how does LANZ compare to GC

[SANTEG]

Having being loyal to Gran Canaria for the last 7 or 8 years (Including this year) I have been thinking about visiting Lanzarote next year. Could anyone tell me what, if any, the main differences between the two islands are.

Is it more hot and sunny in certain resorts than others, are some resorts quieter than others? etc.

I'm not quite sure what brings me back to GC each year, I just feel comfortable there and wondered if I'd feel the same about Lanz.

Any help greatly appreciated

[BLUEMOONSTEVE]

I love lanzarote and have been 15 time sin teh past , not for a few years thou

the main resort is Puerto del carmen which is very similar to PR but not on the hill , its flat and really if you include Poccillos and Matagorda is well stretched out BUT can be walked easy , there are 3 beaches Matagorda which is windy and very popular with windsurfers , Poccilios which is very large and sheltered it doesnt get to busy compared to the one in PDC town which is a very very good beach popular and on a par with PR beach

all along this front are bars and restaraunts ranging from your typical english pub to very nice and expensive(LANIS) , and all cusines , the main nightlife is in the atlantico centre which is where all teh clubs are and you dont ttend to get clubs any where else but there , but the bars are the same as PR and late opening etc , you have your linekers as well for the football


in teh old town by the harbour there are loads of fish restaraunts and a lot of small bars , again mainly scots,irish and english but some local spanish ones as well ,



then you have Playa Blanca this was a small fishing village the same as Mogan but is expanding rapidly but not to the level of PDC , it has a prom with all your bars and restaraunts and this is where you can get the ferry to fuerte for the day , i have never stayed here YET but am this year


and there is costa teguise thsi si a purpose built place and i must admit i dont like it just when i drove in it didnt seem like the others


ALL BUILDING IN LANZA CANT NOW BE HIGHER THAN 2 STORIES AND ALL HAVE WHITEWASH WALLS AND GREEN SHUTTERS so no high rises etc


if you get a car you can go to Timanfaya which is the vlcano and well worth a day trip , Mirador del Rio at look out at the top and teh view is breathtaking

Cueva del los Verdes which are caves with blind white crabs and worth the trip and Jameos del Agua which is a cave as well but is done up and they ahve music festivals there

there are lots of cesar Manrique museums and designs scattered around the island the main one being on a roundabout he was killed on BUT i gather the storms recently seriuosly damaged it

In the north of the isalnd there is a town called Orzola which ahs the best fish restaraunts IMHO and to get there you will pass most of the above and some very remote beautiful beaches

El Golfo is one of the few and rare examples of hydro-volcanism - volcanic activity that occurs near the coast. In its interior, in the centre of the crater, has emerged La Laguna de los Ciclos, a lake of the most intense green - a colour that is produced by the concentration of the algae, Ruppia Maritima.

Los Hervideros is the name by which the coast is known at the point where the waves violently strike the pathways formed by the lava floes. When the sea is choppy, it strikes against the holes in the lava and shoots up to the surface, as if it were boiling.

Las Salinas del Janubio is a place of scientific interest where not only the fauna is protected, but also the traditional method of extracting salt from the seawater. Before the eruptions of 1730-1736, it was the best natural harbour on Lanzarote, but the eruptions created a sand bar that closed this point forming a lake called La Caleta de Janubio.


hope this helps in conclusion PDC is lively but you can have a quiet time if you want and stay out of the atlantico and playa blanca is very nice and worth the trip

and the ferry for a day to corralejo in Fuerte is worth doing just for a change

[SANTEG]

Thanks Bluemoonsteve that was very interesting and informative.
I,m gonna keep an eye on the accomodation threads/posts and see if anywhere stands out, cause if I do decide to go we won't be booking till later in the year.

[BLUEMOONSTEVE]

Thanks Bluemoonsteve that was very interesting and informative.
I,m gonna keep an eye on the accomodation threads/posts and see if anywhere stands out, cause if I do decide to go we won't be booking till later in the year.

if you see somehwre you like the look off let me know if its in PDC i may know of it as thats where i have always been if its in Playa Blanca i will be there in June so can have a look and see what they are like , as we will be watching england matches in bars in PB we might speak to someone who is there but can always ask local opinion from the bar owners

[fat fred]

I've been to Playa Blanca for the last two summers, stayed in the Sun Tropical Holiday Village - you can read the reviews on www.holidaysuncovered.com or www.realholidayreports.com -

I liked it a lot, but then I prefer the quieter resorts. Lanz is easier to drive around than GC - it's not as hilly and the roads are better. It's very much geared towards families and wrinklies. I did stay in Puerto Del Carmen in 2000 and 2001 and while it was nice, I'd prefer Playa Blanca.

[SANTEG]

Is Lanzarote as windy as Fuerteventura?

We visited Fuerte about 10 years ago and although lovely and hot the wind was so bad we couldn't take the kids on the beach as the wind was blowing the sand so hard against you that it actually stung!

[BLUEMOONSTEVE]

Is Lanzarote as windy as Fuerteventura?

We visited Fuerte about 10 years ago and although lovely and hot the wind was so bad we couldn't take the kids on the beach as the wind was blowing the sand so hard against you that it actually stung!

No ist not as windy as Fuerte , but Matagorda can be very windy so tahts where the windsurfing is

[swifty]

went to lanzarote a couple of years ago and it is well worth a visit.
totally differant to the other canary islands though.
g.c. is a lot greener than there, it is mostly black rock on lanzarote.
stayed in costa teguise and will go back sometime.

[fee]

Lots of good information here Bluemoonsteve which is useful since we too are deserting GC in October and going to Lanzarote (still to going to GC at Easter though !). Unfortunate to here that Matagorda is windy since that's where we're going and none of us are surfers. Staying at the Sol Lanzarote - any opinions on it?

[BLUEMOONSTEVE]

wehen i say windy its not extremely windy unless you are actually wlaking along the front , most of the hotels are actually in a sheltered area between Matagorda and Poccilos , as for the hotel i am not sure about it but SOL hotels are very good http://www.puertodelcarmen.com/img/di-mapa-E.jpg there is a map for you and it looks like it is on the front the beach in front is the one they use for winsurfing so will be windier than elsewhere