Lanzarote’s Celebrity Visitors

 

The golden sands of the Lanzarote beaches have also been felt on the toes of some of the leaders of the globe. Ex-Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron and wife Samantha, were photographed holidaying on the island in 2016 enjoying an Easter break in Playa Blanca. Reportedly bumping into another celebrity figure, Scottish rugby star Jim Hamilton. Another world leader, Spain’s former ceremonial head of state, King Juan Carlos l has regularly paid visits to the island.

 

Lanzarote has also given the world a famous figure, too. Lanzarote native, César Manrique, was a famed sculpturist, architect and artist whose work will be familiar to anyone who has visited the Canary Islands. Manrique’s stern lobbying determined the future townscape of Lanzarote, successfully halting construction which he and the community deemed unsightly. Manrique can be thanked for Lanzarote remaining idyllic with uncompromised natural beauty – a sharp contrast to the tourist tower blocks which blight mainland Spain.

 

 

Lanzarote isn’t just a place for A-listers to wind down – from time to time, they’ve also found themselves on the job. Broken Embraces, a romantic thriller from Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar was shot on the island and released in 2009. Almodóvar’s decision to utilise Lanzarote’s beautiful environment wasn’t a bad one, with reviews praising the use of bright primary colours.

 

Earlier incarnations in Almodóvar’s filmography include artistic works with Antonio Banderas to his now signature style of bright colours, prevalent in the majority of Almodóvar’s work. His provocative storytelling technique has lauded him accolades such as the ‘most influential Spanish filmmaker since Luis Buñuel’ and he has worked with some of Spanish cinema’s biggest stars – including Penélope Cruz. The filming began Cruz’s love affair with Lanzarote, having returned on numerous occasions to bask in the scorching temperatures of the island.