Lanzarote is especially beautiful and energetic, but Cesar Manrique has integrated the islands nature in simple spaces of extraordinary beauty. For us there are three must see places associated with this fantastic artist.

“When I came back from N.Y. it was my intention to change the island of my birth to one of the most beautiful on the planet” – Cesar Marique

THE “JAMEOS DEL AGUA”. A auditorium in the volcano.

This a natural work of art where you can eat, listen to music and live for the day and especially the night.

We waited to enter at 20:00h, in one and a half hours we had seen everything, including the exhibitions, and we had time to have dinner in the restaurant. A great way to spend a Saturday night that combined live music, canarian food nex to the lake in the volcanic tube where the temperatura is perfect. A great place to visit for all the family.

With the ticket to “Los Jameos del Agua” you can get to know the place and if you are lucky you can see some “blind crabs” in the lake, which are a local to this island while listening to live music.

We stayed for dinner, the menu is not included in the price of the ticket, but the food is traditional and you can order a good canarian wine and local handmade sauce “mojo picón”. And after you can go to the auditorium. Our advice to know the timetable of the concerts is in the website of Art, Culture and Tourism Centres of Lanzarote.

By the way, children less than 7 years old have free admission, there are high chairs for babies in the restaurant including changing rooms in the toilets. It is the canarian character to welcome everyone. Adults, teenagers and kids, this eclectic family with different likes left this special place whith a smile on their lips and full of energy.

THE  “JARDÍN DEL CACTUS”. An oasis tale

We were open- mounthed from the start and also the two hours we stayed. From the first moment to the last you remember the vision of the oasis . Lanzarote is especilly energetic, but arid and volcanic and sudenly in the “jardín de cactus” you find 4.500 different types of cactus collected from round the world and planted elegantly and the souvenir shop and cafeteria are perfectly integrated.

There’s no disputing that Cesar Marnique was a visionary who converted a disused mine into a work of art.

We arrived early, about 10:00h, but if we had known we would have delayed our visit for two hours and had lunch in the cafeteria enjoying this beautiful place with its a perfect forms, relaxing, without any danger for the kids and a lot energy for everyone.

MONUMENTO AL CAMPESINO. Gastronomy, traditions and workshops

Another special place if you are travelling with a family, and an example of Lanzarote living. Here Cesar Manrique wants to pay homage to the efforts of the men and women of the countryside on  the island. This is a good theme for debate for old and young.

We want to highlight how beautiful this place is. The mobile phone photos really do it justice, you don´t need an expensive camara to take photos in this place.

The light and scenary of White and Green, the avantguard scultpture fifteen metres high owned by Manrique make a perfect backdrop with a splash of tradition, In our case we found a local dance group, and often there are artist workshops and educational activities for kids here. Consult here

The “monumento al campesino” is a place with a restaurant, bar and cafetería. There are three menus for all pockets. In the three menus there is traditional Canarian food and a lot of tapas. In our case we stayed for lunch, because the temperature is very warm we could have  lunch on the patio.

The shop is a perfect place to buy a traditional souvenir, Canarian wine or a fridge magnet, that we have been collecting on all the trips.