After what felt like the longest winter ever, March seemed like the perfect time to escape to somewhere a little warmer. We’re not really the sort of people who can spend seven days glued to a sunbed (although we can certainly give it a good go), so we wanted somewhere that offered a bit more than beaches. After far more research than was probably necessary, we settled on Lanzarote.
Neither of us had been before, although I’d visited a couple of the other Canary Islands many years ago, so it felt like somewhere completely new to explore.
We travelled with Easyjet Holidays, who did make everything easy. We booked seven nights at the fabulous Hotel Fariones in Puerto del Carmen and, as it turned out, we spent the week doing exactly what holidays should be about – a healthy mix of relaxing, exploring, eating and drinking.
Arriving with One Thing on My Mind…
Our flight landed late in the evening, but with the transfer included it wasn’t long before we were checking into Hotel Fariones. The hotel looked every bit as lovely as we’d hoped, but after a day of travelling there was really only one thing on my mind.
Wine.
Closely followed by tapas.
Thankfully, just across the square from the hotel we found Vino + Lanzarote, which ticked both boxes perfectly. One glass of red, a table full of tapas and suddenly all thoughts of airports, security queues and delayed luggage disappeared.
Holiday mode officially activated.
A Coastal Walk… and Weather We Really Didn’t Expect
The following morning we took our time over breakfast. Hotel buffets are dangerous places for me because I always convince myself I need to sample absolutely everything. Throw in a glass (or two) of Cava and it hardly felt like breakfast anymore.
The weather was a little grey, so before heading anywhere we wandered around the hotel grounds to scope out the best places to spend sunny afternoons… optimism is an important holiday trait.
Once it looked like the clouds might be lifting, we decided to walk the coastal path from Puerto del Carmen to Puerto Calero, around six miles there and back.
It’s a lovely walk, hugging the coastline all the way with beautiful views across the Atlantic. Puerto Calero itself is well worth a visit too, with its marina full of yachts that I admired while quietly reminding myself to check my Premium Bond numbers.
Lunch overlooking the harbour was accompanied by sunshine… for approximately five minutes. Then came rain, not drizzle, not “you’ll dry off in a minute” rain…
Proper, biblical rain.
Within seconds we were absolutely soaked and questioning why we’d left the comfort of our hotel. Thankfully we spotted a shop selling those wonderfully glamorous plastic ponchos. Were they stylish? Absolutely not. Did we look ridiculous? Almost certainly.
But we were dry.
Eventually the weather remembered we were actually in Lanzarote and not somewhere on the west coast of Scotland, the clouds disappeared and we managed to salvage a few peaceful hours by the pool before heading out for cocktails and dinner.
Pool Days Count as Sightseeing Too
One thing I always tell myself before a holiday is that I won’t feel guilty about doing absolutely nothing.
Day three was dedicated almost entirely to that philosophy.
Books, comfortable sunbeds, cold drinks and nowhere we needed to be.
Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
That evening we wandered down to Puerto del Carmen’s main strip for dinner, stopping off for a beachside cocktail. The strip has such a lovely atmosphere once the sun starts to go down, families, couple, friends all heading out for the evening together, having fun. Not to mention the dulcet tones of an Elvis impersenator or two echoing out from the bars!
Fresh seafood, good wine and sea views. It would have been rude to complain.
Wine Growing in a Volcanic Desert
One of the things that fascinated me most about Lanzarote was the landscape.
In places it genuinely looks like another planet, so the idea that people successfully grow grapes there seems completely ridiculous… until you see it for yourself.
We spent the day exploring La Geria with Lola’s Excursions, visiting several local bodegas and learning how the vines are planted individually in volcanic ash, each one protected by its own little semi-circular stone wall from the ever-present wind.
Our tour included visits to four very different bodegas, each offering their own take on Lanzarote’s unique wine-making traditions. We stopped at Vinos El Campesino, Bodega Antonio Suárez, Bodega La Geria and Stratvs, tasting a variety of wines along the way and learning more about how vines are cultivated in the island’s volcanic landscape.
It was fascinating to see how each winery worked with the island’s volcanic terrain. The black ash-covered vineyards and semi-circular stone walls are unlike anything I have seen elsewhere, and each bodega offered a slightly different perspective on wine production in Lanzarote. From smaller family-run operations to larger, more modern wineries, there was plenty of variety throughout the day and, of course, plenty of opportunities to sample the local wines.
One of the highlights of the tour was lunch at Bar Stop in Yaiza. After a morning of wine tasting, it was nice to sit down and enjoy some traditional Canarian food alongside another tasting. We were served a selection of dishes from the restaurant’s regular menu, including their famous Garbanzada, a hearty Canarian chickpea stew that seemed to appear on almost every recommendation I had read before the trip.
Alongside the Garbanzada, we also enjoyed paella, fried pork and a fish stew, giving us a good introduction to some of the island’s traditional flavours. Dessert was Frangollo, a classic Canarian pudding made with cornmeal, milk, raisins and almonds. It was not something I had tried before, but it was the perfect sweet ending to a leisurely lunch before we headed off to our final winery of the day.
Exploring the Island
The next day we hired a car and set off to see more of the island. We chose a Fiat 500 Convertible, which sounds like fun, zipping about with the wind in your hair – the problem was it was far too windy to do any of that!
Our first stop was the spectacular Mirador del Rio, which overlooks the island of La Graciosa. The views are incredible and, naturally, we stopped for coffee and cake because I firmly believe every sightseeing itinerary should include both.
From there we drove to Teguise, the island’s former capital, where we spent a couple of hours wandering through the pretty streets, browsing little independent shops and stopping for lunch in one of the cafés.
No matter where you go on Lanzarote, the volcanic landscape is never far away. It’s impossible not to be reminded how dramatically this island was shaped, with black lava fields stretching for miles and rugged coastlines that feel completely untouched. To see it close up for ourselves we stopped off for a walk at Vulcan El Cuervo, one of the island’s most accessible volcanoes. The walk from the car park only takes around 20 minutes and leads you through the lava fields before allowing you to walk right into the crater itself. Standing in the middle of it all really brings home just how extraordinary Lanzarote’s landscape is.
We finished the day on the west coast at El Golfo. From the viewpoint we could see Charco de los Clicos, the famous green lagoon formed within a partially submerged volcanic crater. The lake wasn’t quite as green as some of the photographs I’d seen beforehand, but the setting was still spectacular. We arrived just as the afternoon light was beginning to soften and the sun was starting to set. Watching the waves crash against the volcanic cliffs was the perfect way to end one of our favourite days on the island.
E-Bikes, Beaches and La Graciosa
Our final full day turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole trip.
We drove north, caught the ferry across to La Graciosa and hired e-bikes to explore the island.
The pace of life immediately feels different. There are hardly any cars, sandy tracks replace roads and everything just seems wonderfully relaxed and quiet.
The e-bikes definitely earned their keep on some of the steeper hills, allowing us to spend more time admiring the scenery and less time wondering whether we’d overestimated our fitness.
Golden beaches, turquoise water and volcanic scenery stretched in every direction. It felt completely unspoilt.
Back at Hotel Fariones that evening we rounded off the holiday with dinner at Kaori, the hotel’s Asian restaurant, which was every bit as good as we’d hoped and the perfect place for our final evening.
Until Next Time…
As always, the last morning arrived far sooner than we’d have liked.
Although the weather hadn’t quite delivered the endless sunshine we’d imagined, it really didn’t matter. We still managed plenty of time by the pool, explored an island unlike anywhere we’d visited before, discovered some excellent local wines and somehow fitted in more fantastic meals than seems entirely reasonable in seven days.
Hotel Fariones turned out to be exactly what we were looking for: comfortable, relaxed and perfectly positioned for exploring Puerto del Carmen on foot. The staff were extremely friendly, the breakfast buffet was extensive, and there were plenty of places around the grounds to sit back and relax
Lanzarote surprised me.
It isn’t just another beach destination. It’s dramatic, fascinating, delicious and full of little moments that make you smile – even when you’re wearing a bright blue emergency poncho in the middle of an unexpected downpour.
Would I go back? Absolutely.
Although next time I might just pack a raincoat… just in case.
Where We Travelled: Easyjet holiday from Edinburgh to Arrecife.
Where We Stayed: Hotel Fariones, Puerto Del Carmen
Where We Ate / Drank:
- Long Beach
- Terracita De Flores
- El Cangrejo Rojo
- Taberna De Nino Pintxos
- El Recoveco De Nara, Teguise
- Trattoria Epoca
- Rosas La Lia, La Graciosa
- Kaori
Car Hire: Cicar – various locations around the island