Learn More About Having A Glance At Lanzarote’s Capital Of Arrecife And A Closer Look Where To Stay In Playa Blanca
If you are going to rent a villa in Lanzarote sometime in the future you might be wondering about where to visit when you are there. Well, the capital city of Lanzarote is Arrecife and that is an interesting city to visit.
Arrecife is a lively port city that has taken over from Teguise as the Island’s capital. It is situated on the south coast of the island, nestled between Costa Teguise and Puerto Del Carmen. Arrecife is also the home to the island’s airport and a slight detour on the road to Puerto Del Carmen will give airplane enthusiasts an excellent treat as they can stand right at the end of the runway and, dependent on wind direction, have the airplanes passing low level over their heads as they take off or land.
Arrecife is home to half of Lanzarote’s inhabitants and the location of Lanzarote’s only multi story building. From miles around the island’s only high rise hotel can be seen towering over the city. Cesar Manrique’s vision for the protection of the island stopped the building of any more such buildings and for decades this hotel, the Arrecife Gran Hotel, was a mere part completed shell as authorities debated completion or destruction.
As already mentioned, the traditional capital was Teguise, some 10km further inland. This was chosen as protection from the regular pirate raids of old and was the capital of the island for 450 years. It was only in 1852, when the importance of the port was recognized for the seafaring trade that the capital status was moved to Arrecife.
This piratical past is still in evidence today as there are two castles standing guard over the harbour. Although, these days they mainly stand and watch the biggest fishing fleet in the Canaries setting to sea and returning with their catch.
Lanzarote’s most southerly and most westerly tourist resort is Playa Blanca. It is also a newer resort than Puerto Del Carmen and Costa Teguise and there is a lot of building work still in progress, but many tourists still find it quieter than its two earlier resorts. It is just under 25 miles from the island capital of Arrecife and a little over 20 miles from the airport.
Playa Blanca began as a fishing village and more recently started use as the stopping point for the ferry to neighbouring Fuerteventura. There is even talk that the harbour will be altered to take in cruise ships to attract in more visiting tourists.
The Playa Blanca coastline consists of a 9 km wide bay, split into three smaller bays, including the best known of the three bays, Papagayo. This has the effect of producing neat beaches with white sand that are safe for swimming and soaking up the sun’s rays. Diving is also possible with the English speaking dive centres that are around. Although the aquatic life is fairly similar to the whole of Lanzarote, diving over the white sands does make an attractive alternative.
There are plenty of restaurants and shopping opportunities in Playa Blanca, but nightlife is said to be a little tamer than its sister resorts around to the airport. Most of the accommodation in Playa Blanca consists of holiday villas rather than hotels and apartments and there is a good number to choose from. Finding villas Playa Blanca is commonplace and there are an excellent choice of villas available.
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