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  #1  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 20.20.49
Dr. Jai Maharaj
 
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Predefinito Lanzarote: treasured island

Lanzarote: treasured island

A luxury yurt in an off-grid finca set amid the stark
beauty of Lanzarote's north coast gives Alice Fisher new
hope that family holidays can (and should) be fun

Natural selection: Jameos del Agua’s swimming pool.

By Alice Fisher
The Guardian
Sunday, June 9, 2013

It's 29 years since I last went on a family holiday. I
was 11 and spent most of it sulking in the back of a car
in France, soaking up an atmosphere of simmering
resentment. I haven't missed them much, but you get a
husband, have a baby – what can you do? All I knew was
that I didn't want to spend my next one sulking in a car.
I wanted somewhere warm, with more to see than
dispiriting rows of sun loungers, that respected adults
while catering for toddlers.

Lanzarote may not seem the obvious choice, but flee its
flop-and-drop resorts for the north and this Canary
Island comes into its own. We stayed near Arrieta, a
crisp, white fishing village crisscrossed with cobbled
alleyways next to the clean sand of La Garita beach.

While Arrieta felt traditional, a throwback to pre-
package-holiday days, the retreat where we stayed was
unique. Finca de Arrieta started as a tumbledown farm and
grew with its owners, Michelle and Tila Braddock. They
renovated the farmhouse and barns, moving from one to the
other as their family expanded, letting the properties
they'd outgrown. A guest suggested that a yurt would make
a*useful extra bedroom and that really set the ****
rolling. The property now comprises 11 self-catering
properties, a mix of buildings and luxury yurts, all off-
grid, with a communal veranda and two large sunken water
tanks serving as splash pools. The yurts come with
kitchens and bathrooms so you can pretend to
impressionable children that you're camping yet still
enjoy a massive double bed and cook with a fully fitted
oven.

Alice and Robin by their yurt in Lanzarote. Photograph:
Observer

You won't know how great the Finca is unless you have
kids. My daughter thinks 6am is a lie-in. That's at least
four hours to fill before any shop, café or tourist
attraction opens. I don't know what I'd have done without
Molly the donkey, the clutch of chickens and the
children's playground at the Finca. No one wants to be on
a trampoline as the sun rises but as the alternative was
staring into her adorable, shouting, bored face, most
mornings I could have kissed its coiled steel springs.

This was all amazing, but not enough. I get as irked as a
toddler without some cultural distraction. And this was
where Lanzarote really surprised me. The island has
fascinating landmarks thanks to the vision of one man.
Local artist and architect César Manrique loved Lanzarote
and dedicated his life to preserving its natural volcanic
charm. His influence on planning regulations from the
late 60s onwards has kept the island's resorts low rise
and their architecture close to traditional styles. He
also designed facilities at many key attractions, mainly
in the late 60s to early 70s, and his take on luxury
tourism that respects the environment is remarkable.

Lanzarote is a Unesco-designated biosphere reserve and
has many sites of great, unusual beauty, such as the
Mirador del Río lookout post in the Famara mountains, the
volcanic wastelands in Timanfaya national park and Jameos
del Agua's surreal underground lake, part of a*vast lava
tube. These have all been augmented with Manrique's
equally stunning manmade additions – grand*concert
auditoriums, swimming pools and restaurants.

Camp it up: a luxury yurt at Finca de Arrieta.
Photograph: Ronn Ballantyne

While the architecture works with Lanzarote's rather
severe landscape, the interiors are all about Manrique.
They are beautifully preserved time-warp examples of
1960s modern design, full of leather banquettes, picture
windows and abstract metal sculptures. You will not visit
a more elegant sightseers' café than that at Mirador del
Río. Even changing a nappy felt slightly sophisticated
when done in the toilets at El*Diablo, the restaurant
Manrique designed in Timanfaya. The architect built his
own home in Tahíche in 1968, based around a series of
five subterranean lava bubbles, and it looks like the
sort*of place that Dr*No would have*come to work on his
tan. The building now houses the César Manrique
Foundation, which continues his conservation work, and*a
rather excellent art collection.

What I thought would be a limp compromise was a
revelation. Family isn't such an impediment to a good
time after all. Especially if you go to*Lanzarote. From
the moment you arrive, the island's sun, sand and sea
shouts holiday, but there are also many subtler, more
unexpected sights and experiences to be had on its
peculiar craggy shores. Go. You simply won't have time to
sulk.

Essentials

Alice Fisher travelled courtesy of the Lanzarote Tourist
Board and stayed at Finca de Arrieta
(lanzaroteretreats.com), where yurts cost from £495 per
week. Monarch has flights to Lanzarote from Birmingham,
East Midlands, Gatwick, Luton, Leeds, Bradford and
Manchester from £145 return including taxes
(monarch.co.uk). More details on Lanzarote at
turismolanzarote.com/en

More at:

[url]http://m.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/jun/09/lanzarote-treasured-island[/url]

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

[url]http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj[/url]

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  #2  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
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  #3  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #4  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #5  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #6  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #7  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #8  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #9  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #10  
Vecchio 09-06-2013, 21.16.14
Bill
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: Lanzarote: treasured island

On Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:20:49 GMT, [email]usenet@mantra.com[/email] and/or
[url]www.mantra.com/jai[/url] (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

[color=blue]
>A luxury yurt[/color]

Now that really is a contradiction in terms...
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
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