Hotels in Yaiza

Yaiza

Yaiza is a small village in the south of Lanzarote and the administrative centre of the municipality of the same name, about 22 kilometres west of Arrecife. It lies at the foot of the Timanfaya National Park, on the very edge of the land buried by the great volcanic eruptions of 1730 to 1736, which the village priest Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo recorded in the chronicle that is still the main account of them. Yaiza has twice been voted the prettiest village in Spain, thanks to its whitewashed houses with green doors and windows, its palm-shaded gardens and its calm, unhurried streets. At its heart lies the Plaza de los Remedios with the 17th-century church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, rebuilt after the eruptions. Nearby, the Casa de la Cultura Benito Pérez Armas, an 18th-century colonial mansion with a central patio, hosts exhibitions, concerts and the municipal library, and a small interpretation centre is dedicated to aloe vera. The Fire Mountains of Timanfaya, where the El Diablo restaurant grills food over the heat of the volcano, are only a few minutes' drive to the north. To the west lie the fishing village of El Golfo with the green lagoon of Charco de los Clicos, the wave-battered lava coast of Los Hervideros and the Salinas de Janubio salt flats. The beaches of Playa Blanca and Papagayo are around 12 kilometres to the south, and the La Geria wine region with its volcanic Malvasía vineyards starts just beyond the neighbouring village of Uga. Bus line 60 between Arrecife and Playa Blanca stops in Yaiza roughly every hour, and the airport is about 17 kilometres away. With its restaurants in old Canarian houses and its quiet nights, Yaiza suits travellers who want a peaceful rural base for exploring the volcanoes, the wine country and the southern beaches.