Starcaf's rooftop is where you want to be come dusk
Tuckered out from all the fun? Find a bed at one of the best family hotels and resorts in Lanzarote.
Or hey, just had too much of the Canary Islands’ ubiquitous after-dinner liquor (what’s that honey rum all about?). Sleep it off for free on the best beaches on Lanzarote.
If, at first glance, much of Lanzarote’s nightlife looks a bit, um, chintzy, head to this classy bar-restaurant in low-key Nazaret, around 12km from Costa Teguise. Cut into a cliff, this used to be film star Omar Sharif’s pad and it still maintains that chic, 1970s pool party vibe, with whitewashed walls and swirling staircases set around an outdoor pool. Cocktails start at 6.30pm and DJs play well into the early hours. Dress up.
Calle los Loros 2, Nazaret
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Ask anyone: some of Lanzarote’s best bodegas can be found in its inland wine country, La Geria. On the face of it, this bar/restaurant and winery doesn’t seem like a place that gets lively – but just wait till dusk falls, when live bands warm the crowd up before a DJ takes over and gets things properly going. Check the website for upcoming dos – partying in remote volcanic plains is definitely an only-in-Lanzarote experience.
Calle Geria 3, La Geria
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This upscale club on the marina in Arrecife is worth one of your best outfits, since it pulls a stylish crowd of locals and clued-up Canary Island regulars. There’s a chic, white-on-white bar with outdoor seats and sea views, and a dancefloor with a DJ playlist that usually outclasses the other more chart-leaning clubs in town. Only open Fridays and Saturdays.
Avenida Olof Palme, Marina Lanzarote, Arrecife
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Playa Blanca’s Marina Rubicón has a bunch of bars and restaurants, but this charismatic drinking hole right on the harbour is your go-to for that sundown sangria, local-style gin and tonic (read: doubly strong) or cheery holiday cocktail. There’s classic Spanish cooking, too – the paella is pretty solid – as well as live music on the waterside terrace most nights of peak season.
Marina Rubicón, Playa Blanca
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One of Puerto del Carmen’s coolest beach bars has a large, low-key terrace with soulful Atlantic views. It’s the kind of hidden-away place you’ll stumble across and wish you’d found on day one. The food is ace, the vibe is serene (think chill pre-gamer rather than party spot) and the drinks service is reliably snappy. There’s direct access to the beach, too, so come for a lazy lunch and finish with a dip.
Avenida de las Playas 38, Puerto del Carmen
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Not many bars in Lanzarote could claim to be legit family-friendly, but this super-chill, chic rooftop crowd-pleaser in Puerto del Carmen is part of an entertainment complex that includes a kids’ zone, mini-golf course and an open-air cinema. By day, it’s an open-air restaurant that does decent comfort food, and a lively-but-nothing-crazy cocktail bar by night, with a drinks list that works for grown-ups and kids.
Biosfera Shopping Centre, Puerto del Carmen
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From the seventeenth floor of the Arrecife Gran Hotel, the views at this recently rebooted bar-restaurant are pretty much unrivalled, and the service, food (excellent tapas) and cocktails don’t slouch either. It’s a colourful, easygoing spot – come for dinner, or just a sundowner, then hang around for the DJ that keeps Lanzarote’s pretty people moving until 1am every Friday and Saturday. Forget flip-flops and shorts, it’s smart-casual only here.
Parque Islas Canarias, Arrecife
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