Las Cucharas Beach

The wind is the first thing you feel, and it is why the water fills with kites and sails alongside the swimmers. Playa de las Cucharas is the main beach of Costa Teguise and looks it: a wide sweep of soft white sand with room to spread out, cut into sections by breakwaters of dark volcanic rock. Those black rock arms against the pale sand make the shot everyone takes.

The water is usually clear. Behind the beach runs a promenade of cafés, restaurants, shops and watersports outlets, pleasant for a walk even on a grey day, with the marina and the resort buildings close by.

• The same wind that brings the kitesurfers blows across the sand; other beaches in Costa Teguise are more sheltered from it.
• Lifeguards are on duty, and sunbeds can be hired on the sand.
• Free public toilets stand about 200 m away. There is no drinking water nearby, so bring your own.
• On some days the water carries sand and algae, and after heavy rain runoff can turn it brown and murky.

Two free car parks sit close to the beach, about 130 m and 210 m away in a straight line; one is compacted ground, the other asphalt. By bus, the stops Pueblo Marinero and Lanzarote Gardens are about 300 m and 340 m away. The promenade runs along the back of the beach, with cafés and shops on it, and a tourist information office stands about 280 m away.

Best: a sunny day, early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Avoid: the middle of the day in strong sun, and days of heavy rain.

The open sand has no natural shade and, as the resort's main beach, it fills through the day, while rain leaves the sand wet and clumpy and can muddy the water.