Boost for Costa Tequise market

 

All the family love to browse and haggle in a traditional Canarian market, and now the weekly Thursday market  a 10 minute walk along from Sands Beach Resort hotel, is getting a top up of customers from visiting cruise liners.

The arts and crafts market has been running barely 2 years in Pueblo Marinero on the Avenida Las Islas Canarias but has 28 regular stalls selling locally produced goods. It’s reputation, and stock, is growing and will further increase with 300 cruise ship passengers now being bussed in free from Los Marmoles by the local council.

The market starts at 10am and runs into the afternoon, the free buses will make 4 regular round trips to ship in the mainly German and British cruise liner passengers. The Pueblo Marinero setting is perfect as it is by the main post office and the tourist information office, so it’s an ideal chance to get your holiday postcards and presents sorted at the same time.

El Golfo, a beachfront vision in Lanzarote

If it’s contrast you want, then Lanzarote can provide a spectacular choice. Across the island from Sands Beach Resort hotel, on the south west coast is El Golfo, where a volcanic crater meets the open sea.

The side of the crater exposed to the sea has been eroded into bizarre shapes and stacks and forms a natural amphitheatre as a backdrop to the ocean. The colours are amazing, the reds and browns of the rocks, the black sand of the beach and the deep blue of the rolling sea. Inside the crater is a small lake, La Laguna de Ciclos which is a distinctive bright green due to the algae in the water.

All this is close to a small fishing village with great fish restaurants and small souvenir shops. There are a couple of car parking areas so you can go off and explore on foot and most half or full day tours include El Golfo on their itinery. It’s a world away from the luxury of Sands Beach Resort hotel, but one you will be glad you stepped into.

Family holiday wonders - below Lanzarote

Sitting around one of the many swimming pools at Sands Beach Resort hotel, enjoying modern holiday luxury, it’s difficult to imagine the honeycomb of lava tunnels under Lanzarote. The best way to find out more is to visit the biggest of them all, the 7 km tunnel from Volcan de la Corona, and give your senses a treat at La Cueva de los Verdes, the Green Caves.

The caves are in the northern tip of Lanzarote and were once a hiding place from invading pirates and slave traders. These days they welcome visitors to see the amazing shapes and patterns carved by the flow of the hot lava some 4,500 years ago. As if natures wonders were not spectacular enough, artist Jesus Soto added his own touch with eerie lighting. That first touch of art has been built on by the Lanzarote government and now music is also added to give a complete sensory display.

The lava formations are equally fascinating to geologists, artists and tourists and arouse different responses from each visitor. Your camera and mind will be working overtime appreciating this insight into Lanzarote’s unique past.  

Rugby bonds expats in Lanzarote

The lure of Lanzarote’s warm climate attracts people from across the World, and many holiday makers stay and settle, adding their contribution to the islands culture. Sport of all kind flourishes here and Lanzarote rugby club is a great example of this.

In 2005 a keen group of British, Argentinian and Spanish players formed the club and it has gone from strength to strength, with a large youth section giving it a real family appeal. Home for the red and blacks is Argana Alta, inland from the capital Arrecife and away from the beachfront that attracts the majority of visitors. 

Under Irish coach, Leroy Heatley, they have become an important part of the sporting scene and play in a league with sides from the other Canary Islands from December to April. If you fancy taking in a game, try their website or ask at Sands Beach Resort hotel reception.

Family holiday hotspot - that’s Lanzarote

Arrecife airport enjoyed a bumper January with a passenger increase of 7.8 % on January 2007, making it the leading Canary Island at the start of the year. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has already been enchanted by Lanzarote and seen the many attractions the island has to offer.

The airport may be small but it’s modern, efficient and well placed as a gateway to the island. If your heading for Sands Beach Resort hotel in Costa Tequise, you will be pleased to know it is just 10 kms away, that’s about half an hours drive or around 18 euros in a taxi.

There’s no need to worry that a big increase in visitors may spoil the charms of the island, there’s plenty of beaches, traditional villages and family attractions to go around. Take Sands Beach Resort for example, six plazas complete with their own pools and a beachfront lagoon with a sandy crescent, ensures that all the family gets a chance to relax. See you soon.

Serve up a tennis ace at Sands Beach Resort

How about a spot of friendly family rivalry on the tennis court? With such wonderful holiday weather in Lanzarote, a challenging game of tennis in the sunshine, could be just the thing you need and Sands Beach Resort hotel has a court waiting for you behind the Hacienda restaurant.

Don’t worry if you haven’t brought your racket with you, they can be hired along with balls for a refundable 30 euros deposit from reception. The court will cost you just 5.50 euros per hour, all you need to bring is your enthusiasm.

Tennis is just one of a range of sporting facillities for those who want to balance their relaxation and good eating with some regular excercise. The tennis court is open daily from  9am to 8pm and it’s a great way to keep yourself in shape whilst having fun. Once you have got all hot and hungry, that can be offset with a dip in one of the pools and a snack or meal at the Mai Tai pool bar and restaurant. Over to you - the balls in your court.

A walking holiday in Lanzarote

 

No one could blame you for just wanting to laze by any of the six pools or the beachfront lagoon at Sands Beach Resort hotel, but if you want to step out and explore Lanzarote by foot, you will find plenty of great walks.

The island government has just pledged 250,000 euros to improving 24 routes to make them easily accessable and well sign posted but there is already enough choice to make the island a walkers delight. In the north you will find Haria, an unspoilt and hilly landscape, walk through the valley of 1000 palm trees and smell the wild flowers that bloom there. In the south Yaiza is a gateway to the Timanfaya national park with it’s walkways through the lava landscape will lead you to hidden gems like El Golfo, the volcanic bowl by the coast.

How about a beachfront walk? 

If the beachfront is more your thing, how about a 9km (5.5miles) walk from Puerto del Carmen to Arrecife. This will take you along the edge of the wide sandy beaches and the rocky coves, passing through Playa Honda and several small exclusive beaches like La Concha. This walk is suited for all the family, and as the main bus route runs parallel to the shore, you can always drop out at any stage and take the easy way home.

For detailed guides to the wonderful walks of Lanzarote, try any of the tourist information centres, there is one in Costa Tequise, a short walk from Sands Beach Hotel. Have fun and don’t forget your camera.

Lanzarote leads the way in wind power

You can’t fail to notice on the way from Arrecife airport to Sands Beach Resort hotel in Costa Tequise, old windmills, new turbines and artistic wind sculptures on the horizon. These are just signs of the respect that the island people show to their environment, and it is an attitude happily shared by Sands Beach Resort as they look after their holiday guests and the wider world.

Remains of the flour grinding windmills can be seen across the island as well as working examples of windpumps, most notably in the salt pans of Janubio, down near Playa Blanca and the El Charco salt pans between Arrecife and Costa Tequise, El Charco is also the site of one of the first desalination plants in the world.

Clean, modern power

In recent years, power producing wind turbines have appeared in 2 sites in Lanzarote. Monte Mina, in San Bartolome, a short breeze from Costa Tequise, has 5 vesta style wind turbines, but the main site is in the north at the Parque Eolico (wind park) in Los Valles, Haria, near the valley of the 1,000 palm trees. This park has 48 varied types of turbine and makes a strong input into the island power supply.

Lanzarote is a very forward looking island and Sands Beach Resort is proud to play it’s part, it holds a Biosphere Hotel certificate, presented by the Institute of Responsible Tourism. That’s a comforting thought as you relax on your sunbed.

Bag a bargain at Tequise Sunday market

Haggling at a traditional Canarian market is a great way to spend Sunday morning, and Lanzarote’s former capital city, Tequise, hosts the biggest market on the island every Sunday morning from 9am to 2pm.

For door to stall comfort, Sands Beach Resort hotel runs 2 coach trips, one leaving at 9.30 and returning at 1pm and the other, from 10.30 to 2pm, it’s just 12 euros for adults and 7 euros for children. The market fills the streets and offers everything you can think of and a bit more. Locally produced food and clothes, jewellery, crafts and those special holiday presents to take home, you will find them all here at the market.

For your enjoyment, there will be music and dancing, and the local bars and regular shops are open too. If you want to make your own way inland to Tequise, a taxi will cost around 16 euros one way, or if you have a hire car, you will find plenty of cheap parking. The advantages of the Sands Beach Resort coach are the storage room to bring back your haul and a drink of sangria or wine at the Mai Tai pool bar and restaurant, on your return.

Tequise will give you a glimpse of the past with the Castle Santa Barbara perched on top of the old Guanpay volcano. The 16th century stronghold is open to the public from 10am till 4pm and you will find it’s history and views fascinating.

Ironman, as rugged as the Lanzarote landscape

 

Relax and enjoy your family holiday at Sands Beach Resort hotel, and if you want something more energetic, you can always leave it to the experts. Ironman is the ultimate triathlon challenge and the annual Lanzarote event is seen as one of the most testing on the international circuit. The 2008 challenge has already got it’s full line up of 1,200 competitors, ready to swim, cycle and run from the Puerto del Carmen base on Saturday May 24.

So what’s involved?

Take a deep breath and just imagine this tough schedule. First there is a 3.8 km swim around the beaches of Puerto del Carmen, then a 180 km cycle ride around the island, through the mountains and lava fields, and finally, a 44.2 km run of 4 looped circuits along the beachfront of Puerto del Carmen.

The main event is the climax of several weeks of excitement and social activity in Lanzarote organised by Club La Santa, the centre of sporting excellence in the northern district of Tinajo. Many of the competitors are professionals on the international Ironman stage and despite the name - it does include many women. There is a warm up event on Saturday May 3, the Volcanic triathlon with 6,000 euros of prize money and a reduced course of a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride and a 10 km run. For the main event the prize money rises to 50,000 dollars, split between the first 10 professional finishers.

If you are lucky enough to be in Lanzarote in May, you are bound to get caught up in the excitement of a true international sporting event - and you don’t even have to break into a trot.

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