| Hotel Beatriz Playa | ||
| is quite simply a fantastic hotel for spotters. Located right next to the threshold of runway 03 and only a short transfer from the airport this hotel is hard to fault. When booking ask for a room on the third floor facing the runway. Room number 3086 seems to be a popular choice. From the third floor you will have great views of all arrivals and ample opportunities to get some great photos. Spotting is also possible from the poolside with just a small pair of binoculars required. It is possible to walk to the end of the runway, via the beach, for different photos and to read off anything you may have missed. If you are looking to get cheap car hire to explore the island we also recommend the Nova Car Hire price comparison site which usually brings up great prices. | ||
| Location: | *** | If we could give this hotel 4 stars we would!! It doesn’t get much better than this. You can spot from an airport facing room, the bar or take the walk to the beach and perimeter area for great shots. |
| Spotting: | *** | You won’t miss much staying at this hotel. Maybe worth consulting the Aena website for timetable information to plan your days. Ask for a third floor room overlooking Arrecife to get great views. Rooms 3028-3050 have excellent views of the final approach. Room 3028 is probably the best as you get views of the approach, but also the runway threshold allowing departures to also be read off.
Great views from the pool and bar area can also be had ensuring that you miss very little. Numerous inbounds to nearby Fuertenventura pass just to the south of the hotel at around 14,000 feet. Another report below from JF Elliott I stayed at this hotel for a week in December 2015. I wouldn’t give it four stars – one maybe. General comments : Lanzarote is a holiday destination and the vast majority of the traffic is Low-cost carriers and Tour Operators. Consequently ( apart from the local inter Canary Islands ATR72s ) there’s little to see here that you won’t see at your local Northern Europe airport. That said, spotting is excellent. The pedestrianised Avenida Playa Honda runs alongside the full length of the single runway, is clean and has plenty of seating. Photography is a different matter. The airport is surrounded by a double fence so unless you can make a pile of the volcanic rocks to shoot over these fences photography is restricted to approach shots to runway 03. In late afternoon this is excellent but during most of the day your subject will be contre-jour. The hotel : Beatriz Playa does offer excellent access to the Avenida Playa Honda but then so too do several other nearby hotels and self-catering apartments which are much cheaper. You mentioned spotting from the pool. As a general rule using binoculars and cameras in an area where women are sunbathing and children are playing is a bad idea. However innocent you are you’re likely to be viewed with suspicion. In this case the pool area is pretty useless as there are too many trees and it is much better to just go through the gate onto the Avenida Playa Honda. The rooms 3028 to 3031 are good, 3032 to 3051 are acceptable but all other rooms have poor or non-existent views. The hotel itself is average but is clean and the food is acceptable. But it’s stuck in a time-warp. Our room contained something I’d not seen for a couple of decades – a vacuum-tube TV! The ” entertainment ” consisted of 1970s tributes to Abba and ( I kid you not ) The Village People played at maximum decibels. In summary, if you can be sure of getting one of the rooms 3028 to 3031 consider this hotel, if not look for other accommodation in Matagorda. |
| Photos: | *** | Great photos are possible from the rooms or at the end of the runway as demonstrated below. |
| Value: | *** | Not overly cheap, but bearing in mind the location of the hotel it is well worth it. |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through Booking.com
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| Comment! | If you want to add or update anything, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page! | |
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| Landing shots can easily be taken from the Beatriz Bar area. Credit Steve Procter | Great photos can be taken from 3rd level airport facing room balcony’s such as this from room 3019. Credit Steve Procter. Visit Steve’s excellent flickr site here for more aviation shots | A long exposure shot from room 2015 shows the approach abeam the hotel from this landing Air Europa 737 (double click image for larger version). Credit Nick Preston. Nick’s flickr page here for more excellent aircraft shots |
Above : The view from the beach just a short walk from The Beatriz Playa (and other Matagorda hotels)
| Sol Lanzarote Hotel | ||
| in the quiet resort of Matagorda is a superb hotel for spotters. Reports suggest that room number 3412 is good for spotting and there are almost certainly others. From this particular room you get a side on view of the aircraft from your balcony. Spotting from the poolside is said to be a bit trickier as the palm trees by the pool can get in the way, but where there’s the will there’s the way! The hotel has three superb swimming pools or for those who fancy the beach (and no palm trees) then it is a 2 minute walk to the beach | ||
| Location: | *** | A superb location for spotters. |
| Spotting: | *** | As well as spotting from your room, the poolside or the beach, you can also walk to the end of the runway in just 15 minutes. |
| Photos: | *** | The opportunities for photos at the end of the runway are obvious. |
| Value: | ** | The hotel offers the choice of self catering or half board. Self catering prices start at £399 for a week rising to £569 in the height of Summer. Half board prices start at £409 for a week and rise to £629 in the height of summer. |
| Book: | For hotel booking and prices please visit the website of Booking.com
Package holidays can be booked through the following links |
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| Comment! | If you want to add or update anything, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page! | |
If you are looking to get cheap car hire to explore the island we also recommend the Nova Car Hire price comparison site which usually brings up great prices.
| Aparthotel Costa Sal | ||
| Is a large apartment complex located in Matagorda, ideal for families (and spotting). The apartments have two pools and wifi is available (reports indicate that the signal is good around the pool area however can be patchy in certain rooms. The food is reported to be of a good standard, alternatively there are lots of shops and restaurants only a short walk away in the resort. | ||
| Location: | ** | In the general vicinity of the Beatriz Playa featured above (the hotel is visible from certain rooms) |
| Spotting: | ** | Get a room with an even number in the 400 block and you will have views of the approach. The upper level is obviously the best, however the ground floor should still give adequate views. The pool areas should also give glimpses of the final approach. Room 402 has confirmed views and 2 balconys allowing different angles for photos |
| Photos: | ** | Good photos are possible from the room balcony’s as demonstrated below, however a 400 zoom lens is required for most medium sized jet aircraft. Late afternoons and evenings are the best time for phots as the sun finally moves behind you and the heat haze disperses. |
| Value: | *** | Great value, with studios from £35 a night |
| Book: | The hotel can be booked through Booking.com Package holidays can be booked through the following links
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| Comment! | If you want to add or update anything, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page! | |
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| Some apartments have 2 balconys. The above shows the side balcony view of the resort looking out towards the airport. Credit Steve Procter | Lanzarote gets a good amount of delivery traffic staging through as demonstrated above Credit Steve Procter. Visit Steve’s excellent flickr site here for more aviation shots | A front balcony shots from a room in the 400 range looking over the final approach. Credit Steve Procter. Visit Steve’s excellent flickr site here for more aviation shots |
OTHER MATAGORDA HOTELS
The Hotels.com site also lists other hotels in resort of Matagorda, all should be within 5 minutes of the action
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