Playa Blanca is the most southerly town in Lanzarote. Once a small fishing village, Playa Blanca is now the Island’s fastest growing resort. The stunning new promenade along the sea front reaches from Faro Park, right across to the beautiful white beaches of Papagayo.  Across the water you will see the Island of Lobos, and beyond that the white sand dunes of Corralejo, Fuerteventura. Great lengths have been taken to ensure that the town still retains the charm of a village - and with great success.

The beaches of Papagayo are considered amongst the finest in Spain, and are frequented by residents and visitors alike. They are part of a National Park, and are protected fiercely. You can enter them by foot for free… or a car will cost just €3. If you are planning a day at these beaches, do take provisions however… such as drinking water, and something to eat, as the facilities are very limited to say the least. Do venture to the rock pools, which are at both ends of most of these beaches, and you will find a plethora of wildlife milling about in the warm waters.

Coming towards the town from Papagayo, you will first happen upon the brand new Rubicon Marina, which contains various designer shops, a number of restaurants and bars, as well as an array of sea vessels, as you would expect.  The shopping centre opened in June 2007, and boasts a bowling alley, a  Max Coop supermarket, and various other shops. Markets are held here every Wednesday and Saturday. You will find endless bargain opportunities here. Leather goods, sunglasses, souvenirs, clothes, and much much more - all nestled amongst the bars, and along the marina walkways. The wooden bridges that take you to the marina are beautiful, and you can look over and see hundreds of fish all milling about waiting for their next meal. Fishing is forbidden at the Marina, which is possibly why the fish hide there.

Carry along the boardwalk towards the centre, and you will reach Playa Dorada, the most popular beach in Playa Blanca. here you will find the typical rows of bed-chairs, water-sports galore, such as parascending, flying fish ride, inflatable banana ride, jet-skis, and of course snorkeling  - which is one of the resorts most popular sports. The beach is protected by a man-made cove, which makes the shallow waters quite safe for young children. There are also lifeguards present during the busier times, to ensure safety of the beach’s visitors.

Just across the promenade from Dorada beach is Centro Comercial Papagayo, often referred to as the Burger King Complex. In this centre you will find Spanish, English, and Irish Bars - as well as a sports’ bar, a rock bar, bicycle hire, and various restaurants. There is also a variety of shops here, such as a swimwear shop, an art gallery, an electronics store, and a small supermarket. There is ample parking - which often spills over into the field next door.

Leaving the complex now, and continuing into the town centre along the seafront - look out for the local children jumping off the sea walls into the waves below. We challenge you not to cringe with horror as these unfearing youngsters body slam into the water. You will often see the local fishermen on the rocks along here, catching the fish that are so prevalent in these waters.

If you have left the Papagayo complex from the other end, you will be on the main shopping street in the town. Again, it is flanked on both sides by shops, bars, and restaurants. Here is where you will find many car hire companies, banks, supermarkets, the taxi rank, the pretty church, and dozens of cigarette and alcohol shops for those duty free bargains. Part of the High Street is pedestrianised, and contains countless souvenir shops for those presents for people at home.

The boardwalk from CC Papagayo is lined by dozens of restaurants, most with terraces overlooking the sea. From typical Canarian fayre to Chinese, Mexican and Italian - whatever takes your fancy is available here.  Take a moment to chat to the 2 parrots, on a stand outside Brisa Marina Restaurant… but join the queue, because they are very popular.

You will now see the “Town Beach”, a smaller version of Playa Dorada - again with lifeguards. This beach is not quite as sandy as Dorada, which appeals to many because it doesn’t get quite as busy. In the evenings, you can watch the local youngsters training in Canarian Wrestling.

There are many shops along this stretch of the seafront too. From souvenir shops, to clothing stores and jewellers. Haggling is very acceptable in Playa Blanca, and there are many bargains to be had here. There is even an amusement arcade to keep your little treasures happy for a while.

Just past this point, you will come across the port. This was the original centre of Playa Blanca, and you will still see a large number of fishing boats moored here. Fresh fish is brought in every morning to supply the many fish restaurants in the town. And now there is also a fresh fish store, next to “El Galeon”. From this port you can book excursions on a subcat, as well as catching the ferry across to Fuerteventura. Fred Olsen and Armas supply this route. Fred Olsen run a free bus service from Puerto del Carmen (opposite the Biosfera) to Playa Blanca .

Close to the port is Punta Limones, another commercial centre. Here you will find more bars and restaurants, as well as a number of shops. Here you can hire bikes or cars, or even get your hair cut. It is here that you will find the only English club in Playa Blanca, Rooftops. There is a Spar shop here too, where you can get those much needed groceries.

Carry along the sea walk, and you will come to Playa Flamingo. Unfortunately a storm in 2005 destroyed much of the sea wall here, so it is unfortunately not as sheltered as Playa Dorada. However, it is still a beautiful beach, and is very popular. There are opportunites for catching barracuda here, and many of the locals swear by this spot for it. Just behind the beach is another commercial centre. Here you will find a diving college, and various restaurants - including one of our favourites: Transylvania

Continuing further along, you reach Faro Park, and the Playa Blanca Lighthouse. Mainly residential, this area is still frequented by visitors who prefer their stay to be in a quieter part of the resort. There is a stretch of shops here that include a couple of supermarkets, an Estate Agent, and a small number of bars and cafes.

And so ends your tour of Playa Blanca. This has only just scratched the surface… and you will find that Playa Blanca has so much more to offer.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 29th, 2007 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Lanzarote. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.