PLAYA BLANCA
Area: Lanzarote
Country: Spain


Location:
At the S tip of the island, 18 miles SW of Puerto del Carmen, 26 miles SW of Arrecife, 21 miles SW of airport.

Telephone code from UK:
34

Position:
On sloping ground backed by brown desert hills.

Description:
Built around a fishing village of which some older buildings and brightly coloured boats remain. Green-shuttered white buildings line the attractive seafront walk, with old-fashioned lampposts and pavement bars. The newer apartments are scattered far and wide, often at more than strolling distance from the village.

Suitability:
One of the less developed resorts, suited to quiet family holidays.

Accommodation:
Predominantly self-catering; mainly middle of the range. A couple of budget pensions as well as some quality hotels.

Shopping:
Supermarkets, gift shops; commercial centre by harbour. Limited choice.

Beach:
Small, sandy town beach, with a few stony patches and low cliffs of black rock. Larger, man-made option at Playa Dorada and, on the opposite side of the port, Playa Flamingo. The lonely beaches at Papagayo, 4» miles over fairly rugged unsurfaced road, are favoured by nudists.

Entertainments:
Daytime: several ferries a day to Fuerteventura and Papagayo. Water sports. Scuba centre. Tour of the island using quad bikes. Nightlife: subdued; some music bars.

Eating:
Some tempting fish restaurants and bars near the seafront; Chinese and Italian options at the harbour shopping centre.

Public-transport:
Bus approximately once every 2_3 hours (less frequent on weekends) to Arrecife. Car recommended.

Local-excursions:
Fire Mountain; camel rides. Jameos del Agua caves; boat trips; jeep safaris. Day trip to Fuerteventura. Also see Puerto del Carmen.