Penelope Cruz heads for Lanzarote

 Lanzarote has been hit by film fever as top director Pedro Almodovar prepares to roll the cameras on his latest movie, Las Abrozas Rotos (The Broken Embraces) in May. The award winning director will be bringing his star discovery Penelope Cruz to the island for the Spanish language film, despite her Hollywood fame, Ms Cruz still likes to support the Spanish film industry. Locations in Lanzarote will include, Famara in Teguise, El Golfo, the volcanic bowl in Yaiza, and Arrecife hospital. There was a frenzy of activity in Costa Teguise last weekend as a local hotel staged auditions for extras to appear in the film. Lanzarote is a popular choice for filming, as it has such stunning and diverse scenery. You don’t have to be a Hollywood A list star to enjoy it all, and in Costa Teguise, Sands Beach Resort hotel can offer you one of the best locations of all, a beachfront hotel with a warm welcome for family holidays. If you do fancy yourself as a budding film maker, you can always enter the Sands Beach Resort competition to win a free holiday. Just use your camcorder or mobile to record those special holiday memories and upload them to YouTube, check out the details on the website.

World of tennis comes to Lanzarote

There’s a chance to see some top tennis action in Puerto del Carmen this weekend, when the 7th annual Fariones Group Trophy takes place at the tennis centre. It’s a pretty cosmopolitan affair with players from 20 countries taking part, all chasing 50,000 dollars of prize money.

Last years winner, Jo Willfred Tsonga, from France, will be back to defend his title and the action should be edge of the seat stuff. The tournament runs from Saturday April 26 to the following Saturday May 3.

All players have to start with games against their friends at a young age, and when you are on holiday on a sun drenched island, it’s the perfect setting. Sands Beach Resort hotel in Costa Teguise, likes to encourage sporting excercise, and has a tennis court for guests to get their lobs and swings to perfection. Of that all gets a bit hot, there is always the choice of 6 pools or the beachfront lagoon to cool down in. Tennis is a great game for all the family to share, and after all, families are what Sands Beach Resort is all about.

Arrecife beachfront protector houses eco artists

During a family holiday at Sands Beach Resort hotel, you may like to check out history and art at the same time in the capital city of Arrecife. This city was at the forefront of repelling pirates that tried to plunder the island, and has several battlements for protection.

The Castillo de San Jose, at Puerto Naos, was one such stronghold, but now it has a new purpose, attracting tourists each day from 11am until 9pm, to see the history and relax in it’s restaurant and it is also the home of the MIAC, the International Museum of Contemporary Art. This years big art competition has taken on a green theme with discarded items being used to create renewable art.

From March 31 to May 26, the day of the judging, the 20 finalists will work on their entries in the hope of catching the international judges eyes and winning a prize. The winner will pocket 4,000 euros, second will get 2,500 euros and the third 1,000 euros.

The MIAC was set up in 1974 by Cesar Manrique, the artist, sculptor and designer who  guided the development of modern Lanzarote and after his death in 1992, his foundation carried on his good work, ensuring that the island grows in a sensitive and sustainable manner.

Holiday diving for all the family in Lanzarote

When you take your family holiday at Sands Beach Resort hotel, we like you to see everything that Lanzarote has to offer, on land and even underneath it in the volcanic caves, and also on and under the sea.

When it comes to snorkelling and scuba diving, Lanzarote is hard to beat, and we can put you in the hands of real experts, Calipso Diving, who are based in Costa Teguise. If you are new to diving, come along to the Mai Tai pool any Saturday at 3.30 pm for a free scuba try out. Calipso have fully qualified instructors, can kit you out in all the latest and safest equipment, and know all the best dive sites around the island. If photography is your hobby, they can even help you to capture some of the underwater memories on camera.

Instructors speak several languages and Calipso is a BSAC centre of excellence and a PADI resort centre. Whatever your experience level, they can help you from novice to instructor course level. Bookings can be made through Sands Beach Resort reception, for a half days snorkelling or scuba diving. Of course what you really want to know is what can you expect to see in the Atlantic as it laps at the shores of Lanzarote. There are 500 species of fish, including Angel Shark, Barracuda, and Giant Tuna, and all in visibility that ranges from 30 metres in summer to 50 metres in winter. The lava formations and caves that dominate the surface of Lanzarote, are even more stunning under the sea, and there is even an underwater conservation park, complete with 7 wrecks to explore.

Diving has never been so much fun, and it will give you a unique insight into the wildlife of this special island.