In July 1974, when the tourism industry in Lanzarote began to develop, Daily Telegraph Magazine interviewed celebrities lanzaroteño artist and environmentalist César Manrique titled it “Building heaven on the ruins of hell.” In this film, Manrique shared his vision as he walked barefoot around his home in Tahíche, wanting “the tourist to find a beautiful island, not a ruined one.” The article was exhibited in his old house in the village of Haría, a marvel of design and architecture, now used as a museum.
Today, Lanzarote, the easternmost of Spain’s sunny Canary Islands and located 60 miles off the southern coast of Morocco, mostly more densely built It has been spared the serious overtourism construction seen in the Canaries. The windy, volcanic sprayed island has its own soft, flamboyant energy. Much of this is down to Manrique’s pioneering stance on sustainability and the tremendous legacy he leaves behind at the local level. Now, 50 years after that interview, the island once called “Lanzagrotty” is putting itself on the map for stylish getaways focused on responsible travel.
While Lanzarote certainly has areas of development (mostly around the coastal towns of Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise), buildings here are generally low-rise and whitewashed, with sky blue or grass green trim as the case may be. They are on the Atlantic coast or on a more distant island. There is still only one skyscraper on the entire island. Concerns were expressed about increased tourism last year; Lanzarote received a record number of visitors of almost 3.18 million and made international headlines when former president María Dolores Corujo said it should aim to attract higher-spending tourists. But there are also many local businesses keeping Manrique’s vision of sustainable tourism alive.
Among these is a wave of creative, responsibly designed, small-scale hotels; I saw it blooming during my recent visits to this otherworldly island. Lanzarote’s best places to stay now include carefully restored heritage buildings transformed into boutique-style havens with Manrique-influenced, Lanzarote-inspired flavours, from cactus-filled gardens to dramatic windows framing volcano-dotted views.
The latest arrival is the dreamy César Lanzarote, created by Numa Signature, the popular team behind hot 2023 opener Amagatay in Menorca. Walking down a dusty road just 10 minutes from Lanzarote airport, I spot rows of low-hanging vines hidden between circular walls of lava rock. Then with white walls finca It comes into view with its bright green doors and shutters. This solar-powered 20-room finca It is a delight of traditional Lanzarote architecture, combining bold volcanic stone with corridors leading through a central plant-filled courtyard. Before it became a school, it was once owned by Manrique’s father, Gumersindo.
Designer Virginia Nieto has transformed Lanzarote’s wonderfully rich natural palette into an instantly calming sanctuary in a lush world. Oversized planters, custom fabrics and palm-woven chairs combine with original wooden beams and stone arches in a seductive combination of textures; Some rooms have local-style bathrooms built into the wall. At the front, ocean-view rooms open to a large terrace overlooking a sand-colored pool designed in Manrique’s signature lagoon style; this pool is surrounded by white and black striped loungers in similar volcanic cocoons, all with eye-catching vines. Even the wavy ceramic crockery set was produced locally by Tinajo-based Timijota Studio.
After a late terrace dinner at César, the on-site restaurant with creative Canarian menus designed by Juanjo López, the chef at Madrid’s sensational La Tasquita de Enfrente, I learn that most ingredients are grown right here, organically. Others, including the award-winning Finca de Uga cheeses and La Santa’s famous delicious shrimp, are sourced from local producers. Creamy avocados with coriander have arrived mojo and fresh lemon, wonderful Tenerife and Lanzarote wines were flowing with the expert guidance of sommelier Cristina Pardo.
“Lanzarote is a destination we have always wanted to be in because of its originality and the footprint of César Manrique at the core of the island,” said Álvaro Sasiambarrena of Numa Signature. “An island that has it all: climate, culture, tradition and gastronomy.”
And wherever you go, it’s impossible to escape the unique way Manrique encourages people to see, understand and preserve the island’s lava-shaped landscapes. Just a 20-minute drive from César Lanzarote, the cone-shaped hills give way to a sea of solidified lava, where the artist created another house, Taro de Tahíche, after returning from New York. He lived here for 20 years in the 1970s and 80s. It’s a remarkable place, with moody lounges and pool gardens built into naturally occurring lava bubbles and an upper floor inspired by Lanzarote’s rural architecture, all now transformed into the unmissable Fundación César Manrique gallery (0034 928 843 138; fcmanrique.org).
Half an hour west, in the heart of Timanfaya national park, El Diablo (cactlanzarote.com), the circular restaurant designed by Manrique in 1970, overlooks 20 square miles of heavily guarded lunar terrain born of 18th- and 19th-century eruptions. . Located on the island’s wild north coast, Jameos del Agua (cactlanzarote.com) is Manrique’s re-imagining of a lava tunnel with its own bar, restaurant and lagoon pool – a “intervention”, as he calls it.
In the northern village of Haría, I wander around the palm-shaded house that was the artist’s last home from 1988 until his death in a car crash in 1992. These days Casa Museo César Manrique (0034 928 843 138; fcmanrique.org), Casa del Palmeral (Palm Grove House), was built from a dilapidated farmhouse. Manrique implemented greenery-filled bathrooms and added a studio where he is said to paint every day. It’s easy to see how Manrique (and many others) fell in love with this calming place known as the Valley of a Thousand Palms.
So it’s no surprise that one of the island’s tranquil new-age retreats is located just a few steps away, near Haría’s mural-filled market. La Casa de los Naranjos has brought new life to a 19th-century mansion that still retains its original doorways, beams and more (0034 628 938 942; lacasadelosnaranjos.com). In nearby Teguise, Lanzarote’s art-loving former capital, Gigi de Vidal and Óscar Cubillo spent four years transforming an 18th-century house into five-room boutique hideaway Casa de las Flores (0034 615 688 590; hotelcasadelasflores.es).
There’s also the idyllic Álava Suites (0034 681 248 631; alavasuites.com), a six-room-only Costa Teguise retreat created by María Álava, who also founded Lanzarote-based slow fashion label Álava Brand. Or you can escape to the rippling La Geria wine region in Buenavista Lanzarote (0034 606 935 753; buenavistalanzarote.es), where breakfast hampers are delivered to your door.
Lanzarote’s now-thriving food scene also has the advantage of focusing on local produce. On weekends, people flock to long-standing venues like Casa de la Playa (0034 928 173 339), a hugely popular waterfront restaurant in Arrieta. papas arrugadas (crinkle potatoes), grilled cherry fish and deep-fried Lanzarote goat cheese. Energetic new kitchens are also part of the picture; for example Munsoo (0034 928 399 805, munsoo.es), near the surf-washed Famara beach, where a stylish crowd gathers for slow food brunches.
César In Lanzarote, a flaming pink evening sky looms over the southern peaks of the island that borders Fuerteventura and the sparkling Atlantic. With the pastel light and fluttering palm branches reflecting off the lagoon pool, it feels like this moon-like island belongs to me, and it’s still incredibly beautiful.
Fundamentals
Isabella Noble was a guest of César Lanzarote (0034 928 877 676; numasignature.com), which offers double rooms from £338 including breakfast.