Lanzarote

I had already been to Tenerife and Gran Canaria and so was interested to see how Lanzarote compared.

We stayed in the resort of Playa de Los Pocillos which is on the outskirts of the main tourist area of Puerto del Carmen. It is only a 10 minute transfer from the airport which makes this resort even more desirable. I must point out that whilst you can see aeroplanes coming in, they are in no way intrusive. We stayed at the 4 star Los Jameos Playa which offered superb food and accommodation in lovely surroundings.

Playa de Los Pocillos is a lovely more relaxed area with its own selection of shops, bars and restaurants and once you venture a little further into Puerto del Carmen then there is a huge choice from gift shops to designer stores. There is also a casino and nightclubs for late night entertainment in Puerto del Carmen. I was pleasantly surprised with Lanzarote as it was a lot cleaner and tidier than I expected. It was very hot because it was August, but there was always a nice breeze and although it was over 30 degrees everyday it was never uncomfortable.

Lanzarote is a volcanic island and is very desolate inland, with hundreds of volcanoes scattered throughout the island. The beaches are clean and the sand looks lovely, but because it is a volcanic island you do look like you are covered in mud once you step out of the sea.

The resorts are geared up for cycling and it’s easy to hire bicycles. We hired a tandem and managed to cycle beyond Puerto del Carmen and up to the airport in the opposite direction. Because the area is mostly flat we also hired Segway’s and did a Segway Safari. This was great fun and if you have teenagers with you they will love it.

On Sundays they hold a local market in Teguise. We purchased bus tickets for just 4 Euros each and they collected us around 9.30 and brought us back around 1.30. The market is quite big and has lots of local suppliers offering a whole host of things. If you have smaller children there is a water park in Costa Teguise. It was ok, but not the best water park I have been too. It's ok for a few hours of fun and smaller children will appreciate it but older children will soon get bored.

Another excursion we chose to do was a day trip to Fuerteventura. Having never been, I was eager to see what the beaches were like as they are supposed to be the best in the Canaries. We went over by catamaran. The trip was not too bad going but it was very choppy on the return which I believe is normal. The boat docks in Corralejo which I felt was a little tacky and didn’t have the same feel as Lanzarote. The beaches however were amazing with beautiful white sand and blue waters.

In summary Lanzarote turned out to be my favourite Canary Island. I liked how clean and tidy the island was, the cooling breeze, the choice of shops, bars and restaurants, the flexibility to visit other islands and the entertainment for all ages. Add to this that there is no time difference and short transfers, then it’s great for young families. It also offers some of the best value for money in Europe.