Visiting Lanzarote In January wasn’t something I initially planned to do.
You see, I was due to fly to Turkey, but I woke up just two days before I was set to depart, to the news that my flight was cancelled. With time booked off work I was determined not to let my vacation days go to waste, and with London cold, wet and windy, I turned my attention to my good friend Google to see what the weather would be like in short-haul locations.
It turned out that visiting the Canary Islands in January wouldn’t be so bad, with temperatures of 21-24° expected for the week I was away. I had never been to the Canary Islands before so was excited to see what they had to offer and after having a look around the different islands, I booked flights to Lanzarote with Jet2.
Disclaimer: This post is an ad and is brought to you in collaboration with Jet2Holidays. But as always, all thoughts, opinions and ramblings will forever be my own.
Travel Times
With Covid-19 still looming, there was a little bit more paperwork involved, but not much—I just had to upload proof of my vaccination status to Spain’s Travel Health system and keep a copy of the email and QR code within easy reach for the day I flew.
Jet2Holidays offers various flights from London Stansted but it was my first time flying from the airport. Scared that London traffic would be, well, you know, London traffic, I left West London super early—a worry I need not have had, as traffic was basically non-existent. One thing I wasn’t prepared for though, is the shuttle from the terminal to the gates, so if you’re travelling from London Stansted, make sure you factor time in for this!
The Weather
Now, usually, the weather in the Canary Islands is pretty dang consistent.
I mean, with 21-24°c temperatures in Lanzarote in January?
Sign me up!
Unfortunately, I just so happened to be visiting during a calima of historic proportions, which is a weather warning for a sand storm that leaves a layer of dust from the Sahara over, well everything. Due to this visibility was bad, so bad in fact that our landing had to be aborted twice and we ended up landing on the nearby island of Fuerteventura.
Haze, dust, rain and strong winds? It wasn’t the winter sun I was expecting, but Jet2Holidays had me covered—sending regular updates via text message. Which was that prompt that the text announcements were providing updates quicker than the cabin crew could, and eventually, a few hours later, I touched down in Lanzarote.
So what’s the weather like in Lanzarote in January when there isn’t a spontaneous sandstorm?
January is technically one of the Canary Islands coolest months, but with a location that sits off the west coast of northern Africa, it tends to have warm weather all year round—with the average being about 21°c. However, the evenings tend to be a bit cooler (about 14°c) so you’ll want to pack a jacket and some trousers just in case you tend to feel the cold.
The Beaches
Lanzarote has quite a selection of beaches: with Playa Flamingo, Playa Blanca, Playa de Famara, Playas de Papagayo, El Golfo Playa del Reducto and Playa de Los Clicos (though not for a reason you’d expect!) being favoured as the most beautiful.
Beach-hopping wasn’t on my to-do list for this trip because of the weather, so I didn’t see a lot of them. However, I did enjoy those that Costa Teguise had to offer.
Playa de las Cucharas, Costa Teguise’s main beach, was the one closest to my hotel and featured a kilometre or so of fine sand. I imagine it’s an incredibly popular beach in summer, but due to the weather, it was beautifully quiet and was a nice place to watch as the choppy waves rolled in.
Playa Jablillo, a small horseshoe-shaped bay formed by a large barrier or volcanic rock, was also another beautiful beach, with those bold inviting shades of blue that you just can’t help but stop and stare at. Outside of this, there’s also Los Charcos and Playa Ancla—but to be honest you won’t have a hard time finding a beach to spend your time on!
Due to the weather, it wasn’t your average “let’s go swimming” beach vibe. But the area of Costa Teguise seemed to be a hit with people regardless, with many making the most of those waves and heading out on their surfboards.
The Hotels
The perks of staying somewhere during the low season are that you don’t have to deal with school holidays and annual vacations, and as such you get your pick of the crop when it comes to hotels!
I had booked a package holiday to Lanzarote which meant that my flights, hotel and transfers were included, and as such, it took approximately 20 minutes to get to the hotel from the airport. Until this trip, I hadn’t booked a package holiday since I was 17 years old, and I forgot just how easy it makes everything.
I decided to stay at the Melia Salinas through Jet2holidays, a 5-star adults-only hotel in the area of Costa Teguise and as I walked into the lobby the sound of running water and open-air instantly soothed me. The interior was luxe yet had this cool “abandoned and covered in greenery” vibe which brought a nice balance to the neutral tones. But if that’s not your vibe, take a look at Jet2holidays offering for the Canary Islands to see what other hotels take your fancy!
The Activities
You wouldn’t expect there to be many activities to do during the low-season, but visiting Lanzarote in January actually leaves you with a fair amount to choose from. Whether you want to explore the volcanic scenery with a trip to El Golfo or Timanfaya National Park, hike Montaña Roja or appreciate the views at Mirador Del Rio, you have plenty of options. And that’s before we talk about excursions! For that, there’s boat trips, beach days, vineyard and winery tours and—my personal favourite, a buggy trip around the island.
Due to the time of year, there are also season-specific activities, for example, music and film festivals and surfing. The best surfers in the world join the QUEMAO class to ride what’s known as the European pipeline which breaks on the island’s coast.
The Sunrise & Sunset
But perhaps my favourite part of visiting Lanzarote in January was the sunsets. Now, I can’t attest to whether they’re like it all year round, but during my time there in January, I saw some of the most insanely beautiful colours I have ever seen. Featuring creamy blues merging into burnt oranges with shades of candyfloss pink scattered throughout, it was incredible to witness—And that was with the haze!
