Lanzarote Food & Drink Guide
Lanzarote has hundreds of bars and restaurants, ranging from family-friendly cafes, to Canarian seafood restaurants, to authentic Thai and Indian restaurants.
Lanzarote cuisine revolves around meat such as goat, chicken and beef, most commonly. However, seafood is also widespread - the coastal village of El Golfo is renowned for its fish restaurants. Vegetarian cuisine is largely restricted to European restaurants in the larger towns, but you’ll find tortillas and wrinkled potatoes - the island speciality - everywhere. The local wine, Malvasia, is extremely good, and widely served.
Many people book holidays to Lanzarote’s largest resort, Puerto del Carmen, because of its “Britishness.” This isn’t really the place to come for traditional tapas bars, although the Canarian restaurant of La Tegala is widely considered to be the best on the island. You’ll find some good British restaurants, as well as cosy coffee shops and karaoke pubs. Casa Siam, the island’s only Thai restaurant, serves authentic curries and locally caught fish.
The island’s most famous inhabitant was the artist Cesar Monrique and the El Diablo Restaurant, at Timanfaya National Park, was one of his designs, and serves barbeques over the vent of a volcano! Another great place to dine is the Manrique-designed Casa-Museo Al Campesino, in Mozaga. Serving traditional Canarian food and wine, it offers cool seating inside the huge volcanic cavern, called a Jameo. Jameos del Agua is a fascinating cavern complex where you can dine, drink and dance in “Flintstones” style surroundings.
Holidays to Lanzarote often start at the capital of Arricife, which has some of the best eateries on the island. Try the Castillo De San Jos for locally caught seafood, or the Caf La Terraza for a quick snack. The Fortress restaurant has lovely views in historic surroundings.
Wherever you go in Lanzarote, you will find the Teleclubs. Friendly bars catering mainly for locals, they serve authentic Canarian cuisine and local wines at very reasonable prices.
This article was written on behalf of Co-operative Travel, For more information see Lanzarote holidays to Lanzarote
Tags: holiday, Lanzarote, Spain, travel, vacation, Vacations Spain
October 16, 2010
Active Holidays On Lanzarote
Most tourists like to spend their holidays in Lanzarote relaxing by a swimming pool or on the beach. But this popular Canary Island, located close to the African coast, is also an ideal destination for those who like to be a little more active than that.
Land Or Sea?
Water sports or land based activities, what your poison? The islands great year round climate makes it a real mecca for sports enthusiasts of every stripe. Offering a wide array of sporting activities which can be enjoyed both on dry land and at sea.
Apartments and villas
Accommodation Lanzarote apartments can be rented much more cheaply than on many other Spanish holiday islands.
Lanzarote’s Big Event Of The Year
Lanzarote?s major sporting event is the Iron Man contest – which is held every May and which is widely regarded as one of the toughest triathlons in the world. And rightly so – as competitors are asked to complete a gruelling course comprising a 3km swim, 180km bike ride and then a full marathon in temperatures that are often in the 30?s. With 60 out of the 1000 strong field winning a coveted slot in the Iron Man grand final which takes place every year in Hawaii.
Two Wheel Tours
There?s plenty of scope for a superb cycling holiday on Lanzarote. As the islands volcanic terrain provides plenty of dramatic backdrops as well as gruelling hill workouts. Whilst the year round climate makes it an ideal location for cyclists looking for an accessible spot for over winter training. With many booking a stay at the internationally renowned La Santa sports complex in the north of Lanzarote.
On The Water
Watersports are also an integral part of the islands activity break offering. The conditions for diving in Lanzarote are absolutely ideal – as the waters around the island offer great visibility as well a huge selection of exotic sea life. And the island is also very popular with surfers from across Europe. As the beaches and bays on the wilder and more rugged northern coastline offer ideal conditions for riders. Sailing holidays are also big business – with numerous companies offering full blown breaks as well as daily yacht charters. Most of which depart from one of two marinas on Lanzarote at Puerto Calero and Marina Rubicon in Playa Blanca.
Lanzarote has a wealth of activities to suit all manner of tastes and levels of experience to ensure it remains the Canary Islands top activity vacation centre.
Tags: destinations, Lanzarote, Spain, travel
October 14, 2010
Scenic Wonders of Lanzarote
Lanzarote has earned a reputation as a package holiday destination over the years but increasingly more and more independent travellers are discovering the island. Drawn by wonderful weather, more affordable flights, accommodation and scenery that really is out of this world. There are lots of natural wonders to explore here. Most of which were created by large scale volcanic activity which hit the island in the early 18th century.
Lanzarote is the fourth largest of the Canary Islands and has been a popular holiday destination since the 1970?s. It’s still going strong today too – welcoming millions of foreign tourists every year. And whist many are here to enjoy the glorious sunshine on the beach or by the pool most still find plenty of time to explore too.
This prompts plenty of visitors away from their Lanzarote holiday villas even if just for one day to explore the island further. If you fancy a gentle stroll round one of Lanzarote’s picturesque villages or perhaps skimming across the top of the waves on a jet ski, Lanzarote’s outstanding range of visitor activities and attraction will be sure to please even the most demanding travellers. Different strokes for different folks as the saying goes, whilst we each have our favourite way to spend our leisure time recommendations include:
Rancho Texas: Rancho Texas offers an elegant blend of attractions seamless rolled into one it would seem. As the name would suggest it has a somewhat western theme and the kids will love panning for gold under the blazing sun in true western style. The park also puts on a very professional display of falconry but you’ll need to keep very still as the birds seem to enjoy buzzing the audience during their flights.
Or perhaps :
If the above recommendations don’t suit your style perhaps try The Cesar Manrique Foundation - Given his contribution to the shaping of the very fabric of Lanzarote and its view on tourism development it is only fitting that Cesar Manrique should have his own foundation and legacy. Even more fitting is the fact that it is built around one his best examples of his work which was of course his former home. As you tour round his former home lovingly created from the natural occurrence of volcanic lava bubbles you can truly sense the vision that drove his dedication to natural architecture and the maintenance of the originality of the Lanzarote landscape. If you pay a visit to fire mountain around fifteen minutes further to the north lies Lanzarote?s Green Lagoon, which is situated just outside a small village called El Golfo. The Green Lagoon has starred in a number of major motion pictures over the years – most famously One Million Years BC. As this was the spot where Raquel Welch emerged from the sea in her animal skin bikini.
Additional information on Lanzarote places to visit is available here.
Tags: destinations, Lanzarote, Spain, travel, Vacations
September 20, 2010
Top Animal Parks In Lanzarote
Lanzarote is one of the more family friendly of the Spanish islands, and as such the island has a lot of animal attractions that will appeal to both adults and children alike. When you’re looking to book holidays to Lanzarote, you should consider visiting some of the following attractions as they’ll help to make your holiday experience more entertaining.
Rancho Texas Park Despite having an American sounding name, Rancho Texas Park is based in Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote. The park is a theme park, but it also has a wide range of different animals to see, including crocodiles. The park is more famous though for its birds, as it has a lot of parrots, exotic birds and of course birds of prey.
Guinate Tropical Park Not far from Maguez in Lanzarote, the Guinate Tropical Park is the new home for a 10 Humboldt penguins, which are incredibly rare. These penguins, although more used to cooler climes, actually came from the UK originally - from the Isle of Wight! The penguins have joined many other animals at the park, including exotic birds. There are a total of 1300 different species of animals at this park, so see if you can spot them all.
Jeep Safaris One of the best ways to see everything on holidays to Lanzarote is with a jeep safari. While you won’t see any of the ‘big five’ in Lanzarote, you will see plenty of local wildlife, and you’ll get to know where all of the best beaches, restaurants and clubs are as you’re given the guided tour of the island.
Lanzarote a Caballo Spain is world renowned for its stallions, and this riding centre, not far from Puerto del Carmen, you and whoever you are on holiday with can ride some of the best horses that Spain has to offer. Young children can also ride ponies, or even camel drawn carts.
This article was written on behalf of Co-operative Travel. For more information see Lanzarote Holidays to Lanzarote
Tags: holidays, Lanzarote, travel, vacation, Vacations Spain
September 19, 2010
Lanzarotes Best Festivals
Although the island of Lanzarote is relatively small, it has a large number of high days and holidays that add to the attraction of visiting this Canarian outpost and as result many tourists book accommodation such as villas in Puerto del Carmen so that they can enjoy their favourites, such as, New Year, Nuestra Se?ora del Carmen and San Gines which is only a fraction of the festivities that happen each year. The Christmas period is always a busy time on Lanzarote. Demand for accommodation such as holiday villas in Playa Blanca is high. And the locals celebrate Christmas not once but twice. As in Spain children don’t get their hands on their presents until Epiphany on the 5th of January, or Dia del Reyes as it is known locally. When processions take place in the main towns cross the island featuring three kings on camel back, who dispense sweets and presents to the crowds. The best procession takes place in the islands capital of Arrecife and in the main resort of Puerto del Carmen. So if you have an expectation to make a reservation in any one of the holiday villas in Playa Blanca then book early to avoid dissapointment.
Rio may be the best know carnival location in the world. But this event is also seriously hot stuff in the Canaries. With the locals on Lanzarote enjoying two to three weeks of serious partying as the event rolls out across the island. Carnival is traditionally the Catholic worlds last big knees up before lent and on Lanzarote the locals really let their hair down. With major processions with floats and music passing through all of the main resorts and towns throughout February.
Dia de Canarias is an annual holiday in late May that marks the date when the Canaries first gained autonomy from Spain. As a result May 30th has become a real celebration of Canarian culture that encompasses a wide range of events across the island. With even local supermarkets getting in on the act by offering free tastings of local foods and wines.
One of the most colourful annual events on the island is Corpus Christi. As locals band together to create intricate carpets of salt which depict key scenes from the bible. Salt used to be a big export product here and the island is very windy so it is used instead of flowers, which are the norm on other islands. On the Sunday of the event procession carrying religious icons emerge from the local churches and walk across these wonderful tableaus.
Los Dolores is a fantastic annual festival that takes place every September. And essentially comprises a pilgrimage conducted by thousands of locals to the village of Mancha Blanca. Where the lava flows that spilled out of erupting volcanoes finally came to a halt in 1824. In Mancha Blanca the event ends in a serious party as an icon of Los Dolores is paraded through the throng.
No matter if you come on a family holiday or just with friends, Carnival season on Lanzarote will be a memory for life.
Tags: destinations, Lanzarote, Lanzarote Villas, Spain, travel
September 9, 2010
Bask In Lanzarotes Autumn Sun
Not every one takes their annual holiday at the same time each year and Lanzarote is an ideal autumn destination as whilst in the rest of Europe people are starting to prepare for the winter season In Lanzarote there is continual sunshine even during the winter months courtesy of the islands mild climate
Budget Flights Anyone
Flights to Lanzarote from the UK only take four hours. and flights are available from all major UK airports. And prices are cheaper then ever before now that budget operators such as Ryanair and easyJet have started servicing this route. Check out the main comparison websites for the cheapest Lanzarote flights and deals. So scour the flight comparison sites for the best returns and deals.
Take Advantage Of Cheap Holiday Villas In Lanzarote This Winter
The autumn months are certainly a great time to be taking this particular trip. As the summer crowds have disappeared and as the children return to school in early September. Yet everything on the island remains open and vibrant – as this is a year round holiday destination. So there is none of that rather sad out of season feel that you can encounter elsewhere at that time of the year. Whilst both sea and air temperatures are still nice and warm too. Tourists touching down on Lanzarote in Autumn will find that the mercury climbs well in to the mid 20?s Celsius and beyond at that time of the year. There’s little in the way of precipitation either, whilst the blustery Trade Winds that buffet the island during spring and summer have also dissipated. Creating perfect beach holiday conditions and clear blue skies for tourists visitors.
Enjoy The Quiet Roads
There’s plenty to enjoy too – as Lanzarote boasts an abundance of excellent golden beaches. As well as a wide range of natural wonders and unique visitor attractions. Such as the Valley of 1000 Palms, the green lagoon at El Golfo, the Timanfaya Volcano Park and the many creations of the famous local artist and architect Cesar Manrique.
Tags: destinations, Lanzarote, Spain, travel, Vacations
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