Bettinas World Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Lanzarote Living & Lifestyle Under The Sun

The Papagayo Beaches

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do

The PAPAGAYO BEACHES in Lanzarote was announced by The Spanish Government as The Best Beaches of all the 8 Canary Islands this year.

It is one of my favorite Beaches during the Summer time, and I have many loving memories with family and friends there.I would classifier them as a MUST SEE.

They are located in Playa Blanca – at the South in (Yaiza) You will see a PHENOMENAL SCENERY when you finally arrive to The Beaches, as there is a 15 minutes dusty road track where it’s absolutely convenient to drive slowly, and to keep the windows closed. But it’s worth the entire experience.

Before reaching the Papagayo Beaches, you will automatically pass by a little Stonehouse where a Fee of 3 € has to be paid. The money is

used to keep the area and the beaches clean.

There are seven Beaches in total. Each one of them has their own charm, and are totally different in shape and size from one another. The water is crystal clear, and the colour of the sea is Blue and Turquoise. It’s a fabulous place to SNORKEL due to the idyllic rocky bays between the beaches. Most of the year there is hardly any wind,and thanks to the sheltered location there are no dangerous undercurrents either.

The entire Beach area is approximately 3 kilometers long,and from the TOP when parking your car you can walk easily down to the different beaches. The view as I mentioned earlier is phenomenal. On most sunny days you can clearly see the two neighbour Islands FUERTEVENTURA and the small Virgin Island LOBOS.

There are also two Restaurants at the Papagayo Beaches, and it’s an absolutely WONDERFUL experience to enjoy a refreshment or a meal there. The view is stunning, and at the same time totally RELAXING. On several occasions I have stayed the entire day at the Beach waiting for the SUNSET. As you can imagine, it’s worth waiting for!

The Beaches of Papagayo has a special place in my heart. It was the first beach I went to when I came as a tourist for the first time in December 1992. I remember it as it was yesterday, as hard to forget. We drove in a JEEP which at the time was the only kind of car who could handle THAT kind of roads. It was a tricky ride, and quite a few times my head boomed to the roof of the car due to the many huge holes on the road. In fact the wheel of the JEEP broke down when returning home!

But we had a fantastic day, and literally had all the seven beaches for ourselves. Today it’s a different matter. The road is so MUCH better. No comparison. And Rent a Car Companies do allow the tourists do drive there now.

Surprisingly, my first job on LANZAROTE 1 year later was as a TOURIST GUIDE on an Excursion Ship, and one of our Trips was to the Papagayo Beaches. I will never forget that Excursion. Everytime I go there I can’t help thinking of it. At one of the beaches, the one next to the Restaurant there is a small cave in the ROCK. At first sight you might not notice, but it has a small square entrance. Very discreet actually. Well, there lived a family with a BABY for several months!

So you can imagine how surprised one can get when arriving in a RIP BOAT with 15 Tourists that want to enjoy a few hours of relaxing time at the beach before lunch onboard on the Yacht, and there right in front of you stands a NAKED family with a newborn Baby in their arms in a complete Tarzan and Jane style.

While writing this story it occured to me that the Internet wasn’t invented yet in the nineties, as I am sure that this family would have gone WORLD WIDE on the Social Media if it had happened today!

The family disappeared without any goodbye`s during Christmas time after 6 months of living in the CAVE, and no one seemed to know where they went. I have to say the little Boy looked healthy, and well taken care of!

The Beaches are perfect for CHILDREN. There are plenty of space to play Ball games. Don’t forget a parasol as there is NO SHADE at any of the seven Beaches. Suncream, snacks and of course plenty of WATER is a must to provide a GREAT day..

ENJOY!!

PUERTO CALERO MARINA

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote Eating Out, Lanzarote To Do

PUERTO CALERO MARINA is located in YAIZA. It’s a small Marina and absolutely a Must Visit Place. I myself would define it as “The Pearl of Lanzarote”. The buildings in the Marina respect the traditional Canarian style among the palmtrees, and the atmosphere is so peaceful even when its full of people. I simply love this place.

It was built almost 35 years ago and is privately owned by the Calero Family. Most people from the Island didn’t give the idea of building the Marina much credit, and in fact it took years before it became successful. The crises Spain and the Canary Islands suffered in the beginning of the nineties took its toll on the project and it took much longer to finish than projected.

Today it’s a completely different story. Just before entering into the area there are now LUXURY VILLAS of very high standard all over the hills and slopes surrounding the Marina. It has become the most exclusive and expensive area of LANZAROTE and frequently there are Royal visiting as well.

That might be because the Greek Princess Alexia and her husband, an architect born in Lanzarote, currently are living in Puerto Calero in a beautiful villa.

Puerto Calero also has hotels, 4 Star Hotel Costa Calero and5 Star Hotel Hesperia Lanzarote to be more precise.

The Marina also receives many famous YACHTS from all over the world. When that happens it is literally mind blowing. I have seen many of them and you wouldn’t believe “your own living eyes”, it’s so amazing, because they are HUGE and tall like a 2-3 storey building!

Not long ago there were two very impressive yachts in the Marina at the exact same time. Both of them were something like 60 meters long and 10 meters wide. They had Gym, Pool and Spa installed onboard and the cost of renting one for a week with 14 private crew members was the neat sum of 215.000 US Dollars per week!!

Once a year in SEPTEMBER the Puerto Calero administration organizes a serious Fishing Competition and it’s a real big deal for many locals on the island. There are visitors from the neighbouring Islands too, competing in who gets the heaviest and largest Fish.

Besides from being a very relaxing place to chill out, there are many lovely restaurants with all sorts of different Cuisines. One might think that its overly expensive, but the answer is NO. It’s priceless to be surrounded by the beautiful and relaxing atmosphere. So go for it, and SPOIL yourself a little bit.

I have my personal favourite places in the Marina:

If you would like to try local Spanish food and tapas go for restaurant “El Tomate” . El Tomate was actually the first Restaurant, that had the courage to open, and the only restaurant that was actually open down here for the first 2 years. Most of my family and friends from Denmark dine there at least once when coming to visit, because they like so much.

If you like SUSHI as I do, restaurant Minato is really worth giving a try. This is where I get my favorite Sushi in Lanzarote.

Because I have lived in ITALY, I am really a great fan of The Italian Cuisine and If you are too there are several Italian Restaurants down here and they have all very nice food.

Restaurant PAPARDELLA is my personal favourite, as it has a wonderful view directly at the marina and it’s many boats and also it has plenty of space outside where you can enjoy the sun and a soft breeze from the ocean.

If you feel like trying a meal “Like at home” I suggest you to go to MC SORLEY`S Bar & Restaurant and ask for a Chicken & Curry. You will not regret it. You will also get a full and plenty plate. Just like at home. I am not a Football fan, but they’ve got some good television screens in there if you don’t want to miss out on your favorite football team playing

When visiting The Marina you naturally also have the possibility to go shopping. There are quite a few FANCY clothes shops if you need to renew your wardrobe for some special occasion.

Puerto Calero Marina also has it’s own interesting Market on TUEDAYS and FRIDAYS. From 10:00 – 14:00 AM and car parking is FREE, believe or not.

There is a Parafarmacia with opening hours from

10:00 – 14:30 and 18:00 -21:00 (Summer time)

MORE USEFUL INFORMATION:

Go to The TOURIST TICKET Office where you can buy Excursions and Tours around the Island. The opening hours are from 09:30 – 17:30 every day.

There is a Waterbus from Puerto Calero to Puerto del Carmen. The trip is just 25 minutes. You can buy the tickets “On the Spot“ at the Tourist Ticket office too.

The Waterbus Time Tabel is:

From Puerto Calero: 10:00 – 11:15 – 12:45 – 14:15 – 15:45 – 17:15 * o`clock

From Puerto del Carmen: 10:30 – 12:00 – 13:30 – 15:00 – 16:30 17:45 * o`clock

If you like WALKING bear in mind there is a lovely walkway from Puerto del Carmen (Old Town) along the coast line towards Puerto Calero Marina. The walk is 4.5 km long. I wrote a blog post about that walk last year, it’s called “I Love Fridays” and you can read it RIGHT HERE.

Oh, and by the way, last Month Puerto Calero Marina recieved the Blue Flag of Excellence!

The Secrets Of Playa Quemada

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do, Lanzarote Trekking & Picnic Places

The Secrets Of Playa Quemada

It was such a beautiful day. The sky had the right colour of blue, and the fields where green due to a few days with hours of soft rain. Its amazing the difference the rain brings to the landscape of LANZAROTE. Most of the year our surroundings are totally black and brown. So when it finally rains, and we get some green grass on our fields and volcanos it’s HAPPY times.

Me and my friend Digna decided that we would do a long Day Walk. A walk without having to look at the watch. Just enjoying the green fields and Lanzarote`s nature during winter. And so we did!!

We parked our cars down at the harbour of Puerto Calero and continued by foot on the Avenida, towards the local village of PLAYA QUEMADA. Within less than half an hour walking reaching the green field we meet a shepherd with at least a 100 pregnant sheep. How adorable. The shepherd noticed my enthusiasm and asked me if I wanted a photo with one of the sheep. Of course. I couldnt say no. It was my first time scratching a sheep behind the ear. She must have liked it, because she didn’t want to turn around and follow the herd when I left.

Digna and I continued our walk along the seaside, while we enjoyed the view of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean next to the slopes of the green fields. We passed by the BEACH of Playa Quemada, which mostly consists of small stones all the way through. The village of Playa Quemada itself is very small and very much Canarian. There we met this very relaxed looking fisherman, who seemed to not have a care in the world.

When passing the village of PLAYA QUEMADA the walk started to get pretty tough going up and down the fields all the time on a hard slippery terrain. So we really had to concentrate and focus on where to step to avoid slipping down the cliff. We reached our first stop ,which was a tiny stone beach. That beach is called PLAYA DEL POZO. Right in the center of the beach someone has constructed a what looks like a water well, only with no water in it.

And also a bus stop look-a-like construction of stones and rocks.

Lanzarote has several of those sorts of constructions scattered around the island. No one seems to know who build them.

When standing right there looking up to the field I saw a huge drawing, at least 50 by 5 meters, of what looked to me as an ANCHOR.. It was the first time I saw it that close up. I have only seen it from the seaside from a boat, when sailing by. There are many stories to that “drawing”, and it has been there for many years!! One day I will definitely tell some of those stories!

After a well deserved break on the Beach of Playa del Pozo and having sipped a half liter of water we continued our walk along the fields. The high temperature started be noticeably. That is why everyone, who lives here permanently knows that when exercising, early morning is the best option.

Our next and last stop that day was the arrival to what is called “The Secret Garden Of Playa Quemada”. It’s a very special place I have to say. I wonder if such a garden exists elsewhere in the world? It’s situated close to the sea and as you can imagine the access to it is difficult, because of it’s location and watering those plants in the secret garden is anything but easy.

There is a huge gap in the cliff, where children’s toys from many different countries are used as decoration, as well as all sorts of lost buoys from passing boats.

However, it’s obvious that the plants growing there are being well taken care of by someone and so is the “decoration”. Everything looks so tidy and clean. And inside the cliff we even found a Visitors book! When I opened it I was amazed to see the different comments from other visitors from all around the world. Funnily, I noticed that the book itself was just about 3 years old. I took the time to write a comment, in which I promised that my next blog post would be about this walk to The Secret Garden of Playa Quemada!

This walk is medium to high. It`s a 15 km long walk. Good shoes are strongly recommended. Plenty of water and a sandwich or two. Sun cream and a hat are a must!

From Puerto Calero Marina to The Secret Garden there is 7.5 KM each way.

The Avenue and Beach of Playa Honda

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote Eating Out, Lanzarote To Do

The Avenue and Beach of Playa Honda

I have lived in PLAYA HONDA since the late Nineties. I love it here. It`s where I feel comfortable and where I feel at home. Its not a touristic area, it’s more likely Canarian and for the locals I would say. It`s here in Playa Honda we got the best and longest Avenue on the Island

When I first moved to Playa Honda and started building friendships with the locals I was amazed and happily surprised when we during the summer went down to the BEACH in the afternoons. I had never seen anything like what I saw down there and I really liked it a lot – I felt completely at home!.

The beach was the gathering place for all the local families it seemed. Parents, grandparents, kids, nieces, nephews, aunts having fun and enjoying an afternoon picnic together.

Down there I would find my local Canarian friends with their entire family. From Great Grandmother to Aunts and Cousins of all ages. With their sun umbrellas and beach chairs and PICNIC bags full of nice and tasty food. I LOVED IT.

The attitude and that special bond that most Spanish and Canarian people have with their family I find very BEAUTIFUL. On those occasions one realize how much fun one can have on a completely normal afternoon..

And as you might suspect or already know the Summer here in The Canary Island is very hot. We have degrees from 32º to 38º Celsius and that is taking into consideration that we always have a nice cool breeze here

Also, the beach of Playa Honda is also a fantastic place for children during their nearly 3 month school Summer Holiday. The beach is at least 5 kilometers long. There is plenty of space for playing beach games and oceans of crystal clear water to swim in.

It`s that time of the year that the beach is full of laughter and chatter and the restaurants are fully occupied. The lovely smell of SEA FOOD and GARLIC is everywhere.

The Avenue of Playa Honda is also very famous for the airplanes that are landing just nearby. It’s running past the landing strip of the Airport of Lanzarote and the landing spot is to find at the very end of the beach, when you walk in the direction of Puerto del Carmen, the great touristic area.

It’s a favorite spot for many locals and believe me, tourists too. Lots of tourists ride to the landing spot on bicycles or walk by foot to take photographs of the airplanes when they takeoff or land.

I have to say it’s an AMAZING feeling standing right under the fence when an airplane roars right above over your head. I remember years ago when me and my sister spent nearly two hours trying to get the right shot for my camera, while the airplanes flew over us. It was hard work as the noise and wind from their powerful motors were incredibly loud and one would automatically look downwards afraid of being blown away.

When we finally succeeded with ONE single photo we were thrilled. Especially my sister.

Now, the photo of that one airplane in perfect landing position in this BLOGPOST has a funny story to it. My daughter is actually a passenger in that plane. I took the photo on first shot, and then I immediately hurried straight to the Airport to pick her up..

Yes, our airport is literally just a stone throw from Playa Honda.

The Volcano La Montaña Roja

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do

The Volcano La Montaña Roja

I had been driving past this stunning Red Volcano called ” LA MONTAÑA ROJA ” for almost 25 years without taking much notice of it. One day not long time ago I finally took my time to walk up to the very TOP with a friend of mine. I have to admit that I deeply regret that I did not do it before.

The view up there is absolutely STUNNING and BREATHTAKING. When I reached the top with my friend I could not believe what I saw. I knew PLAYA BLANCA had grown into a good sized CITY over the past 20 years, but the scenery I saw from the very TOP was slightly different from what I had imagined – I was totally amazed! Today there are thousands of Villas, and pleanty of Hotels..

When I came to the island in 1993 you could count the amount of houses down at the Ferry Harbor of Playa Blanca on one hand. There were only FOUR houses at back then!In one of those houses lived the family of Fefo. Fefo was the cook onboard the Yacht, where I worked as a Chief Guide during my first 6 years on LANZAROTE.

While I was standing on top of The Volcano “La Montaña Roja” a lot of memories came to my mind, and Fefo was one of them. We had loads of great FUN while working together. He was such a good cook. Too good sometimes. He made the strongest GARLIC SAUCE on the whole Island for our tourist guests – and he did it deliberately. No one on, board including me, had any success trying to make him change his recipe!

Today PLAYA BLANCA`S Harbour is very different from when I arrived in 1993. And so is the city. The view I saw from the mountain top proves it BIG TIME. When walking up there to the TOP I did walk several times around the entire Volcano, because it’s not that big really. I just couldn’t get enough.

The terrain is fairly easy to walk on. That’s good news. The only thing you have to be careful about up there, is the WIND, because it’s always really windy in that area.

The Volcano is about 180 meters high. So be careful. Especially when walking out to the very edge of The Volcano, where the view is so STUNNING. I admit it’s hard not to…

From the TOP you can see over to the neighbour island, FUERTEVENTURA and it`s beautiful Golden BEACHES and SAND DUNES. On days with clear blue sky the beach will shine like gold and it seems like the beach is only minutes walking distance away…

LA MONTAÑA ROJA has a legend too I have been told. The story is that long time ago when there was hardly any lights on at night in PLAYA BLANCA many “UFOS” were often seen landing inside the Volcano. I must admit that when looking down at the bottom, the size of the hole of the volcano could be the perfect landing spot for a UFO ..

When you walk down into the crater you’ll see that people, locals as well as foreigners, have written their names and LOVE messages on the small rocks or in the stiff hardened sand down inside the volcano. Some people have even built STONE TREES. I have always found those kind of things very sweet and romantic..

I have to add that reaching the top of the Volcano is fairly easy. You don’t need to be fit. You just need good shoes and time. Bringing some water is recommended. You might feel like staying up there for a little while enjoying the STUNNING VIEW all the way round the volcano, just like I did.

Midsummer Bonfire On Lanzarote

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote Events

Midsummer Bonfire On Lanzarote

I Love this time of the year. Its June. Its summer. It’s Midsummer Bonfire On Lanzarote.

Every year the 23th of June we celebrate the Midsummer Bonfire on Gill’s RANCH in Arrietta. Gill is a friend of mine. She is British and one of those people, who seem to be born to entertain. She is so good at it!

When I and many others of her friends are invited to her ranch “Great Times” are guaranteed. This year we had a musician playing JAZZ on his Saxophone, while the

Barbecue was on and later during the night we had the pleasure of music delivered by a DJ who played all the great hits from the EIGHTIES & NINETIES. Oh lord, this music made us dance!

What I find interesting during these kind of celebrations, like Midsummer Bonfire, is the amount of different people you meet. Some of them you already know from previous celebrations and others are new to you.

Sometimes you’ll find there are a few people from every single country in Europe. It’s so much fun. Especially ONE PERSON in particular. It`s Pedro. He is Canarian. Born here on LANZAROTE and he’s Gill`s neighbour. He´s in his early eighties and he never misses out one single of of Gill`s parties. He doesn’t speak a single word of

English, but I never doubted for one moment that he’s having fun! He loves to dance. He demonstrated that once again during our Midsummer Bonfire night!

While we were sitting around the tables earlier that evening enjoying our Barbecue food, I actually asked Pedro what he liked the most about the parties at Gill´s Ranch. Since he doesn`t understand a word of what is being said his answer really surprised me. He told me, he likes all the DIFFERENT kind of people he gets to meet. He thinks we are all great FUN, and he would never let an invitation from Gill down. “When you get an invite you have to show up”, he said with proudness in his voice!

On several occasions, while living here on LANZAROTE, I have felt differently. Not in a bad way. I am different. There is nothing that can change that. As a foreigner, your background and your upbringing is so dissimilar from the people born here so of course, me and lots of my friends have had some good laughs talking about it. And that`s where Gill comes into the PICTURE once again….

In the beginning of this year Gill had some family members from Norway on holiday visiting her. Young people. It was their first visit to LANZAROTE. They decided to go for dinner at the local village in Arrietta, just 2 minutes by car from Gill`s Ranch. It got later than planned, because the young couple stopped by the local Bar after dinner.

When they finally decided to return back home to the ranch it was pretty late night and extremely dark, because Arrietta has no lightning on the roads. They decided to ask the local police service for help. When explaining to the police officer what the ranch they were living at looked like and that Gill, the owner, was blond and tall the policeman exclaimed “I know who she is. That’s “Lady Gaga”!!

Thanks to the kind police officers, the young couple was guided safely back home to the ranch at two o`clock in the night with plenty of blue lights blinking on the police car in front of them..

And on our Midsummer Bonfire Eve there were plenty of lights too, BUT these ones where placed on the palm trees, on the terrace and used as decorations! When we were done with the barbecue, we went down to the garden area where Gill set fire to a huge homemade impressive bale of wood, branches and twigs. Plenty of photographs were being shot while we were standing admiring the beautiful scenery of Midsommer Bonfire Eve….