Los Llanos Holidays

Travel Agent's View

Situated on the west coast of La Palma, Los Llanos is the largest and busiest town in the area. Within the recently pedestrianised town centre is Plaza de Espana which is the main meeting place for locals and visitors to watch the world go by whilst enjoying a drink or two. Here visitors will also find supermarkets, restaurants, many shops, cafes and a cinema. There are also several Internet cafes.

Los Llanos is a superb destination for a relaxing holiday for nature lovers and those who want to explore the surrounding area, be it by foot or bicycle. To explore slightly further afield, car hire is widely available and the local bus service offers a regular service to nearby resorts at reasonable prices.

Santa Cruz de La Palma airport is approx 38 km away with an approx transfer time of 45 minutes - one hour.

Insider's View

Los Llanos means “the plains” but it it's no flatter than the hillier bits of Norfolk. I don't believe there's anywhere you could put a football down without it rolling off. But it's nowhere near as steep as Santa Cruz, or most of the villages on the island, and it's much sunnier. In fact, the neighbouring municipality of Tazacorte is the sunniest place in Spain. Both Los Llanos and Tazacorte are full of banana plantations, taking advantage of all that sun and the water from the Caldera.

The old town centre, north and east of the main church is a maze of narrow streets still full of traditional buildings, and well worth exploring. My favourite spot is the tiny Plaza Chica square, which is more flower-beds than paving, and the restaurant on the square is pretty good, too. La Luna bar features live music and art exhibitions in another lovely old building.

Wrapped around the old centre like doughnut around the jam, the modern shopping centre is a good place for a last-minute sandals or a T shirt, but La Palma isn't really a shopping destination.

Argual, used to be a country estate with a sugar plantation outside the town. Today, it's a square of beautiful, old buildings, where they hold a flea market every Sunday. The glass-blowing workshop at the back of the square allows visitors to watch the vases and ornaments being made, which is mesmerizing. And the Palacio del Vino, also on the square, is a very good restaurant in a lovely old building.

The Balcon Taburiente restaurant on the edge of the town has a spectacular view over the Angustias ravine. Definitely not suitable for anybody who suffers from vertigo, but you might have trouble persuading a keen photographer to put the camera down and eat.

And down in the ravine itself lies the chapel of Las Angustias. It's a lovely little building, with a gorgeous painted coffered ceiling. But what British visitors will remember are the little wax models on either side of the altar. They are offerings, in thanks for answered prayers, including several tiny babies, hands, feet and breasts (medical cures, I assume.) All very exotic to my eyes. Insider Sig