"Lanzarote - a fiery island " a Isla de Lanzarote Travel Page by Bernd_L

Lanzarote is one of my favourite islands. But it's a controversial travel destination. Some people find it too drab because there isn't that much vegetation. But others - like me - are fascinated by its bizarre volcanic landscape. On some places of the island you can feel like being on the moon. So this Canary gem is a special nature experience.

With its mild and mostly dry climate Lanzarote is a perfect vacation destination all year long and only a couple of hours flight away from Central Europe. So tourism is a major source of income for the population. For a long period Lanzarote didn't make the mistakes of other Spanish holiday resorts. When they started to build up their resorts, they allowed only two-storied buildings instead of huge hotels. And they build most of the resorts in the traditional Canarian way. This way the island has not been spoiled like many other destinations.

This has been the merits of Lanzarotes most famous son Cesar Manrique, an artist and architect who built a lot of the beautiful spots you can see on the island. He wanted his island to avoid these ugly holiday urbanisations and he fought a successful fight. During his lifetime only one tall building - a hotel in the capital Arrecife - has been built. But after his death there is a danger that greedy investors may ruin all this. Some beautiful places - like the Papagayo Beaches and the formerly picturesque village Playa Blanca - are being turned into ugly tourist sites. But there still remain a lot of unspoiled places on the island. So go there now before the charm of the island vanishes.