Lanzarote holidays

Lanzarote’s beaches come in more varieties than Heinz soup. You’ve got the busy band of sand in Puerto del Carmen, the Blue Flag bay in Playa Blanca, and the bucket-and-spade affairs in Costa Teguise. What’s more, thanks to Lanzarote’s proximity to Africa, the island’s beaches stay warm all year round.

Playa Grande runs the length of Puerto del Carmen’s main road, which is packed full of restaurants and bars. The beach itself is really long and wide, and there’s a generous helping of sunloungers, which you can hire for the day for just a few euros. If you fancy a break from sunbathing, rent a pedalo and head out to sea – you’ll get great views of Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape.

Bookended by cliffs, the beaches at El Papagayo, on Lanzarote’s most southern tip, are completely unspoilt and protected by national park status. There are two ways to access them – hire a car and drive along the rugged mountain access road, or take a water taxi from the harbour in Playa Blanca.

Lanzarote’s markets are hallowed ground for bargain hunters. You can pick up everything from lace and hand-made jewellery to fake designer watches and small Canarian guitars called timples. The largest market takes place in Teguise – a 10-minute drive from Costa Teguise – on Sundays. There’s also one near the Church of San Gines in Arrecife on Saturday, and one at Marina Rubicon in Playa Blanca on Wednesdays.

High street fashion and international-brand cosmetics come thick and fast in Lanzarote. You’ll find shops like Zara, Mango and The Body Shop corralled inside big malls like the Biosfera in Puerto del Carmen and Deiland in Playa Honda, which is just a short bus journey from Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise.

Plenty of shops in Lanzarote sell designer labels, but Puerto Calero near Puerto del Carmen has the best portfolio. In this quiet harbour town you can shop for Armani, DKNY and Ralph Lauren. You’ll find a good selection of high-end fashion stores on Calle Real in Arrecife and Marina Rubicon in Playa Blanca, too.

Just 20 minutes from Playa Blanca, the quaint fishing village of El Golfo has a reputation for having the best fish restaurants in the Canary Islands. Don’t expect a menu though – in some of the eateries you simply choose ‘meat’ or ‘fish’ and leave your dinner the hands of the chefs. If you’re staying in Costa Teguise, a 20-minute drive north will take you to Los Jameos del Agua – an underground bar and concert hall designed by Cesar Manrique. In Playa de los Pocillos, evenings tend to be played out in the town’s family-friendly restaurants and bars.

Puerto del Carmen is the leader of Lanzarote’s nightlife pack. The Avinda de las Playas is home to a long line of bars and clubs offering everything from R&B music to karaoke. In Playa Blanca, the liveliest areas are the Centro Commercial Papagayo near Playa Dorada, and the Centro Commercial Punto Limones, near the port. Costa Teguise takes a back seat as far as nightlife is concerned, but there are a few karaoke and cocktail bars around Playa de las Cucharas and Calle las Olas.

You can’t escape papas arrugadas in the Canary Islands. These miniature jacket potatoes have crunchy skins and hot fluffy centres. Traditionally, they are served as a tapas dish, drizzled in a terracotta-coloured spicy pepper sauce.

This soup is one of Lanzarote’s number one hunger busters. It’s made from corn, garlic, water, paprika, parsley, chickpeas and bacon, and it’s so chunky you sometimes need a knife and fork to cut up the ingredients. The best way to eat it is with slices of freshly-baked bread.

This dish has a similar polarising effect to Marmite – you either love it or you hate it. In short, it’s a traditional recipe made from dogfish. The fish is soaked overnight to soften it, then it’s fried with vinegar, crushed garlic, cumin, saffron, paprika and red peppers.

This dish falls into the like-momma-used-to-make category. It’s produced by heating together milk, maize flour, lemon, eggs, sugar, raisins and cinnamon. The finished product looks like a cross between bread and butter pudding and custard. In Lanzarote, it’s traditional to pour hot milk and sugar over the top to serve.

In Lanzarote, grapes are cultivated in an unusual way. Vines are grown in small man-made craters in the ground rather than on trellises. The most popular wine on the island is Malmsey, which has a rich, sweet taste and tends to be brought out after dinner.