Puerto del Carmen is the spot where package holidays in Lanzarote first really took off. Transforming what had been a small fishing village called La Tiñosa into the islands largest and most popular resort.
Today, Puerto del Carmen is undergoing another transformation. As the island tourist authorities press ahead with plans to modernise the resort in order to ensure it retains its competiveness well into the 21st Century.
At the heart of this initiative is a project to turn the Old Town Harbour area, home to the best selection of restaurants in Puerto del Carmen, into a new marina. With moorings for luxury yachts and cruisers. As well as further work along the main Avenida de las Playas, the main 6km strip that runs along the beachfront, which will result in the part pedestrainisation of this thoroughfare. In order to create a more aesthetically pleasing location for visiting tourists to stroll and enjoy.
The bulk of visitors tend to stay in either holiday apartments or villas in Puerto del Carmen. As the resort is only really serviced by two main hotels. The Los Fariones – which is located right in the heart of the town. And the San Antonio – which is located at the western end of the Avenida de las Playas on the borders with Los Pocillos and Matagorda.
Puerto del Carmen is essentially a resort of two halves – split between the Old Town which revolves around the harbour area and the New Town which sprang up around the main beach of Playa Grande. Increasingly, the Old Town has a more residential feel – with the bulk of the apartment complexes and holiday villas located in the New Town.
Like the rest of the island, Puerto del Carmen welcomes tourists all year round. And is arguably better equipped to do so than northern neighbour Costa Teguise. Thanks to the fact that the resort is more sheltered and offers better protection from the strong winds that blow across Lanzarote for a good six months of the year.
Puerto del Carmen also boasts by far the best nightlife for tourists of any of Lanzarote´s main resorts. With three nightclubs and a host of bars and restaurants. And the bulk of the action takes place in and around the central part of the resort known by everyone simply as Centro.
Here young PR´s ply passers by with free drinks tickets and neon signs scream out for the attention of tourists. And bars such as Waikiki, Route 66 and Tropical do a roaring trade as the main pre-club watering holes. Yet despite the vibrancy of the resort’s nightlife Puerto del Carmen remains a popular holiday destination for visitors of all ages.
