Looks like I may have a week in mid-late February where I can get away for a big training week and am thinking of Lanzarote as it seems its got the best weather in Europe at that time for riding. I was there over 10 years ago and stayed in Puerta del Carmen but I assume alot has changed. I plan to mostly be on the bike but may swim a little and hit the gym, too. I’d be most grateful for recommendations on the following:
-Where is a nice place to stay? I was looking at Club La Santa and it looks great with the pools, gym, restaurants, etc. I would be interested in any feedback from folks who have stayed there including whether the road bikes they have for rent are quality rigs (or if there is a good place nearby to rent from). If I based there, I was thinking I wouldn’t both renting a car and just bike from there everyday. Makes sense? Also be interested in other options if there are better ones out there.
-Where are some good shops that can I rent a really nice road bike for the week?
-Finally, how is the weather in February? Warm enough to ride in short sleeves? Much rain?
-Any particularly great rides to do on the island?
I did my first IM Lanza in 2009 and my last in 2016. I can assure you nothing much has changed apart from the extension to Club La Santa. CLS is perfect if you don’t mind paying a bit more - stayed there a lot and loved it. Rented bikes from the local bike shop Pro Bike - https://www.probikelanzarote.com/ just down the road from CLS.
If you wanted to do it on the cheap I have stated at Club Oceano in Puerto Del Carmen a few times as well. No frills but very clean and great food to boot. There is no pool to speak of but the IM swim course is literally 5 minutes away and the night life in PDC is a lot better. Depends if that is what you want or not. https://www.oceanclubholidays.com/
If you are taking your significant other and want a quiet night out I would suggest a drive to El Golfo - literally to the end of the road - and watch the sunset as you eat your evening meal there. Money cannot buy that kind of backdrop, the food is great and dirt cheap.
I would say if its just a flat out training holiday CLS has absolutely everything you need including massage, physio and coaching if you want it. Its just darn expensive that is all.
I am from the west coast of Canada, we went in spring 2018 and stayed at the occidental lanzarote mar.
Basically 1800$ euro, all inclusive for 15 days. It has a 10x50m pool which I would classify as one of the best pools on the planet 100 feet from your room.
Excellent gym, and the largest bike rental place on the island is in the hotel. We rented centurion with 105 groups for 550$ euro for two people 14 days. We brought our own pedals, shoes and saddles.
CLS looks awesome but it’s in the middle of now where, and for what we needed did not offer anything extra.
So all in, with flights from the other side of the planet we spent 6k$ Canadian. Normally we go to Maui which is 6hours away but it would have been 2k$ more expensive at low season in April.
Would go back in a heartbeat, on a side note there is a lot of interesting stuff to see. Caesar Manrique is a pretty famous architect from the sixties. We would ride two hours, lock our bikes check stuff out then ride back.
Left with 500$ euro to spend and came home with 200$!
Thanks for the replies. Two more quick questions for those who have stayed in Lanzarote in February or at Club La Santa:
-How’s the weather in late February? I don’t mind if its a little cool in the morning but wanted to make sure there is not a likelihood of alot of rain which would make long rides miserable.
-is it worth it to rent a car? I was thinking I’d just shuttle to Club La Santa and not need to go anywhere else that week other than riding but I’d be curious as to what others have done.
We didn’t feel the need for a car when we were there. We took the shuttle to and from the airport which was easy, and then we used the on-site convenient store which has everything you need (although you pay a bit more as you would expect). We did notice another store 5 min or so from La Santa on bike which I would assume is cheaper so you could just rent one of the free bikes and go and buy what you need. They have an app you can download and you use that to rent bikes and book the various classes, all of which is free. It’s not high-end road bikes but I found them plenty fine for the week we were there.
I can’t help with the weather unfortunately as we were there in May, but do expect it to be very windy.
weather in feb can be cooler at night so take a jacket just in case, weather wise during day some years are fine some years you can get showers and wind ,i would take arm warmers ,gilet or light weight rain jacket as you can get a day of showers ,the temp still good though !
unless you planning on doing extra sight seeing wouldn,t bother with car hire,you can get a shuttle or just jump in a taxi at airport , if you get a taxi they charge an xtra €5 per bike (don,t be shocked if you find your bike strapped to roof of taxi)
la santa village is about 10 min walk away of jump in a taxi , plenty of places to eat and drink and shop plus a bike shop etc
Looks like I may have a week in mid-late February where I can get away for a big training week and am thinking of Lanzarote as it seems its got the best weather in Europe at that time for riding. I was there over 10 years ago and stayed in Puerta del Carmen but I assume alot has changed. I plan to mostly be on the bike but may swim a little and hit the gym, too. I’d be most grateful for recommendations on the following:
-Where is a nice place to stay? I was looking at Club La Santa and it looks great with the pools, gym, restaurants, etc. I would be interested in any feedback from folks who have stayed there including whether the road bikes they have for rent are quality rigs (or if there is a good place nearby to rent from). If I based there, I was thinking I wouldn’t both renting a car and just bike from there everyday. Makes sense? Also be interested in other options if there are better ones out there.
-Where are some good shops that can I rent a really nice road bike for the week?
-Finally, how is the weather in February? Warm enough to ride in short sleeves? Much rain?
-Any particularly great rides to do on the island?
thanks in advance,
Jack
I’ve been to Lanzarote a tonne of times:
You can’t really go wrong with Club La Santa - its purpose built for sports and the facilities are superb. The rolling refurb programs have also improved the quality of the apartments. They rent out Cannondales from their own cycle centre, i have never used one (as always take my own) but i would imagine they are absolutely fine for training. The downsides are:
The price, you definitely pay for the experience.
It can be hard to get in there, particularly if its over half term or school holidays as they cater for a lot of groups/teams
In my view, there are better locations for riding (See below).
As an alternative, Costa Teguise is closer to the best riding on the island. Sands Beach resort is a sports orientated apartment complex with 25m pool + gym. The Occidental Hotel has a new 50m but is slightly too large + mainstream for my taste.
The weather in Feb will likely be early to mid 20’s and probably windy (it always is). As with anywhere, you can be unlucky and get some bad weather (i’ve actually had heavy hail a few times) but that is unusual. I usually ride in shorts / short sleeves but take arm warmers + gilet.
I think the best riding is in the mountains in the north of the island (Tabayesco / Haria etc). The roads around El Golfo / Femes / Fire Mountain (all on, or very close to the Ironman Bike Course) are also good. It will be windy though so you just have to accept that, get your head down and allow the conditions to make you stronger. Don’t use deep section rims.
I agree with the suggestions to go to the Occidental Lanzarote Mar. The pool ist great and the location is perfect for riding in all directions. Club La Santa is overhyped. I was in Lanzarote last year in january aswell as february/march and always wore short/short and it didnt even rain once.
I’ll be there for a week in early february, you can expect to ride in short bibs all yer round, but have a light jacket handy just in case.
CLS is great, and Sands Beach (www.sandsbeach.eu/) in Costa Teguise is a very good option as well, with a couple bike shops with bikes for hire. I reserved a Cervelo S3 at www.tribikestation.com/
Both resorts are well located to access the best rides/climbs of the island, at the north (Mirador del rio, Mirador de Haria, Tabayesco…)
weather in feb can be cooler at night so take a jacket just in case, weather wise during day some years are fine some years you can get showers and wind ,i would take arm warmers ,gilet or light weight rain jacket as you can get a day of showers ,the temp still good though !
unless you planning on doing extra sight seeing wouldn,t bother with car hire,you can get a shuttle or just jump in a taxi at airport , if you get a taxi they charge an xtra €5 per bike (don,t be shocked if you find your bike strapped to roof of taxi)
la santa village is about 10 min walk away of jump in a taxi , plenty of places to eat and drink and shop plus a bike shop etc
one thing to point out is that the south of the island is usually a bit warmer (less clouds) its not s extreme s teneriffe or gran canria but dosnt hurt to consider in February .
As an alternative, Costa Teguise is closer to the best riding on the island.
Not wanting to hijack, but I happen to have booked a family holiday at CT in mid/late may next year. Not a cycling holiday as we have two young kids, but I’m going to try and negotiate for 4-5hrs leave one day as I’ll probably not be back any time soon and something nice for Daddy might be ok. I’m in a hotel right next to The Bike Station (H10 Suites Lanzarote Gardens).
Can anybody post a strava route or similar for a highly recommended ride around this duration from CT?
As an alternative, Costa Teguise is closer to the best riding on the island.
Not wanting to hijack, but I happen to have booked a family holiday at CT in mid/late may next year. Not a cycling holiday as we have two young kids, but I’m going to try and negotiate for 4-5hrs leave one day as I’ll probably not be back any time soon and something nice for Daddy might be ok. I’m in a hotel right next to The Bike Station (H10 Suites Lanzarote Gardens).
Can anybody post a strava route or similar for a highly recommended ride around this duration from CT?
Thanks
Rich.
The easiest route finding option is to look at the ironman lanza bike course and create a route based off that. There really aren’t that many roads on the island.
I have no idea how fast you are but personally i would do something along the following lines for 4 hours:
Climb out of costa teguise to the LZ-1. 15-20 min climb but very gradual.
North on the LZ1 to Orzloa. Flat to downhill with a few gentle rollers close to Orzola. The last part of this road is stunning, right next to the coast through lava fields. I know that the pros all use this stretch for TT practice. Can be a grovel if the wind is from the north.
Climb up from Orzola to Mirador del Rio (a very scenic lookout). This is a proper climb - the start has a few (for Lanzarote) steep pitches but isn’t too bad after that.
Follow the road down through Haria (nice town for a coffee) and then up the hairpins of the top half of the infamous Tabayesco climb (probably the most iconic climb on the island).
Follow the LZ-10 into Teguise where you have the options of turning back down to Costa Teguise or doing another loop. This can be a very quick descent if the wind is in the normal direction.
Options to extend would include riding down to Famara (a surf beach at the base of some impressive cliffs).
Some people don’t like the riding on Lanza because of the wind + fairly barren scenery. I love it (as do many pros), it has a strange, desolate beauty and the riding is so hard (but usually on excellent tarmac) that i always leave far stronger than i arrive!
Another option - Playitas Resort in Fuerteventura (playitas.net) I was there last week, rented one of their bikes and did a few of their group rides along with rides of my own. Overall it is a lot like Club La Santa, same type of atmosphere. It was easier to book at Playitas as La Santa was full (school holiday week). La Santa is all-inclusive and so a bit more expensive, while Playitas is a bit cheaper but you pay a fee for many activities. The rooms are nice at Playitas, but the recent upgrades at La Santa have equalized this. (I live in Gran Canaria so they are both close by.)
Thanks to all for the replies. Tried to book at CLS last night and they are sold out for the week I have off! Too bad as I had just checked it the day before. Planning now to do Costa Teguise and as suggested above will book at either Sands Beach or Occidental Mar. From what I can see it looks like the bike rental places in town with the nicest bikes are Tribike station, Revolution Bikes and Huezeler (if there are other recommendations let me know).
Will let you know how it goes to so others can use this thread in the future. Thanks again.
Aloha jsmith!! this is JC, from Sands Beach Resort, #DaPlaceToBe. Please, feel free to send me an email to jcalbuixech@sandsbeach,eu and I will help you with the reservation… just write me and let me know your needs, number of people, what will you may need… and we will do all for you.
As you may know is the favourite palce for Pros an AG and you can share trainning sesions with our profesionals ambassadors (Ivan Raña, Bart Arneouts, BMC-Vifit Pro team…) or just pop up with our Ative Team with daily sesions of swimming (swimmingpool and openwater), bike rides or running (track, road or mountains…).
GRACIAS!
I discovered Club La Santa 5 years ago and I have beenthere every year since!
I was going first around Christmas and it was a possible to bike everydaywith a light jacket!
La Santa is a fantastic place to train, you don’t need a car and you can staythere to train and never be bored!
They have 3x9 lanes olympic pool, running track, gym nd about 400 bikes!
If you want a good Aluminium Cannondale bike it is free to get one every day, if you want a carbon bike di2 type bike you can rent for 120 euros per week I believe
There is 3 restaurants to choose for or to cook in your appartment and buy food in the supermarket inside the resort!
The price is per room so if you go with friends or family the cost is the same if you are one or three per room!
Then all activities are free except very few one like tour of the island or diving.
Highly recommended!
And the staff is fantastic with probably 30 activities per day to choose from!
As an alternative, Costa Teguise is closer to the best riding on the island.
Not wanting to hijack, but I happen to have booked a family holiday at CT in mid/late may next year. Not a cycling holiday as we have two young kids, but I’m going to try and negotiate for 4-5hrs leave one day as I’ll probably not be back any time soon and something nice for Daddy might be ok. I’m in a hotel right next to The Bike Station (H10 Suites Lanzarote Gardens).
Can anybody post a strava route or similar for a highly recommended ride around this duration from CT?
Thanks
Rich.
If you’re bored, go to my strava and check out April 2018.
Loved the volcano park tour also the volcano lookout is cool:
I went to Club La Santa for my 50th birthday a couple of years ago.
Loved it.
We used the bikes they had, which were perfect for me. Superb swimming pools. Good running - trail and road. Either a triathlon, duathlon, 1/2 marathon, aquathlon etc. organised every morning.
-How’s the weather in late February? I don’t mind if its a little cool in the morning but wanted to make sure there is not a likelihood of alot of rain which would make long rides miserable.
Typically no rain. If, then one day and sunshine again the next day. I stayed a total of 50 days on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in Feb/March during the last years and had one day of rain.
Temperatures are typically nice. You can ride short/short and even go for wetsuit open water swims. I would say 18~25°C. Bring sunscreen.
HOWEVER: It is typically windy. All day long. I experienced pushing hard and going 15km/h one direction and flying easily 50km/h the other direction. Not a big issue for good training. Just need to know what to expect.
I have stayed a couple of times in Las Playitas on Fuerteventura. I can recommend. Also stayed in good hotels with a 25m pool in Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote. No personal experience with CLS, but only heard good (since the extension). Either way, cannot do any wrong with training on Canary Islands in Feb/March!
