by Shane McDonald | Apr 18, 2010 | Travel
Continuing on my series if reviews on Lanzarote I have outlined a few places which are good for eating , shopping and drinking in Lanzarote. Most of these are in Puerto Del Carmen but I have some from Playa Blanca also.
Best Island Tours of Lanzarote
Grand Tour, Last Minute Travel;
Takes in the national park, lava fields, the caves and some extra stops including wine tasting. Lunch is included. Takes about 8 hours.
César Manrique Tour, Last Minute Travel;
Takes in areas of the island which have buildings or sculptures designed by local artist Cesar Manrique. You get great views if the island, a chance to enter caves created by a 20m year old lava flow, you can see his house and visit a cactus garden with 10,000 plants. Lunch is included. Takes about 8 hours.
Other Tours
If you are in a group the Rancho Texas evening would be great fun but it is not something for couples as you end up sitting with 6 strangers … Forced conversation can be difficult. Food was nice and lasso / whip demo was excellent. End of show cabaret including songs from show turkeys such as “Annie get your gun” and “Calamity Jane” was not for my taste.
Diners & Restaurants in Puerto del Carmen
American Indian Diner, located on the main strip in Puerto Del Carmen, the American Indian Diner has live music every night on stage with rock band “Question, 3 video screens with the best in rock and pop and live soccer from the Permiership, great food & cocktails including American burgers, steaks, delicious starters from only €2.80 as well as English breakfast, sandwiches and more from 8.00 a.m. – Great Atmosphere and we came here about 3 nights running.
Universo, located 2 doors down from the American Indian Diner. If you are looking for real food, if you are sick of fast food and burgers, this place will certainly deliver. Great food at reasonable prices. We were well impressed here.
New World Chinese Restaurant. A great Chinese, check out my full review on this restaurant. click here.
Indian Aroma, Located about 5 min walk from the Fariones shops, this Indian is authentic, great starters and nice food. Indian Restaurants abroad are not 100% like Indians in Ireland, but are more like Indians in the UK. Sauces are thicker and a bit spicier. But we really enjoyed here and the food was very good.
Shopping in Lanzarote
Biosphera Shopping Centre. Located at the top of the hill in he old town there are plenty of good shops and cafes, there is also a Hagen Daz ice cream parlour if you get too hot from shopping. This is also where the #6 bus to Playa Blanca departs from.
Shopping in Playa Blanca. Playa Blanca is very good for shopping. Away from the main centre of tourism, Puerto Del Carmen, Playa Blanca seems to give a bit better value. Cosmetics, Perfumes, Electrical Items and Cameras are all good value. Don’t forget to haggle – if you are offered 200, say its too expensive and start to walk, you will be offered 170 and you might just say that you thought it would be cheaper, before you know it you will be offered 155 if you are lucky.
Overall, Lanzarote is a great place for shopping but it can be easy to get ripped off if you are not careful. Forewarned is forearmed – so enjoy if you are going !
by Shane McDonald | Apr 4, 2010 | Reviews
I was recently in Lanzarote and visited the New World Chinese Restaurant located opposite the Fariones Shops in Puerto del Carmen. The staff were very welcoming and the interior has excellent decor with Chinese paintings and sculptures adding to the atmosphere.
There are a wide range of starters including the usual favourites but I went for their Dim Sum which is excellent (#4 to be exact) followed by fish in mushroom and bamboo for the main course (only €5.95 for the main)
I have eaten here twice in the past 2 years and each time I come away happy. The food here is excellent matched also by the service. 2 starters , 2 mains and 2 soft drinks came in at under €30… If only you could get the same value in Ireland!
If you are in Puerto del Carmen this is a must visit restaurant!
by Shane McDonald | Apr 2, 2010 | Travel
If you are visiting Lanzarote then this quick guide may save you time and money. These are some things I used to save money when last visiting Lanzarote.
1) Tours – using the right tour company
Last Minute Travel seem to give the best value in tours. The hotel or package holiday reps may tell you that their tours are the only way you will see the island or they may claim cheaper prices but not in my experience. We were quoted €76 each for 2 trips – a north and a south island tour – by a holiday rep of a large UK travel firm on arrival at our hotel. For 2 people this would have cost €304. We were told there was no such thing as a 1 day grand tour of the island… This was a lie to get us to buy the tours from them (we were also told this was our only opportunity to buy the tours). In the end we did a grand tour of the island for about €60 with Last Minute Travel saving about €180 on what the rep might have expected us to pay for 2 separate tours.
2 – Use public transport
Public Transport on the island is frequent and fairly cheap – taxis are plentyful and seem to give good value for money.
As an example of how public transport can save you money, there are coach tours from Puerto Del Carmen to Playa Blanca costing about €20 pp but on public transport this trip would cost you €2.40 each way per person.
The route is the #6 bus from the Biosphera Shopping Centre in Puerto Del Carmen and you can get times from the “Arricife Bus” website. The bus times are a but erratic and the bus is often late. Holy Days operate a limited service , usually running on Sunday times – your hotel may have correct times available.
If you miss the bus or want to get a taxi between the two resorts it will cost you about €30.
3 – Haggle
You can haggle on prices of everything from holiday goods to electrical items. For example I saw something priced €25 and the shop clerk (sometimes they follow you around the shop) was doing a fine sales job. I just said it was too dear and told them all I had with me was €20 and they said “ok, €20” … Not exactly haggling in this case but it is worth keeping in mind. However since UK and Irish people are not used to haggling this can be a daunting if not exciting process.
4 – Try before you Buy
Electrical goods and cameras are good value in Lanzarote. Where possible ask to try the item out in the store and ask to take this item if you are happy. I bought an iPod Travel kit and asked if I could try it on my iPod – there was no problem and when everything worked ok I was happy to buy it. Most recently I got a Canon 70-300 zoom lens in Playa Blanca and asked to try it out – again no problem, and I was asked by the shopkeeper if I wanted to go into the street to try it out on my camera , he didn’t even come with me, which I was impressed by.
Be wary of voltages however , if something works in an AC socket in Spain, plugging it in at home in Ireland or UK could end up in sparks and a dead appliance.
Be Careful
Lanzarote is a lovely island and is very safe however, there have been an increase in petty thefts, wallets, cameras, bags and in some cases items taken from hotel rooms. Watch your belongings, and use a safety deposit box in your room.
