Lanzarote | H10 Rubicon Palace, Playa Blanca & Arrecife!

If you're following me over on Instagram (via @aglassofice), you'll notice I've been completely obsessed with Lanzarote over the last couple of weeks since ending last year on the island!  The 'winter sun' trip with my partner was planned fairly last minute, and by last minute I mean about a full month in advance.  I just love making lists and plans and that usually takes advanced planning, you know?! As it so happens, being a little more spontaneous and not scheduling every second of the day turned out to be the very best thing. With a few days to play with, we set about finding the perfect balance between exploring the island, and soaking up the slow pace the warm location had to offer.  From relaxing in the spa to darting across the island on the back of a scooter...

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H 1 0   R U B I C O N   P A L A C E   H O T E L

T H E   W E L C O M E

Although Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa, it doesn't take as long as you'd think to reach the location! After setting off, just four hours later and we found ourselves travelling past inactive volcanos in the back of a taxi towards H10 Rubicon Palace Hotel.  The five-star seafront resort was our first choice for accommodation thanks to its fabulous reputation and fresh, modern aesthetic.  With champagne and orange juice provided next to reception upon arrival, it became very clear we were in for a treat for the next few days!  

H10 Rubicon Palace Hotel
Urbanización Montana Roja, 
s/n, 35570
Las Palmas
Spain  

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H 1 0   R U B I C O N   P A L A C E   H O T E L

T H E   S U I T E

Okay, moving on to the juicy stuff.  The suite!  To our absolute delight we were allocated a suite in the most gorgeous villa looking directly out to sea; complete with sitting area, bubble bath, dressing room and terrace!  Funnily enough, having browsed online beforehand to take a peek at the hotel, this was the very same suite I'd been swooning over just days beforehand. The perfect stay? For sure!  

I'll admit, at times it was pretty hard to tear ourselves away from the comfort of our suite to actually explore the island!  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I adore luxury accommodation.  The sense of comfort it provides, and the element of safety it ensures you'll come back to at the end of each day.  My favourite aspect?  Soaking in the giant bubble bath after laying on the beach for a while.  Bliss. Especially when you know it's freezing cold and raining back at home!  

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H 1 0   R U B I C O N   P A L A C E   H O T E L

T H E   R E S O R T

Okay, one thing that will tear me away from the comfort of a suite is... breakfast!  The choice was incredible; pretty much any and every food you can imagine was on offer each morning.  Ughhh those waffles were SO good!  Visiting in December allows for short sleeves, bare legs and afternoons spent lounging in the sun.  Just... don't dive into the outdoor pool if you're visiting in December.  Although having said that, this didn't stop my partner from plunging into the water.  Trust me, it was impressive.  Thankfully, that's what spas are for!  Turkish bath, steam room, warm plunge pools, sauna and so much more.  You name it, they've got it.     

Something I'd imagined when venturing over to Lanzarote was whitewashed building contrasting with the fields of black ash.  After all, it's an island born of fire!  I wasn't disappointed, not at all.  Even the architecture at H10 Rubicon Palace reflected this image I'd been holding in my head, making it the perfect transition each overnight stay before heading back out into the island to explore...  

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P L A Y A   B L A N C A

Deciding on which island to stay was probably our most difficult decision, and one that was eventually prompted by the hotel we'd chosen to make our accommodation for the trip.  One word: paradise.  The resort's garden leads directly out onto a promenade that takes you to the very heart of Playa Blanca.  We were fortunate with the weather and so much of our time was spent walking alongside palm trees admiring the sea (and usually with a snack in hand!).  Even in winter it was quite busy during the day, however as soon as the sun started to set we'd be left with most of the sea front to ourselves!  Funnily enough, by 11pm there was never another soul in sight.  Midnight walks underneath the stars, hand in hand?  Oh yes, every single night!  

Some of my favourite sights in Playa Blanca included the love locks found behind a large rock (which uhh... isn't that informative considering the entire island is literally covered in rocks).  A quick search online will tell you many people have objected to this over recent years, and although I've never actually created a love lock myself, there's no denying they make a pretty lovely statement, right?! I mean, just look at all of those sweet declarations of love!  Another of my favourite sights was each evening's sunset.  The pace the sun would set was incredible; spend a minute looking for your camera and you'd miss it.  Come to think of it, Playa Blanca felt very romantic in the evenings, something made all the sweeter by being on the island with my partner.

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E X P L O R I N G   T H E   I S L A N D   |   S C O O T E R   R E N T A L

Okay, let's pick up the pace!  We set aside one day in particular to explore as much of the volcanic island as possible; from morning to night.  We hired a scooter, put on our helmets and set off underneath the sun!  I'd never been on a scooter before and so I was moooore than happy to hold on to my partner from the back.  My advice?  Try it!  It's an incredible feeling speeding along with the road stretching out in front of you as far as you can see!  We managed to tick an incredible amount of activities off our wishlist this way, and in the space of just one day! 

We happened to stumble across a beautiful location complete with volcanic views about halfway through the day's journey.  Centro de Artesania and Cafe Antigua Escuela offered food, boutique shops and a beautiful courtyard where you can sit and enjoy delicious traditional food and at a very reasonable price!  Fast forward an hour and it was time to hit the road again, this time... up a volcano!  We drove alongside coaches to reach their waiting bay and from there headed further up to the more remote areas of volcanic ash for an audio guided tour. It's like nothing I'd ever seen before, and exactly what I'd imagined when we'd booked the trip to Lanzarote!  Once again, as the sun set the island became more beautiful than ever; romantic and deserted.  We were able to drive miles and miles by scooter without coming across another soul.  My favourite moment?  Discovering a small cave and emerging to to see the burning sunset shown below (a few images down!).  That's a memory that will stay with me forever.

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A R R E C I F E

Okay, so uhh...  guess who got the flight times wrong and made us head to the airport an hour late?  Yeah, not my finest moment! Thankfully, this provided us with the perfect opportunity to explore Arrecife, home to the island's main airport - but believe me when I say, it's so much more than that!  By this point we'd come to take the sunshine for granted and continued to walk alongside whitewashed buildings and clear waters filled with fish before coming across a sweet restaurant to enjoy tapas together.       

As always is the case with the last stop before heading home, it felt bittersweet.  The boats bobbing up and down on the water, the sight of the sun setting behind the buildings and the smell of so many different foods made me long to stay on the island for another day, or week... or month!  Lanzarote offers a beautifully slow pace and relaxed attitude; it's the kind of destination we all need to retreat to every now and again to remind ourselves of how calm life can be with a dose of sunshine.  Put it this way, just a week later we were inspired to book a summer trip to Bologna and Florence!  

This was the first overseas trip with my partner, and what a beautiful trip it was!  Lanzarote will now always have a special place in my heart.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the island.  Have you ever visited?  Let me know in the comments below!

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With love,

Gabrielle x