Lanzarote

There are three main towns In Lanzarote where the majority of people who visit stay:

Playa Blanca, Puerto Del Carmen and Costa Teguise.

Each is different and offers new and exciting things to do.

Accommodation in Lanzarote

The three primary accommodation types are apartments, villas and hotels. Shopping, restaurants and bars are easily accessible. Most restaurants stay open very late to accommodate those who enjoy their night life.

Playa Blanca is popular with those who take Lanzarote villa holidays but they are also available in the other areas.

Relaxation

Beaches are not in short supply - it is an island after all. Snorkeling, swimming and other water sports are readily available. Many sunbathers enjoy watching others enjoy the surf while they take in the Lanzarote weather and incredible scenery.

Nothing beats the total relaxation of a spa day. Local spas cater to seasonal visitors and provide a good way to relax and get away from it all. Sea water treatment centres are in high demand. Sea water is very soothing and therapeutic with a naturally calming effect.

Cafes, restaurants and bars are good places to catch some shade and relaxation. A cool drink helps keep the body hydrated while you enjoy the surrounding sights and sounds.

Sightseeing

Aside from waking up to the horizon outside the window, away from the beaches other locations are deserving of a tourist’s time. Playa Blanca’s new golf course and marina are two examples of the attractions in the southern part of Lanzarote.

Timanfaya National Park is a must see. Plan to spend at least a few hours and enjoy the restaurant if possible. Please keep in mind that you will be treading the top of a volcano and dress accordingly. It will likely be cooler than the rest of the island and rocky ground requires adequate footwear.

Castillo de las Coloradas gets its name from the colourful rocks on the coastline of Playa Blanca. The ruins of an historic castle that was built to help defend the island and its inhabitants from pirate attacks in the mid 1700s are just to the east of the Playa Blanca area.

One of the primary landmarks in the southern part of Lanzarote is the lighthouse, Faro de Pechiguera. Built in 1986, the lighthouse is of fairly recent construction and not that spectacular in itself.

The walk from Playa Blanca to the lighthouse however is absolutely amazing. The trek takes approximately half an hour, depending on pace and offers views of neighbouring islands Los Lobos and Fuerteventura.

Don’t Forget Sunscreen and Comfortable Shoes

The sun’s rays are well known to cause aesthetically pleasing tans as well as types of skin cancer. Take proper care of your skin while visiting the Canary Islands and take sunscreen. Drink a lot of fluids to prevent dehydration and take comfortable shoes.

Sandals and flip-flops are preferred summer wear for most people on their Lanzarote holidays. Some people even prefer to simply go barefoot.

Take more caution and be a little more practical when visiting all of the natural wonders. Hot sand can blister, slippery rocks may cause falls, and volcanic rock may cut your feet. You don’t have to wear them all the time, but you definitely need proper footwear while out sightseeing and exploring the delight that is Lanzarote.

Visit yourlanzarote.net for more information and social media like twitter for thoughts from those on their trip right now.

A good article has appeared in the Scottish newspaper, the Press & Journal, about golf holidays in Cyprus:

For years, Portugal and Spain have enjoyed something of a monopoly on the finest golfing destinations in the Mediterranean, but they may be about to face quite a challenge from Cyprus.

When it comes to golf, Cyprus is the new kid on the block – it boasts only three courses, but there are ambitious plans for another 14 in the next few years to turn the island into another golfer’s paradise.

If the impressive courses at Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and Minthis Hills are anything to go by, Cyprus is well on its way to becoming a utopia for golfers of all abilities.

I teed off my experience in the opulent surroundings of the Aphrodite Hills Resort, a fabulous five-star development on a plateau overlooking Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

This resort oozes elegance, with many of its 290 rooms and suites fit for a king, but it also boasts an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Cabell Robinson, Europe’s leading course architect.

It’s spectacular, but for 150 euros a round, you expect something special. Built on a mountain, it is separated by a dramatic ravine, so buggies are essential to complete the course in a day.

The drive from second green to third tee is about a kilometre in itself, but this is nothing compared with the perilous, rollercoaster-style descent to the seventh.

You drive your cart down narrow twists and turns, not daring to take your eyes off the road ahead, to reach a glorious tee shot over a 160m gorge towards a luscious green surrounded by olive and carob trees.

The next hole is again impressive, with the massive eighth green seeming to teeter on the edge of the Mediterranean. Every hole is an event in itself, and is a fantastic experience.

Aphrodite Hills has plenty for golf widows and families, too: it also features a first-class tennis academy, a beach club and a multipurpose sports court for children with anything from volleyball to mini-football.

The surrounding region of Paphos is steeped in local history and culture, too: taste the local vintage at a nearby winery and wine museum, or try the handiwork at workshops which turn out traditional Cypriot clay pots.

Completing our rounds in near darkness, we headed back to base, the five-star Columbia Beach Resort, in the picturesque coastal village of Pissouri, for a traditional Cypriot meze, a constant supply of small dishes of meat and fish, including delicious barbecued octopus, all cooked to perfection.

Smaller than Aphrodite Hills resort, the Columbia is equally luxurious.

With elegant suites around the main pool, a stone’s throw from the sea, this hotel is rightly regarded as one of the best in the region. After a day’s golf, what better way to relax than in the hotel’s spa, with highly trained therapists on hand to massage aches and strains away?

Next up was Secret Valley Golf Club, a short drive from Aphrodite Hills and a course within a colourful, picturesque valley – an “easier” proposition than the previous day, but hardly one to be taken lightly.

The course has a stunning new clubhouse, redeveloped in 2006, and manager Stelios Patsalides summed up the course perfectly: “The views of the surroundings, combined with the design efforts, create a unique and memorable golfing experience.”

Quite right. Although less glamorous, Secret Valley still had an air of grandeur in the setting of a natural amphitheatre with the hills looming up to create a bowl.

It felt the most “British” of the three – and the rain we encountered made us feel decidedly British, too.

While we got drenched by a heavy downpour – rare in these parts, but welcome for the rain-starved country – this was Cyprus, so we were soon dry and the round was completed in bright sunshine.

We then moved up the road to Paphos, a city festooned in history and an archaeology lover’s delight, whether it be the immaculately preserved mosaics at the House of Dionysus, near the popular harbour, or the World Heritage Site of the Tombs of the Kings.

Our home for the next couple of nights was the impressive Almyra Hotel, the first hotel built in Paphos in 1972. Originally the Paphos Beach Hotel, it was renamed Almyra after a huge renovation in 2003.

A very modern-feeling complex, the hotel offers the ultimate in “resort chic”, and our Aethon Sea View rooms resembled mini-villas with a balcony overlooking the sea. We lived like kings for two days.

One of the main selling points of the Almyra is the Almyra Spa, which promises “to create a holistic approach through health, beauty and fitness”.

With luxury treatments ranging from Fragrant Flower Rituals to Mountain Herb Retreats, the spa provides a pampering to ease any painful memories of poor shots on the fairways.

Our final golfing destination was Minthis Hills, near the village of Tsada, just 15km north-east of Paphos, another venue of breathtaking beauty.

Built in 1994 by Donald Steel, the course underwent massive renovation before reopening in June 2007. A new clubhouse is under construction.

The club’s temporary base, a ramshackle-style building, might lack the “wow factor”, but the course has that in spades. Afterwards, the clubhouse restaurant served a cracking mixed grill.

At 550m above sea level and with meandering hills all around, Minthis provides a stunning vista of the Cypriot countryside and offers a really challenging 18 holes.

The stand-out hole is the 14th, right on the edge of the course, where the tee has been cut out of the side of a hill, with a drive over a valley of out-of-bounds shrubbery and olive trees, with ominous perils awaiting those brave enough to have a blast at the hole perched above the valley some 250m away.

Just enjoying the beautiful Cypriot sunshine and countryside was a delight in itself, but to do it while playing a round was pure heaven.

If you are seeking a new challenge, Cyprus is definitely the place to take your clubs to. And make it snappy before the secret’s out about a new golfing paradise.

Time to go: Spring and early autumn – it’s not too hot and the island is in bloom. To read the full article click here

For more details about Cyprus, including reviews of the hotels in Cyprus visit yourcyprus.info

Also available are villas on and near golf courses, with some good offers for Cyprus villa holidays

Cyprus has centuries of history mixed with modern holiday facilities, great beaches and the Mediterranean, and the island has enjoyed a good tourist industry over the years.

But destinations newly offered in Europe to tourists has taken away some of her visitors to pastures new - notably Egypt and Turkey.

Last year the number of people taking holidays in Cyprus fell by over ten per cent, leaving many hotels with plenty of empty bedrooms and restaurants and bars taking on fewer locals.

A dual impact of the recession in Europe and the impact of the cost of Euros for British tourists can be identified as the reasons for the decline - holidays in Cyprus are as attractive as they have even been and the weather in Cyprus lived up to those who did visit expectations.

Apart from the volume of Europeans taking holidays anywhere last year falling for the first time in a long while, cheaper destinations outside of the Eurozone were promoted heavily by tour operators in the important UK market.

Hotels in Egypt and Turkey are less expensive than Cyprus, and while some savings are passed on by tour operators to the consumer, it is also more profitable for the tour operators to sell the Egyptian and Turkish hotels than the hotels in Cyprus.

But bad news for the Cyprus holiday industry isn’t necessarily bad news for the tourist - quieter restaurants, more space on the beach and some good offers for late booked Cyprus holidays all add up to why a trip there now will make sense for those who are considering it.

Villa holidays could well come down in price as well as specialist companies reduce their prices for villa holidays in Cyprus this summer and autumn.

A week’s holiday in Cyprus in June for example with Thomson Holidays starts from just over 400 Sterling a person - and that includes both flights and a hotel in Limassol, with transfers to and from the airport for arriving and departing flights to Cyprus.

And better than that even is from Thomas Cook Holidays who are offering seven nights with flights, with the hotel in Larnaca, at under 340 Sterling a person - cheaper than a lot of holidays at home!

Continuing with good value, James Villas are offering a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom villa within walking distance of the holiday town of Coral Bay - even with two adults it works out at less than 450 sterling a person.

A profile of the island is available by visiting http://www.yourcyprus.info