Last year when I was planning to race the Ocean Lava Triathlon on the island of Lanzarote, I found out about a Triathlon Villa. I was referred to the place by Dan Hawksworth. It was quite reasonable, around $120USD a night (£78 or £550 a week). I thought it was just going to be a place to stay for the race and that was going to be the end of it.
Upon arriving at the Villa, I found out it was more than just a place to stay. They provided transport to and from the airport, 3 meals a day, minus 2 nights out for dinner every 7 days. The 2 nights out were still reasonable at 25-30 Euro a night. The dinners at the Villa are always great, anything from Paella to a traditional style BBQ with steaks and burgers. They cater to everyone's eating needs, as you know triathletes can have quite the "dietary" restrictions. They also provide a fridge stocked with beer and a wine rack filled with wine. Not to mention, that is included in the price of your stay.
I have not stayed at the "other" resorts on Lanzarote that everyone talks about, so I cannot say whether they include what I have talked about above. But I can say the real kicker to the Villa is the family like atmosphere. The owners, along with the 2 employees, treat you like family. The kitchen and fridge are always open if you get hungry, the beer is always cold, and if you can't find something that you want and absolutely need it, they will track it down on the island for you.
The training is absolutely amazing on the island. Along with the 25 meter pool on site you can go down to the ocean for open water swimming. The van normally goes down for open water swims 2-3X a week and the pool is open anytime for swims, although I do not think it is lighted, so daylight swimming only. The riding is absolutely amazing and is bound to make you strong. From the long climbs to strong winds you can make it a brutal day around the island. The climb up Tabyesco is about 1.5 hour ride away and is said to be an hour long. There are a few shorter climbs within 30mins of riding that range from 5-20mins. If you want to avoid the climbing and wind for some reason, no worries they have 2 spin bikes onsite along with a trainer (turbo) for use.
The running is amazing as well, you can't really beat it. A lot of rolling hills with some steady long "false flats". They have routes right from the house from 5K-17K mapped out, and you can always adventure out on your own. You can escape to some dirt trails through the fields or run down a few kilometers and run along the ocean. There are two tracks within close proximity to the Villa, one is at a local school which is a short 20min bike ride and the other is a 15-20min drive in the van in Arrecife. They seem to make a weekly trip to the track and if you can't make it on that day you can always ride down to either of the tracks.
Wanting to race in Lanzarote rather than train? Well you won't be disappointed staying at the Villa. When I was there for Ocean Lava, all of the logistics were taken care of. They take you down to registration and the race briefing, race morning and post race transport, and then you also have some fans along the race course. They even have a plan if you want to race on the next island over in Fuerteventura. They will load up the van and take a short 30-40 min ferry trip across and set up lodging for the pre-race nights.
After finding all of this out on my trip back in late October, I knew this was going to be the place to go when needing to escape the winter of Oxford. So back in December, I knew I was in the UK for all of February and wanted to get away for a bit. So I booked a stay for 8 more days in Lanzarote, and of course I booked at Tri Sports Lanzarote.
For more information on Tri Sports Lanzarote and how to book, you can visit their website here: www.trisportslanzarote.com . If you have any questions about the Villa or training on the island feel free to email me at bw_tri@yahoo.com.
The Pool
BBQ Area
The Backyard
The Amazing Views
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