Where to Stay in Lanzarote

Where to Stay in Lanzarote

Lanzarote draws serious crowds, particularly between June and September and again over Christmas and Easter, so where you stay matters more than most people realise. The island is compact but the resorts have very different personalities, and choosing the wrong base can genuinely affect your experience.

Puerto del Carmen is the island’s main resort and the most reliable choice for mid-range travellers. It has the best balance of beach quality, restaurant variety, and transport links, and you can find solid three and four-star hotels here for reasonable money. The old town end of the strip is noticeably more pleasant than the main drag, which gets loud and repetitive with back-to-back Irish bars. Aim for accommodation within walking distance of the harbour rather than the far northern end of the beach, where you feel cut off from everything.

Costa Teguise is a better option if you want something slightly quieter but still sociable. It attracts a younger, more active crowd and has decent windsurfing. Mid-range apartments here offer good value, and the resort has more genuine character than Playa Blanca, which is polished but soulless and expensive for what it delivers.

Avoid staying in Arrecife unless you have a specific reason. The capital is authentic and interesting to visit for a day, but it lacks beach access and tourist infrastructure, leaving you dependent on buses or hire cars for everything.

For mid-range budgets, self-catering apartments typically outperform hotels on value. You get more space, the flexibility to skip expensive resort breakfasts, and often a pool without the crowds of larger properties. Booking apartments through local agencies rather than the major platforms occasionally unlocks better rates and more responsive hosts.

The single most common booking mistake is underestimating transfer distances. People book cheap rooms in Playa Blanca because the nightly rate looks attractive, then spend a significant portion of their holiday budget on taxis or car hire to reach the island’s main attractions, which cluster in the centre and north. Factor in location properly before the price starts looking like a bargain.

Plan Your Trip

• Hotels: Search accommodation in Lanzarote on Booking.com
• Tours & Activities: Browse Lanzarote experiences on GetYourGuide
• Day Trips: Find Lanzarote tours on Viator