Experience the best of Arrecife

Arrecife is the main town of Lanzarote, a volcanic island in the Canary Islands, off the coast of north-west Africa. Boats bob in the Charco de San Ginés, a small tidal lagoon ringed by whitewashed houses and cafés. Offshore, the Castillo de San Gabriel stands on a tiny islet reached by a drawbridge, and the Castillo de San José, a fortress above the port, now houses a museum of contemporary art.

César Manrique, the artist and architect born in Arrecife, shaped the island's look, from the lava tube concert hall of Jameos del Agua to the cactus garden and the Mirador del Río, a clifftop viewpoint over the island of La Graciosa. Timanfaya National Park, with its black volcanic cones, and the La Geria vineyards, where vines grow in pits dug into volcanic ash, lie inland. White beaches fill the south coast.

Papas arrugadas, small wrinkled potatoes boiled in salt, come with red and green mojo sauces, alongside grilled fresh fish, goat cheese and gofio, toasted grain flour, with Malvasia wine from La Geria. The climate stays mild all year, and trade winds blow steadily. Summers are warm and dry, and winters are mild with little rain.