IT was the actor and presenter Michael Palin who dubbed the island ‘Lanzagrotty’ (he has since apologised); the truth is that Lanzarote has never been grotty. Far from it. Of all the Canary Islands, it’s widely regarded as the most chic and lies firmly on the map of art and design lovers, thanks to a wave of creative boutique hotels, as well as venues, gardens and homes built by the 20th-century artist, architect and environmentalist César Manrique.
The grottiness that Palin—and the leader of the island’s local government, María Dolores Corujo (who afterwards said her words were misconstrued)—are alluding to is, in fact, limited to a very small part of the island, home to the main tourist hotels in the resorts of Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa
