The short version: lanzarote-worth-visiting-escaping-the-resorts-for-the-volcanic-interior/”>Lanzarote’s pristine, whitewashed towns and lack of high-rise hotels aren’t a natural evolution of Canarian culture. They are the result of strict aesthetic laws forced through in the 1960s by local artist César Manrique. Leveraging the power of Franco’s dictatorship, Manrique held the island’s government to ransom, banning billboards and towering resorts to save the volcanic landscape from ruin.
On this page13 sections
- Why is it illegal to paint your door the wrong colour in Lanzarote?
- How did César Manrique enforce Lanzarote’s building height restrictions?
- What is César Manrique’s underground house like?
- How was a volcanic landfill transformed into the Jardín de Cactus?
- Why is it illegal to swim in the Jameos del Agua pool?
- Did Omar Sharif really lose the Lagomar mansion in a card game?
- Why is the Arrecife Grand Hotel the most controversial building in Lanzarote?
- How did Costa Teguise force mass tourism to adopt Canarian architecture?
- Why did César Manrique flee to Haria to escape his own tourist boom?
- Was César Manrique a visionary artist or a dictator of taste?
- Where to stay in Lanzarote
- Final thoughts
- Frequently asked questions
Lanzarote’s flawless whitewashed aesthetic isn’t a natural evolution of Canarian culture—it was forced upon the island in the 1960s by an artist using a dictatorship loophole. If you’ve ever marvelled at the pristine, low-rise uniformity of this popular holiday destination, you might assume it’s simply a happy accident. The reality is far more extreme. One man effectively hijacked the island’s political system to dictate exactly what could and couldn’t be built, banning everything from high-rises to pink front doors. Here is the bizarre truth behind Europe’s most tightly controlled tourist destination.
Why is it illegal to paint your door the wrong colour in Lanzarote?
It is strictly illegal to paint your door the wrong colour in Lanzarote because the island enforces rigorous aesthetic laws established by artist César Manrique in the 1960s. Houses must be painted white, and inland properties are legally required to feature green, dark brown, or black wooden trims to maintain a unified Canarian identity.
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Paint your front door the wrong color on this island and your neighbors will literally report you to the government. Welcome to Lanzarote, where the flawless, whitewashed aesthetic you see everywhere is not a happy accident or some natural evolution of Canarian culture. It was forced through by one guy who held the entire island hostage to his own personal taste. To see exactly how far these rules actually go, you just need to start in the old inland capital of Teguise. Looking around the historic streets, pretty much every single building is stark white with a mandatory green trim. How did one man become so influential that he was able to force an entire island to look like this? The answer lies back in the 1960s. Spain was still under the heavy hand of General Franco’s dictatorship, and the artist behind all this, César Manrique, found a rather convenient loophole. While he didn’t personally have a relationship with Franco, his friend did, and that friend was appointed the leader of Lanzarote by the regime. With the full power of the dictatorship behind him, they bypassed democracy to enact sweeping architectural policies. Houses must be painted white. Inland towns require a green trim, though dark brown or black doors are acceptable exceptions, along with natural stone. The enforcement mechanism is entirely social: if you paint your house pink, your neighbors will call the government, and you’ll be hit with a fine and ordered to change it. There are practical benefits, of course, as white reflects the intense heat, but the sheer scale of aesthetic control remains staggering.
How did César Manrique enforce Lanzarote’s building height restrictions?
César Manrique enforced Lanzarote’s strict building height restrictions—which effectively banned towering high-rise hotels—by threatening to permanently leave his native island. Because he was wealthy and highly influential, the local government caved to his demands and passed zoning laws to protect the landscape from mega-resorts.
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With the government rigidly backing his island-wide color scheme, César Manrique set his sights on an even bigger threat: the cheap, concrete mega-resorts that were popping up and ruining coastlines all over the rest of Spain. To stop that happening here in Lanzarote, he decided to play hardball. He promised to put the island on the global map, but only if they played strictly by his rules. He actually held the local government to ransom, threatening to pack up and move completely off the island where he was born (in Arrecife) if they didn’t agree to his blanket ban on billboards and high-rise buildings. You might wonder why authorities would care about one guy leaving, but Manrique was wealthy, influential, and boasted an inner circle of elite friends, including King Hussein of Jordan. The government simply didn’t want to lose one of the island’s most important and connected residents, so they caved. To understand the sheer audacity required to pull this off, you have to look at the house he used as his headquarters. He didn’t settle for a standard semi-detached villa. Instead, he built an unbelievable underground lair boasting over 3,000 square meters of space. The architecture is a breathtaking masterclass in integrating human luxury directly into the harsh, amazing dark volcanic rock of the island. It is an incredible space that proves the man dictating simple white boxes for everyone else was simultaneously crafting an extravagant, sprawling subterranean masterpiece for himself beneath the lava fields.
What is César Manrique’s underground house like?
To understand the audacity of Manrique’s vision, you have to look at his personal headquarters. Instead of a standard villa, he built a 3,000-square-metre complex integrated directly into a collapsed lava tube.
The underground lair seamlessly blends human luxury with the harsh, dark volcanic rock of the island, setting the standard for how architecture on Lanzarote should complement its dramatic landscape rather than pave over it.
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How was a volcanic landfill transformed into the Jardín de Cactus?
The Jardín de Cactus was originally an abused volcanic crater used as a local landfill for dead animals and household waste. Refusing to accept this, César Manrique personally excavated the rot and transformed the site into a multi-tiered, wind-sheltered terrace that now houses over 4,500 species of cactus.
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Manrique wasn’t just focused on building himself a unique underground lair; he desperately wanted to weave human life right into Lanzarote’s incredibly harsh volcanic rock. He had a habit of looking at the ugliest, most abused bits of the island and seeing immense potential. The Jardín de Cactus is the ultimate example. This site was an actual volcanic crater that was being used by the locals as a literal landfill site. Everything from dead animals and abandoned cars to household waste was just being dumped here. Refusing to accept that Lanzarote was an ugly island, Manrique was personally out here digging out all the rot, filth, and garbage. In its place, he constructed a sprawling, multi-tiered garden terrace designed specifically to shelter the plants from the relentless island wind. He turned an abused piece of the landscape into something deeply special and absolutely worth visiting. Today, there are over 4,500 different species of cactus planted here, ranging from creepy varieties that look like tentacles growing out of the ground to one hilarious specimen that perfectly resembles a wacky waving arm inflatable tube man.
Why is it illegal to swim in the Jameos del Agua pool?
It is completely illegal to swim in the spectacular underground pool at Jameos del Agua because the space is preserved strictly as an immersive piece of environmental art. The pristine, white-bottomed pool is not a functioning swimming facility, though local legend claims the King of Spain holds the sole legal loophole to take a dip.
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While sprucing up old craters was impressive, some of César Manrique’s most spectacular and ambitious work actually happened completely underground just up the coast. He managed to get hold of a collapsed section of a massive lava tube and turned it into Jameos del Agua, a brilliant subterranean space that feels like it was ripped straight out of a James Bond film. The entire concept behind this subterranean club is the flawless intertwining of human design, art, and raw nature. The underground water here is famously home to a species of blind albino crab that doesn’t live anywhere else in the world, though they are surprisingly tiny white specks rather than the large creatures you might expect. Further into the complex lies an absolutely stunning, pristine swimming pool set against the dark rock. However, despite being a beautiful and incredibly inviting pool, absolutely no one is allowed to swim in it—it is strictly illegal. It exists purely as visual art, with one incredibly specific and bizarre loophole: apparently, the King of Spain is the only person legally allowed to take a dip if he ever wants to.
Did Omar Sharif really lose the Lagomar mansion in a card game?
Yes, legendary actor Omar Sharif bought the stunning cliffside mansion of Lagomar in the 1970s, only to lose it in a high-stakes bridge game a mere two days later. The developer who originally sold it to him knew of Sharif’s gambling problem, challenged him to a match, and won the incredible property right back.
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You would be totally forgiven for assuming that every single decent bit of architecture on this island was César Manrique’s doing, but there are a few spectacular wildcards. Just outside the town of Teguise sits Lagomar, a phenomenal property carved right into the side of a bubbling cliff face. While it certainly looks like another one of Manrique’s Hollywood Bond-villain-style lairs, it was actually designed and built in the 1970s by his right-hand man, Jesús Soto. The architecture is totally crazy, featuring dizzying tunnels and beautiful outdoor spaces, but the story of how the property changed hands is even more legendary. The mansion was actually bought at one point by the famous actor Omar Sharif, who owned it for a grand total of two days before losing it in a high-stakes card game. The developer who originally sold the house to Sharif actually knew that the actor had a severe gambling problem. Being a champion bridge player himself, the developer challenged him, bet the house, and won it right back. Apparently, Omar Sharif was so incredibly upset by this loss that he never returned to the island ever again. When you walk through the stunning, maze-like grounds of Lagomar today, you can absolutely imagine why losing ownership of this place would be a gambling problem that stings for a lifetime.
Why is the Arrecife Grand Hotel the most controversial building in Lanzarote?
The Arrecife Grand Hotel is highly controversial because it is a towering 17-story skyscraper that blatantly violates César Manrique’s low-rise vision for the island. Built in the 1960s before the strict zoning laws were fully enforced, it stands as a massive, 54-meter middle finger to the aesthetic rules everyone else has to follow.
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While properties like Lagomar played nicely with the island’s overarching aesthetic, down in the modern capital of Arrecife, there is one massive, glaring exception. The Arrecife Grand Hotel is a monolithic monstrosity and the island’s only true skyscraper. Standing at 54 meters tall, it was built in the 1960s just before Manrique’s famously strict zoning laws were properly enforced. Unsurprisingly, Manrique absolutely hated this building, and a lot of the locals completely agreed with him. When the tower actually caught fire in 1999, many residents openly hoped that the damaged structure would just be demolished. Instead, the developers stubbornly decided to rebuild it, and today it stands as a giant 17-story middle finger to Manrique’s rules. It sticks out aggressively against the unspoiled, low-rise landscape, and having visited the rather mediocre restaurant up on the 17th floor, I would personally fully support knocking it down. But that towering hotel isn’t the only massive issue in the capital city. Manrique’s intense obsession with preservation actually created a massive unintended consequence for Arrecife. While his strict aesthetic rules work out beautifully for the mountain towns and the coastal villages, the building regulations in the capital are so strict and the red tape so thick that developers simply aren’t interested in investing. Any building with historical context absolutely must not be demolished, meaning developers are forced to use expensive traditional materials and techniques. Instead of preserving history, they just abandon the buildings, leaving them to rot and literally fall down in the middle of the city.
How did Costa Teguise force mass tourism to adopt Canarian architecture?
Realising he couldn’t stop the 1970s package holiday boom, César Manrique infiltrated the development of Costa Teguise. He ensured the massive purpose-built resort town featured absolutely no high-rises or towering concrete blocks, effectively forcing the lucrative mass tourism industry to adopt a traditional Canarian aesthetic.
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That giant, towering hotel in the capital proved one unavoidable fact: Manrique couldn’t hold off the modern world forever. By the time the 1970s package holiday boom was well under way, massive resorts were coming to Lanzarote whether he liked it or not. So, instead of fighting a losing battle against inevitable development, he figured he might as well get involved and infiltrate the enemy. This is exactly where Manrique’s vision collided with mass tourism in the purpose-designed resort town of Costa Teguise. He ensured that this major development had absolutely no high-rises and no towering concrete blocks, effectively forcing the lucrative hotel industry to wear a traditional Canarian architectural outfit. This stands as the ultimate compromise. Today, thousands of British families come here for their sunshine holidays, surrounded by what simply looks like a safe, beautiful Spanish village. Most of them probably don’t realize they are actually sitting inside a massive, island-wide art project designed specifically to protect Lanzarote from becoming just another tragically overdeveloped concrete coastline.
Why did César Manrique flee to Haria to escape his own tourist boom?
The aesthetic Manrique created for Lanzarote’s coastal towns became so wildly successful that it attracted thousands of tourists to his carefully curated home. Seeking peace from the crowds he helped draw, he was forced to retreat deep inland to the quiet, agricultural valley of Haria to build a new secluded house.
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Forcing the mega-resorts to adopt a low-rise, traditional aesthetic was a pretty smart move, and honestly, he completely saved the island from the fate of places like Benidorm. But there is a deep irony to his massive success. His nice, carefully curated home became so heavily marketed to tourists that he eventually had to run away from the very crowds he helped attract. Seeking peace and quiet, he ended up retreating deep inland, up into the lush valley of a thousand palms, arriving in the town of Haria. This town has always been the agricultural center of the island, and it was actually the exact place Manrique looked to for inspiration when he was originally dreaming up his inland color scheme with the green trims. Ironically, the flawless aesthetic he had created for his island had started to attract far too many tourists to his coastal strongholds, so he sought refuge in this quiet valley and built himself a completely new, secluded house away from the noise.
Was César Manrique a visionary artist or a dictator of taste?
César Manrique was undeniably a bit of both. He acted as a dictator of taste by using the authoritarian weight of the Franco regime to force his personal aesthetic onto an entire population, yet his uncompromising rules ultimately saved Lanzarote from becoming just another tragically overdeveloped, concrete coastline.
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So, the ultimate question remains: was César Manrique a visionary artist or a dictator of aesthetic taste? Honestly, he was probably a bit of both. He undeniably forced his personal style onto an entire population using the political weight of an authoritarian regime, but I actually really like what he was trying to do. His uncompromising rules leave Lanzarote with a completely unique identity that many other Spanish holiday spots have entirely lost to cheap concrete. He infused art into everything—even the public toilets in all these Manrique facilities feature interesting designs and perfectly framed views of the landscape. However, Manrique’s rigid design rules are really only half of the story of how this incredible island survived. To truly understand the raw, blackened, hostile landscape that he was fighting so hard to protect, you have to look past the architecture and investigate the apocalyptic volcanic event that nearly wiped this entire place off the map completely.
Where to stay in Lanzarote
Thanks to Manrique’s obsessive control, you won’t find yourself boxed into a towering concrete eyesore here, but that doesn’t mean the island is completely free of tourist traps. The southern coast is still heavily packaged resort territory. It is perfectly fine if you just want a reliable sun lounger and a cheap pint, but you will be entirely disconnected from the island’s weird, rugged soul. To actually experience the stark aesthetic Manrique engineered, you need to point your compass inland or north.
The sweet spot lies in the traditional whitewashed villages scattered across the interior. Out here, the accommodation shifts from mass-market buffets to boutique eco-retreats and converted rural fincas, all sporting that legally mandated green woodwork. You can find surprisingly affordable self-catering apartments tucked into quiet alleys, right up to high-end, brutalist-inspired private villas that feel like subterranean lairs built straight into the lava fields.
If you absolutely must wake up next to the ocean but refuse to deal with the resort crowds, look toward the raw, windswept western coast. It caters mostly to surfers with stripped-back, low-key guesthouses. Wherever you decide to base yourself, the island-wide ban on tall buildings means you are almost always guaranteed an unobstructed view of either the volcanic craters or the Atlantic.
Final thoughts
César Manrique’s heavy-handed aesthetic rules undeniably saved Lanzarote from becoming a concrete wasteland, leaving behind a completely unique, whitewashed island that feels like a massive, open-air gallery. Whether you view him as an architectural visionary or an arrogant dictator of taste, the results are spectacularly hard to argue with. For a closer look at his underground lair, the illegal swimming pools, and the bizarre cactus gardens built over landfills, check out the full video above.
Frequently asked questions
Who was César Manrique and what did he do to Lanzarote?
César Manrique was a visionary local artist and architect who used his political connections in the 1960s to implement strict, island-wide building regulations. He successfully banned high-rises, billboards, and mandated that all houses be painted white with green, brown, or black wooden trim.
Are there any high-rise hotels in Lanzarote?
Yes, but there is only one. The Arrecife Grand Hotel is a 17-story skyscraper in the capital that was built in the 1960s before Manrique’s strict zoning laws were fully enforced. It remains the tallest and most controversial building on the island.
Do you need a car to explore Lanzarote’s architecture?
Renting a car is highly recommended if you want to fully experience César Manrique’s massive island-wide art project. Having your own vehicle makes it much easier to visit secluded, spread-out spots like his underground lair, the Jardín de Cactus, and the remote valley of Haria.
Are there really blind crabs in Jameos del Agua?
Yes, the underground water at Jameos del Agua is famously home to a unique species of tiny, blind albino crabs. These rare creatures exist nowhere else in the world and live in the dark, pristine subterranean pools formed by the lava tubes.
Why does the town of Haria have so many palm trees?
Haria is situated deep inland in the ‘Valley of a Thousand Palms’ and has historically been the agricultural centre of the island. Its lush, green landscape is what originally inspired César Manrique’s mandatory green-trim colour scheme for Lanzarote’s inland towns.