Lanzarote : A Perfect Place For Holiday
on March 4th, 2010
Lanzarote Holidays 2010 The coldest winter for thirty years in the UK isn’t yet over, so there are must be many people who are looking to escape to the sun. And where should they be looking to head for, with most European destinations still emerging from their winters as well? Well, the closest place to Britain has to be the Canary Islands. At only four hours flight time from all the major airports around the country, they are by far the nearest sunshine destination. And of the seven islands, the driest has to be Lanzarote, as it’s low-lying land mass decreases the amount of rain that falls here.
A comfortably sized island, it can easily be explored on a week’s holiday. Especially when visitors opt for car hire in Lanzarote as their preferred means of getting around. Quite apart from the convenience of being able to stock up at the larger supermarkets, it also opens up the varied landscapes of the island. Lanzarote’s unique volcanic history make it an exciting place to discover, as the scenery is extremely unspoilt. So visitors can easily imagine what life was like for locals in the past, especially if they venture into some of the whitewashed rural villages that abound.
The main tourist resorts mimic the more traditional architecture and colour schemes of the villages, with low-rise buildings and white painted walls. Not only the hotels in Lanzarote , but every type of tourist accommodation fits this model. Including all private residences and Lanzarote holiday villas, as there are strict controls that prohibit the use of coloured paint. Any locals who choose to defy this edict will find a hefty fine applied by their town council. And they’ll still have to cover it all up in white emulsion. Nevertheless, most residents are happy to comply with this ruling and the overall aesthetic harmony this produces is not to be underestimated. The contrast with the black picon gravel that covers most of the surfaces across the island helps create a monochrome composition. Complemented with splashes of green from the semi-tropical planting.
To understand this aesthetic in greater depth, it is important to visit one of the island’s Centres of Art and Culture to see what the famous artist César Manrique was able to achieve with this limited palette. His main focus was an organic minimalism that suits the climate and topography of Lanzarote very well. Such as can be seen at the Jameos del Agua or the Mirador del Rio, for instance.
