Escape to Lanzarote

As the wintry weather continues to bite in the UK thoughts turn to sunshine and holidays aboard. With the Canary Islands proving the closest destination to markets such as the UK and Germany. And one of the cheapest winter sun options too. For example holidays in Lanzarote start from as little as £250 per person – a figure that includes both flights and accommodation. And which in the UK would barely buy a return train ticket from London to Scotland. But with the guarantee of much better weather. This clement climate is created by the fact that these seven Spanish islands are located off the Atlantic coast of Africa.

As a result the temperature here hovers in the low 20s even during December and January. And flights to Lanzarote take just four hours – making it easy to escape to this semi tropical island. All passengers find themselves touching down at Arrecife airport which is the only international terminal on the island. And which is coated around 3 miles outside of the island capital city of the same name. Unlike many other airports there is no shuttle bus service to the main resorts. So visitors have to either queue for taxis or hire a car. There are plenty of Lanzarote car hire offices in the main arrivals hall – as well as in all of the main resorts on the island. Around half of all tourists stay in hotels – with the remainder seeking out self catering accommodation.

Thanks to the growth of the internet there are plenty of places to stay – with good quality Lanzarote villas and apartments available across the island. For those who want to do more than sunbathe at the beach or by the pool Lanzarote offers a real wealth of things to see and do. Visit the number one attraction of the Fire Mountains – which are where over 300 volcanoes erupted during the 18th century. Transforming the interior of the island into a lunar like lavascape. Or hunt down the visitor centres which were created by a local artist called César Manrique during the 1970´s and 80´s.

These all utilise the islands twisted volcanic terrain to great effect and sights such as the Jameos del Agua and the Mirador del Rio feature on the itineraries of most visitors to the island. Hire car is the best way to explore Lanzarote but for those who don’t enjoy driving when abroad there are still plenty of guided tours of the island. These are usually divided into a north and south tour – and both are well worth signing up for.