Sightseeing

Jameos del Agua

A few minutes away from Haria is this natural phenomenon, a lava tube which originally formed with the eruption of Monte Corona, the highest volcano in Lanzarote. With the skilful architectural genius of Cesar Manrique, a born and bred Canarian, this natural creation with ocean-filled inner lake, has been converted into a breathtaking attraction.

There are underground and overground restaurants and bars both stunning during the daytime but more so at night as the subtly-concealed lighting takes over as the daylight fades.

We can arrange restaurant bookings which will ensure a wonderful end to your evening, especially when exiting to the star-studded night sky.

Cuevas de los Verdes

These caves are also part of the lava tube and set about one kilometere above Jameos del Agua. For the squeamish, this attraction provides the mental safety net if one fears being underground, you’ll feel a slight tingle but it’s totally safe! The caves also house a concert area and for the culture vultures, music of all types is played here, the acoustics are excellent.www.real-lanzarote.com can arrange concert tickets, well worth it!

Mirador del Rio

At risk of over-using the word spectacular, it’s the only word that describes yet another Cesar Manrique masterpiece. We’d all like to own it and live there! Again, just a few minute’s drive from Haria.The architecture is beyond description and the views out over the tiny island of La Graciosa are to die for, camera’s at the ready.

North-East Coast Road

Within this general area of attractions, as a diversion, a meander along this coastal road between Arrieta and Orzola, the ferry point, will bring a lot of joy. It has a rugged coastline with small, white sandy beaches dotted at small intervals and sand dunes on the other side of the road.The small inlets provide those beautiful aqua blues that only clear seas with sand below can display, filtered photographs will make you an award winner.

Cactus Garden

Yet another Cesar Manrique delight, the Cactus Garden is a very unusual and relaxing place. Planted in 1985, the slow-growing cactus have now matured into a spectacular display of colour, form and shape.The restaurant and coffee bar situated alongside the gardens serve excellent coffee, food and snacks.

The drive from Haria to the gardens is about 10/15 minutes.

Montanas del fuego

For a longer trip, 35 minutes, the Fire mountains will need you to keep your eyes on the road. As you drive through the famous vineyards of La Geria your head will spin with the ever-changing beauty. The sun sliding over the sky from morning till dusk creates natural art that will stay with you for… ages.NB. Tickets called bonos can be purchased which give entry to all the attractions at an attractive discount.

Arrecife

For the brave, we highly recommend a trip to the capital of the island. It’s a complicated place to get in and out of but it shouldn’t deter you. The simplest thing to do is to park underneath the Grand Hotel and exit at the opposite end of the hotel. This will bring you to the main shopping and restaurant area where there are some busy little bars and good quality shops.It’s a very exciting place to explore and in areas you’ll discover the Moorish influences. The port is full of small dinghys, Tuna-fishing boats and ocean-going yachts. Arrecife’s shops close for lunch between 1.30pm and 5pm, these people need to hove to for a couple of hours.

A treat too is the Grand Hotel, both the cocktail and swimming-pool area on the second floor and the bar and high-quality restaurant on the 17th floor, spectacular views and very friendly staff.

Famara Beach

This beach is set in real wild-west country including tumbleweed and the sense that Sergio Leone has been this way, whistling a happy tune! The wind arrives here at a great rate of knots so quite often there are crashing waves, a great hangout for surfers but too dangerous to swim. But, for a bracing walk with a tapas finish in Caleta de Famara it’s a very worthwhile experience.Famara was one of the locations for the famous Spanish film director, Pedro Almódovar’s film, Broken Embraces, shot in 2008, starring Penelope Cruz and Blanca Portillo. Many islanders enjoyed the experience of playing extras in this film. Like us!

Teguise

This pretty town is the old capital and has good-quality shops and restaurants, if a bit pricier than the norm off the beaten track in Lanzarote. There is a Sunday market with mayhem, cheap T-shirts and ‘genuine’ Rolex watches, hhrrm! But amongst these stalls of lesser interest there are some high-quality artesania, good art galleries and souvenir shops.

El Golfo

An interesting phenomenon, an algae lake that can look pretty on a sunny day but a bit manky when the clouds are around. The village though has some really good fish restaurants. Always where possible, ask to have a look at the fish you wish to order, it sometimes exceeds expectations.

Puerto Calero

This top-quality marina has developed slowly and is now a major stopping-off point for round-the-world sailors. It’s a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy a coffee and admire (?) the sailors wrestling with their halyards or messing in their rigging. The slap of wires on masts is hypnotic.

Puerto del Carmen

This is the oldest resort on the island and still very nice with an excellent beach that goes on forever. It has though changed in personality with its popularity. It has many arcades, sports bars offering very reasonable English breakfasts, MacDonald’s and live football. There are also some excellent restaurants but, to be honest, negotiating the new road system takes some working out.

Costa Teguise

This resort is popular with windsurfers but not so much fun if you’re a sunbather, sand in your eye is no fun, windy! There are though many restaurants and bars and in the evenings, live music and karaoke.

Playa Blanca

Some excellent beaches on the island are down south, just off of Playa Blanca, the Papagayo beaches are wonderful, although now they are much more controlled and payment is required on entering the ‘National Park’.The resort though has been over-developed (in our opinion), a great shame, considering that 30 years ago it was a small village. It’s quite sad driving past empty new developments of houses and half-built bungalows that will now take a few years to be finished. But, maybe sooner than we think, things will pick up and the development can be continued.