Places to Stay in Lanzarote
Playa Blanca
Yaiza
El Golfo
Punta Mujeres
Orzola
Haria
Maguez
Best Place to Stay in Lanzarote
What is the best place to stay in Lanzarote?
Where shall I stay in Lanzarote is a question asked thousands of times.
The answer very much depends on the type of holiday you are looking for and the types of facilities you want nearby.
All the tourist destinations on the island speak english, have great year around weather and lovely beaches.
There are differences that are worth knowing that will improve your holiday experience. Your preferences could be you like a lot going on, a quiet holiday, great value and so on. Every Lanzarote destination offers these qualities but some focus on certain aspects more than others.
In brief, if you are looking for the tourist resort with most going on then that is Puerto del Carmen.
Playa Blanca offers a more up market feel and Costa Teguise is a nice mix of the two. There is a lot more to each resort than this and below we go into more detail so you can determine the best place for you to stay on your Lanzarote holiday.
Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise are the three tourist destinations on Lanzarote.
Each has a different feel and each has something that will suit you.
To find the very best location for your needs we will go into more details about each town.
There are lots of other great place to stay in Lanzarote. For surfers its Famara, for lovers of the traditional Lanzarote culture you could choose from Punta Mujeres, Yaiza, Femes, Haria and many more.
Here we are going to cover the three resorts that cater best for visiting holiday makers to help with your holiday location decision.
Puerto del Carmen
Lets start with the most popular and busiest place to stay in Lanzarote which is Puerto del Carmen.
This was the first tourist destination in Lanzarote and for many great reasons.
Firstly its location. On the South East coast of Lanzarote its located on the opposite side to the prevailing winds and any bad or cloudy weather coming off the Atlantic Ocean. Winds are mild, weather is warm and reliable and the sea is calm and clear. Like Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen grew from its harbour and fishing roots. The harbour area of Puerto del Carmen is known as ‘Old Town’ and over the years it expanded North along the coast some five kilometres up to Matagorda.
The full length of town from South to North has a beach road passing by its eleven beaches of Playa Chica, Fariones beach, Playa Grande, Punta de Playa Blanca, Several small beaches near the Casino, Playa El Barranquillo, Playa de Los Pocillos, Playa de Matagorda and finally Playa Lima.
The beach road is also locally known as ‘the strip’. This is the place where all the action is. Almost the full length of the beach road has shops of all kinds, many bars and restaurants for every taste. There are also some great party bars and night clubs, you can find live music, beach bars, Irish bars, Scottish bars, the list goes on and on.
Inland from the ‘strip’ is where the holiday rental accommodation is found. There are lots of complexes full of holiday rental apartments with their own pools, bars and restaurants within the complex. There are also a number of hotels both beach front and inland, many have good all inclusive deals. If you are looking for full luxury some amazing holiday villas are available, sharing with more people or other families can also make this option economical.
As the first established tourist destination and with so much infrastructure Puerto del Carmen is by far the busiest and most popular place to stay in Lanzarote. Its has quiet life, party life, beach life and everything in between.
You can holiday in Puerto del Carmen without the need for a hire car. Everything is within easy walking distance.
Transport to Puerto del Carmen is easiest via one of the taxis queuing outside the airport
Pros and Cons of staying in Puerto del Carmen:-
Pros – Lots going on, great weather, close to airport, everything within walking distance.
Cons – Maybe too busy for some, access and parking in certain areas not the best.
Playa Blanca
Located on the Southern tip of Lanzarote is Playa Blanca, this place also grew from a fishing village. The town has an up market, open and spacious feel.
The full length of Playa Blanca has a sea front promenade linking the Faro lighthouse to the West all the way to the Papagayo beaches to the West.
Facilities include the luxury Marina Rubicon, surrounded with lovely water front bars, restaurants and shops and a large shopping centre. The centre of Playa Blanca has a pedestrian only shopping area with a good selection of places to browse, buy and eat. A port with passenger and car ferries direct to Corralejo in Fuerteventura. From the port are also some boats taking fishing and sea bound excursions.
Playa Blanca is well known for the amazing white sand beaches of Papagayo. These are ranked as some of the best beaches in Lanzarote and some say the world. On the furthest beach is a sunset bar and restaurant overlooking the most picturesque bay.
There are places to stay through out ranging from apartments to luxury villas. On the whole Playa Blanca offers slightly higher end accommodation than Puerto del Carmen.
Pros and Cons of staying in Playa Blanca:-
Pros – Nice atmosphere, islands best beaches, great access, marina, good shopping.
Cons – Long way from other places on island, may need a car, not much night life.
Costa Teguise
Located five kilometres North along the coast from the airport is the purpose built tourist resort of Costa Teguise.
The resort offers a good selection of different beaches, numbering five in total. Playa Las Cucharas has some of the best Wing Foiling and Wind surfing conditions in Europe. Good road access and parking.
The town is well laid out and broken into a central town area with several satellite areas also with bars, shops and restaurants.
With regards to places to stay in Costa Teguise there is a good variety from all inclusive hotels, five star hotels, apartments on managed complexes, villas and luxury villas. The town and types of accommodation are better suited for families, couples and the elderly. For the younger, if you are looking to party the town centre has some good bars and clubs but not so full on as Puerto del Carmen.
Pros and Cons of Costa Teguise
Pros – Good access and parking, ten minutes from airport, may not need a hire car, variety of beaches, good for water sports people.
Cons – Not too much night life.
Accommodation Prices throughout Lanzarote
Prices are similar in all of Lanzarote’s tourist resorts. You pay for the type of accommodation rather than the area you are staying in. Each resort has places to stay from Luxury Five star hotels down to budget one bedroom apartments on a complex. Rental website can offer good deals for last minute bookings or early bookings. Prices go up for all the school holidays as do the flights to get to Lanzarote. If you can holiday outside of any school holidays you will save money.
Other places to stay in Lanzarote
We have covered all the tourist resorts on the island. There are also lots of other places to stay in Lanzarote and your choice depends on what you are looking for. There are places for Sports people, those looking for an authentic feel, walkers, lovers of the natural beauty, beach lovers and more. Below we cover some other popular destinations on Lanzarote.
Famara
If you like sea and surf Famara has become very popular. Open to the huge winter waves and weather the five kilometre Famara beach is great for surfing, kitesurfing and wing foiling. Dramatic six hundred meter cliffs rise behind the beach. There is one main road through the town with lots of surf schools to hire equipment and book lessons. Swimmers take care of dangerous currents. See guide on dangerous rips and currents in the sea.
Pros and Cons of staying Famara
Pros – Amazing beach, great waves, super relaxed atmosphere, great restaurants and bars.
Cons – Weather changeable, bad weather days not much to do, no petrol station, need hire car, dangerous rips on the beach.
Yaiza
Beautiful traditional Lanzarote town. Historic buildings. Authentic and good value tapas bars and restaurants. Close to some good walks and the Timanfaya National Park.
Pros and Cons of staying in Yaiza
Pros – good value, traditional and authentic feel, close to good walking
Cons – may need some Spanish, little to do at night, not a huge selection of place to eat and drink
Other towns with traditional Lanzarote atmosphere
Lovely authentic fishing villages with some beaches and good restaurants would be El Golfo, Orzola, Arrieta, Punta Mujeres and La Santa. Inland towns would be Magues, Haria, Tao, Tahiche and many more.
Lanzarote has a lot to offer and is well worth exploring to find the location that best suits you.
Fuerteventura
If you feel the need to explore further afield Fuerteventura is just a thirty minute ferry ride away. Playa Blanca in the south of Lanzarote has regular ferry services from Fred Olsen and Lineas Armas.
Find out the best places to stay in Fuerteventura if you wish to explore the island further
