This hot and sunny island, with some of the best beaches in the Canaries and a dramatic island volcanic landscape, is just 120 kilometres off the African coast and the warm winds that blow from here are ideal for windsurfing.
Whether you want to relax on soft sands and soak up the sun or enjoy some superb water sports, Lanzarote is perfect. There are a number of scuba-diving schools, especially at Costa Teguise. Of course, if all you want is the occasional cooling dip, the clear turquoise waters are sure to tempt you off your sunbed. For an all over tan, head for the almost deserted coves around the Papagayo peninsula just around the headland from the sandy beaches of Playa Blanca.
If you haven't heard of Cesar Manrique before you visit Lanzarote, you'll certainly remember him afterwards. A local artist, he demanded that hotels and apartments should be kept low-rise and that local houses should be white-washed with jaunty green shutters. Wherever you go on this sunshine island, you'll come across his name and influence time and time again.
Choose your resort carefully. If you want to spend days seriously sunbathing and nights seriously entertained, Puerto del Carmen is buzzing until the early hours. Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca are much more low-key - a handful of bars and restaurants are pleasantly inviting but most holidaymakers opt for relaxed evenings centred around their hotels or apartments. Matagorda and Playa de los Pocillos are suburbs of Puerto del Carmen along the coastal road. Ideal if you want a more laid back atmosphere where you stay but still want easy access to all the amenities of Puerto del Carmen, the largest resort.
While we agree that one of Lanzarote's main attractions is its wonderful beaches, don't leave without a trip inland. The astonishing lunar-like landscapes of Timanfaya National Park are unforgettable, with hundreds of volcanic cones. For a memorable experience take a camel ride up the mountain. An unbeatable choice for sunshine, beaches and water sports.
