Arrecife: Tapas, lagoon, baby

The Canary Islands got something of a reputation for sunburned Brits on package holidays and high rise hotels. But ‘Lanzagrotty’ certainly doesn’t live up to that old-fashioned image thanks to the efforts of local artist Cesar Manrique who successfully got agreement to restrict high-rise buildings and keep to traditional white-washed exteriors (although Puerto del Carmen has more all-day English breakfasts if that’s what you do want from a resort).

Playa Blanca on the southern tip, where we are staying, has some of the island’s only golden sand – most is the Canaries’ volcanic black – and while the seafront has expanded since I was last here, as well as having extra holiday resorts dotted along the coast it also means there’s a longer stretch to saunter with a buggy. Plus, if you keep walking, you get to Marina Rubicon, all yachts, designer shops and waterfront cafes.

And while the captial Arrecife might not be the prettiest part of the island, with blocks of flats, peeling paint and busier traffic (comparatively), it’s still worth a visit – while bearing in mind that this is where most of the island’s population actually lives.

I’d also thought it would be an easy first activity, around a 40-minute drive to Arrecife with a baby, which felt both very doable but also far enough to be actually exploring some more of the island.

And although you could spend longer exploring, even just a wander along the protected stretch of water alongside the city will happily while away a few hours.

Starting by the Gran Hotel, a relatively new glass construction which sticks out like the sorest of thumbs, we ambled along the seafront past a decorative bandstand towards Islote de los Ingleses and the Castillo de San Gabriel fortress, reachable by a cobbled causeway.

For the first time I was grateful that my local council left our pavements with potholes and bumps galore as Minnie not only didn’t seem to mind being joggled, she actually fell asleep on the way back to shore.

The castle itself was built in the 16th century as part of the town’s defences – at the time, Teguise was the capital – now the old fortress is home to the historical museum (though seemed to be closed when we turned up), a couple of cannon and a man playing the recorder.

Wandering into the town itself, the main church of San Gines was also shut so we kept going towards the nearby lagoon or ‘charco’, the heart of Arrecife where a fishing village first grew up around the saint’s hermitage.

Today several cafes line the water, with the usual low-level white buildings looking down onto boats dotted across the lagoon.

As it was time for Minnie’s lunch – not to mention our own – we ignored the grey cloud and distinctly half-hearted occasional raindrop until it gave up and went away, grabbing an outside table at a tapas bar whose name I carefully noted down and now can’t find (EDIT Turns out it was Restaurante Colon – not sure how I could have forgotten that…)

The waiter may have been one of the few people who hasn’t melted in front of Minnie’s big blue eyes and the smiles she bestows on strangers, but the tapas was worth it.

Great squid, some fantastic rich ham and an anchovy and avocado concoction, plus a glass of very dry white wine, almost fino-like and just perfect.

It may have helped that Minnie was beautifully behaved but it’s lovely to turn up to almost anywhere and not worry that it’s not family-friendly – in Spain, everything is family-friendly by default.

The only drawback is that almost nowhere seems to have useful changing facilities even when there’s a perfectly helpful stretch of wall to put a change table on. So far, the fact we’ve been doing short journeys and pressing the back seat into commission as necessary has seen us through.

With Minnie dozing off on the way home, before lying happily on the playmat (provided by the villa) in the shade outdoors, things were looking up.

Travel lesson learned: Holidaying with a baby isn’t all problem after problem – there are moments sitting in the sun, sipping wine as she gurgles contentedly too.

For tips on more things to do in Lanzarote with kids, check out this post, as well as more information in my guide to the Canary Islands for families

 

Image courtesy of Depositphotos