Lanzarote may well be part of Spain.  But this little island, which is part of the Canarian archipelago, is located just 80 miles off the coast of Morocco.  Boasting a great year round climate, surreal volcanic scenery, over ninety beaches and some unique visitor attractions, which all combine to make Lanzarote one of the country´s most popular tourist destinations as well as a property investment hot spot.

Lanzarote is often referred to as the Island of Fire, thanks to a series of massive volcanic eruptions during the 18th and 19th centuries which physically enlarged the island´s surface area by around one quarter, covering much of the south of Lanzarote in a carpet of lava, punctuated by now-dormant volcanic cones.
At the time these events obviously caused widespread hardship, destroying agricultural land and forcing many Lanzaroteños to start a new life abroad.  Today however the Timanfaya National Park, which stands at the epicentre of these eruptions, is Lanzarote´s number one attraction, drawing in close to one million visitors a year.

Tourism on the island first started to really take off in the late 1960s.  And unlike some other parts of Spain its development has been relatively well controlled. This is thanks in no small part to the influence of a locally born artist called Cesar Manrique, who successfully campaigned to secure a ban on all high rise construction and advertising hoardings, so ensuring that despite visitor numbers in excess of 1.5 million arrivals a year Lanzarote still remains largely unspoiled.

Manrique also sought to fuse the volcanic scenery of his birthplace with his own creativity, as he sought to develop ecologically friendly tourist attractions that would provide a viable alternative to water parks and golf courses.

The result? The island´s seven centres of Art and Culture, such as the Jameos del Agua which Manrique transformed from a huge collapsed lava tube into an underground auditorium, concert hall and tropical gardens.

Places To Stay
Tourism is concentrated in the three main resorts of Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca.  The latter is the island’s newest holiday destination and is rapidly shrugging off its former image as a quiet little fishing village, emerging instead as a bustling destination with the best selection of hotels and villas in Lanzarote.

Getting There
The island is serviced by just one international airport at Arrecife and flights are available from all major UK airports, with a journey time of four hours and with return fares starting at around the £180 mark.

Getting Around
Lanzarote measures just 58km by 38km and is easy to explore as a result, with both car hire and petrol much cheaper than in the UK.