Tag: canary-islands

Modern Day Lanzarote ⛰️

Given that the region has historically seen a lot of Volcanic activity, the Island is full of beautiful mountains, providing the opportunity to see the most stunning skylines & sunsets.

After spamming Duolingo & learning some basics from Spanish friends, this trip was the first time I tried to only speak in Spanish to locals etc. Given that I am from Scotland, I can barely speak English properly so conversing in Spanish was a challenge! For about 60% of the time I managed to pull it off. However, calling the more senior/elderly ladies ‘senorita’ instead of ‘senora’ definitely doesn’t come off with the level of charm I had thought it would. I definitely need to work on my ‘Rizz’, I think the young folk are calling it these days! 🫣

If you would like to go walking up in the mountains, definitely make sure you plan ahead, sort out travel, take appropriate clothing, provisions & a map or tour guide. Definitely do not rock up in trainers, without any supplies & having sunk 6 or 7 cervezas the night before. Only a dimwit would be so foolish & yes I can confirm I am the aforementioned dimwit 😂.

My visit was the week before Christmas & I stayed in Arrecife, the capital. It was a lot quieter than Peak season which I really enjoyed. On my first day I managed to pick up a pair of Armany (with a Y) sun glasses on the beach for 5 Euros, however I managed to lose them on the first night unfortunately. No matter what you are in the market for, I am fairly certain you can pick anything up at Playa del Reducto for 5 Euros. When I went back to the beach the guy was gone, I managed to find him later in the trip but the replacement Armanys had magically double in price! The gent was an astute businessman indeed 💷

Places worth stopping by! 🏰

As mentioned, I didn’t do nearly enough ‘touristy’ activity. However, It wouldn’t be a travel guide without at least some recommendations. The Castillo de San Gabriel is well worth a visit. The Castle itself isn’t massive however the bridge, beach, pier & surrounding area is really beautiful. You also get a cool view of Arrecife against the background of the mountains.

The Marina Arrecife should definitely be on your list of places to visit. There are lots of shops, bars & awesome boats. It is definitely a dream of mine to have a boat there one day as a retirement retreat. So if you or someone you know is in the market to settle down with a slightly podgy Scottish person who may or may not be a little bit zany, hit me up! We can split the cost of rent, heating & other exponentially growing bills, then use the saved £££ to buy a boat in Lanzarote, solid plan if you ask me! There is also the added benefit that if I am driving you mad, just launch me overboard, the sharks will think you have laid on an all you can eat buffet for them 🦈

Where to eat & drink? 🍻🍽️

Unfortunately I didn’t get many photos of the bars or restaurants I visited. However a couple of decent bars to check out are Manhattan Cocktail Bar & Mojito’s Lounger Bar. They are on the same street & close to beach. Manhattan has an American pool table in the back, lots of decent drinks & you can get shisha if that’s your thing (I didn’t try it so can’t say if any good). Next to Manhattan there is a cool little Italian pizza place called Pizzeria La Sonrisa that I enjoyed. If you want something more authentic, Malecon was awesome! It is on the waterfront at Charco de San Gines & had amazing food!