This guide is built from the live property pages and booking engine of Lanzarote Retreats — sleeping capacities, inclusions, distances and prices come from the operator, never invented. We have not stayed in these homes ourselves; we research them and send readers.

What Eco Can and Cannot Mean on a Flight Holiday

We live in Rovaniemi, so any holiday in the sun starts with a flight of roughly six hours from Helsinki, or about four from the UK. A stay at an eco village does not erase that, and we would be suspicious of anyone who said it did. What a place can honestly do is make the week itself lighter: less energy, fewer disposable things, more money going to local people, and a home built from what was already there.

That is how we have read Lanzarote Retreats’ pages. We have not stayed at any of their homes, so this is a guide to the operator’s published claims and what they imply for you, not a verdict from our own bed. Where we cannot check something, we say so.

It helps to know the island’s context: Lanzarote is the driest of the Canaries, with January averaging 18 °C and about 16 mm of rain according to the operator’s weather table. Sunshine is the obvious resource, and it is the one Finca de Arrieta leans on.

How the Off-Grid Village Works

Finca de Arrieta, in the fishing village of Arrieta in north-east Lanzarote, was where the Braddock family started Lanzarote Retreats in 2007. The operator describes it as 21 self-catering homes, yurts, stone cottages and villas, running off-grid on solar power, with a generator as back-up when the sun is not enough. The shared pool, 13 m by 2.5 m, is solar-heated and open all year, and each home has its own gas water heater for hot water.

Importantly, the operator says the energy systems are modern, so you can use ordinary electrical appliances. What you will not find are high-consumption items: dishwashers, TVs, electric kettles, electric water heaters, high-watt bulbs and irons are not fitted. Hairdryers are available on request rather than provided. In practice this means a stove-top kettle, hand-washing up and a different evening routine, which we think many families would find a pleasant change and some would find tiring after a week.

Guests are asked to be mindful of electricity use, which is a reasonable thing to ask of anyone on a solar system.

Materials and Buildings: Stone, Reclaimed and Upcycled

The second half of the eco story is how the homes were built. According to the operator, the Finca uses local stone and reclaimed materials. The Eco Luxury Farmhouse5% off · code inside is described as built with locally sourced materials including the original stone walls, the Eco Garden Cottage5% off · code inside uses wood and local stone, and the Eco Tower5% off · code inside is a converted windmill styled with wood, glass and local stone. The Eco Luxury Villa5% off · code inside was recently renovated, in the operator’s words, with a strong commitment to sustainability.

Away from the Finca, the Vineyard Cottage5% off · code inside in Tabayesco is a container conversion, an upcycled build among terraced vines, and the Eco Fisherman's Cottage5% off · code inside sits right on Arrieta harbour as an off-grid cottage. We like that these are existing structures given a second life rather than new-build resort blocks.

A fair caution: terms like sustainable are the operator’s own descriptions, and we have no certification to point to for the buildings themselves.

Plastics, Local Shops and the People Behind It

On plastics and community, the operator states that it is a signatory of the UNEP/UNWTO Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and of the Future of Tourism Coalition, and that it supports local businesses and tradespeople. We cannot audit any of that from here, but the practical signs are visible in the listings: a 24/7 honesty shop on the Finca for basics, a welcome pack of cava, water, milk, wine, coffee and tea, and beach towels provided so you do not pack your own.

For you, the easiest lower-impact choices are small ones. Eat at the seafront fish restaurants in Arrieta, buy from the village supermarket and the Haría market rather than flying in groceries, and bring a refillable bottle. The operator also lists extras such as guided hiking and biking, wine tasting and yoga, which keep your spending on the island.

The Finca also keeps animals: donkeys, chickens and fresh eggs, which children enjoy.

Getting Around Lighter

Transport is where an island holiday often undoes its good work. At Finca de Arrieta there is a bus stop on the main road by the Finca, and Lanzarote Retreats arranges private airport transfers for the Finca and several other homes with 48 hours’ notice; the package includes a complimentary 5-seater car, hybrid where possible, for up to 7 days.

If you would rather not drive at all, two homes in Costa Teguise are worth a look: The Beach House5% off · code inside, which the operator places about 100 m from the beach and which has a solar-heated plunge pool, and the Ocean View Penthouse5% off · code inside, an apartment in the same resort. Costa Teguise is a purpose-built resort rather than a village, so it feels different from Arrieta, but it makes a car-free week realistic. Here is how some of the homes compare on the operator’s eco-related features and our October quotes for 2 adults:

These are the cheapest 7-night quotes for 2 adults the booking engine gave us on 23 October 2026, so your dates will change them.

What It Feels Like to Live With Less

The part we would plan for is evenings. With no TV and no air conditioning or heating, the operator says the climate stays between about 18 and 28 °C all year, and yurts are double-lined, so you rarely need either. Evenings between October and March can be cool, and the operator’s packing advice is a fleece and a light waterproof.

Pack a torch for the tracks at night, a wetsuit if you want long Atlantic swims, and sun protection even in winter. Swell on north-facing beaches can be strong, so watch the flags.

None of this is hardship. The operator’s own description of the Finca includes a play park, giant chess, ping-pong and a communal chill-out area, so the evenings are designed around being outside and together. Children tend to adapt faster than adults, and a week without screens is, for many parents, the main attraction rather than the cost. If you are travelling with a baby, the operator’s free travel cot, high chair, changing mat, potty, toddler step and baby bath mean you can pack lighter, which is its own small saving on luggage weight and airline fees.

A practical checklist for a lower-impact week:

• Bring games, books and a speaker rather than screens
• Plan hot showers and laundry around the sun
• Use the honesty shop and village shops for food
• Ask for a fan if a warm spell arrives

Questions to Ask Before You Book

Before paying a deposit, a short message to Lanzarote Retreats clears up most things: how the generator back-up is used in winter, whether your chosen home has a gas or solar hot-water set-up, and how the extra beds are arranged for your party. Remember the deposit is 30% and non-refundable, with the balance due 30 days before arrival, and the operator recommends travel insurance.

It is also worth asking about the minimum stay: Finca de Arrieta accepts flexible arrival days with a 3-night minimum, or 2 nights if you arrive within a month. A longer stay is better for the footprint of the flight, and Lanzarote Retreats offers a linen change and mini-clean mid-stay for stays over 8 nights.

What We'd Book, and How to Book With Our Codes

For a first eco stay we would choose the Eco Luxury Villa5% off · code inside for a family, or the Eco Tower5% off · code inside for two. Our Stays in Lanzarote hub lists every home we have covered, and until 18 December we would favour booking your winter-sun week now, because the best weeks go early.

Book on lanzaroteretreats.com and enter the code at checkout. Use code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for stays until 18 December 2026 (Christmas and New Year excluded) or HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY275 for stays from January 2027 — 5% off either way. We never take payment ourselves.

We are Lanzarote Retreats’ affiliate partner and may earn a commission on bookings made with our codes — the 5% discount is yours either way.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

We have not stayed at Finca de Arrieta, and an eco label is only as good as the detail behind it. What we can say from the operator’s own pages is that the detail is there: solar power, a solar-heated pool, local and reclaimed materials, a plastics pledge, and homes that ask you to live with less. The trade-offs are real, and we think they are part of the appeal.

If that suits you, start with the Eco Luxury Villa5% off · code inside or the Eco Tower5% off · code inside, and take the Vineyard Cottage5% off · code inside if you want something upcycled. Use code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for stays until 18 December 2026 (Christmas and New Year excluded) or HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY275 for stays from January 2027 — 5% off either way.

5% off · reader codes below

Our lower-impact Lanzarote Retreats picks

Tap a home to see live availability and the exact price for your dates on the operator’s own site. At checkout enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 for stays until 18 December 2026 (Christmas & New Year excluded) or HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY275 for stays from January 2027 — 5% off either way.

eco villa · ArrietaEco Luxury VillaSleeps 4 adults + 2 children · From €237 per nightCheck availability →eco cottage (tower) · ArrietaEco TowerSleeps 2 adults + 1 children · From €127 per nightCheck availability →cottage (container conversion) · TabayescoVineyard CottageSleeps 2 adults · From €186 per nightCheck availability →cottage (off-grid) · ArrietaEco Fisherman's CottageSleeps 2 adults + 2 children · From €223 per nightCheck availability →

We are Lanzarote Retreats’ affiliate partner and may earn a commission on bookings made with our codes — the 5% discount is yours either way.