Lanzarote, Spain.
Summer is my favourite season. I live for Summer. Vitamin D, non-chapped lips, less layers and beach holidays.
Now that I'm not so close to the beach like back in Australia, I like to plan most of my holidays to happen during Summer. I hadn't heard of Lanzarote until G mentioned that it might be alright for surf as it is West of Morocco.
To some, it is known as "Lanza-grotty" which may be true if you get caught in the tourist trap of the main strip however if you ignore this and focus on the island of Lanzarote, there is so much more to it.
Stay Here.
Puerto Del Carmen.
The beach this side of the island, the South East, is a stark contrast to the surf beach, Famara. It is calm, clear and perfect to cool off in as the temperature when we went in September was still very warm (around 35˚C).
I found a lovely holiday apartment owned by Sue and Ken through Owners Direct. Close to the beach, bars, supermarket and scooter hire, it was perfect for our time there.
Visit here.
Famara Beach.
We came to Lanzarote to surf. Lavaflow Surf offers a three day course that took us out to Famara Beach. Our chatty instructor Paul, a Scottish ex-pat who had been on the island for over a decade, is a respected local on the beach and a very patient instructor. Both G and I hadn't surfed in a while but by the end of day one, we were up on the boards again. Day two and three the conditions weren't as ideal however we still managed to ride waves and my body was sufficiently aching. I 100% recommend these guys if you are looking for a surf school at Lanzarote.
Explore the island by a scooter.
We hired a scooter to explore the rest of the island for a day. We visited Manrique's creation at the northern tip of the island, Mirador De Rio, which has beautiful views of La Graciosa. We then went along the East coast, found a nice little cove to have our packed lunch and a swim, then dropped into James del Aqua (not great, I wouldn't bother).
Cesar Manrique's House.
Thanks to this artist, the island has been spared of becoming over-developed with only three locations serving tourist accommodation, no high-rises and no outdoor advertising whatsoever on the island. You can visit his house which has art throughout. Beautiful 70’s decor throughout.
Eat Here.
Taberna De Nino.
The food options where we were staying were mainly of the same ilk that is; grills, Italian and burgers i.e. not great. We did however, manage to find this delicious tapas restaurant just off the main strip that we went back to again on our last night (highly recommend the grilled octopus).
We also did go to one of the many Italian restaurants etc but they weren't anything to write home about compared to the above mention. Save your money and cook at a self-catered apartment like we did.
If you are looking for a Summer break for anytime of the year where you can get in a bit of surfing and exploring, then look to Lanzarote.
We flew to Lanzarote from London with EasyJet and Ryan Air. Flights can be pretty cheap to get there depending on what month you go but it costs you to get back to London, especially during Summer. The temperature is warm all year round though and not sure I would want to go in the middle of Summer given how hot it gets. Check out comparison websites Skyscanner or Kayak for the best deal.
Accommodation through Owner's Direct cost us just under £120 each for seven nights (Sept 2017). Booking.com also have a lot of options for the island. Air BnB did not have many places on offer for a decent price at this time.
Eating and drinking out was not the cheapest however if you are in a self-serviced apartment then this brings the cost down. Groceries are cheap as is the beer from supermarkets.
The three day surf course at Lavaflow Surf cost €115 each including transfer and lunch. Paul is a legend.
Scooter hire was around €40 for one day (you just need a license and a credit card). Fuel was cheap - €3 to fill the tank which we only did twice after going up and down the island.
