Arrecife
Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote, and home to Lanzarote Airport. Having wrestled power from the old capital of Teguise in 1852. It’s a compact little city, more the size of a small town in the UK. There’s something really fabulous about a city right on the beach, you feel like you have the best of both worlds, the noise and hustle and bustle of the city and the beach and parks to escape to at the same time. Arrecife’s official website is only in Spanish but good for finding out when there are exhibitions, music concerts and suchlike www.arrecife.es
There aren’t a million things to do here so there’s no need for a big itinerary of “must do’s”. The rules of thumb are to go to the pedestrianised Avenida Leon y Castillo and the streets leading from it for shopping, street café’s and restaurants and Calle José Antonio (and surrounding streets) for nightlife, bars and clubs. As with any rule of thumb there are many exceptions to this and the best thing you can do in Arrecife is get your Birkenstock’s on and hit the streets.
Good Bits To Do in Arrecife Lanzarote
Watching the sunset and day turn to night from the Star’s City bar on the 17th floor of the Gran Hotel on the main beachfront road Parque Islas Canarias. In terms of Lanzarote Hotels, the Gran Hotel have done a great job of giving a more urban feel to their decor. So, if you’re missing a little metropolitan influence then this Lanzarote Hotel is the place to be. Order a cocktail or a G&T and watch the cityscape from above.It’s Lanzarote’s version of Google Earth! Alternatively grab a coffee, sandwich, or Tapa from the street level Bar El Sol.
The Church, or Iglesia, of San Ginés is one of the nicer churches in the capital of Arrecife; it lies just off the main prom before you reach Charco de Gines. It was built in 1655 to honour the islands patron saint – you guessed it, Saint or San Ginés
Stroll along Arrecife’s prom. Start from the park in Arrecife (as above) wander through and then alongside the city beach towards the Gran Hotel. From here follow the prom along to the Nautical Club – note some terrific little cafes by the roundabout – past the main shopping district and up to Charco de Gines. This is a small tidal cove full of little fishing boats. Dotted around the Charco are some nice restaurants and bars, we can recommend La Puntilla and Comedor Ginory and the cheaper sister restaurant lying close by Ginory.
This is a perfect location for a short city break. New Lanzarote Flights from budget airlines as well as Charter Airlines now makes this completely possible. Explore by bike, relax on the beach, and party Arrecife style in the evenings or simply promenade the front with everyone else, unwind, dine and rewind late into the evening.
The harbour and port area of Puerto Naos are at the far NE end of Arrecife. If you’re an early riser then a morning visit to the harbour as the fishing boats come in is good value. Watch the action as the trading starts and try to score yourself some true fresh fish. If you aren’t up for a haggle the fishmongers on the seafront road (close to the church and all the Police stations) is excellent.
Beaches in Arrecife
The city beach Playa del Reducto has a golden sandy beach, is relatively quiet and safe for kids. At one end is a big, red spiders-web climbing frame where we’ve seen many kids and adults compete to be the best Spiderman double – somehow the kids always win. There’s also a trampoline and play zone set upon the sand. Beyond this is a large landscaped park complete with grass (quite a novelty over here), a skate park where the city kids strut their stuff on skateboards, BMX bikes and inline skates, a play park for little ones and a snack & drinks bar with a large covered exterior area. The folk from Arrecife love this park and it’s a great place to people watch.
Walking/Biking in Arrecife
Feeling sporty and up for a serious hike or bike ride? Start at the park once again and head in the other direction along the promenade linking Arrecife to Playa Honda, past the Lanzarote Airport and beyond to Puerto del Carmen and now to Puerto Calero (this is the only section where it’s difficult by bike or with a child’s buggy as there are quite a few steep steps to negotiate). With the sparkling ocean on your left and a variety of bars and restaurants en route, you’ll have a great time.
Snacks/Tapas/Restaurants/Nightlife in Arrecife
In our opinion some of the best coffee shops and tortilla (Spanish omlette) and tapas places can be found in two streets fairly close to each other Calle Quiroga / Pl. Constitución and Gines de Castro y Alvarez in Arrecife. Brunch in a bustling cafe in Arrecife with strong coffee, just-squeezed orange juice and freshly made tortilla is such a treat – spoil yourself!
El Almacén in Calle José Betancort, is a gallery, Cinema and cultural centre housed in an old warehouse. There is a definite “Manrique feel” and it’s a place for friends to gather to watch original-version films, catch one of the regular exhibitions or just hang out in Picasso’s cafe bar where you can catch live music most weekends. Check out the link for more info and a little Spanish reading.
For a nightclub club with a difference try La Biosfera a large circus tent style club. You can find it at the far end of the beachfront road Avenida Fred Olsen, just after the park and in front of the ugly, yellow town hall building. The music is sometimes much more Latino than club styles in the UK so get into the “happy clappy groove” and you’ll have a ball. As with most clubs here it’s a late start (after midnight) and you finish in time for breakfast.
There are great bars all over Arrecife, but a couple that stand out are El Tambo in Calle Luis Morote and, a few doors along, Buzon’s Bar. These are in a small street close to the Nautical Club (Club Nautico) roundabout, once again just off the seafront. Packed with people, great music and ambience
During the season a day at the footy is a hoot. The people of Lanzarote are passionate about their team UD Lanzarote. It’s noisy but very good-natured; you can take the kids and know there won’t be any dramas. For more info about match fixtures visit UD Lanzarote’s Website.
Art and Culture in Arrecife
The Castillo of San José (castle), also in the harbour area on Avenida. de Naos, is the home of MIAC, the International Museum of Contemporary Art. It houses the most important collection of modern art in the Canaries. Opening times are 11:00 to 21:00 and entry cost is €2,50.
Asides from the visual delights of both the permanent and touring exhibitions the Castillo de San José has one of the chicest traditional restaurants and has a panoramic view out over the harbour. Try the tasting menu for 18€ to get a real mouthful of Lanzarote. It’s open from 11:00 – 24:00 and you can also get a light snack or a good cup of coffee here.
Bad bits/Good Advice for Arrecife
Arrecife is best on foot or bike; the traffic, road works and one-way systems can drive you loopy even if you’re a local. From Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca there are regular busses to and from Arrecife. It’s not considered a “Lanzarote Resort” as such, and so you won’t find any white traditional Lanzarote Villas to rent near the beach, only Lanzarote apartments that are mainly Spanish inhabited.
If driving we recommend you bite the bullet and pay to go in one of the multi-story car parks. The easiest being the Gran Hotel Car Park. You could get lucky on the streets, but generally you won’t. Other than the 2 or 3 multi-stories there is a large free car park next to the beachfront park and there are some other “wasteland” options up by the Charco de Gines. In the “wasteland” areas someone looking a bit bedraggled will usher you in. Despite appearances your car will be looked after. Give them a euro or two (much better value than the car parks) when you leave the parking area and they’ll be stoked.
Rush hours in Arrecife Lanzarote. If you live in a UK city you’ll just laugh at what we call rush hours, but here’s the info anyhow. If driving in check your timing, super busy 8:30-9:30 (just before the shops open and when all the kids are being dropped off at school then 13:00 (when shops shut), then 17:00 (when the shops open again), then 20:00 (yep, when the shops shut – the formula is quite easy to work out really)
Driving – cultural differences. This doesn’t just apply to Arrecife, but to the whole of Lanzarote. If you know about these little cultural idiosyncrasies they won’t faze you so much.
Bumpers – are for bumping and it’s not unusual to have a young boy racer pretty much touching your bumper as he drives to meet his hot date.
Indicators -not a feature many drivers understand here.
Roundabouts – using the inside lane to turn left on a roundabout is extinct. Everyone takes the outside lane even when taking the final exit on the roundabout! You’ll get caught out if you are trying to go straight or left! You’ve been warned! Driving instructors actually teach pupils in Spain that the inside lane for going left is for experienced drivers!
Door-bangers – a quick look around reveals dings and dents on every car, the locals are keen on just flinging their doors open regardless of any other vehicles or humans that may be within striking distance. The favourite haunt of the door-banging brigade is the Deiland Shopping Centre in Playa Honda – you have been warned!
