Costa Teguise

Location

Situated on the coast in the central part of the island, Costa Teguise is one of Lanzarote’s main tourist resorts.

It is only a 20 minute drive from Arrecife Airport and is a convenient place from which to explore the islands tourist and cultural attractions, as well as the northern fishing villages of Arrieta, Punta Mujeres and Orzola.

The island’s historic capital of Teguise is a 10 to 15 minute drive away and provides a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of Costa Teguise, unless of course you go on a Sunday, when the market is in full swing!

History

Costa Teguise is a purpose built resort, which started to take shape in the 1970s. This fact should not put you off, as it's development has been carefully managed over the years. It is currently undergoing something of a revival with many of the older developments being refurbished.

Costa Teguise Weather

As with the rest of the island of Lanzarote, the Costa Teguise weather is usually very good all year round. The beaches are on the whole a little windier than those in other resorts, which explains the proliferation of windsurfers, however this can be a real benefit in the height of the summer!

What to Do

Although many of the activities revolve around the beach, with windsurfing in particular being very well catered for, there is so much more to do in and around Costa Teguise.

Costa Teguise Beaches

Costa Teguise is well served for beaches with some fine golden sand. As for the other resorts, the beaches are very clean and well looked after. Many of the hotels in Costa Teguise have direct access to the beach.

Local Tourist Attractions

Costa Teguise is well situated to explore the many tourist attractions in the North of Lanzarote, such as the Cueva de los Verdes, Jameos del Agua, Timanfaya and the Jardin de Cactus.

Sports

Windsurfing, as mentioned before, is a major pastime in Costa Teguise with visitors and residents alike. There are windsurfing schools, shops and equipment rental companies clustered around the beach at Las Cucharas. All levels of experience are catered for, from absolute beginners to the worlds best.

You will find some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling experiences in the world in Lanzarote, therefore diving schools are in abundance where you can learn at various levels or just pop along for an organised dive. Booking in advance and doing a little forward planning is advised.

Cycling and running are also widely enjoyed for the more energetic amongst us, the balmy climate and safe roads making for a very pleasant (?) experience. The bike hire shop in Costa Teguise is excellent from road to MTB, and you can even hire 4 seaters for that tour around town!

Costa Teguise has the most established Golf course on the island — although more are in various stages of construction at Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca — so this is where you need to head for eighteen holes in the sun all year round. Not the easiest of courses and a little hard wearing on the sand wedge (fine grade Picon is used rather than sand)

Shopping

Like most purpose built resorts, there is no shortage of shops aimed at the tourist sector, with plenty of Jewellers, Discount Electrical Stores and general gift shops, with most budgets and tastes being catered for.  All shops are up for bartering  as they like a good deal – just be sensible when you do.

If you are on a self-catering holiday, there are plenty of smaller supermarkets within the resort. These stores generally stock a good range of international produce. There is a chain of Spar and Netto shops on the island, but these tend to be a little more expensive than at home.  The Eurospar Supermarket in Costa Teguise is situated on the main road towards Arrecife and offers great value with a bigger range of produce. Be aware that “fresh” milk does not last very long at all on the Island – even measured in a mater of a couple of hours – UHT milk is the way to go.

Costa Teguise Night Life

Like most of the resorts on the island, Costa Teguise nightlife could be classed as lively but not rowdy. Restaurants are open until late and there is a good selection of bars, both British and local style, in the resort. Theme bars and night clubs are dotted around the town, and each visitor finds their own favourites. Just the same as being at home, you can enjoy a safe night out by being sensible and aware of your surroundings.

Transport

Costa Teguise is well served by public transport with buses and taxis being readily available. However if you want to really get the most out of your holiday to Costa Teguise and explore some of the tourist attractions which are further afield, you should consider renting a car. There are many car hire companies within the resort, but these can be very busy, especially in peak season. We therefore recommend booking your car in advance – shop around for the best deal. See our information on driving in the website for more details. Always carry your licence and passport if you are driving.

Where to Eat

Almost all tastes are catered for with Chinese, Indian and International restaurants all vying for business with the fast-food outlets. Quality as you might expect varies, although standards are generally good. Again, regular visitors always find their favourites. For more information check out Lanzarote Information website.

Other Information:

The resort of Costa Teguise is the second largest tourist area of Lanzarote, developed in the 1980’s.

The area was designed so that the roads have been kept away from the sea front, there are numerous pedestrian areas connecting the many squares surrounded by shops, bars and restaurants. Along the promenade that covers the length of the resort from the King’s house to the Melia Salinas, there are delightful beaches, seafront shops and restaurants with lots of water sports on offer. The King of Spain Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia have a house on the front and there are often dignitaries or members of their family staying in the area and enjoying the local restaurants and tourist attractions.

Cesar Manrique helped to design some of the local architecture, the white gates on the main road from the North, the entrance to Pueblo Marinero and the 5* Melia Salinas hotel to mention a few.

Costa Teguise currently has the only golf course on the island (new one in construction in Tias and Puerto Cel Carmen), this course was designed by John Harris and built in 1978 by a British firm. It is situated at the foot of an old volcano, offering fabulous views around the 18 hole course.

The only water park on the island is also situated in Costa Teguise, the park is open every day from 10am to 6pm, the full 20,000m2 of space is filled with exciting rides suitable for all ages and is a great day out with a couple of restaurants, children’s playground and shows too.

The popular square Pueblo Marinero is host to two weekly markets. Every Friday evening from 6pm to late there is a craft market and recently a new Lanzarote market has opened on a Thursday from 11am to 4pm offering local food, music, wine with Canarian arts and crafts and fresh produce. Costa Teguise is also part of the Municipality Teguise which offers a huge market each Sunday from <timehour9minute0>9am to <timehour14minute0>2pm with hundreds of stalls situated in the cobbled streets around the church and plazas.

There are beaches for everyone in Costa Teguise, follow the promenade along the front to find:

Playa del Los Charcos is the furthest beach towards the North and has a car park next to the Melia Salinas hotel for easy access.

Playa Las Cucharas is considered the main beach with golden sand and gentle waves, the wind is great in the afternoon for windsurfing and there are a choice of schools and equipment for hire.

Playa del Jabillo is small, shallow and sheltered sandy bay, a favourite for the little ones and try scuba dives. Look for the green lagoon!

Playa Bastian has exotic palms, stone zocos , toilets and BBQ, not the easiest beach for access into the water at low tide but the prettiest.

Playa del Ancla hidden from view but worth the steps down, a sheltered sandy bay cut into the rocks.