Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Guide

bazster

We went October last year, first week was sunny and blisteringly hot, second week cloudy with spots of rain.

Long-term forecast looks great at the moment, at least until middle of September. Wish I was going!

motherb

Will have a drink for you

Pimpmyride

Oooh thanks very much everyone, can't wait to get there now. Bring on the sun!! Shame if the hotel is a distance away but im sure a couple of euros in a taxi will do! (Or I think I may have read about a free shuttle service form the hotel...)

The only thing left to worry about now is the cockroaches .......!

bazster

Pimpmyride wrote: »

The only thing left to worry about now is the cockroaches .......!

I think we saw one (dead, in the street) in a fortnight.

bazster

Pimpmyride wrote: »

Oooh thanks very much everyone, can't wait to get there now. Bring on the sun!! Shame if the hotel is a distance away but im sure a couple of euros in a taxi will do! (Or I think I may have read about a free shuttle service form the hotel...)

Rent a bicycle?

Pimpmyride

That sounds like a good idea! (is ''drink 'cycling'' illegal ?!)

I presume there is bike hire places around then, any idea how much for a week's hire? I quite liek the idea of peddling off the the bars then peddling back after a few shandys :-D

fletch3163

Hi everyone

We just back from Playa Blanca (I was the one Elle hooked up with DVDs). It was absolutely divine.

What I think I loved the most was that I felt really safe. My iPad accompanied me each evening (plenty of wifi) and I never once felt worried. The inhabitants of Lanzarote care too which surprised me a little for a holiday area.

I loved the weather, the peace, the lack of tack and the general vibe of lanzarote.

We hired a car and went for a few jaunts. I was surprised the most with how nice Arrecife is.


Papagayo beach is a complete must. Feisty shoreline and such fun. We left our bags unattended, people were not concerned.

One thing though, I reckon All Inclusive with be the death of places like this. We passed one such hotel on our way to Papagayo beach and it looked hellish - a cheesy DJ, rows and rows like sardines of sun loungers, stuffed to capacity. Maybe I'm just old and wanted something more tasteful

The point is, how are small restaurants and shops expected to compete with AI? They will shut down and the areas will become ghost town - and nobody wants to visit that!!

basill

fletch3163 wrote: »

One thing though, I reckon All Inclusive with be the death of places like this. We passed one such hotel on our way to Papagayo beach and it looked hellish - a cheesy DJ, rows and rows like sardines of sun loungers, stuffed to capacity. Maybe I'm just old and wanted something more tasteful

The point is, how are small restaurants and shops expected to compete with AI? They will shut down and the areas will become ghost town - and nobody wants to visit that!!

I think it has already started there, we stayed at The Lanzasur Club Bungalows recently, we like to get out and about so, although AI was available, we went self catering.
The bungalows are a little bit of a walk from Playa Blanca proper and there are several large AI hotels there.

As a result everything nearby was closed up by 2200 as no one could bear to come out of their hotel.

Fortunately Playa Blanca town was not too far and we had a great holiday.

B

Elle1971

Ooh lots of replies - and I'd missed them all. Sorry!

Corbeta is a 10 minute walk from the town centre if you cut across the waste ground adjacent to the hotel... or a 20 minute walk if you follow the proper roads and pathways. Then it's another 20 minutes to Playa Dorada.

Yes... cloudy but you can still burn (I have) so do be careful!

Happy to help with the DVDs! You helped clear a cupboard.

Bike hire prices here - http://www.electrobike-lanzarote.com/

Was out last night (drinkies in Playa Dorada Beach bar followed by fab pasta in L'Artista, and then wine and sambuca in Wax Bar. Fab night! I have to say that Playa Blanca was rammed. All the restraurants in the town centre were packed... the promenade had loads of people mooching about - it was great to see the place so busy. Playa Blanca has not been affected by AI as dramatically as other places, as the AI (predominantly) is of a higher standard than other resorts. The visitors do leave their hotels and eat/drink out. You see the wrist bands brandished everywhere. It does affect some businesses... but these tend to be when those businesses don't stand out from the crowd. If you serve up all day breakfasts and cheap pints in Playa Blanca, you are going to struggle as that is not what brings people to the resort. Sorry if that sounds snobby... but that is my observation over the past few years. Of course there will always be exceptions... but most businesses in Playa Blanca have ben around for years and do fairly evenly despite the credit crunch. People want to buy businesses in Playa Blanca... but there aren't as many for sale as in other resorts - that tells you something.

Update for you all. I actually move off of Lanzarote next month and am going to live on the Mainland (have got ourselves a stunning little farmhouse in the hills of Andalusia). But I still have businesse interests in Playa Blanca, and my stepson still lives her with his girlfriend - so we'll be back quite often. I'll keep the thread going of course!

Elle xxx

B164D

We like Playa Blanca. It has a nice feel. We always stay in Puerto del Carmen old town because we hire a car and like to be a bit more central but at least 20% of our time is spent in PB. I hope you enjoy Andalusia but I'm sure you'll look forward to your holidays here. Thanks for the advice you've so freely given. It's helped us a lot.