Hi Mike ,I hire a villa every year in marina Rubicon. I always use revolut ,and another tip I always bring salt ,pepper tea bags and coffee with me .Also any dried spices ,as I find these items are quite expensive in the smaller shops .great video thanks .
Hi Mike, I hope you and Julie are all keeping healthy and you are having a lovely week so far. Another great genuine honest open conversation.thank you, Mike, for taking your precious time to putting out all the weekly videos, wishing you and Julie a positive week ahead, and I will look forward to watching and listening to your next video take care best wishes
Thanks for that Mike. Some good stuff there. One we would add having visited the island over many years, “If practical, use the local bus service to get to and from the airport””😅 Air port to Porto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. 1 tenth of the cost of a taxi and the views from the front seat of the bus is fantastic. Regards
Similar to the car, you can negotiate a rate for a bike rental also. So rather than a one day hire, you will get a good price on a week or two week rental period. Depending on the dealer of course but I have found Flintstone in Matagorda decent enough.
Hi Mike, really enjoying your posts, thank you. Quick question- I have seen in the UK press reference to an ongoing debate in Spain to introduce a tax on non EU people buying property. (Obviously this is linked to promoting affordable housing for residents. We have an Irish passport so this won’t affect us - but I wanted to ask has there been much comment on this and whether buying a holiday property in Lanzarote at the moment is a good idea given the current climate. We are 0:24 considering purchasing a holiday home and i wonder if there will be additional measures called upon by the government to discourage/ penalise non residents who own a home there. Thanks
@@SharonMcMurrough at this stage it’s just a proposal but if it does go through, it may reduce the amount of competition for other people’s holiday homes.
We always stay in The Lancelot hotel in Arrecife and find the cost of eating out is cheaper in Arrecife than in the resorts. Always use the local buses to get out and about.
@@billweatherley8335 no you need to go to estacion de guaguas in arrecife to get the forms supply photos . You may also need to go to the town hall to get a travel certificate xx
We always hire a car. Book your car in advance because they are in short supply when you arrive. Another vantage is when you have to leave your apartment at say 10am and your flight is later in the day, say 7.30/8.00 pm, You can hide your luggage in the boot and not have to cart it around all day. We have found AutoRisen is about the best and there are no (Added) charges. You pick the car up with say a quarter of a tank and return the same. Some charge for the fuel in the car and dont refund you for the fuel that is left when you return. AutoRisen is in all of the Canaries and once you have used them a few times they know you, You might get an upgrade now and then.
@@LanzaroteInformation Hi Mike, great video, useful as always! One thing is definitely book early as possible for best hire price; and availability; then once booked have a look every now and then try a dummy booking for your dates as prices do sometimes drop, then amend your booking and rebook at cheaper price. Most of the decent local companies offer this option and I've saved sometimes 50 to 60 euros on the original price!
Hi Mike just arrived in Costa Teguise staying for 3 weeks we are going to Mercadona Arrecife tomorrow do you know how accessible are taxis after a shop
@@DebbieTaylor-q2m I don’t know, but possibly, and if not "Necesito un taxi en Mercadona de Arrecife para ir a Costa Teguise, por favor.” Or you could ask a member of staff to call them for you.
We always hire a car, a small car (which is big enough for 4 people) costs us less than £300 for a month and allows us to travel all over the island and is much cheaper than taxis and organised trips. Also we have 2 British credit cards that do not charge for currency transactions which saves us money.
@@LanzaroteInformationNo worries. I’ve had some great deals ordering duty free to collect at the airport on the way out but no one wants to carry glass bottles on the journey.
If you are a Santander customer use a Santander cash machine they don't charge you, also do it without conversion and you will get the correct rate. It has been €1-20 for a while now
Well said, especially re: multi-currency debit cards. I’ve been using Revolut for almost 10 years, since it started in 2015 and I reckon it ‘saves’ £60-80 per £1,000 spent, versus using regular UK cards and/or getting Tourist rates for cash exchange. Nearing the end of our three weeks here, back to Poole on Thursday. As always it’s been fantastic. Coming back in November and for all of Jan 26 🥳 Not quite done yet though, off to Singapore for a week then on to Thailand for two weeks next month. Great channel Mike. Keep it up 👍
Good question! My guess, and I’ve never tested this, would be to use Euros if you’re on a flight from a European airline and Sterling on a UK based airline.
1. Your last tip should be the number 1 tip - PAY in LOCAL currency not £. Your UK credit card will use the mid wholesale exchange rate to convert, saving you at least 5% upwards to 15%. Ryanair use this trick to confuse people booking single trips from abroad. 2. Find a UK credit card that does not charge the usual 3% for foreign currency conversion - there are many from all the main UK providers, e.g, Barclaycard Rewards. 3. Pay by card whenever possible as obtaining cash in Euros either in the UK or Lanzarote involves hidden commission - just keep enough for tips etc. 4. As you said, a hire car can more than pay for itself, and you actually get to see the island and eliminate wasted time waiting for buses or excursions. Rik
My money saving tip is buy local brands. I sometimes see folk searching for things they would buy at home - these are more expensive than the local brands. Also buses are cheaper than taxis and walking is free and healthy.
Bread: At the Bodega Santiago restaurant in Yaiza we once refused bread. We were then served very rudely. In the end the bread was added to the bill anyway.
Yes..And shop in local (Spanish owned) supermarkets!! Support local small village shops , cafés..etc. outside of the crowded resorts there's much natural beauty,and genuine Canarian towns/ villages with lots to see,explore..safe+ happy!! :-) Great we had some rain recently for crops. ( Good channel btw) I noticed you take the time, and effort to answer ALL questions. Excellent!
Tried to charge us for the bread and they hadn't even brought it to the table. It was only 1.50 each but we asked them to take it off. Very cheeky. Halifax clarity gives good rate.
Great tips Mike. My three tips are as follows:- Try eating in restaurants slightly inland rather on the sea front - they are cheaper. If you are buying watches or jewellery, ask for their “best price”. They will not be offended and you will usually get a discount. If you are visiting the beach, check out the local tide times. When the tide is out, there is more beach and it will be less crowded. 👍👍👍
"Don't eat the bread", made me smile, around 10yrs ago we were with friends visiting Mariner Rubicon, we stopped off for lunch at one of the cafes/restaurants on the board walk with the glass panels looking down into the water, our drinks arrived, followed by one of the kitchen staff carrying two baguette,s, he broke the baguette,s in half and put a piece by each of our drinks, directly on to the table, the four of us glanced at each other, then at the member of staff, he looked at us then smiled, waved a finger and said No No for fishes!!!
Rather counter productive statements.. car hire, encouraging car hire is not the best idea, locals already complaining about congestion due to over tourism. Also, add car hire and / or a taxi to a large supermarket has no savings due to those cost unless your spending a huge amount of shopping . Most self catering would only shop for a few days at any one time.
Locals are also complaining about crowded buses and a lack of taxis, so it works both ways, Kim. Your other point is valid, but I’m confident our viewers are sensible enough to realize a “big shop” at a large supermarket will make more sense for a family of five here for two weeks, than for a couple staying for a week.
@@LanzaroteInformationMany locals use buses to get to work. I used to. And it's just my own opinion but more buses brings more problems. The roads ,not just congestion,but it's difficult keeping up with infrastructure as is. - And with say a family holiday,and several mouths to feed, A large basic necessities grocery store shop in Mercadona save a family lote of euros. As accommodation is v expensive. Yes.
Mike thanks, will be there next week, tips are very helpful.
Hi, great tips for our upcoming holiday and glad I chose you to sort out my car hire for full 20 days 👍
@@IANGAGA2010 Thank you so much for your support and have a fab time here!
Some good advice there for sure👍
Good information Mike thanks
Thank you Mike. There is a cheap petrol station in Arrecife Plenoil. At Las Maretas restaurant in Costa Teguise the bread and alioli is free.
Yes, good point about Plenoil. I forgot about them - our cars are electric.
Hi Mike ,I hire a villa every year in marina Rubicon. I always use revolut ,and another tip I always bring salt ,pepper tea bags and coffee with me .Also any dried spices ,as I find these items are quite expensive in the smaller shops .great video thanks .
In second week of a three week stay and have found all of your information really valuable so a big thank you
@@AlanThompson-c6u You’re very welcome. Glad it’s helped and enjoy the rest of your stay.
Hi
Mike, I hope you and Julie are all keeping healthy and you are having a lovely week so far. Another great genuine honest open conversation.thank you, Mike, for taking your precious time to putting out all the weekly videos, wishing you and Julie a positive week ahead, and I will look forward to watching and listening to your next video take care best wishes
Thanks for that Mike. Some good stuff there. One we would add having visited the island over many years, “If practical, use the local bus service to get to and from the airport””😅 Air port to Porto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. 1 tenth of the cost of a taxi and the views from the front seat of the bus is fantastic. Regards
Just opened a Wise account.Thanks for the tip! I will be there next week. Can’t wait!! 👍🏻😀
We always pay in Euros and use card that do not charge us to use them, you get a better rate of exchange. Great video thank you.
Similar to the car, you can negotiate a rate for a bike rental also. So rather than a one day hire, you will get a good price on a week or two week rental period. Depending on the dealer of course but I have found Flintstone in Matagorda decent enough.
Hi Mike, really enjoying your posts, thank you. Quick question- I have seen in the UK press reference to an ongoing debate in Spain to introduce a tax on non EU people buying property. (Obviously this is linked to promoting affordable housing for residents. We have an Irish passport so this won’t affect us - but I wanted to ask has there been much comment on this and whether buying a holiday property in Lanzarote at the moment is a good idea given the current climate. We are 0:24 considering purchasing a holiday home and i wonder if there will be additional measures called upon by the government to discourage/ penalise non residents who own a home there. Thanks
@@SharonMcMurrough at this stage it’s just a proposal but if it does go through, it may reduce the amount of competition for other people’s holiday homes.
We always stay in The Lancelot hotel in Arrecife and find the cost of eating out is cheaper in Arrecife than in the resorts. Always use the local buses to get out and about.
Yes, eating out is cheaper out of the resort areas, for sure.
Hi Mike, another excellent video thank you. You recently told us that residents can use the buses for free. We have TIE cards are these what we use?
You need to apply for a Bono Residente. You can apply online here: arrecifebus.com/bonos/
@@billweatherley8335 no you need to go to estacion de guaguas in arrecife to get the forms supply photos . You may also need to go to the town hall to get a travel certificate xx
We always hire a car. Book your car in advance because they are in short supply when you arrive. Another vantage is when you have to leave your apartment at say 10am and your flight is later in the day, say 7.30/8.00 pm, You can hide your luggage in the boot and not have to cart it around all day. We have found AutoRisen is about the best and there are no (Added) charges. You pick the car up with say a quarter of a tank and return the same. Some charge for the fuel in the car and dont refund you for the fuel that is left when you return.
AutoRisen is in all of the Canaries and once you have used them a few times they know you, You might get an upgrade now and then.
@@alamocannon3791 Good advice. We’re already really short of cars for our clients in March.
An excellent car hire company
Cicar car hire is excellent. They are at the airport. Book before you travel.
@ Yes, they’re one of the companies we work with, and they are excellent, but they can also be quite pricey.
@@LanzaroteInformation Hi Mike, great video, useful as always! One thing is definitely book early as possible for best hire price; and availability; then once booked have a look every now and then try a dummy booking for your dates as prices do sometimes drop, then amend your booking and rebook at cheaper price. Most of the decent local companies offer this option and I've saved sometimes 50 to 60 euros on the original price!
Hi Mike just arrived in Costa Teguise staying for 3 weeks we are going to Mercadona Arrecife tomorrow do you know how accessible are taxis after a shop
There isn’t a taxi rank there, so you’ll need to phone for a taxi on + 34 928.800.806 or +34 928.803.104 or +34 928.812.710
@
Thanks for that silly question but do they speak English
@@DebbieTaylor-q2m I don’t know, but possibly, and if not "Necesito un taxi en Mercadona de Arrecife para ir a Costa Teguise, por favor.” Or you could ask a member of staff to call them for you.
@ 👍👍
We always hire a car, a small car (which is big enough for 4 people) costs us less than £300 for a month and allows us to travel all over the island and is much cheaper than taxis and organised trips. Also we have 2 British credit cards that do not charge for currency transactions which saves us money.
Mike, how do you think UK airport prices compare on the way out to in resort? I like a Rum sometimes.
@@clairemariesmith100 I’m not up to speed on UK prices I’m afraid. Sorry.
@@LanzaroteInformationNo worries. I’ve had some great deals ordering duty free to collect at the airport on the way out but no one wants to carry glass bottles on the journey.
Get a Bus Bono card.Agree with all you have said and advised on video.
If you are a Santander customer use a Santander cash machine they don't charge you, also do it without conversion and you will get the correct rate. It has been €1-20 for a while now
If bringing only carry on case, can I buy duty free in resort & bring through security?
@@aileenoneill5619 No. you can’t take liquids through security currently.
Well said, especially re: multi-currency debit cards. I’ve been using Revolut for almost 10 years, since it started in 2015 and I reckon it ‘saves’ £60-80 per £1,000 spent, versus using regular UK cards and/or getting Tourist rates for cash exchange.
Nearing the end of our three weeks here, back to Poole on Thursday. As always it’s been fantastic. Coming back in November and for all of Jan 26 🥳 Not quite done yet though, off to Singapore for a week then on to Thailand for two weeks next month.
Great channel Mike. Keep it up 👍
Happy travels this year! We’re going to Thailand later in the year.
@@LanzaroteInformation currently enjoying a coffee at Bodéga Stravs and then maybe a stroll around and lunch in Haria or Teguise.
can you recommend a car hire company that doesn't freeze a ridiculous amount for a deposit.
Yes: lanzaroteinformation.co.uk/car-hire/
When you're flying between countries say UK and Spain, when buying a drink or lunch which currency do you use when asked euros or pounds??
Good question! My guess, and I’ve never tested this, would be to use Euros if you’re on a flight from a European airline and Sterling on a UK based airline.
Local buses are dirt cheap
Buy a general bono card for the buses and when you spend on bus fares, you get 10% discount off the fare
I have a chase bank account US based bank but trades in the UK, most countries currencies will convert no fee
1. Your last tip should be the number 1 tip - PAY in LOCAL currency not £. Your UK credit card will use the mid wholesale exchange rate to convert, saving you at least 5% upwards to 15%. Ryanair use this trick to confuse people booking single trips from abroad. 2. Find a UK credit card that does not charge the usual 3% for foreign currency conversion - there are many from all the main UK providers, e.g, Barclaycard Rewards. 3. Pay by card whenever possible as obtaining cash in Euros either in the UK or Lanzarote involves hidden commission - just keep enough for tips etc. 4. As you said, a hire car can more than pay for itself, and you actually get to see the island and eliminate wasted time waiting for buses or excursions. Rik
My money saving tip is buy local brands. I sometimes see folk searching for things they would buy at home - these are more expensive than the local brands.
Also buses are cheaper than taxis and walking is free and healthy.
@@janiceelsdon9883 Good tip about local brands!
Bread: At the Bodega Santiago restaurant in Yaiza we once refused bread. We were then served very rudely. In the end the bread was added to the bill anyway.
@@guido426 That’s a surprise. We’ve always had great service there.
Hire cars from local firms
Yes..And shop in local (Spanish owned) supermarkets!! Support local small village shops , cafés..etc. outside of the crowded resorts there's much natural beauty,and genuine Canarian towns/ villages with lots to see,explore..safe+ happy!! :-) Great we had some rain recently for crops. ( Good channel btw) I noticed you take the time, and effort to answer ALL questions. Excellent!
Tried to charge us for the bread and they hadn't even brought it to the table. It was only 1.50 each but we asked them to take it off. Very cheeky. Halifax clarity gives good rate.
Dine and Dash...............😀
Great tips Mike. My three tips are as follows:-
Try eating in restaurants slightly inland rather on the sea front - they are cheaper.
If you are buying watches or jewellery, ask for their “best price”. They will not be offended and you will usually get a discount.
If you are visiting the beach, check out the local tide times. When the tide is out, there is more beach and it will be less crowded.
👍👍👍
All good ones, thank you!
"Don't eat the bread", made me smile, around 10yrs ago we were with friends visiting Mariner Rubicon, we stopped off for lunch at one of the cafes/restaurants on the board walk with the glass panels looking down into the water, our drinks arrived, followed by one of the kitchen staff carrying two baguette,s, he broke the baguette,s in half and put a piece by each of our drinks, directly on to the table, the four of us glanced at each other, then at the member of staff, he looked at us then smiled, waved a finger and said No No for fishes!!!
Doggy bag if you don't have eat everything!
Rather counter productive statements.. car hire, encouraging car hire is not the best idea, locals already complaining about congestion due to over tourism. Also, add car hire and / or a taxi to a large supermarket has no savings due to those cost unless your spending a huge amount of shopping . Most self catering would only shop for a few days at any one time.
Locals are also complaining about crowded buses and a lack of taxis, so it works both ways, Kim. Your other point is valid, but I’m confident our viewers are sensible enough to realize a “big shop” at a large supermarket will make more sense for a family of five here for two weeks, than for a couple staying for a week.
@@LanzaroteInformationMany locals use buses to get to work. I used to. And it's just my own opinion but more buses brings more problems. The roads ,not just congestion,but it's difficult keeping up with infrastructure as is. - And with say a family holiday,and several mouths to feed, A large basic necessities grocery store shop in Mercadona save a family lote of euros. As accommodation is v expensive. Yes.