a serene atmosphere with waterfalls and views overlooking La Graciosa (a small island off the coast). There are places to eat and a childrens play area. We befriended the owner on one occassion and he gave us a guided tour, aswell as letting me in the cages with the birds!
If you are interested in the marine life but prefer not to go snorkelling then you can visit Lanzarote Aquarium, situated in Costa Teguise. There are lots of tropical fish, rays and sharks to see (you can also swim with them for around 120 euros) and touch pools for everybody to touch and learn about certain marine life. Lanzarote Aquarium is not an all day attraction, so why not spend the rest of your day at The Cactus Garden nearby Guatiza where there are over 1000 different species of cactus!

Another one for the kids..and older kids like myself is the Aqua Park which is in Costa Teguise. It has numerous water slides and makes for a good day out.
If you are looking for the best place to find shops and resturants you should find everything you need in Puerto Del Carmen. This is probably the 'livliest' town on the island.

Puerto Calero is worth a visit. It's situated nearby Puerto Del Carmen and has plenty of shops and resturants but the best thing to see is the marina which is full of huge yachts. Submarine and yacht excursions can also be found here.
Pretty much every hotel and apartment block has a swimming pool, plus there are lots of beautiful beaches to visit. I would personally recommend the long, sandy beaches of Puerto Del Carmen. Other beautiful beaches can be found in Playa Blanca (south of the island) but beware there are a LOT of nudies..I found this out the hard way! Big waves can be found in La Santa (north west of the island) which is good for surfing, whereas windsurfers would prefer Costa Teguise. Jet skiing, snorkelling and parasailing is also available at many beaches.

Lanzarote also has duty free tax which means things are a lot cheaper than back home. Beer, cigarettes, resturants, electronics etc. Although due to the recent credit crunch I'm not sure if it still applies as much!?
The best way to get the most out of your holiday is to rent out a car. However if you don't want to there is a very good bus service which runs all over the island. Taxi fares are also fairly inexpensive.

Now somebody please give me my own holiday travel show!!

Summary: a good holiday destination despite what some say!