Guide to Costa Teguise

'Costa Teguise is a well planned resort with great beaches, watersports, golf and Lanzarote's only aqua park.'

Costa Teguise may be a purpose-built holiday resort, but far from being a concrete jungle. It's a palm-filled oasis which tastefully re-creates the look and feel of a traditional Canaries town, complete with white-washed, shuttered buildings.

The number one attraction is the big, crescent-shaped bay which splits into two large and two smaller sandy beaches. Windsurfers breeze in and out, attracted by the almost perfect boarding conditions - not to mention the many bars and cosmopolitan restaurants that line the promenade.

Assuming you need more than sand, sea and a sunbed to keep you occupied - watersports and scuba diving top the activity list, with horse riding a close second. There's also an 18-hole golf course just down the road, and next door to that is Lanzarote's only water park, Aqua Lanza, with floods of fun for all ages. Let loose on the kamikaze. Spin down the spiral. And go for a high-speed float along the fast river slide.

After dark, Costa Teguise isn't exactly sizzling with nightlife but there's a disco or two, plus plenty of lively bars in and around the Pueblo Marinero. If you're looking for more life, it's just a short bus ride to the island's capital, Arrecife.

For a taste of the authentic Lanzarote, head inland to Taro de Tahiche. As well as being a charming little town, it's also the home of the Cesar Manrique Foundation, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the work of the island's most famous artist. The Foundation's base is Manrique's former studio and residence, a unique house built on a volcanic eruption trail and incorporating lava bubbles into its structure.

Although custom-built, Costa Teguise has been lovingly planned and constructed in the typical Lanzarote style - whitewashed buildings are adorned with brightly painted green or blue window shutters. A short bus journey takes you from the resort to the island's capital city, Arrecife, while just inland from Costa Teguise is the quaint little town of Tahiche. Best-known for its association with Lanzarote's most famous son, the local landscape artist Cesar Manrique, Tahiche is the location of the Manrique Foundation which is housed in the artist's former home. Here you can view his work and collection pieces by Picasso. The house itself is well-worth a look as it is half submerged below ground, forming part of a network of underground caves and lava bubbles. The Cactus Garden at Guatiza is another popular attraction on the north-east of the island, not far from Costa Teguise. Designed by Manrique, it fuses nature with art and boasts well over 1000 cacti of different shapes and sizes. Not to be confused with Costa Teguise, the island's former capital is called Teguise. Today it is hardly more than a small village but boasts some of Lanzarote's most elegant landmarks - the colonial-style buildings which surround the main square retain a bygone charm. Once a week a large market is held in the centre of Teguise selling everything from leather work to lace.

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