Sun Park Living for the over 50’s in Playa Blanca is something very different and really rather special.

It’s a totally new concept to Lanzarote – it’s a “Home from home” for the over 50’s to enjoy staying on the island on their own terms.

It is a self service and self catering accommodation within a holiday environment and enclosed in a self sufficient community of english speaking 50+ people.

Sun Park is a large former holiday complex of apartments with private terraces or balconies surrounding a pool area and communal gardens.

But the heart of Sun Park is not the buildings, it’s the community of people from diverse backgrounds, who live there for all or some of the year. Some choose to rent an apartment all year round and even decorate and furnish it to their tastes, popping over whenever they want to. Others come for a few weeks at a time, and leave their personal belongings (free of charge!) in storage, between trips to the island.

All get involved, to a greater or lesser extent, in the Sun Park Living community and they are affectionately known as “Sun Rockers.” The Sun Rockers have created their own community newsletter, the shop there and the cafeteria are also run by them, together with many events and activities, like the yoga classes and film nights. There’s plenty planned for the future, including a micro brewery, which sounds like fun!

But all of this isn’t just for residents of Sun Park. The team there actively encourage people who aren’t staying there to come along and join with the community. Their aim is to make Sun Park the island’s community hub for active retired people, even if they already own their own home in Lanzarote. There’s a regular Friday Social gathering when the doors are open to anyone from 1000 until 1400, so feel free to go along and meet all the Sun Rockers.

The concept is the dream of Gil Summers and Patricia Dominguez and we first visited at the planning stage several months ago. It was enlightening to meet them and a few of the Sun Rockers to see that the dream has become a reality. For some people, it’s clearly a place where they can enjoy all the benefits of their own home in the sun, without the disadvantages of maintenance, capital investment and the responsibility of property ownership. The monthly rental for a fully furnished one bedroom apartment is under £500, and remember, the unique aspect is that people can choose to decorate or furnish it as they wish!

We particularly liked Gil’s comment that Sun Park may have limited accommodation, but it has an unlimited community. People there really seem to be reinventing themselves, discovering new hobbies, friendships and pastimes, with all the positive health benefits that brings.

We’re excited about Sun Park Living – it’s not for everyone, but it’s something completely different, and we can see it growing in popularity as both a place to stay, but more importantly as a social hub for the many retired people who choose to enjoy their later years in our fabulous climate.

You can hear from a resident and see some of the resort in this short video: