Posts Tagged ‘spain’

Planning Holidays In Lanzarote

Sunday, February 7th, 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 independently minded tourist there is a plethora of holiday villas in Lanzarote to pick from throughout the year.

The most colourful event of the year takes place next month. As the annual Carnaval season gets underway throughout February. And whilst not as riotous as Rio this event is still well worth a visit. Featuring brightly decorated floats, marching samba bands and a host of beautifully dressed dancers. The event rolls across the island throughout the course of February – with the biggest celebrations taking place in the oldest resort of Puerto del Carmen and the capital city of Arrecife.

May sees the arrival of over 1000 super fit athletes on the island. As the annual Iron Man contest gets underway. This is widely regarded as one of the hardest events of its kind in the world. Entrants have to swim 3km, cycle 180km and then finish all of that off with a full marathon. Many don’t even make the finish line but for the top 60 a place in the Grand Final in Hawaii beckons – along with a slice of the $75,000 prize money.

There’s no shortage of great music events on Lanzarote. With the Musica Canarias Festival taking place in February and Jazz Canarias hitting the island in July. Which showcases the best emerging talents from the world of jazz. In the past this event has featured performers such as the guitarist Kyle Eastwood – offspring of the famous actor Clint Eastwood - and the prodigious young jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding. All of whom appear free of charge in a big top erected in the main square in Teguise.

It’s also well worth booking up holiday apartments in Lanzarote during September. As the island plays host to the Costa Musica Festival. Which showcases an eclectic selection of dance orientated acts right on the beach at Playa Bastian in Costa Teguise. And in the past has featured acts such as the James Taylor Quartet and the Killer Barbies. Along with a host of leading DJ talent.

Click here for details of Playa Blanca villa Accommodation .

Eco Friendly Holidays in Lanzarote

Monday, February 1st, 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 accommodation contribute to lessening the eco footprint of the island.

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.

Whilst most villas in Lanzarote actually run on more conventional sources of energy, there are several which work entirely on these alternatives, and as a result can claim an excellent green pedigree. And as the technologies continue to improve, more residents are choosing to use wind and solar power.

Even Lanzarote’s attractions themselves blend in to their surroundings as much as possible, illustrating how important it was to the world renowned local artist and natural architecture visionary Cesar Manrique, to create visual harmony between the manmade and the natural. Such as the incredible Mirador del Rio which almost disappears into the rock cliff face it inhabits.

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 holiday accommodation can be found on the Lanzarote1.com website.

2010 Lanzarote Sunshine Breaks

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

There are many good reasons for booking a holiday in Lanzarote during 2010.As the most easterly of the Canary Islands is home to over 90 great beaches and enjoys great weather all year round. Whilst also hosting some fantastic fiestas and festivals throughout the course of the year.

There are plenty of places to stay. With lots of good quality hotels and holiday villas in Lanzarote available for rent in the three main resorts of Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise – as well as across the unique volcanic countryside.

Lanzarote car hire is very inexpensive too, so it’s easy and affordable to get around and take pleasure in colourful events that are going on.

2010 gets off with bang as the island plays host to the 26th annual Festival de Musica Canarias. A showcase of cotemporary classical music staged across all of the seven islands in the archipelago. Lanzarote hosts five concerts during the first month of the year – including performances by Sphera Antigua and the 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 villas to rent and other self catering Lanzarote apartments and villas on our website.

Sightseeing on Sunny Lanzarote

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

The Canaries are a chain of seven Spanish owned islands situated just off the coast of West Africa. A location that makes them very popular with tourists as they enjoy warm weather, loads of sunshine and very little rainfall all year round. This wonderful weather has helped the Canaries to become the second most visited holiday destination in Spain. With over 1.5 million tourists enjoying their holidays in Lanzarote – the fourth largest of the islands – over the course of last year alone.

So lets have a glimpse of the island and find out why budget holidays in Lanzarote never fails to be so popular and picking one of the villas in Lanzarote that the island has to offer is fast becoming the popular private accommodation choice for a good proportion of visitors to the island.

Lanzarote has a unique character and charm. And is much drier, more arid and barren than the other seven islands. Thanks to the fact that it experiences very little in the way of rainfall and boasts a volcanic terrain created by years of violent eruptions during the 1730

Want To Learn Spanish?

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

If you are interested in learning a foreign language, you might be interested in Spanish. Why do I say this? Only because Spanish is one of the most commonly studied foreign languages. Especially for English speakers, Spanish is a very popular choice.

In the United States in particular, Spanish communities have grown greatly in recent years leading to an even greater demand for Spanish speaking skills.

For this case, maybe you want to learn Spanish in order to better communicate on your job or maybe you want to make new friends with your co-workers.

Whatever the case may be, learning a new language can be a rewarding endeavor. This is not to say that it is an easy one, it can be very difficult to learn a foreign language. However, there are a few tips you can be aware of in order to improve upon the process.

Spanish is best studied a little bit each day just like all other foreign languages instead of studying it for a long period every once in a while.

The reason for this is because the longer you wait between study periods, the more you will forget and the more time you will thus need to spend reviewing instead of gaining new ground in the material.

This process of a little bit of study each day also increases your ability to adapt to the new language and so you are better able to get a handle on it than if you were to study it every once in a while.

For whatever reason you may be learning Spanish, I wish you the best of luck and a speedy process in learning it! Remember to study a little bit each day and you should continue to improve. Just keep at it and you will experience the many rewards that foreign language study can bring.

Robertson B. Kunz is the author of a language learning guide to help you get fluent in a foreign language faster. Visit his website to get more great information on learning languages. Also, find more great information on learn Spanish language.

Ibiza’s Towns And Villages In Rural Spain

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Ibiza’s Towns and Villages all fit into a space of 45km long and 25km wide which makes it possible for any tourist to frequent the entire Island during one vacation. This tiny Island of Ibiza has gained international recognition and is also a popular tourist destination.

The most fascinating part of this Island is Ibiza which is also the capital due to its continuous day and night vibrancy. Ibiza has everything to offer accept a beach but just around the corner you can walk to Talamanca which has an array of hotels and a soft shimmering sand beach.

Well worth visiting on the Island are other quaint little towns and villages like he beautiful resort of Playa d’en Bossa which will keep you entertained with its many clubs and bars and Figueretas which is a small village has an amazing selection of restaurants with fine cuisine as well as bars and cafes.

The second largest resort on the Island is San Antonia which has the most beautiful bays and sunsets in the Mediterranean. Santa Eulalia is the third largest and is more of a family resort as is the village of Es Cana known for its hippy market and small fishing harbour. Then two other really beautiful resorts for the family to visit are Cala Llonga and Portinatx where it is safe for children to swim due to the waters being shallow.

Other great villages and towns to visit are Cala Tarida, Puerto de San Miguel and Cala Vadella which are suited for family holidays and offer water sports. The beaches are protected as they are surrounded by beautiful cliffs.

A drive will not take you longer than an hour to any of these breathtaking towns and villages and one should not miss a drive through rural Spain’s countryside where one will also encounter the farmlands with their rows of lemon and orange trees as almond trees. Then a visit to San Jose is a must as this is a delightful little town situated on top of a hill. Once you have visited Ibiza’s Towns and Villages you will return time and again.

Tom Binns is a comic he has worked for many years on the Ibiza Boat Charter Life of Riley.