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Lanzarote
Thomson Destinations
With a landscape unlike anything you've seen before and some of the best beaches in the Canaries, Lanzarote is far from being a run-of-the-mill place in the sun.
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If you fancy a week spent horizontal on the beach, Lanzarote comes up trumps. With a sunshine record that would make most other places turn positively green with envy, this Atlantic gem offers up sun, sea and sand by the bucket and spade load. But there's more to Lanzarote than just sun worship. Lots more. There's the bonkers scenery for starters. The landscape is pockmarked by gaping craters, solidified lava streams and over 300 volcanoes. It's like setting foot on an alien planet. Unlike some of its brothers and sisters, Lanzarote managed to escape the ravages of mass tourism - there are no concrete jungles or Sixties' hangovers here. Instead all the buildings are low-level numbers, with blue and green window shutters. Even the three big resorts - Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca - echo the traditional architecture. And there's plenty going on in the culture stakes, too, thanks to a certain artist called Cesar Manrique whose wacky art installations can be seen across the island. So, if you fancy somewhere that offers up more than just a suntan, Lanzarote most definitely fits the bill. Things to see and do Timanfaya National Park If there's one place you HAVE to go in Lanzarote, it's here. Born out of fiery volcanic eruptions, this corner of Lanzarote is all craters, calderas and cones. Take a camel ride through the scorched valleys. Stare wide-eyed at the lunar-like landscape. And watch cups of water turn into steaming geysers as guides perform amazing volcanic experiments. No wonder they call this place the Montanas del Fuego or Mountains of Fire. Cesar Manrique Foundation If you haven't heard of Cesar Manrique before your trip to Lanzarote, you'll certainly remember him afterwards. A Lanzarote-born artist and designer, he campaigned to preserve the traditional look and feel of the island - it's down to him that everything's low level and whitewashed. You can discover more about the man and his legacy at the Cesar Manrique Foundation; the artist's former home. Built around five cave-like lava bubbles, it's impressive to say the least. And what with red vinyl sofas and geometric objets d'art, the interior looks like something out of Austin Powers. El Diablo Restaurant Set in the heart of the Timanfaya National Park, this eye-popping eatery was the brainchild of Manrique and offers up breathtaking views over the peaks. What's more, it uses the volcanic heat, bubbling away below the surface, to fuel the kitchen's barbeque. The spit-roast chicken here is to die for. Los Jameos del Agua Another Manrique masterpiece, this imaginatively landscaped underground grotto is quite similar to his house, only the caves here are ten times as big and ten times as dramatic. In one of the mine-like caverns there's a concert hall. In another, a bar with tables and chairs arranged at various levels. And in the centre you'll find a dimlylit rock pool that's home to hundreds of tiny blind crabs, apparently unique to Lanzarote. Mirador del Rio That Manrique was one busy man! This time he transformed an old Spanish fort into a bar, restaurant and look out point. Perched on a cliff, high above the ocean, it offers up views across to La Graciosa - a small neighbouring island. Castillo de San Jose & International Museum of Contemporary Art This old 18thcentury fort was originally built to defend Lanzarote from marauding pirates. Nowadays it's a modern art gallery and features a Manrique-designed restaurant overlooking the ocean. Jardin de Cactus Set in Guatiza, this was Cesar Manrique's final project. And in true Manrique style he transformed what was an old quarry into a spectacular cactus garden. There are about 10,000 cacti on display here - everything from stumpy little numbers covered in feathery beards to tall, spiky one armed jobs that wouldn't look out of place in a Spaghetti Western.
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Costa Teguise Bartolome Tias ARRECIFE Puerto del Matagorda 608 Carmen Femés Playa de Puerto los Pocillos Calero Playa Blanca Yaiza
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Beaches If you're under the impression that Lanzarote's beaches are all about coarse black sand, think again. The coastline is in fact gilded with soft, pale sand. Take Playa Blanca, for example. The name says it all. Translated it means White Beach, for obvious reasons. It's a similar story down in Puerto del Carmen. Here, a ribbon of fine golden sand stretches virtually unbroken for about 6km along the coast, making this Lanzarote's biggest beach resort. In the summer months it's packed with sun-seekers and you'll find sunbeds, parasols and pedaloes for hire here. When it comes to watersports, Costa Teguise's beach, Playa de las Cucharas, wins hands down. This sun-drenched slice is a real hit with the scuba diving and windsurfing fraternities while Famara beach, up on the north-west coast of the island, is a surf dude's dream. But we've saved the best til last. In the seclusion stakes, the hideaway bays of the
Papagayo Peninsula give the Greek Islands a run for their money. No wonder so many people make the trek to seek them out. Just don't be surprised to see folks making the most of the privacy in pursuit of an all-over tan!
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