Are You Taking Part in the Charity Walk/ Run in Arrecife on Saturday 16th April?

Here at the Lanzarote Business and Residents Association we love to support local initiatives that are aimed at helping residents in need of extra assistance, such as worthy charitable causes. This year we are proud sponsors of the charity walk/run organized by Asociacion Tinguafaya being held on Saturday 16th April.

 Asociacion Tinguafaya does great work providing respite care and support to individuals and families. Why not help raise funds for them and have fun in an active and social way, all at the same time! 

 

If you are unable to take part then donations are very welcome and you can make a transfer direct to their account, or we can collect the money on their behalf. Please contact us if you require further details via email (lanzaroteba@gmail.com) or phone (928 596 080).

 

Registration is on the same day – Saturday 16h April and Registration opens at 08.30

The Run/Walk Starts at the Arrecife Gran Hotel at 10.30 and the donation fees are:-

10 km € 10.00
5 km € 5.00
2.5 km € 5.00

To find out more about Asociacion Tinguafaya you can follow this link to their Facebook profile: Asoc Tinguafaya or Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AsocTinguafaya
There is also information about the charity on the Lanzarote Cabildo website

We hope to see you there and have a great time! 

Films with English Subtitiles at Lanzarote International Film Festival in April

Between the 7th and 16th of April, film lovers can look forward to The 16th edition of the Lanzarote International Festival of Cinema (FICL), with a large selection of excellent foreign films to be shown. There will be screenings of films from a variety of countries and directors, and  different genres and languages.

To make the films accessible to a wider audience such as English speaking residents of Lanzarote, and those visiting during April, a number of the original versions of the films will be screened at the FICL with English subtitles.

These are the films that will be screened at the Festival in their original version with English subtitles:

👉 Thursday 7 April, Jameos del Agua Auditorium:
EVOLUTION (Lucile Hadzihalilovic, 2015). Opening screening.

...

👉 Friday 8 April. Teatro Insular de Lanzarote:
HASTA EL AMANECER (Nico Alva, 2015)

👉 Monday 11 to Friday 15 April, Teatro Insular de Lanzarote:
OFFICIAL FEATURE FILM SELECTION. 80 competing short films from 17 countries
Documentary films: 18:00
Animation: 19:00
Spanish Fiction: 20:00
International Fiction: 21:00

Tickets information will be released next week.

You can keep up to date with the Lanzarote International Festival of Cinema on social media:

Facebook

Twitter

Free Guided Walks in Teguise every Wednesday and Sunday morning

Teguise Ayuntamiento have an excellent new service for visitors and residents: FREE guided walks in Teguise, the beautiful old capital of Lanzarote. This is a new tourist and cultural initiative that will take place every Wednesday and Sunday morning, during March, April, May and June. 

Meeting Point: Casa Museo del Timple, located in the Spinola Palace opposite the Plaza de San Miguel. 

Teguise offers a fasinating insight into the history of Lanzarote, and the Canary Islands in general. For centuries Teguise was the capital city of Lanzarote, but in 1852 it was forced to concede this status of power to Arrecife which took over as the capital city. Following this loss of power, investment and development switched to Arrecife which grew rapidly, leaving Teguise with a severe economic problem, leading to infrastructural paralysis. The town became stuck in a sort of time warp, in which much of the original architecture and style remains which is in stark contrast to Arrecife.

Following a strong campain in the 1980's though to restore and rehabilitate Teguise, it was declared an Architectural Historic Site, with official recognizition that it is one of the olderst towns in the Canary Islands. The previous lack of architectural development has now worked in the town's favour as it is an amazing place to walk around and experience the history, architecture, and culture of Lanzarote that has been preserved here for centuries. This makes Teguise the perfect location for guided walks which you will now be able to enjoy for free thanks to Teguise Ayuntamiento!

 Duration of each guided walk: 1 hour and a half. 

Wednesday: "Historical Teguise"
Sunday: "Teguise and its surroundings"

To join either of these guided walks then you must register beforehand which you can do at this link: http://www.teguise.es/visitas-guiadas/ 

Both of these guided walks sound very interesting, so it will likely be worth joining both of them to really get a full experience of everything that Teguise has to offer. We hope you enjoy taking in the beautiful surroundings of Teguise, and learning about Lanzarote's fascinating past which still exists there today!

Let us know in the comments below or via our social media what you thought of these walks or if you are planning to go on one.

Don't miss El Charco de San Ginés in Arrecife, the 'Venice of the Atlantic'!

Arrecife can sometimes be overlooked by those coming to stay in Lanzarote, with Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise remaining its most popular destinations. These resorts definitely have their charms with beautiful sandy beaches, and all the shops, restaurants, cafes and bars you could possibly need. While some parts of Arrecife are in need of a bit of care and attention though, it has some amazing hidden gems. One of these is the picture perfect "El Charco de San Ginés," a wonderful setting for drinks, meals and meeting with friends!

El Charco is a lagoon of sea water which literally means "the puddle," found right in the heart of Arrecife, literally a couple of minutes walk away from the main shopping street, Calle Leon y Castillo. If you meander down one of the side streets next to the Hiperdino supermarket you will arrive at this amazing expanse of water with countless small fishing boats gently bobbing up and down, surrounded by stunning white fishermen's cottages. It won't quite leave you speechless but it is certainly one of the most beautiful scenes in Lanzarote. No wonder it has been referred to as the 'Venice of the Atlantic'!

For a while this area had become a bit run down, but over the last couple of years it has seen a resurgence, and is becoming a real go to place for those looking for great food with a stunning view. As well as the cottages surrounding El Charco there are now many excellent restaurants, bars and cafes. This is an absolutely perfect spot to sit and enjoy a coffee, beer or glass of wine while passing the time with friends or family enjoying the fantastic view.

If you are looking for a meal then you are well catered for with a wide selection of different foods including delicious Italian cuisine, quality burgers, locally caught seafood, and a number of excellent tapas restaurants and bars for that authentic flavour.

El Charco is great during the daytime for really taking in the view which will include people working on their boats, kayakers, the sun shimmering on the water, green palm trees along the promenade, brilliant white buildings, and bright blue sky. This is a photographer's dream destination due to the amazing contrast of light, and the bustle of activity and variety of things to see. If you stay for a while or go at the right time you can also capture some stunning sunsets there!

 It can be equally as interesting at nighttime too, especially on Friday and Saturday nights as some of the bars stay open until well past midnight, and are very popular with the trendy local 20-30 somethings enjoying a night out. Unlike the UK though, people are just there to have a good time meeting and chatting with friends rather than becoming drunk and rowdy. This means you will also see families with young children enjoying dinner at 10 or even 11pm, as is common in the Canary Islands where there is a really family friendly atmosphere.

 

Overall this area of Arrecife is a must see, and to enjoy it best you should definitely sit and enjoy a drink or a meal. You can happily while away the hours here and completely relax, while immersing yourself in this unique location which was once remodelled by Canarian architect Cesar Manrique decades ago but is once again realising its true potential!

The Lanzarote Business and Residents Association turns 8 today!

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the Lanzarote Business and Residents Association turns eight today! Since the association was founded we feel we have made a real difference in improving the situation for foreign residents living in Lanzarote, and visitors to the island. We also feel very confident about this year, and future developments for the LBRA!

Our membership continues to grow, and there is a real buzz now in the team about being able to offer even more services to our members and the general public here on the island. We are extremely happy with the continued support we have received from the Ayuntamientos and Cabildo of Lanzarote, who appreciate the benefit we bring to the island. By supporting our efforts here on the island, they are helping to ensure the future harmony between local residents and foreign residents who now call Lanzarote their home. In turn this will lead to the continuing development and success of businesses around the island, and long term economic growth. 

 It is great that the vision of the founder of the LBRA, Daniel Trigg, to create an organisation to help foreign nationals residing in Lanzarote, continues to go from strength to strength all these years later. We couldn't have achieved this success without our members though, and Daniel and the team would like to offer our many thanks to all our members and everyone who has supported us over the years. 

 We have many exciting projects in development including a brand new, modern and interactive website, new initiatives in collaboration with the local councils, and of course more informative and entertaining videos, social media, and blog posts. We are looking forward to a great future with all of you, with much anticipation for a successful year ahead!

Leave a comment below with any questions you have about the LBRA that we could answer in future videos or blog posts, or via our social media accounts:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook 
• Google Plus  

For further information about the services that we offer please see this section of our blog > About us

Discover the Best of Lanzarote with this List of Useful Websites

Despite its relatively small size and low population, Lanzarote is an island rich in culture, events and tourist attractions. If you are here on holiday for a week you will almost certainly not be able to see everything that Lanzarote has to offer, and will need a second or third trip back. In fact many people love the island so much as a destination that they come back here year after year! Even if you live here there are different events at least once a week or more. These can be regular attractions like the biggest market in Lanzarote, every Sunday in Teguise, or events that only happen once a year. 

Teguise Market every Sunday

 Some of these are major annual events which attract people from all over the world such as the Lanzarote International Marathon, taking place this Saturday, or the Lanzarote IronMan which happens every summer. Lanzarote is becoming known more and more on the global stage as an excellent sporting destination due to its amazing year round climate. Other sporting events that attract international competitors include the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship (WMSC), and
PWA World Championship Wind Surfing Competition in Costa Teguise. 

I Love Graciosa Catamaran Excursion

 Of course Lanzarote is not just renowned for sport, there are activities and events for everyone, whatever age you are and catering for a range of different interests. This includes markets across the island on everyday of the week, many different fiestas throughout the year, music concerts with lots of musical variety from rock, to pop, to dance music and some excellent clasical music concerts held in the Jameos del Agua tourist attraction! One of the biggest music events on the island is called 'Arrecife en Vivo" in which over a series of four days (two in September and two in October), bands from all over the Canary Islands and beyond come and play live in Arrecife. This is a really popular and free annual event!

Just over a week ago there was a huge food tasting event called Saborea Lanzarote held over a weekend in Teguise which attracted 1000s of tourists and residents. The event gave the opportunity to taste lots of different tapas and drinks from restaurants, cafes and food producers from all over Lanzarote. Another great event that combines sport and food and drink is called 'The Wine Run' and this takes part every year in Lanzarote in June.

Discover Lanzarote by Bike!

 How can you find out about these events though? With so many different events and things to see and do, it can be easy to miss some of them. Here at Lanzarote Business and Residents Association we like to help out residents and tourists alike in discovering all that the island has to offer. We have compiled a list of different websites so you can keep on top of what is happening at different times of the year here.

Local institutions:  

Lanzarote Government (Cabildo):
 

http://www.cabildodelanzarote.com/

7 Town halls/Ayuntamientos:

http://www.teguise.es/

http://www.ayuntamientodetias.es/

http://yaiza.es/

http://www.sanbartolome.es/web/

http://www.arrecife.es/portal/

http://www.ayuntamientodeharia.com/haria/

http://www.tinajo.es/

For cultural information:

• The Cultural Programme of the Cabildo of Lanzarote (Programación cultural del Cabildo de Lanzarote):  

www.culturalanzarote.com

• Tourist Centres (Centros Turísticos):

http://www.centrosturisticos.com/centros/CENTROS/published_en/DEFAULT/index.html 

• Lanzarote Tourism (Turismo Lanzarote):

http://www.turismolanzarote.com/en/

 

Events  websites:

• Hola Lanzarote:

http://holalanzarote.com/en/

• Ocio Lanzarote:

http://ociolanzarote.com/en/

• Al Solajero:

http://www.alsolajero.com/

• Lanzarote Information:

http://www.lanzaroteinformation.com/

On Facebook: 

• The Lanzarote Business and Residents Facebook Page

•  Guia de Ocio y Cultura 

 There are always new websites being added and many of these sites have a presence on social media so it is worth following them there. We hope that this list gives a good idea of the extent of different events, and tourist attractions that you can find on the island. 

If you have any suggestions for other useful websites or social media accounts please leave a comment below, as we love to hear about sites to let others know about. Thanks!