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!!
