As one of the seven Canary Islands, Lanzarote has long been a popular year round tourist destination. The islands are the only real winter sun location within the whole of the European community, with day time temperatures in the middle of winter a comfortable 20-22º F.
Each island has its own character and unique features, although all share a common Canarian identity, which is quite distinct from mainland Spain. Lanzarote, for example, is often defined by the volcanoes that have shaped its history in recent centuries.
In fact, the eruptions which took place on the island between 1730 and 1736 are the longest recorded volcanic activity of this type. Fortunately, none of the island’s residents at the time lost their lives, although many lost their livelihoods and homes.
The incredible aftermath of this eruption can still be seen at the Timanfaya National Park, one of the best tourist attractions on Lanzarote. Visitors will find that Lanzarote car hire provides the best way of touring this part of the island, as there are areas surrounding the park that are equally worth visiting, with seas of lava and craters galore.
However, this landscape in no way sums up the whole of the island, as the main tourist areas couldn´t be further from desolation and destruction. In fact, many of the holiday villas in Lanzarote that visitors choose to stay in have beautiful tropical gardens and all modern conveniences.
The infrastructure of each of the main resorts is also good, with lovely sandy beaches and good quality accommodation, whether in the form of hotels, apartments or villas. Various building restrictions mean that even the urban areas are low key and unobtrusive.
Whilst the rural interior of the island is almost totally unchanged, with whitewashed villages and stunning scenery, which many enjoy exploring during their holiday. In some respects, the islander´s lives have changed more since the early days of tourism in 1970´s than they had in the two centuries before.
These days, the local population has become much more cosmopolitan and well travelled. Because despite its location off the coast of North Africa, getting to and from the island has never been easier.
There is a great range of cheap Lanzarote flights available from nearly every major UK airport and with flight times only on average four hours long, it´s even viable as a long weekend destination, although most prefer to have at least a week in the sun.