Easter in Lanzarote

If you're looking for sun at Easter time, then the Canaries are a pretty sure bet. Lanzarote is the most northern of the Canary islands, and with Fuerteventura directly to its south, it could easily be combined as a twin centre. (there are frequent ferries) We however decided to stick to Lanzarote for our 8 day holiday. We opted for Costa Teguise on the east coast of Lanzarote, just a short 20 minute hop from the airport. Costa Teguise is a smaller resort than Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen to the south and has a really lovely relaxed feel, its very popular with families, and has a couple of beautiful sandy beaches. We stayed at the H10 Suites, Lanzarote Gardens, which is a 3 minute walk from Las Cucharas beach with numerous shops, bars and restaurants within easy walking distance. Things I especially loved about the hotel: It has a baby club as well as kids clubs for various ages 3 pools (2 heated) aswell as 2 playgrounds Great choice of food with plenty of fresh fruit and salads, and a separate buffet area for young children Spacious suites with comfy beds, plenty of storage and a microwave and fridge. Really friendly and helpful staff 3 minutes walk from a beautiful sandy beach. Interconnecting rooms available. A balcony to enjoy a tipple or two. It was full of families, so definitely not the place to come if you want to avoid children, but if you do have kids, especially young ones, this is the place for you.

Our days were spent mostly on the beach and by the pool, but we did hire a car and venture out for a day and I'm really pleased that we did. Lanzarote has an almost wild west feel about it, with cacti and volcanic landscapes, there is certainly plenty to see and do. Top of the list has got to be Timanfaya National Park, the Volcanic National park, with amazing moonscape type scenery - not that I've been to the moon. :) You can drive to the visitor centre, where you are put on a bus that drives you around the narrow roads of the National Park, with commentary and photo ops along the way. This takes about 40 minutes, and then once back at the visitor centre, they conduct a few experiments to demonstrate that the earth is indeed bubbling hot just a few metres down, beneath your feet. There is also a cafe that serves drinks, snacks and lunch. And of course a gift shop where you can buy a whole array of volcanic related items. Next, it was the camel stop, which the kids were especially excited about. I'm not keen on animal tourism, however these camels looked happy and healthy, Or as happy as a camel ever looks I guess. We went on a short 20 minute camel ride up a hill to see some views and back down again. The kids were especially happy when their camel, which was in front of mine, weed and nearly got me in the face. Then we were off to see Playa Blanca - one of the main resorts on the island. It felt a lot busier than Costa Teguise, but also has a lovely sandy beach and this is also where you can catch the ferry to Fuerteventura. We stopped briefly at Papagayo beach on our way home; its a bone rattling 15 minute drive along a dirt track, but is a beautiful little beach, worth the effort, if you have a car. Then back to the hotel. Overall we really enjoyed our week in Lanzarote - it has beautiful landscapes if you want to go out and explore, but equally is perfect if you just want to fly and flop. Hasta la Vista Lanzarote!