Lanzarote - the surprisingly cool Canary Island

The farmers, too, have reaped an unexpected harvest: tons of tiny, black, volcanic pebbles known as picón, spewed out along with the lava. These, it seems, are just the thing for retaining water, a precious resource in Lanzarote. So farmers and gardeners in the lusher north of the island import the precious stones, and in the south a whole wine industry thrives in the shadow of the volcanoes where there might have been only acres of shattered, twisted rock. And in those few sports where the picón has failed to deliver its unexpected bounty, the film industry has made up the deficit, exploiting the otherworldliness of the scenery of this part of Lanzarote as a location for such camp classics as One Million Years BC, although some of you may have been paying more attention to Raquel Welch in her teeny fur bikini than to the background.

Of course, you're not going to troll all the way to Lanzarote just to spend the weekend looking at volcanoes. The beauty of the place is such that you don't have to do anything if you don't want to - although you will want to, trust me. My most indelible memories are a glorious, eccentric jumble: almost weeping with pleasure at a perfect tapa of grilled octopus dished up overlooking a thundering sea; my first glimpse of Haría, a scattering of simple whitewashed houses with green or blue doors and shutters in a sea of palm trees; the surreal Jardín de Cactus at Guatiza, one of the best things that artist and local superstar César Manrique ever created; the unexpected sight of a donkey standing in the back of a pick-up; the road to Orzola through the Malpaís de la Corona, with a jagged, black shoreline on one side and the towering face of the Famara cliffs on the other; lazing on velvety soft sand at Papagayo beach with a good book.

Then there are the lanzaroteños themselves, with their incredible ability to adapt and prosper, their love of dogs and hatred of doorbells, their haphazard approach to signposts and passion for fast driving, their obsession with roundabouts where there isn't even a junction and the way they light up their best buildings at night, so that you can see the Castillo de Santa Bárbara on its mountain-top perch from miles away. Yes, they've allowed some of the best beaches on the east coast to be swallowed up by monstrous resorts, row after row of huge, bland hotels and restaurants offering shepherd's pie or schnitzel. But, to their credit, they also listened when César Manrique, back home after a stint as an international artist, suggested strict planning laws to keep the rest of the island, its impressive landscapes and scenic villages such as Yaiza and Uga, as unspoilt as possible.

The result is a large part of Lanzarote's appeal: an impression of harmony, of nature not so much subdued - nothing so suburban - as enjoyed, interpreted, harnessed and respected. You really have to admire their style.

THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN LANZAROTE

By Emily Mathieson and Helen Ochyra

Head for the beach

Yes, even in November the sea is warm enough for a dip, and with average daytime temperatures in the low-to mid-20°Cs a spot of sunbathing isn't out of the question either. The more sheltered beaches are on the east coast, so it's no coincidence that the three main resorts are also there. But you don't have to share your spot of sand with a thousand package-holidaymakers. Just off the coast road between Orzola and Arrieta, there are sheltered inlets with handkerchief-sized beaches, and Arrieta itself has a pleasant curve of off-white sand and an indoor changing area with showers. At the other end of the island are the five gorgeous beaches that make up the Papagayo reserve. You can go for an all-over tan on the furthest (Playa del Puerto Muelas), but whichever you pick, take your own drinks, food and shelter. According to local surf instructor Manuel Lezcano Cruz, the best beach in the Canary Islands is Famara on the north coast. It's a popular spot, thanks to 3km of pretty, sandy shores on an island where many of the beaches are rocky. But if you want serious waves head for La Santa, where Cruz teaches at the Surf Procenter. 'There's a left, a right and El Quemao, which is the place for big swells and hollow waves. People may call Lanzarote the European Hawaii, but its waves are more unique. It's a special place to surf.'

Try the local cooking

Head inland, lose the crowds. That's the general rule for making new discoveries on the Canary Islands, and on Lanzarote your foray into the interior is rewarded with Cantina in Teguise. Owner Benn Atkinson used to come to this white-washed restaurant as a child and he loved it so much he bought the place. Today the smart-rustic interior is the best spot to sample island produce: Lanzarote cheeses, salad from the garden, octopus from Famara, and moreish brownies made by Benn's wife Zoe.

Go for a bike ride

If only escaping to a desert island was always this easy. Just 25 minutes away from Lanzarote on the ferry from Orzola is La Graciosa. The roads here are made of sand, and the easiest way to get around is by bike. Head north to Montaña Bermeja volcano, climb its northern slope for a gentle ascent and take in the view down over the buttery sands of Playa de las Conchas, the island's loveliest beach.

Take in the view

You don't come to the Mirador del Río restaurant for the rather average selection of sandwiches and pasta, but for the surreal combination of architecture and location. This is a Seventies, Bond-style lair that looks like a glass-fronted cave atop a remote rocky peak. It epitomises the style of César Manrique, the Lanzarote architect whose signature curvaceous walls and swathes of white define the island's design aesthetic. Here, he's managed to create a sense of nature and architecture as one. The views through the vast windows towards tiny La Graciosa island and the massive Atlantic beyond are incredible.

Admire the genius of Manrique

The island's most famous, and most favoured, son has left a permanent mark on the appearance of his native land. The Jardín de Cactus, just north of Guatiza, is one of his most glorious creations, a magical amphitheatre planted with hundreds of cacti in all their weird and wonderful variety. Spot the hand of Manrique, too, in the huge abstract sculpture called the Monumento al Campesino ('peasant'), not far from a museum dedicated to farming. It's also thanks to him that the old gun emplacement at the Mirador del Río in the north, looking across to tiny Graciosa island, is now a groovy bar, like something out of an early Bond film, and with a view to die for.

Watch the sun go down into the sea

For comfort and easy access, head to the tiny fishing village of El Golfo and the terrace of the Restaurante Costa Azul (+34 928 173199). Not only is it a great spot for relaxing with a drink and a little dish of something - unbelievably fresh grilled octopus or tender squid, perhaps - it's also ideal for indiscreet conversations, as your secrets will be drowned out by the crash of the waves on the rocks below. If that's not elemental enough for you, take the corrugated dirt track through the Timanfaya National Park (you'll need four-wheel-drive) to the remote Playa de la Madera, a tiny black-sand beach surrounded by stark volcanic scenery.

Fall in love with lava

You're never far from a volcano on Lanzarote but the most impressive cluster is in the Timanfaya National Park. Coaches from the visitor centre at the Islote de Hilario take you on a winding tour of the suitably awe-inspiring Montañas del Fuego ('Fire Mountains'), their black slopes streaked with elemental rusty orange, earthy crimson, creamy yellows and dusty purples. More accessible is Monte Corona, which dominates the view on the road up from Orzola to Yé, where the energetic can climb down into the crater. Elsewhere, the man - has used Lanzarote's strange geology to create some memorable sights. Not to be missed is the house that Manrique - who else? - designed himself in the middle of a lava field at Tahiche. The Funacíon César Manrique, as it is now, looks at first like a typical one-storey whitewashed village house, but there's a surprise: a lower storey slotted into a series of bubbles in the lava. Elsewhere, Manrique turned a half-collapsed volcanic tunnel into the superb Jameos del Agua, with an underground lake, concert hall, bar and part-time nightclub.

Wander round Teguise

Soothing by day, eerily quiet at night, the former capital is a delightful little town of narrow cobbled streets, with a little square dominated by the distinctive white-topped tower of the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. It's the antithesis of flashy; indeed, after dark, the only way you'll know for certain that the place is inhabited is by the babble of cheery voices floating out from behind shuttered windows.

Visit a vineyard

A rocky plain covered with black volcanic pebbles seems an unlikely spot for Lanzarote's main vineyards, and even less plausible is the idea that it might be even remotely beautiful. But the world is full of surprises. Pootle along the scratch of a road through La Geria (signposted, with commendable honesty, as being in mal estado - in a poor state of repair), and I defy you not to be impressed with the geometry of it all - each vine a splash of green in its own black hollow, sheltered from the wind by an equally black horseshoe-shaped stone wall.

WHERE TO STAY: THE BEST HOTEL IN LANZAROTE

A stay at Finca Malvasia will convince even the most committed urban dweller to give island life a go. The British owners, husband-and-wife team Richard and Tarnya Norse-Evans, have created a four-apartment hotel in Lanzarote's central La Geria wine region that's packed with funky touches such as volcanic-stone walls and cactus gardens. It's as chic as you'd expect from a couple who ran a design agency in London's Shoreditch before they packed up and left for the Canary Islands almost a decade ago. Whether you're after a surf instructor to guide you through unfamiliar swells or have a hankering for wood-fired pizza, they will have someone on speed dial. Spend evenings at the finca eating from plates piled high with Canarian goat's cheese, membrillo (quince jelly) and artisan bread smothered in spicy mojo dip, with a glass of crisp wine from the surrounding terroir. Forget about traditional rows of vineyards here; the dark volcanic soil is peppered with scores of small pits in which the vines grow close to the ground, which creates a curious patchwork of black dry-stone walls and bright green plants.

Address: Finca Malvasia, Camino el Oratorio 14, Tías, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, SpainTelephone: +34 692 155 98
Website: fincamalvasia.com
Price: Doubles from £110

This feature was published in Condé Nast Traveller December 2016 and November 2004

A road trip around Tenerife

14 Slides

By David Loftus

View Slideshow