The purpose built resort of Matagorda is, for all intents and purposes, a suburb of the much larger resort of Puerto del Carmen, which is part of the municipal district of Tias along the southern east coast of Lanzarote.

Geographically Matagorda is approximately 8 miles south of the capital Arrecife, and around 3 miles from the Arrecife International Airport, making it possible for one of the shortest resort transfers on the island.

Realistically it should take no more than around 10 minutes from leaving the airport grounds to arrive in Matagorda, although clearly for those visitors who have paid the additional supplement for a tour operators coach transfer, the actual time of arrival at your chosen accommodation will vary upon the route taken and the number of prior stops made on the day.

For independent travellers there is always a multitude of taxis parked outside of the arrivals hall, although on occasions you should be prepared to wait your turn in a queue.

In theory at least these taxis should all operate on a fixed price basis, charging around 7€ for the short journey south to Matagorda, however experience has shown that this "fixed price" may vary slightly depending upon the number of suitcases, the time of day or night of the journey, and of course the number of passengers carried.

Also an important consideration for families with small children, is that these taxis do not as a rule carry child seats, therefore children may have to sit on their parent's knee for the journey. If this is a cause for concern, we strongly recommend that you make arrangements for a pre-booked taxi to be waiting for you, and clearly specify at the time of booking that a child seat is needed for the journey. Pre-booked taxis are often a little more expensive, although as with all things in life, you only get what you pay for.

For those visitors who have pre-arranged for the collection of a hire car from one of the numerous agencies based at the airport, driving over to the resort is very straightforward. The shortest and most direct route would be, as you leave the airport grounds to join the main LZ2 heading south, before then quickly joining the LZ-40 and LZ-504, which then takes you into the centre of the resort before continuing south through the district of Playa de los Pocillos, and finally onto Puerto del Carmen.

If needed, a more detailed version of this route, complete with links to maps where appropriate, is available from the Route Map link on the left hand frame of this page

Although the close proximity of Matagorda to the airport does have the benefit of a very short transfer time, it does however also mean that many visitors are likely to experience some degree of aircraft noise during their holiday here.

At its nearest point the resort is only a matter of a few hundred metres from the perimeter of the airport grounds, and it will certainly be worthwhile checking the comments of previous visitors to the resort before making your final choice of accommodation.

In all fairness to the authorities who run the airport, in order to minimise the disturbance, aircraft do tend to approach from over the sea, and as a consequence landings are somewhat quieter than takeoffs.

Despite the fact that Matagorda is very popular with British visitors, and the high numbers of both private holiday villas' and self catering apartments in the area, the resort does however, only has one commercial centre, this being the Commercial Centre Matagorda.

In all fairness there is a better selection of shops and SPAR type supermarkets that are built around 3 commercial centres in nearby Playa de los Pocillos, and these should cater for the everyday holiday essentials as most stock a wide selection of UK recognised branded goods, albeit at slightly higher prices than you would expect to pay back at home in the UK.

The underlying principle of consumer choice was once explained to me by a local shopkeeper as "if you don't like the price, you don't have to buy". However, the reality is that unless you have access to your own transport, and are prepared to travel out of the resort, "you do have to buy", which of course the shopkeepers are only too fully aware of.

Matagorda is one of Lanzarote's newest and most modern tourist resorts, with most of the area only being developed in the early 1990's to accommodate the increasing demand for holiday accommodation on the island.

Building work is still going in some parts on the outskirts of the town, although clearly the close proximity of the airport does effective restrict any further development northward.

Visitors here will however, almost certainly witness some degree of construction works going on at some point during their stay, although much of this is now low key and should not spoil a holiday.

In recent years development funds from the European Union have been used to create a wide traffic free promenade connecting Matagorda to Playa de los Pocillos and Puerto del Carmen some 3km to the south.

During the day, or early evening after dinner, it is a very pleasant stroll into Puerto del Carmen, although for those with mobility problems, or simply wishing a night out, a taxi ride is obviously much quicker and costs around 3 - 4€ each way.

Puerto del Carmen is widely recognised as being the most lively resort on the island, with numerous bars, clubs and restaurants centred around the Centro Atlantico area of the sea front "strip" Avenida de las Playas, and this is certainly the place to make for if you wish to dance 'til dawn.

Although only a couple of miles away from the action, Matagorda is however far quieter and more relaxed than its neighbour, which in turn is then reflected in its popularity with families with young children who prefer to sleep before dawn.

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This website was launched on 1 May 2002

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