Were Lanzarote a woman, she’d be feisty and combustible. The smallest of the four main Canary Islands is dubbed the Hawaii of Europe.
Like her larger sisters, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura, Lanzarote is a favourite with sports enthusiasts, cyclists and holidaymakers seeking the warmth of winter sun, as daytime temperatures rarely sink below 20C.
All aboard: Lanzarote is more than just a sunshine bolthole – and Arrecife is very pretty
But simply to bask on the beaches of this volcanic beauty — settled by the Berbers, plundered by pirates and conquered by the Spanish in 1402 before a devastating series of eruptions created its extraordinary lunar landscape in the early 1700s — would be a terrible waste.
It may be only 327 square miles, but Lanzarote’s incredible diversity deserves more than a fleeting visit.
MOUNTAINS OF FIRE
With its mischievous symbol of El Diablo at the entrance, this feels like a trip to hell. Certainly former residents of the villages around Timanfaya National Park — known as the Mountains of Fire — would have thought so when between 1730 and 1736 more than 100 volcanoes erupted violently and continuously.
Islanders still give thanks to the Lady of Sorrows, or the Virgin of the Volcanoes, every September for stopping the lava from destroying the village of Yaiza.
At the visitor centre, water poured into a borehole becomes a spewing geyser (just a few metres under the surface, temperatures reach between 400C and 600C) and you can enjoy Canarian food cooked in the geothermal heat.
A 30-minute coach trip winding along perilous, high, narrow roads between the cavernous craters is included in the £7 entry fee — or you can pay an extra £5 to take a camel ride up to a crater.
TUNNEL OF DISCOVERY
The lava cave and 6km tunnel formed during the eruption of La Corona volcano is one of the world’s longest and most dramatic.
It’s one of the reasons that in 1993 Unesco declared the island a World Biosphere Reserve. Today, you can clamber along 1.2km of the lava tunnel with a guide.
With its lofty, cathedral-like ceilings it feels more like a vast, rocky amphitheatre — musical concerts are held here due to the incredible acoustics.
Barren but beautiful: Lanzarote is at its most spectacular in arid Timanfaya National Park
DINE IN THE ROCK
Continue on to Jameos del Agua — a further stretch of the lava tunnel created by La Corona, which spills out to the coast — to see the internal lake and a restaurant carved into the rock.
Dine on local favourites, goats’ cheese, salads and the island’s much-heralded sweet potatoes.
The tables are made from the wood of old shipwrecks.
TIME TO SHAPE UP
With three Olympic-sized pools, ten tennis courts, four restaurants and 40-plus sports and recreational activities, Club La Santa, on the north-east coast just 30 minutes from the airport and capital city Arrecife, is an excellent choice for those who love to be active.
Linford Christie and Jenson Button have trained here and the vast complex, perched alongside a man-made marina and the Atlantic Ocean, can accommodate up to 1,600 people. One-bedroom apartments cost from £890 for seven nights in winter( clublasanta.co.uk).
Classic Lanzarote: The island’s beach side is visible on Playa Blanca in Puerto del Carmen
ESSENTIAL ART
Internationally renowned local painter, sculptor and architect Cesar Manrique did more than anyone to preserve the traditional beauty of the island.
Sculptures and artworks are found across Lanzarote. His former home and studio — the Cesar Manrique Foundation and museum in Taro de Tahiche near the geographical centre of the island — looks like a Bond villain’s house, with corridors weaving through the lava rock into entertainment areas and gardens.
His collection of artworks — including pieces by Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso — together with some of his own creations hang on the walls.
PRICKLY MAGIC
Manrique is also present at the exquisite Jardin Le Cactus he designed in Guatiza, towards the north of the island.
Inside the tall, circular-shaped walls, overshadowed by a restored windmill, are 1,000 species of cactus from the Canary Islands, Madagascar and America — interwoven with sculptural artworks and a romantic little cafe.
BAG A BARGAIN
The best bars, shops and cafes are in Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise.
Teguise – the island’s old capital where buildings date from the 17th century – has a lively Sunday market selling souvenirs.
Don’t miss the elderly saxophonist who plays on the porch of his whitewashed home on the main road into town.
DINNER IS SERVED
Drive to El Golfo on the south-west coast for the most dramatic sunset, and a dinner of locally caught squid or fish in one of many waterfront restaurants.
Top it off with a bottle of Malvasia Volcanico, a dry white wine, a speciality of the island.
It’s grown in volcanic vineyards, buried in pits and surrounded by protective brick ‘horseshoes’.
WHERE TO STAY
There are cheaper hotels than the five-star Princesa Yaiza in Playa Blanca (£204 B&B, princesayaiza.com), but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere more luxurious or with better restaurants and service.
Or go native in the centre of the island, amid the volcanic vineyards at Hotel Finca Rural de la Florida (hotelfincalaflorida.com), with large rooms, balconies and views from £50 a night.
WORD OF ADVICE
Unless you want to stay put, rent a car. One of the biggest firms with good deals is Cabrera Medina (cabreramedina.com).
HOW TO GET THERE
Monarch Airlines (monarch.co.uk) flies to Lanzarote from Luton and Gatwick from £59 return, depending on season.
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