The Spanish island of Lanzarote is the ultimate getaway
A geological marvel of volcanic cones, lava fields and black-rock beaches, this Spanish island has become a fertile source of captivating design with a vibrant food and wine scene.
Lanzarote is Europe, but only by the skin of its teeth. This small island, easternmost of the eight Canaries, lies just 125 kilometres from Africa, but a whopping 1000 kilometres from the Iberian peninsula. Much of the culture is recognisably Spanish, yet Madrid seems half a world away. Perhaps it’s the sensation of being somewhere both comfortingly familiar and intriguingly strange that explains the island’s powerful appeal. It’s a place that has you rummaging for adjectives: eerie, otherworldly and bizarre might be just three of them.
So barren that it has stood in for the desert in various movies (old-timers might remember One Million Years BC, starring Raquel Welch in a fur bikini), the island has no surface water to speak of and little vegetation beyond palms and cacti. A massive eruption of the volcano Timanfaya in 1730 left a third of its surface covered in a rugged, tumbled layer of chocolate-brown volcanic rock. Big Atlantic breakers thump onto black-sand beaches. By way of contrast, the rural towns and villages are low-rise clusters of whitewashed houses with shutters painted green or blue. Somehow it all coalesces into a potent cocktail of arresting beauty.
Blessed with year-round sunshine and an “eternal spring” climate that rarely dips below 15°C, for years Lanzarote has been a failsafe destination for sun-starved Northern Europeans in the depths of winter. The package-tour sector, concentrated in the modest resorts of Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise, still brings in the British and German retirees in their droves. But the island’s visitor profile is changing fast, becoming steadily younger, more diverse and international. There’s a new emphasis on active tourism, from cycling and hiking to diving and hang-gliding. Fishing villages like La Santa and Famara have morphed into full-on surf meccas, while picture-perfect Papagayo beach is an Instagram hit with squillions of “likes”.
There is nothing in the way of a party scene here and the island’s rhythm is profoundly laid-back, but this turns out to be just what the newest arrivals are looking for. Richard Norse-Evans, whose Finca Malvasía is an oasis of chic retro-modern style in the deeply rural hinterland, says he has noticed a trend among young parents who “historically” would have taken their holidays in Ibiza, but now find Lanzarote’s low-key vibe (and lower prices) much more to their taste.
On an island whose unsullied landscapes are highly valued both by locals and visitors, the aesthetic dimension is key. In the well-tended gardens of the villages, you might see palms, ancient dragon trees, and subtropical plants flowering profusely in the mild climate. Out in the countryside, a “field” is often simply a square of black earth bounded by dry stone walls. What look like rolling hills are the camel-hump shapes of partially collapsed volcanic craters, their slopes dusted with green after a rare shower of rain. Well-maintained roads wind through the lava scree, with no ugly guard-rails or garish billboards to clutter the minimalistic views on all sides.
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If Lanzarote is remarkably well preserved in comparison with certain other Spanish islands, it’s largely thanks to one man. Thirty-odd years after his death the figure of César Manrique (1919-1992) continues to loom large. A born-and-bred Lanzaroteño, Manrique was a painter and sculptor who through sheer force of personality – and some good political connections – managed to persuade the island’s government to adopt a policy of conservation and sustainable development long before such ideas were fashionable. He left his mark in various ways, not least in a planning ethos under which buildings taller than two storeys are prohibited. Wooden signs directing you to local beauty spots have a typography inspired by Manrique’s folksy, craft-forward aesthetic. Doors and windows may only be painted in green or blue – green for the inland villages, blue for the coast – and the amazing thing, in anarchic Spain, is that these rules are so widely observed.
But Manrique’s major legacy is his series of architectural interventions in the landscape. A popular itinerary follows the route between seven different Manrique sites ranging from a cactus garden in an abandoned quarry to a restaurant in a volcanic crater, a mysterious underground lake that’s also a concert venue and the house-museum the man built for himself in 1968 among the char-black, encrusted forms of a lava field. Particularly recommended is the Casa Museo del Campesino, Manrique’s homage to the peasant farmers of the island. Here a towering sculpture, made of recycled ships’ water tanks, stands guard beside a country house where craftspeople ply their traditional trades in workshops around the central courtyard. (Don’t miss the work of Conchi García, one of the few artisan weavers still using red cochineal dye – derived from a beetle that feeds on the leaves of prickly pear.)
The island’s hotel ecosystem is still dominated by all-inclusive resorts, but a small revolution has been gathering pace. A new wave of bijou accommodations, from repurposed farmhouses to colonial townhouses, corresponds to two types of owner: the islander of a creative bent who “emigrated” only to return, and the smitten outsider keen to put down permanent roots. Prime examples of the first type are Gonzalo Bethencourt, whose five Buenavista Country Suites brilliantly combine rough-and-ready rural architecture with cutting-edge art and design, and María Álava, who was a fashion-scene queen in Madrid before returning to her home island to found a fashion brand and stylish lodgings (Álava Suites).
Sonsoles López and Eduardo Riestra offer a striking example of the “incomer” group. Originally from Valladolid in northern Spain, the couple had been holidaying on Lanzarote for years when they spotted a run-down 17th-century mansion in the charming colonial town of Teguise. The result of their renovation, Palacio Ico, opened in 2017 as a nine-room hotel, shows how successfully cool modern furniture can be made to work with floors of ancient pitch pine, whitewashed walls and beamed artesonado ceilings.
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It also shows the way forward for the island as it seeks to attract a new kind of discerning, culturally engaged visitor. “In the old days, Lanzarote was a Cinderella island, a forgotten place where nothing ever happened, and people from the Spanish mainland thought it was ‘just for foreign tourists’. Now all that is changing,” says Riestra. “Our clients are drawn here by the incredible landscape, but they also love the cultural side, the legacy of Manrique, and they want outdoor adventures, too. The island is coming into fashion.”
Part of this sea-change has to do with cuisine. Until quite recently the food scene in the Canary Islands never went much further than the old-school repertoire of ropa vieja (a rib-sticking combo of mixed meats and chickpeas) or papas arrugadas (“wrinkled” potatoes cooked in salt water and served with coriander-green and pepper-red sauces). Collectively the archipelago is now undergoing a culinary renaissance and, as in other ways, Lanzarote is forging its own idiosyncratic path. The scene is fast developing as chefs discover the excellence of island products like Janubio salt, La Santa prawns, goat’s milk cheeses, and intensely flavoured fruit and vegetables grown in dark volcanic soils. Not forgetting Lanzarote’s extraordinary range of aromatic wines, which are made from rare grape varieties grown in deep pits sunk into the black scree – a method unique to the island.
What with winery visits and cultural tours, hikes around craters, and lazy afternoons on the immensity of Famara beach (surely among the world’s finest), there’s more than enough to occupy the curious visitor for a week or two. Weekly markets in villages (Haria, on Saturdays, and Teguise, on Sundays, are two good ones) offer a chance to mingle with the locals and shop for breads and cheeses, honey and handicrafts. Up at Los Hervideros on the south-west coast you can peer down through holes in the coruscations of volcanic rock to the boiling sea below.
Though the island measures no more than 60 by 25 kilometres, getting off the beaten track is surprisingly easy. There’s a great drive out of Arrecife, Lanzarote’s capital, towards the little-traversed north-east, the coastline becoming ever wilder. Jameos del Agua, César Manrique’s fairytale vision of a lake within a cave, makes for an essential stop en route, followed by a dip in the turquoise waters of Caletón Blanco, a sheltered inlet.
Beyond the rough-edged harbour town of Órzola, a little way further north, the island peters out. But one great treasure remains. La Graciosa is another of Lanzarote’s extraordinary landscapes – though in fact this tiny island no longer belongs to its much larger neighbour, having been accorded independent status. From Órzola, a ferry takes you across the straits to a less-is-more world with no roads, no hotels (but a few basic houses for rent), and no vehicles in the sandy streets of its two minuscule settlements. What it does have are a few fish restaurants, and mile upon mile of sweeping, deserted beach. The simplicity of life on this scrap of an isle makes it seem doubly remote, stranded both in place and time. If Lanzarote already feels out-on-a-limb, La Graciosa is the last frontier.
Production by Kristina Raderschad/Living Inside.
WHERE TO STAY
Palacio Ico: A nine-room hotel on a little square in sleepy Teguise whose stonework and wooden balconies betoken a historic house. The Palacio’s owners, a lawyer and a jewellery designer, have hung the walls with work by local artists and craftspeople such as Ildefonso Aguilar, Heidi Bucher, and Eguzkiñe Zerain. The in-house restaurant, under chef Victor Valverde, mixes Canarian, Spanish and Latin traditions. Rooms start at €145 a night. hotelpalacioico.com
La Isla y el Mar: In which architect José María Pérez Sánchez took an unprepossessing apartment complex and transformed it into a sparkling five-star contemporary resort using black basalt and mirrored panels inspired by the sun’s reflection on the ocean. The 81 sleekly designed suites are an expression of the new upmarket Lanzarote. Rooms start at around €250 a night. laislayelmar.com
Finca Malvasía: Malvasía is a grape variety, and these self-catering apartments and suites stand in a fascinating landscape of vines sunk into black earth. Graphic designer Richard Norse-Evans and his wife, Tarnya, moved from London, bringing an immaculate taste in retro furniture and vintage homewares. Rooms start at €135 plus tax a night. fincamalvasia.com
Buenavista Country Suites: In 2014 Gonzalo Bethencourt hired Berlin-based Lanzaroteño architect Néstor Pérez Batista to reinvent a disused farm as a stay for the 21st century. The bohemian air and volcanic landscape beyond the windows have a magnet-like appeal for artists and photographers. Rooms from €250 to €300 a night. buenavistalanzarote.es
Álava Suites: Contemporary seaside chic comes to the resort town of Costa Teguise courtesy of fashionista María Álava. Six suites in a big white house with a calming minimalist vibe. Suites start at €130 a night (minimum two-night stay). alavasuites.com
Casa de las Flores: Opened late last year, this five-bedroom, whitewashed guesthouse takes shape in an updated historical residence in Teguise. All the rooms connect to a central courtyard and have been decorated with serene pieces from local artists and artisans and tapestries by co-owner Gigi de Vidal, a former costume designer. Rooms start at €159 a night. hotelcasadelasflores.es
Garage La Santa: In the surf-tastic coastal settlement of La Santa, film director Adrián Rodd’s ground-floor pad-for-rent strikes a chord with digital nomads, active tourists, and creative types. Rates are €120 to €200 a night. garagelasanta.com
WHERE TO DRINK & DINE
Kamezi Deli & Bistro: Part of an upscale villa estate at Playa Blanca, Kamezi scores highly both for cuisine and for its stylish interior majoring on natural materials. Chef Rubén Cuesta’s tasting menu might include a green coriander gazpacho with La Santa prawns, roast Canarian suckling pig with sweet potato and gofio cream, and goat’s-milk crème brûlée. Dishes are presented on rustic vessels handmade by Lanzarote-based Basque sculptor and potter Jesús Lizaso. kamezidelibistro.com
Tacande: Island produce is given the fusion treatment, with nods to Asia, Peru and nearby Morocco, at this pleasant locale in the northern town of Haria. restaurantetacande.com
La Bodega de Santiago: Famed for roast cabrito (kid) and cochinillo (suckling pig), queso frito (fried local cheese) and papas arrugás (aka arrugadas, a Canarian speciality), the menu at Santiago Eugenio’s popular restaurant extends to red tuna tartare and bao stuffed with island pork. Try for a table on the terrace shaded by an immense ficus tree. labodegadesantiago.com
Niño Salvaje: Hailing from a farming family in the village of Tao, Bruno Morales worked in upmarket places all over Spain before returning to open this breezy eatery and coctelería (cocktail bar) behind the sea front in Arrecife. The sparky menu brings Latin American influences to bear on local seafood and produce. ninosalvaje.com
El Risco: For many the best restaurant on the island, El Risco is a reliable choice for fish-focused cuisine (the fried moray eel and caldereta of grouper are classics) in a beachfront setting with widescreen views of the Famara cliff. restauranteelrisco.com
Sebe: Santi Benéitez and Begoña Ratón are aiming high with this classy restaurant in Costa Teguise. Rice dishes are their forte: try the “Atlantic paella” with octopus and locally landed fish and seafood. seberestaurant.es
Bodega El Grifo and Bodega La Geria: Winery tours are a standard attraction on Lanzarote, but those at both El Grifo (founded in 1775) and La Geria (one of the most-visited wineries in Spain) are tried and tested. Both feature local varieties like vijariego, listán negro and malvasía, growing the vines in deep pits or chabocos. The volcanic soils lend haunting aromas of salt, smoke and minerals to the resulting wines. elgrifo.com; lageria.com
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