A large yacht marina, plenty of cafés and a relaxed atmosphere make Playa Blanca the perfect place for a quieter, more sophisticated holiday in Lanzarote. This fast growing resort located at the southern tip of the island is also home to some of the best apartments and villas in Lanzarote, making it the ideal choice for anyone seeking good quality self-catering accommodation.
General Information
Location
Playa Blanca is the most southerly resort on the island of Lanzarote, it is approximately 37 kilometres from the island’s capital Arrecife and some 33 kilometres from the Airport.
History and Development
As Playa Blanca is the fastest growing tourist resort on Lanzarote considerable building work has taken place here over the last decade. But that has all been completed now and it is still a more tranquil, less noisy place than Costa Teguise or Puerto del Carmen. And as a result there is now an excellent selection of Playa Blanca villas and apartments available for rent.
Until quite recently, Playa Blanca was a small fishing village somewhat stranded at the bottom end of Lanzarote. The fact that there was a bustling port where you catch the ferry to Fuerteventura meant it was always a popular place, ripe for development.
Although some of the villa developments around the edge of the town are fairly faceless, it is — on the whole — developing into a very nice town which seems to have learnt from the mistakes made by other resorts, both on Lanzarote and the other Canary Islands. There has been investment in infrastructure as well as the holiday villas and hotels.
There is a Golf Course planned for construction and the Sport Marina Rubicon has certainly made Playa Blanca a more upmarket resort.
There is some discussion at the moment about enlarging the harbour to allow it to take larger cruise liners such as the QE2 which visited several years ago, but which had to moor just off the coast.
What To Do in Playa Blanca
There are a host of things to do in Playa Blanca as well as the obvious attractions of the beaches.
The promenade is well worth taking as it links both sides of the resort. It allows you to take in most of the (sea-front) sites of Playa Blanca as well as spectacular ocean views across the Bocaina Straits to Fuerteventura.
Beaches in Playa Blanca
The coastline around Playa Blanca is essentially one large 9 kilometre wide bay which is then broken up into three smaller, but still large, bays. This basic geography means that the beaches in and around Playa Blanca are sheltered and ideal for swimming and sunbathing.
More details about Beaches in Playa Blanca.
Shopping
Playa Blanca has all the normal tourist shops that you would imagine in the centre and along the central part of the beach promenade, although not as many as the other major resorts.
If you want a more upmarket style of shopping experience, then the Marina Rubicon is the place to go. A number of boutique clothing outlets and souvenir shops have opened for business within the environs of the marina.
Nightlife
While you can eat and drink in one of the many bars and restaurants in Playa Blanca, the tone of nightlife here is not as riotous as it is in other resorts on the island, certainly if you want late night discos then you really need to be looking at Puerto del Carmen or Costa Teguise.
Where to Eat
Again there is no shortage of places to eat in Playa Blanca, with a variety of styles being available in the town centre.
Restaurants
There are some good seafood restaurants on the beach promenade overlooking the central Playa Blanca beach and out over the Atlantic across to the neighbouring island of Fuerteventura. Certainly a great place to spend a long lunch in good company.
In the Marina Rubicon, the restaurant El Mirador is again a great place to go, it has been well decorated in a style that leaves you wondering if it hasn’t been there a lot longer than the couple of years that the Marina has been in existence.
View Playa Blanca Restaurant Listings
Cafés
There are a number of good cafés already open in the new Marina Rubicon, including the Cafe del Mar which is a great place to chill out, have a drink and sit and watch the boats in the harbour. More recently opened also within the marina are the Vino Blanco tapas bar and Blue Note Jazz venue, with live music most nights of the week.
Where to Stay
There is a wide choice of places to stay in Playa Blanca, from studio apartments to luxury villas; which means that there is accommodation for most people's needs and budgets.
Holiday Villas
Much of the holiday accommodation in Playa Blanca is provided by private villas. There is a wide choice available from family friendly on well maintained complexes through to Independant Luxury with private swimming pools.
You can check out what's available in Playa Blanca on our Holiday Villas page.
Hotels
There are some very nice hotels in Playa Blanca, which are generally of a higher standard than those in the other two major resorts of the island.
You can check out the available hotels in Playa Blanca on our Hotels page.
The Property Market
As you might expect for a developing resort like Playa Blanca, there are many opportunities to purchase property and there is currently a lively real estate market.
Estate Agents
The Playa Blanca property market is served by a number of estate agents so you can be sure about getting the right advice.
Property for Sale
A big proportion of the property for sale in Playa Blanca is new construction; which means that there are some good off-plan property investment opportunities available.