5 Days in Lanzarote, Spain

Spain
Written By Katie Sciortino Peak

A Road Trip Across the Island

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One of the eight Canary Islands, Lanzarote is unlike any other place we’ve visited in Spain.  Thanks to the vast volcanic landscape the island feels cinematic. The uniformity of the white buildings - a strategic choice designed to keep the interiors cool (the island is only 80 miles from Africa afterall) - adds to its otherworldly quality.

We did our best to get a flavor for as many sides of the island as possible in our 5 days in Lanzarote. We started in Teguise then worked our way to the southwest coast down to the south east, back through the center and to the north. Luckily the island is small enough to navigate with an hour and half drive end to end.

ROAD TRIP ITINERARY & SUGGESTED HOTELS

Our vibe for the Lanzarote road trip was more island exploration than it was island relaxation. So if you are looking to discover a variety of flavors and sites in Lanzarote, you’ll enjoy the below itinerary!

DAY ONE: Teguise

We arrived to Lanzarote in the afternoon and drove straight to Teguise to check into our hotel, Hotel Palacio Ico.

I really loved this Lanzarote hotel. It has a calm, welcoming style, a beautiful courtyard and it’s perfectly located for strolling through the town of Teguise as well.

We also had an exceptional dining experience at Hotel Palacio Ico. Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, I would highly recommend checking it out for dinner.

DAY TWO: Southwest Lanzarote

The next day we got in our car to explore the Southwest Lanzarote. The drive alone is an experience. A sweeping landscape of volcanic rock for as far as the eye can see.

Here are a few of the natural sites we visited:

  • Parque Nacional de Timanfaya

  • El charco de los clicos (the green lagoon)

  • El Golfo: We stopped in this small town for lunch at Casa Azul (see fresh fish below!)

  • Los Hervideros: A stretch of cliffs and caves carved out of the volcanic rock by the crashing waves.

From there we ventured to Puerto del Carmen. This was the most “touristic” slice of the island we visited. We checked into Hotel Fariones.

Of our three accommodations, this one is definitely the outlier. Fariones is a classic large resort style hotel. Though we don’t typically gravitate toward large resorts, I was curious and booked it for a night. In the end it was a really lovely experience.

The hotel was recently completely revamped and you can tell - the design is fresh and inviting. They also incorporated some very cool shops filled with artisanal products and local art that I enjoyed browsing. The grounds feel expansive and the beach is your backyard. We had a comfy room plus nice cocktails and bites from the bar.

DAY THREE: Mid Island

Salt is a significant part of Lanzarote so we paid a visit to Salinas del Janubio (The salt garden) Drive down the road and you’ll find the Playas del Janubio, a black sand beach.

Next stop was Bodega La Geria for a wine tour and tasting. Even if you’ve done a wine tour before, I assure you this will be different. Because of the island’s terrain the technique for grape growing involves digging deep holes and creating a small circular stone wall to protect the plant. (The visual is way better than any explanation)


We also stopped into Bodegas el Grifo for a glass of wine in their back courtyard.

Then back to Teguise and our homebase of Hotel Palacio Ico.

That night we had dinner at La Cantina. Our meal included a bowl of the iconic Canary wrinkled potatoes, “papas arrugadas” with red and green mojo sauce.

DAY FOUR: Driving North

We started out at Famara Beach, a popular surf spot on the northwest side of the island. Even if you don’t participate in the sport, it’s a great place to post up and watch. The day we visited it was *super windy!

From there, we drove to Arrieta for lunch. We randomly selected Amanecer, and had a nice fresh fish and a lovely view of the water from their back terrace.

Next it was on to Jameos del Agua, a series of caves with an underground concert hall and restaurant. It’s where “art and nature meet” they say.

A short drive down the road, we caught a quick peek into Cuevas del Verde. They had just closed by the time we arrived so we couldn’t do an official tour.

Then we drove out to our final accomodation, Casa Nube Blanca. Located on the north of the island at the base of La Corona Volcano, staying at Casa Nube Blanca feels like being on retreat. The ambiance feels almost sacred, not just because there’s a room for yoga and meditation. The semi-secluded location offers plenty of silence.

The inner courtyard feels ready for a photo shoot at any moment and the sunrise over the water to the west is a stunning show. Friendly host Alex served up a beautiful breakfast with plenty of personality and stories on the side.

That night we drove over to Haria for dinner at La Puerta Verde. I had a delicious lamb and lentils dish. Being on this part of the island was the polar opposite of our beach resort experience. The drive to and from dinner was almost eerily dark because there’s so much undeveloped land.

DAY FIVE: La Graciosa

After a healthy and beautiful breakfast at Casa Nube, we drove to Órzolato to catch a ferry to La Graciosa, an island off the mainland.

The approach alone is an experience - before the ferry reaches port you get the sense you are landing on a film set. There are no cars on the island (because there are no asphalt roads), but you can opt to rent a bike.

We chose to walk and not long after we left the small port town we were hiking along untouched coast with only the clear ocean, mountainous backdrop and long stretches of dunes in view.

We walked around to playa de la cocina at the foot of Montaña Amarilla (the yellow mountain) and we were not disappointed.

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Katie Sciortino Peak
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