How to eat (fairly) cheaply in Lanzarote?

Herbyme

Hi all,
Went to Lanzarote (playa Blanca) last winter, loved it but was shocked at the cost of food in shops, main ones near us were Spar, ie small supermarkets, or even more so, the small independent shops in the resort which we used as little as possible. Most local restaurants also quite pricey.

Would be very grateful for any tips - travelling with fussy eating older relatives who prefer English food (!) and teens who love pizza (!!).

Is it legal to take food with you, and if so, are there any restrictions? Was musing about frozen bolognese sauce, or even mince... probably sounds a bit sad but feeding 6 people for a week was :eek:!

Many thanks in advance,
Caroline

cabbage

Hi

have a look at the playa blanca thread on this forum. We used Hyperdino supermarket (not the smaller hyperdino express dotted around) and it was quite reasonable. Eating out was expensive compared to the UK.

The lighthouse cafe at Faro Park is reasonable for eating out and their credit crunch breakfast. Next door also does a credit crunch breakfast. The lighthouse has a steak night too which we enjoyed.

We ate at home too and went out for drinks which cut the bill down a bit.

Have a look at the thread. Elle who answers all the questions will know who is offering a good deal at the moment.

Herbyme

Thats amazing, i never expected that, thanks for the tip!

miamoo

We stayed in Costa Teguise, and I was shocked how cheap everything was. Have you considered trying a different resort?

paidinchickens

We went last year as a family of five. We haggled the price down (a lot) and went all inclusive which worked out far cheaper in the long run for two adults and three kids. Just the drinks alone for the boys would have cost us the extra upgrade. The hotel had plenty of English options which was handy as the kids are quite fussy.

KonkyWonky

We just got back from Puerto Del Carmen and were surprised at how cheap it was.

€1.50 for a large beer
€2.55 for a cooked breakfast inc orange juice and coffee
€4.00 to €6.00 for a main course

Seemed very reasonable to me.

loveabargain13

Went to Playa Blanca this summer and I must say Lanzarote in my opinion is 1 of the most reasonably priced places to go, as well as tenerife....I thought it was cheap....anyway if your buying branded english food in supermarkets you have to expect to pay a higher premium than shopping locally.
If you are S/C I would take cereals, tinned food, PG tips etc you can take whatever food you like, even frozen meat but has to be in the hold, can't carry that in hand luggage!

Elle's Playa Blanca guide is well worth a read!

Where else could you get a bottle of cava for 2 euros....

Herbyme

Thanks all, I don't know if PB is dearer than other resorts or if we shopped in the wrong places, didn't find a hyperdino but will do so this time! We go as parents plus kids, plus 2 single older rellies who want single rooms, so a hotel works out quite dear for us and this villa gives everyone their own space and the option to be together or not as they wish. The only snag is I end up being the sheepdog, organising everything for everyone or they don't seem to be capable of it, and that includes food and drink... It was fresh meat and fruit and veg that we found the dearest, not packaged stuff, but I always take tea bags wherever I go, as I know many others do too!

mai-tai

Hi, I've only ever bought food in the one supermarket in the shopping mall near the marina... but I have to say i didn't find things expensive really. Bread was very cheap, as was the fruit and veg.
However when we stayed in PDC and decided to eat a meal in one night, I found the meat hellish expensive to buy and cook in the apartment.
Since that one time, we always eat out, if you go for the specials, it does generally work out a very cheap evening.... especially if you compare it to eating out in the UK.
We are going back in about 4 weeks.. can't wait, it was mid Sept out last visit.. love the Island.

phylom

The big Hiperdino is at the back of the town centre about half way between the main taxi rank and the harbour. It's a proper supermarket where the locals shop, not a "Tesco Express" with pumped up prices for visitors. I suspect that PB is one of the more expensive parts of Lanzarote, which is more expensive than Tenerife or Gran Canaria, because, due to arcane rules, everything is transhipped in Gran Canaria, adding to transport costs. The good side is that PB is a lovely place - which is why we chose to live here.