by CanaryIslander on January 28, 2010
Thinking of booking a holiday in Lanzarote this year? Plenty of other tourists did just that during the course of 2009, with the island welcoming just under 1.4 million tourists last year. An impressive figure given the impact of the credit crunch and the weakness of the pound.
Despite these factors around 750,000 tourists from the UK are expected to visit the island during the course of 2010. Around half of them will book self catering accommodation – such as villas in Lanzarote – direct online. With many booking specific dates to coincide with one of the many fiestas and festivals that take place on the island every year.
For independent tourist the islands many self catering Lanzarote villas available at sensible prices during the summer or winter months.
In February Carnival sweeps across the island – bringing work to a halt for at least a couple of weeks. With events taking place in different locations and on different dates. This is arguably the most colourful and best attended event of the year and attracts huge crowds. Featuring cleverly decorated floats that wouldn’t look out of place at the Notting Hill Carnival, massed ranks of drum bands and hordes of dancers dressed in real Carmen Miranda fashion. With plenty of riotous dancing and drinking.
May sees the arrival of the annual Iron Man event on the island. This triathlon is widely regarded as one of the toughest competitions of its kind in the world. And little wonder as entrants have to complete a course that includes a 3km swim, 180km bike ride and a full marathon. Phew! It’s no surprise then that so many competitors never even see the finishing line. With around 10% of all entrants dropping out before completing the course.
Lanzarote is also a great destination for music lovers too as there are concerts and festivals taking place throughout the year. Among the best is Jazz Canarias which visits the island every July. And which showcases some of the best young talent from the world of jazz. In previous years featuring free live performances from the likes of the guitarist Kyle Eastwood –offspring of the famous actor Clint Eastwood. All of which takes place in the atmospheric setting of the historic former island capital of Teguise.
September is also a great time for booking holiday apartments in Lanzarote. As the Costa Music Festival takes place that month. Bringing an eclectic mix of live dance acts and top DJ talent to the beach at Playa Bastian in Costa Teguise. And like so many other events on the island this is also entirely free of charge – attracting crowds in their thousands.
Click here for details of Playa Blanca apartments and villas .
by CanaryIslander on January 16, 2010
Planning a holiday in Lanzarote during 2010? The fourth largest of the Canary Islands offers a host of great beaches and wonderful weather all year round. As well as a whole raft of colourful fiestas and festivals.
There are plenty of good accommodation options available on the island too. With villas in Lanzarote priced from around €350 per week and rental properties located in all of the main resorts as well as across the countryside.
Car hire in Lanzarote is also very affordable, so it’s easy and affordable to get around and enjoy fiestas and festivals that are going on.
The year kicks off in style with the Canarian Music Festival. A prestigious event that is staged across the entire island in the archipelago, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy some of the best classical music sounds around. With Lanzarote playing host to performers such as The Prague National Chamber Theatre Orchestra.
Carnaval kicks off across the island in February. And whilst the celebrations are not quite as riotous as in Rio they still attract thousands of revellers. With many holidaymakers planning their holidays in Lanzarote around this colourful event, which pretty much brings work across the island to halt for a couple of weeks every year.
Carnaval is staggered – so it takes place in different towns and resorts on different days. The biggest and best events take place in the island capital of Arrecife and the oldest resort on the island of Puerto del Carmen. Where huge decorated floats and marching batacuda drum bands beat out a frenetic rhythm. Attracting thousands of residents and tourists alike – with many donning colourful costumes and partying late into the night.
During May Lanzarote is the venue for one of the toughest triathlons in the world. As the annual Iron Man event gets underway. With thousands of super fit competitors taking place in a gruelling contest that includes a 2km swim and 180km bike ride. Which is then topped off with a full marathon along the main seafront promenade in Puerto del Carmen.
Corpus Christi is one of the most colourful festivals on Lanzarote. And is celebrated by the creation of unique carpets of coloured salt. Each municipality has a team of participants with their own specific designs and the best displays can be viewed in the capital of Arrecife and the historic town of Teguise.
You can find details of Lanzarote luxury villas and other Lanzarote apartments and villas on the Lanzarote guide book website.
by CanaryIslander on January 15, 2010
The Canarian island of Lanzarote is one of the few European destinations that already have several green credentials under its belt. Whilst this may surprise some visitors, there are several good reasons why this is the case, due largely to the island’s climate and position.
One major factor in Lanzarote’s favour is its closeness to the rest of Europe, with most major cities only four hours or less away. Meaning that fuel consumption on flights to and from the island is less than half that used on flights to the other popular winter sun destination, the Caribbean.
Even the Lanzarote holiday villas contribute to lessening the islands carbon footprint.
Across the island many of the apartments and villas on Lanzarote already use solar panels to produce heated water for their swimming pools. Whilst larger consumers of water, such as the island’s two golf courses, use recycled liquid to ensure that demand on the desalination system is kept to a minimum. Wind power is also popular, with several large turbines generating a proportion of the island’s electricity and smaller turbines used individually.
Water recycling has long been in vogue, due to the fact that there is no natural source for fresh water on the island. Instead, tap water is produced by a desalination plant that draws in seawater and extracts the salt from it. Which makes larger consumers, such as golf courses, much more careful with their water usage when keeping their greens irrigated.
But it isn’t just power generation that makes Lanzarote an environmentally sound tourist destination. As the island has also developed its resorts and attractions in ways that minimise the impact on the scenery and surroundings thanks to the vision and resourcefulness of the internationally renowned artist and architect Cesar Manrique.
These factors combined have turned Lanzarote into an ideal holiday destination for the environmentally conscientious. There are even several places to stay that run entirely on solar and wind energy, as these alternative sources of power have gained in popularity and effectiveness in recent years. Making eco holidays in Lanzarote a reality.
More detailed information about available Lanzarote holidays can be found on the Lanzarote1.com website.
