Playa Blanca is Lanzarote's newest resort. Tourists come for the white-sand beaches at Punta de Papagayo, which can only be reached by driving on hard-packed dirt. The town beaches are small sandy coves, often packed to bursting in the summer. Apart from the few large hotels that dominate the east side of the beachfront, accommodations are all inside freestanding houses. The town itself is small, stretching along the sea from the lighthouse in the west to the marina (Marina Rubicón) in the east.
Just north of Playa Blanca lies Lanzarote's agricultural belt and wine country: La Geria. Here, scraggly vines erupt from pits of lapilli or “picón” soil ringed by volcanic rock. These crude stone walls have been used for centuries to shield the vines from the wind. Farmers in this area often cover the topsoil with a layer of ash to allow easy filtration and retention of dew and water, another age-old viticulture technique.
