Isn’t it mad the way schools and activists and charities have been trying to get us to give a shit about climate change for years and years and then one quick shout out from David Attenborough and the world has gone recycling mad? That of course isn’t a bad thing and I’ve spent the last 18 months since Blue Planet II becoming more and more mindful of how I can make my life greener; I’ve eradicated almost all single use plastic (e.g. straws), I recycle more, got a hybrid car and I’ve cut out meat from my diet (seriously, cutting out meat is the number one best thing you can do for the environment). When the chance came up to stay at an eco friendly resort in Lanzarote (Lanzarote Retreats) I was right there.
My mate tagged me in that on Facebook 👆
I’ve shared a few posts on Instagram highlighting some of the more unusual things you’ll find at Lanzarote Retreats just outside Arrieta (the North of the island) and people have been really intrigued – so here, in easily digestible bullet-point form, is everything you’d ever wanna know about this amazing luxury eco resort.
- First up, let’s talk benefits. With some of the rooms/properties there you actually get a hire car INCLUDED as part of the deal. It’s a hybrid Toyota Prius of course so you can get all around the island and still feel totally secure in the knowledge that your green credentials are still in tact. It takes around an hour to drive from one end of the island to the other so Lanzarote is literally your oyster. I’ll write another post about all the things we got up to.
- Private transfers to and from the airport are included. We got picked up and dropped off by the wonderful Josh who’s the son of the owners – yes, this ain’t no faceless hotel chain, Lanzarote Retreats is a family run business. He even brings you a bottle of chilled cava and if you have kids there’ll be a car seat in there waiting for them – safety first.
- This might be an indication of how sad I am but one of the worst things about holiday blues when you come home (apart from the crap weather and the return to work) is the mountain of washing you have to do upon your return. Imagine how happy I was when I discovered the resort will do a whole bag of your washing for you for €5. If you think I can home with any dirty washing whatsoever then you’re sadly mistaken. Life – hacked.
- The one thing everyone’s ears prick up at is the mention of the honesty shop and bar. Yes that’s right, there’s a fridge fully stacked with beer and wine and a shop full of all your essentials and it’s run on an honesty basis. You just write down what you’ve used and then pay at the end of the holiday – they don’t take the piss with the prices either; a beer is €1. This could be subject to abuse but honestly, it’s not that kind of resort, they’re so lovely and fall over themselves to make you feel “mi casa es su casa” so if you steal stuff, you’re a total dick.
- It’s a self catering resort so you can stock up from the local supermercado (literally 2 minutes away in the car) or the honesty shop but they also have a meal delivery service on some nights and a paella night with the other guests. We had the veggie curry and barbecue delivered and it was amazing (There are meat/seafood options though). They even have their own local wine.
- It’s very child friendly but by the same token you’re not surrounded by screaming kids. It looked to be at about 50-60% occupancy while we were there and we still had the pool area to ourselves on our sunbathing days. One of the perks of having the car is that you’re always out doing something. There’s a massive play area with an adult size trampoline and there’s chickens, ducks and donkeys for the kids to feed. Cora was absolutely in love with all of them. There’s loads of toys and books and bucket and spades etc so you really don’t need to bring anything with you.
- The recycle EVERYTHING. They have plastic, paper, glass and can recycling bins both in your property and dotted around the resort but even your left over food goes to feed the animals. The donkeys like carrots and stale bread and the chickens will literally eat ANYTHING apart from eggshells and onions. Even the water you use in the shower is kept and used to water the plants.
- The resort is completely wind and solar powered.
- In the honesty shop they have free cactuses (cacti?) you can take and plant in the cactus garden with a little sign you can write your name on. Next time you go (and there will be a next time) you can see how much it’s grown.
- Every accommodation is completely different and unique – you have everything from inflatable yurts to rooms up in stone towers. We stayed in the eco villa – as soon as I saw the day bed I was in love. Every property has it’s own private garden area for eating, sunbathing, playing etc but even so, every property is only about 20 steps from the communal pool area. The eco farmhouse even has its own private pool. Here’s a little 60 second tour round our home for the week:
Prices to stay at Lanzarote Retreats start at €95 per night per couple. The villa we stayed in starts from €310 per night which sounds a lot but it actually sleeps 7 people so that’s only €44 per night per person and it includes airport transfers and car hire so considering how luxurious and quirky this place is, it’s not even expensive.
Anyway, when I was leaving I was given a loyalty reward card with a discount code for friends and family… this might be bending the rules but technically I class you all as my friends so here it is: LRLOYALTY for 5% off your booking. You can even pay a deposit and pay it off over months interest free AND They have other special offers running at various time so worth getting in touch and chatting to the lovely girls in the office and see what they can do for you.
Enjoy! And when you get back you can give yourself a big pat on the back for being so kind to the planet – well done you.
