Family Concerns

Lanzarote property is perennially popular with overseas investors. Not just because of the islands clement year round climate. But also because of the contribution of the island born artist and architect Cesar Manrique. Whose own incredible home built into five volcanic chambers still inspires buyers to seek out unusual Lanzarote properties for sale to this day.

Cesar Manrique´s surreal home in Tahiche – built into five volcanic bubbles – has blown countless visitors to the island away. And along with his many other creations on the island has encouraged thousands of expats to relocate to this tiny speck of Spain off the coast of Africa.

Manrique is the island born artist and architect who essentially saved Lanzarote from being buried beneath a sea of concrete when package tourism started to take of in Spain back in the 1970´s.

Manrique was born in the islands capital Arrecife in 1919 – and fell deeply in love with the natural beauty of the island as a young boy. On family vacations to the resort of Famara on the north-east coast of the island. Which is still widely regarded as one of the islands most breathtaking beauty spots.

Here, the young Manrique would spend hours gazing at the reflection of the cliffs of the Famara massif in rock pools – providing inspiration and sparking a creativity that would later repay the island in spades.

During the 1960´s Spain – under the aegis of General Franco – ran headlong into the arms of mass market tourism. With swathes of the countries southern coastline disappearing under blocks of high rise apartments and hotels.

At this time Manrique was working and studying in New York – and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Andy Warhol. But the artist was sensitive to the threat tourism held for his beloved island. And returned to campaign for a policy of restraint – the fruits of which are readily apparent to anyone visiting the island today.

There are, for example, no advertising hoardings – which are banned. All buildings must not be any taller than a Canarian palm tree – or three storeys high. And all of the houses on the island are painted white – to create unifying and aesthetically pleasing visual harmony.

Manrique also wanted to illuminate a path for future development on the island. As some locals were intent on pulling down their traditional dwellings to replace them with something more modern.

Manrique wanted to illustrate what could be achieved by fusing art with nature – and as a result stumbled across five volcanic chambers in Tahiche – where he created an incredible underground home. Which was to provide a blueprint for the creation of tourist attractions such as the Jameos del Agua.

Today – his house is home to the Cesar Manrique Foundation – which continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.