Things To Do in Matagorda

Lanzarote’s origins are on show at the Timanfaya National Park, home to a mountain range of dramatic volcanoes. It’s a 30-minute drive away. There are tours around the arid Mars-like landscape – the buses sweep around the craters so you really get to see into the volcanoes. Where the tour starts and finishes there’s a Manrique-designed restaurant with a twist – the heat from the underground lava is used to grill meat on the outdoor barbecue.

The supermarket here has you covered for all the essentials – but there are also 2 shopping malls within 10 minutes’ drive. Deiland Centre is in Playa Honda and boasts classy Spanish clothes shops like Stradivarius and Misako. Over in Puerto del Carmen, the Biosfera Centre has a more international selection that features names like Quiksilver, Levi’s and Zara. Every Saturday there’s a market in Arrecife, 15 minutes’ drive away – it’s a great place to pick up hand-made wood carvings and embroidered linens.

You’ll find Matagorda’s watersports centres on the town square. There’s a real mix here, with banana boat rides, jet-skiing and parasailing on offer. There’s also a scuba-diving school that has courses for beginners. The big draw here is windsurfing – you can join a group or rent a board and strike out solo. If watersports aren’t your bag, there are plenty of bars along the beach to watch the thrills and spills on the water.

Lanzarote’s first fiesta of the year is the Arrecife carnival at the start of Lent. It’s a 15-minute drive from Matagorda. You can expect a 4-day, no-holds-barred party, with explosive music, masses of food stalls, parades, and neon-bright costumes. A procession of floats jazz up the seafront, and it all winds up in the capital with a fun fair and Latin rhythms.

La Gería is Lanzarote's wine-growing region, a 30-minute journey north of Matagorda. It’s worth a drive through the protected valley to see the alien-like landscape, carpeted with volcanic ash. Thousands of single vines are planted in pits, with horseshoe-shaped stone walls around them for protection. A lot of the bodegas here open their doors for tasting sessions in their wine cellars. There’s also a wine museum at El Grifo, where you can see traditional winemaking tools and, if it needs to be said, try the tipples.

Laidback waterfront bars are the order of the day in Matagorda. You can grab a glass of island favourite Tropical Beer, or maybe try the local Malvasia white wine. It’s then just a 5-minute taxi to the hustle and bustle of Puerto del Carmen. Over there you’ll find all-night techno and pop clubs in the side streets off of Avenida de las Playas. For something a bit quieter, pick from one of Puerto del Carmen’s 40 Irish pubs.

Matagorda isn’t lacking restaurants – and most of them are based in and around the town square. The fare is a mix of traditional Canarian food and back-to-basics grilled meat and fish dishes. Try the ropa vieja, a rustic stew of chicken, beef and chickpeas. You can throw in a side of papas arrugadas, Canarian-style boiled potatoes served with a mojo sauce dip. For dessert try the bienmesabe, an almond and syrup paste served with a dollop of ice cream.