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Formalities
We had to give our details twice here, once for the police and once for the marina, which is unusual but didn't take long. We filled out the lengthy police one on paper while the efficient English-speaking girl in the office entered our details on the computer.
Facilities and Charges
Prices are in bands so we were charged as up to 10m,which was just over E12 a night plus 5% tax. Electricity, water, excellent showers and use of the swimming pool is included.
There are plenty of toilet facilities throughout the marina. Access is by key with an E10 refundable deposit. We paid E20 and got one each.
Although the marina's literature says Camping Gaz is available at E9 a bottle, when we attempted to get some as we were leaving we were told they didn't have any and in fact usually didn't as they had enormous difficulty getting it delivered from Arrecife. You can't get it at Puerto Calero either, so be warned - if you need gas in Lanzarote take your bottles with you if you hire a car or anchor in Puerto Naos or Purto de Arrecife and go ashore for it. Quite why getting Camping Gaz should be such a hassle in Lanzarote is not clear.
The marina development includes a small but expensive supermarket - there are bigger cheaper ones in Playa Blanca, but it is quite a long walk. There are a lot of 'designer' and duty-free shops, and a good selection of restaurants and bars. If you are on a budget I can recommend Lani's Snack Bar, which has a good selection of tapas and very cheap chicken and chips, with excellent service. We were told by several people though that Lani's Grill beside it is poor value with poor service. There is an English bookshop in Playa Blanca which is worth tracking down if you are running out of reading material.
Communications
The marina provides a wi-fi service from several antennas round the marina, so you should be able to get a signal. Cost is E5 a day or E25 for a week. We found that you couldn't send POP-3 email via Outlook Express and had to use webmail instead, otherwiwe the service was fairly reliable. Car hire is available in the marina, but be aware that the advertised prices more than double when insurance is added. There are also several places in Playa Blanca, but the savings probably aren't worth the walk.
Places to See, Things to Do
You can walk down to the beaches at Punta Papagayo (just over an hour) or hire a car and go and see the incredible volcanic scenery of the National Park. The island is prettier than we expected and the roads are excellent. Bike hire is also available from the harbour in Playa Blanca, but is not cheap.
For a detailed account of Fairwinds' time in Lanzarote see HERE
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