december-2009

A QUICK
GUIDE TO
THE CHIC
SIDE OF
LANZAROTE
BY THE MID-60S, Lanzarote’s most
famous native, the painter César
Manrique, had made his name in New
York and was mixing with titans of the
art world including Warhol and Pollock.
But disillusioned by the rat race of the
Big Apple, he returned to the hauntingly
beautiful volcanic island of his birth off
the west coast of Africa. Horrifi ed by the
government’s plans to destroy its dramatic
landscapes with high-rise bucket-andspade
beach resorts, he decided to dedicate
the rest of his life to the sustainable
development of his homeland. With a
vision and passion that have made him
a poster child for responsible tourism,
he made sure that development was
zoned and all buildings blended with the
island’s white, cube-like vernacular style,
with all electricity and telephone cables
hidden underground. From the moment
you arrive at Arrecife airport, you’ll see
his artistic touch at every turn, from the
Miró-style tourist board logos he designed
to the kinetic wind sculptures that grace
every bewildering roundabout. But it’s
Manrique’s architecture with its James-
Bond-meets-the-Flintstones style that is
his most enduring legacy.
His fi rst project was Jameos del Agua
(tel: +34 928 848 020), a spectacular
complex built in 1966 in a lava canal with
a restaurant, bar and concert hall boasting
perfect acoustics. Then over two decades he
designed seven cultural centres including
Casa-Museo Monumento al Campesino, a
museum celebrating the peasants’ struggle
to eek out a living from the island’s arid
soil; a ruined castle in the capital which he
converted into contemporary art museum
MIAC (cabildodelanzarote.com); and the
Jardín de Cactus (tel: +34 928 529 397),
an exotic botanical garden with 10,000
varieties of cacti built on the site of a
disused volcanic ash quarry. Manrique’s
work inspired droves of artists to move
LOCATION
El Golfo – Lago
de Los Clicos
HE WEARS
Shirt (£130) from
Arnold Zimberg;
trousers (£60),
leather belt (£18)
and Starboard
shoes (£30), all
from Topman
SHE WEARS
Origami dress
(€66) from
littlewoodseurope.
com; Grace sandals
(£100) from Terra
Plana; cowrie shell
necklace (£165)
from Pebble
to the island and the government began
to nurture local talent, such as fashion
designer Margarita Perez, who creates
fabulous frocks for her label Margamod
(margamod.com) from her atelier in
Mozaga. Legendary Spanish fi lm director
Pedro Almodóvar shot his latest fi lm Los
Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces) on
the island, following in the footsteps of
bohemian millionaires and movie stars like
Omar Sharif, whose ultimate bachelor pad
was designed by Manrique and architect
Jesús Soto. After Sharif lost it in a poker
game, it was christened LagOmar
(lag-o-mar.com) and is now a museum
with an apartment for rent at €630 a week,
an open-air gallery, hip bar La Cueva and
one of the best restaurants on the island.
★ GRAN MELIA HOTEL SALINAS
For the ultimate César Manrique
experience, check into this glamorous fi vestar,
which is adorned with his paintings
and murals made of volcanic rock. He
also designed the volcano-shaped ceiling
lights in the lobby, the stylish free-form
swimming pool and the extraordinary,
tropical garden in the atrium. The
stunning one-bedroom master suites
recently refurbished by designer Álvaro
Sans will set you back around €310 and for
the kind of trip to Lanzarote once enjoyed
by Omar Sharif, check into one of the
super-luxurious, Bali-style garden villas,
which have their own private parking,
landscaped gardens and separate pool.
Book at hotels.easyJet.com Jeroen Bergmans
DECEMBER 09 | TRAVELLER | 65