Having A Glance At Lanzarote’s Capital Of Arrecife And A More Detailed Look Where To Stay In Playa Blanca
If you are going to a villa in Lanzarote sometime in the future you might be wondering what places of interest to see when you are there. Well, the capital city of Lanzarote is Arrecife and that is a good place to start with.
Arrecife is a lively port city that took over from Teguise as the Island’s capital. It is sited 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 plane enthusiasts an excellent treat as they can stand almost 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.
Half of the island’s inhabitants reside in Arrecife and the site of Lanzarote’s only multi story building. From miles around the island’s only high rise structure can be seen as a giant above the city. Cesar Manrique’s vision for the protection of the island prevented the building of any more such buildings and for 30 year this hotel, the Arrecife Gran Hotel, was a mere part completed shell as authorities debated completion or destruction.
As previously mentioned, the traditional capital was Teguise, some siz miles further inland. This was chosen as protection from the regular pirate raids of old and was the capital of the island for 4 and a half centuries. It was only in 1852, when the importance of the port was recognized for the marine trade that the capital status was moved to Arrecife.
This piratical history 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.
Playa Blanca is Lanzarote’s most southerly tourist resort. It is also a newer resort than Puerto Del Carmen and Costa Teguise and there is ongoing building work still in progress, but many tourists still find it quieter than its two earlier resorts. It is just under 40 kilometers from the island capital of Arrecife and a little under 35 km from the airport.
Playa Blanca was originally a fishing village and more recently started use as the stopping point for the ferry to near by Fuerteventura. There is even a possibility that the harbour will be enlarged to take in cruise ships to allow in more visiting tourists.
The Playa Blanca coastline consists of a 6 mile wide bay, split into 3 smaller bays, including the best known of the 3 bays, Papagayo. This has the effect of producing neat beaches with white sand that are suitable for swimming and soaking up the sun’s rays. Diving is also possible with the English speaking dive centres dotted about. Although the aquatic life is differs little from the whole of Lanzarote, diving over the white sands does make an unusual alternative.
There are a wide variety of restaurants and shopping opportunities in Playa Blanca, but nightlife is said to be a little tamer than its sister resorts nearer to the airport. Most of the tourist accommodation in Playa Blanca consists of holiday villas rather than hotels and apartments and there is a large variety to choose from. Finding a villa to rent in Playa Blanca is commonplace and there are an excellent choice of villas available.
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