Just had a week in Lanzarote, Playa Blanca
Discussion
LuS1fer said:
I have taken regular Canary Island holidays in February and have been reasonably lucky with the weather.
Even in 2016 when the centre of Tenerife was under 10 feet of snow, it was still warm round the coast.
I've had generally good weather in Fuerteventura too although last year was beset by an Arctic wind for some of the week.
Gran Canaria in April 2015 was really hot but Lanzarote in April 2004 was a dull and rainy week.
The Canaries tend to be more reliable in September/October.
Yes, i agree. Doing Tenerife in September.Even in 2016 when the centre of Tenerife was under 10 feet of snow, it was still warm round the coast.
I've had generally good weather in Fuerteventura too although last year was beset by an Arctic wind for some of the week.
Gran Canaria in April 2015 was really hot but Lanzarote in April 2004 was a dull and rainy week.
The Canaries tend to be more reliable in September/October.
Might skip a winter hol this year.
We've been going to mainly Furteventura but occasionally Lanzarote or Gran Canaria for a change in Febuary and November since the 90's The weather seems to have got worse in spring over the years to the point where we haven't bothered with going in February recently.
Didn't matter so much when a fortnight in the Canaries was as cheap as chips but it's not anymore.
Didn't matter so much when a fortnight in the Canaries was as cheap as chips but it's not anymore.
Worth keeping in mind if you're caught on a crap weather day the Canary islands all have micro climates - especially southern Lanzarote and Gran Canaria and northern Furteventura as these areas are all sheltered from the trade winds by mountains to the north. You'll often have better weather there as the mountains force cold moist air upwards causing relief rainfall which then breaks the clouds up.
The east coast resorts can be very windy and exposed - that's why all the airports are on them and all the island runways face NE.
If the wind goes easterly then you'll experience the Calima from Africa which brings hot humid and dusty air making everywhere hazy and unpleasant. Can last a few hours or a few days and it really pisses the locals off.
If it's southerly or westerly then that usually indicates the remains of mid Atlantic storms are disturbing the trade winds and are accompanied by huge clouds offshore. Anything or nothing can happen depending on where you are. Surfers love a westerly as the waves have a 3000 mile fetch on them and reach epic heights a long way out.
A heavy dew at night and a still dawn and a building gentle breeze from the north normally suggests good weather for the next day and so .
One thing you can do on a poor day is get as far upwind as you can. Often the islands are covered in a layer of low level cloud but there's usually a thin strip of sunshine along the windward coast. I've sat on the beach at El Cotillo or Corralejo in Furteventura more than once in bright sunshine watching epic thunderstorms going on just a mile or so inland.
Anytime from late Nov to early April can be a bit more risky weather wise IME but I've also had a BBQ on the beach in blazing sunshine on Christmas day.. Ya pays ya money...
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The east coast resorts can be very windy and exposed - that's why all the airports are on them and all the island runways face NE.
If the wind goes easterly then you'll experience the Calima from Africa which brings hot humid and dusty air making everywhere hazy and unpleasant. Can last a few hours or a few days and it really pisses the locals off.
If it's southerly or westerly then that usually indicates the remains of mid Atlantic storms are disturbing the trade winds and are accompanied by huge clouds offshore. Anything or nothing can happen depending on where you are. Surfers love a westerly as the waves have a 3000 mile fetch on them and reach epic heights a long way out.
A heavy dew at night and a still dawn and a building gentle breeze from the north normally suggests good weather for the next day and so .
One thing you can do on a poor day is get as far upwind as you can. Often the islands are covered in a layer of low level cloud but there's usually a thin strip of sunshine along the windward coast. I've sat on the beach at El Cotillo or Corralejo in Furteventura more than once in bright sunshine watching epic thunderstorms going on just a mile or so inland.
Anytime from late Nov to early April can be a bit more risky weather wise IME but I've also had a BBQ on the beach in blazing sunshine on Christmas day.. Ya pays ya money...
. I know it isn't Lanzarote, but last November we had some spare holiday to use, so we went to Tenerife for a week. I can't fault it. The weather was good, people were nice, and there was some nice things to do. For a relaxing week in the sun, it's good. I wouldn't want a main holiday there, but otherwise I'd give a thumbs up.
JakeT said:
I know it isn't Lanzarote, but last November we had some spare holiday to use, so we went to Tenerife for a week. I can't fault it. The weather was good, people were nice, and there was some nice things to do. For a relaxing week in the sun, it's good. I wouldn't want a main holiday there, but otherwise I'd give a thumbs up.
Thats where we're for in September. Was as cheap as chips too. It wont be our main holiday of the year but a cheap break.It's a nice break. The Botanical Gardens in Santa Cruz are great too, as is heading up the Mountain. We flew with BA from Heathrow and it was painless. Managed to hire a car with Orlando Rent a car for about £80 for the week too. It's good to explore. Some of the towns in the North are really nice. Insanely steep in some places though. Needed full throttle in first in the mighty rental Clio. 
Just don't forget that Tenerife has a criminal fraternity who are very good at stealing stuff from your rental car - whether up in the national park or Puerto de Cruz. They seem to have mastered the remote capture as the car is still locked when you get back but they've stolen anything you left in the boot.
LuS1fer said:
Just don't forget that Tenerife has a criminal fraternity who are very good at stealing stuff from your rental car - whether up in the national park or Puerto de Cruz. They seem to have mastered the remote capture as the car is still locked when you get back but they've stolen anything you left in the boot.
The Canarians in general seem to be very adept at stealing stuff and trying to con you out of a few Euros.We've had our credit card cloned twice in the Canaries in the recent past and last time were "accidentally" double charged for our car hire by a well known Spanish company with a emerging reputation of both trying to stiff you and aggressively flogging insurance.
We've had confrontations over non existent damage to hire cars as well as too many attempts to remember over the years of adding things we didn't order to restaurant bills or being deliberately kept waiting for a stupidly long time for the change to come back after a meal only to find it's short of more than a few Euro or specifically ordering a more expensive G&T and then on first taste realising you've been served with the truly revolting local stuff instead.
Paying by card? Make absolutely sure your new best buddy who has been serving you generous drinks all evening has entered 40 and not 400 Euro on the machine when you stick your card in.
It's just what they do.
We went to Playa blanca a month or so ago and I got some money exchanged in a shop as the rates are better than anything I could find at home. However the guy behind the counter attempted to short change me, I thought he seemed dodgy and luckily the rate made it easy to calculate in my head what I should be getting. I questioned it, he basically shrugged his shoulders and gave me the right money. Definitely deliberate, maybe it is just what they do.
Had a nice time in all other respects though..
Had a nice time in all other respects though..
stevemcs said:
havoc said:
Have to say I've not seen/encountered any of that in Playa Blanca, and we've been there 4 times in the last 7 years.
Same here.daemon said:
Yes we went to La Cocina de Colacho the last time we were there. Its very good and leagues ahead of anything else in Playa Blanca.
Theres lots of really good restaurants in Playa Blanca off the main tourist strip. We liked this one -
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g6...
We didn’t make it to this place on our last visit in November, we were going to go on our last night but it was pissing down and it was a fair walk from where we were staying so went somewhere near instead.Theres lots of really good restaurants in Playa Blanca off the main tourist strip. We liked this one -
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g6...
Went tonight and have to agree it is lovely, nice atmosphere, friendly staff and very good food at a reasonable price. Thanks for the recommendation
La Cocina de Colacho booked for Wednesday
Fun Bus said:
stevemcs said:
havoc said:
ound the
Have to say I've not seen/encountered any of that in Playa Blanca, and we've been there 4 times in the last 7 years.
Have to say I've not seen/encountered any of that in Playa Blanca, and we've been there 4 times in the last 7 years.
Same here.
I'd guess we've spent around two years in the Canaries all together since we started going in the 90's. That adds up a lot of hotel and restaurant bills and car hire contracts and most of those transactions have been honest but there's also been many that weren't ranging from a couple of Euro short on change through a speculative invoice for hundreds of pounds of non existent damage to a hire car and an estate agent who blatantly tried to rip us off and then did a midnight runner just before the BiB turned his office over...
My parents lived in southern Spain for years and encountered pretty much the same attitude there and we looked at buying property in Furteventura a while back as an investment and took independent advice that although the numbers - at the time looked good, they certainly don't now - the general business and construction practices of the Spanish were not what you'd hope for when you're putting your balls on the line.
So no, although nobody wants to get ripped off it's been my experience there's more than a handful of Canarians who think tourists are fair game and will try it on.
Jaguar steve said:
The Canarians in general seem to be very adept at stealing stuff and trying to con you out of a few Euros.
We've had our credit card cloned twice in the Canaries in the recent past and last time were "accidentally" double charged for our car hire by a well known Spanish company with a emerging reputation of both trying to stiff you and aggressively flogging insurance.
We've had confrontations over non existent damage to hire cars as well as too many attempts to remember over the years of adding things we didn't order to restaurant bills or being deliberately kept waiting for a stupidly long time for the change to come back after a meal only to find it's short of more than a few Euro or specifically ordering a more expensive G&T and then on first taste realising you've been served with the truly revolting local stuff instead.
Paying by card? Make absolutely sure your new best buddy who has been serving you generous drinks all evening has entered 40 and not 400 Euro on the machine when you stick your card in.
It's just what they do.
Never happened to me in 40 years of visiting the Canaries (Lanza, Fuerta, GC and Tenerife), Parents had a bungalow in PDC for 12 years in the early days - Went a lot.We've had our credit card cloned twice in the Canaries in the recent past and last time were "accidentally" double charged for our car hire by a well known Spanish company with a emerging reputation of both trying to stiff you and aggressively flogging insurance.
We've had confrontations over non existent damage to hire cars as well as too many attempts to remember over the years of adding things we didn't order to restaurant bills or being deliberately kept waiting for a stupidly long time for the change to come back after a meal only to find it's short of more than a few Euro or specifically ordering a more expensive G&T and then on first taste realising you've been served with the truly revolting local stuff instead.
Paying by card? Make absolutely sure your new best buddy who has been serving you generous drinks all evening has entered 40 and not 400 Euro on the machine when you stick your card in.
It's just what they do.
I've been visiting the main 4 islands for 17 years and the only issues I had were thefts from hire cars on Tenerife. As a result of researching online, two things became clear - Tenerife had a lot of reports about crime and the local Police weren't interested.
That said, I don't use hotels and book stuff after much research so I always know what I'm paying. I 've never dealt with anyone who was dishonest to my face.
That said, I don't use hotels and book stuff after much research so I always know what I'm paying. I 've never dealt with anyone who was dishonest to my face.
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