Review and Guide to Family Vacation in Lanzarote.
- Fights = £750
- Transportation = £150
- Accomodation = £220
- Pocket Money = £400
- Total = GBP £1570
Family of Four
7 Days
Includes fuel, parking etc
All relax chill and well FED
Highly Recommended!!
-share with another family
-change currency in advance
-self catered accomodation
-good supermarket closeby
-book flights 3-4 months before (not too early)
-bring beach toys & car seats
-bring small cooking ingredients
Accomodation
We were very fortunate to be find by an excellent AirBnB host with great honest reviews. One key tip is to find a suitable accommodation which caters well for the family. We found an accomodation in a closed compound with an excellent pool facilities. The accomodation had a very beautiful large veranda for kids to run about and waste their energy running about watching the sunset. Two big rooms with two toilets so no one has to fight over the loo is required. Our room had a double bunk beds which my 5 and 3 year and a double bed for me and my wife. The other room was larger king size bed for my friend’s family of three.
The kitchen had a large enough fridge for our daily fresh food and shopping. Kitchen was equipped with all the necessary equipment; pot/pans, dishwasher, electric hob, oven and a large kettle for the unlimited coffees and teas.
The accomodation was only 4 minute walk away from the excellent supermarket (Super Dino) where we could pick up anything from fresh seafood, milk, cereals, snacks, bread, toilet rolls, coffee and plenty of local wine. I would highly advise to bring any easy pack food ingredients like favourite thai curry, soy sauce and kids travel snacks.
One key money saving tip was to eat out for lunch and cater at home in the evenings for dinner time. This way we not only could save money but also put the kids to bed in time and not ruin their basic routine. Early morning hours to watch the sunset and enjoy various beach with the maximum winter sun hours.
Car Rental
My mate recommended me the AutoReisen car rental company. I selected the group two car which cost me under £120 and includes all comprehensive and zero excess insurance. Generously they provide an almost new sedan Renault which was more than enough room for two car seats and plenty of room at the boot. For the entire week we only filled up the car once which cost about £30.
Flights
We flew from Glasgow on Thomas Cook airlines. There are also options from Jet2.com too. We book the flights 8 months in advance for about £750 for family of four inclusive of tax and one check in luggage. Car seats are free to check in as EU policy. Honestly we found out the price dropped to £620 three months before departure. So no need to book way in advance and give it three months ahead is sufficient.
Must go spots in Lanzarote
- The Timanfaya National Park
2. Cueva de los Verdes
Verdes cave tour last approximately 50-60 mins and very child and kid friendly. Perhaps not advisable for pregnant women and non-walking folks as there are lots of steps and tight areas to get through. The ticket is included in the tour 1 above. The caves are well lighted with guided tours either in English or Spanish. There is a little twist at the end of the tour which I will not reveal. My kids learned so much in the caves, how they were formed and the history relation to earth plate movements.
3. Mirado del Rio
Mirado del Rio is located on top of cliff designed by a famous Spanish artist with a beautiful bistro cafe to relax. There is wifi for parents to catch up on their social media and rest their legs after a long days drive or walks. There is a beautiful scenic panoramic view from the top of the island Celeta del Sabo which have multiple inactive volcanoes. My mate and I explored our creative photographic side simply snapping away at our free will.
You can do all three activities over a two day duration without rushing abouts and taking plenty of breaks for young kids and allowing them to explore slowly. Never rush as a young family since there were plenty of selfies and instagram videos for grandparents back home.
One Key Money Saving tip is to ensure you have a existing sim card which allows EU roaming and data for internet and also google map driving. Save renting GPS or buying local sim card. I personally used my UK Three network unlimited roaming data for the 7 days holiday at no extra charge.
Other Recommendations
1. We stayed in Puetero del Carmen which have everything from irish pubs, supermarkets, local beach, mini shopping mall and plenty of excellent restaurants.
2. We loved the Camel ride near Timanfaya which was a 30 min ride for about £15 for the whole family. I was as excited as the kids getting on camel for the first time. The camel was equipped with a sit on rack enough for four people each. Highly recommended.
3. Mardelava Restaurant in Puetero del Carmen. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner with advance booking there. We had the seafood Paella which was out of this world with generous amount of seafood. It was the best Paella compared to Barcelona and Madrid in previous vacation. The Seafood Spaghetti was equally beautiful which the kids had to lick their plates clean after.
4. Highly recommend the spanish tapas called ‘Fried Padron Peppers’. These are local non-spicy peppers which is cooked in shallow oil and garnish with seasalt. A must have each time we eat out.
5. Playa de Blanca beach in Puetero Del Carmen. We did travel 30 miles to two different beaches on the first three days. Only to realise on day four that Puetero del Carmen had their own beautiful beach with everything. The beach had toilet facilities, plenty of bars, restaurants and shops. Only 20 mins walk from our accommodation. Parking is a pain for non locals as its consistently full everywhere. The twin umbrella sun lounge was under £10 for the whole day. Forget the picnic mat.
Final Words
I hope you find this family vacation review useful. I was surprised i actually enjoyed it more than I expected. Even better going there with my best friend and his family. This is the best under budget vacation I experience in a long time.
From,
Family Finance Made Simple
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