Looking for a warm sunny family break in late-March, have narrowed it down to the Canaries/Lanzarote/Tenerife area. Never been to this part of the world - are all the destinations very similar with regards to climate, geography, tourist attractions etc? Any tips or preferences?
Really just looking for a pleasant 3- or 4-star hotel with pool etc in the sun.
Thks, N.
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Lanzarote is starkly volcanic, small enough to do the tourist sites in 2 days of driving, loads of family friendly accommodation. Fueterventura is big and windy, and not that much to see or do except chill out or windsurf. Tenerife is huge, not very verdant but the Northern 1/10th of it is cooler green and very pleasant. I have been to Lanzarote for the last 30 years. Contact me thru profile email if you want more detail. Examples here tinyurl.com/aylyxf3
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Southern Tenerife and specifically Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos is a total tip...ignore it at all costs.
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Howl about this gaff then MP WP: www.bahiadelduque.co.uk/
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>> Howl about this gaff then MP WP: www.bahiadelduque.co.uk/
>>
No idea...but at the very best, you'd want to leave their grounds at some point, surely?
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Hire car £150 a week for a 5 seater.
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>> you'd want to leave their grounds at some point, surely?<<
Who you calling Shirley!
I'm going back 16 years now but, when we lived in Los Cristianos for 3 years, we visited the 4 main islands and found we both liked Lanzarote least of all, and it can get a tad windy on that island too.
Fuerteventura can also suffer from, eh, wind too but has many to-die-for beaches.
Gran Canaria is nice (in places) many people speak highly of it and go back time after time but, TBH, we were both glad to return home to Los Cristianos, sure I know what some people say about it, but it's under 4 hours from Gatwick (with a tail wind) a great winter climate compared to Madeira, the Med, inc. Cyprus,
and it's fairly easy on your flexible friend.
STOP PRESS ... of course, what it's all like now after the €uro and the recession etc. etc., gawd above knows?
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Ditto Puerto del Camen in Lazarote. Burger bars, tat shops. happy hour during the UK lottery results "British" pub food = Ginsters pies etc. Avoid!
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>>Ginsters pies etc. Avoid!<<
^ I'm with this geezer!
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>> Ditto Puerto del Camen in Lazarote. Burger bars, tat shops. happy hour during the UK
>> lottery results "British" pub food = Ginsters pies etc. Avoid!
>>
It's the tattooed, hairy, lager lout, football fans...and their menfolk.... that put me off...;-)
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Last winter we spent an excellent week on Tenerife in Puerto de la Cruz - not quite as warm as the south, apparently, but hot enough to sunbathe. Puerto feels like a real town, not a tourist confection. With a hire car we visited the rugged west and north - wonderful vistas etc. Spent time in Santa Cruz, La Orotava, La Laguna, Garachico. Ate well and cheaply. Missed the volcano this time; if we go again this year - and we may well do - that is on the list.
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Fri 4 Jan 13 at 16:50
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>> Southern Tenerife and specifically Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos is a total tip...ignore
>> it at all costs.
My feelings on all the Canaries are well know on here. I think the whole place is a tip.
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We went to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote for a week last December for some reasonably priced winter sun.
A fairly quiet resort. Nothing like Puerto del Carmen.
We had two or three days out.
Villas with private pools reasonably priced. We paid around £400 each for two of us including flights.
Airport not too busy.
Car hire £100 for the week.
Eating out fairly expensive.
Tried limpets for the first time. A bit chewy but very nice.
Not the best holiday I have been on but for a bit of sun and relaxation, it was ideal.
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Have you considered the Gambia if you want guaranteed sun?
I have several friends who return in Jan/March year after year. Some stay in hotels, others self cater in some very nice bungalows.Very good value
Personally I was only reasonably impressed when i visited 3 years ago, but lots of things going for it, but some downsides also.
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"I think the whole place is a tip."
I suspect you haven't been to the smaller islands of La Gomera and La Palma which are beautiful, unspoiled and could not conceivably be describes as a "tip".
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>>"I think the whole place is a tip."
I, unfortunately, spent a week in Costa Rica, Gran Canaria, just after the Icelandic volcano eruption.
Never again! The island was beautiful, but the hassle from the local cafes and shops was unbearable (time-share touts had nothing in comparison).
That was despite the bed-bugs and cockroaches son-of-Tom (the well-known travel company) had inflicted upon us.
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>>I, unfortunately, spent a week in Costa Rica, Gran Canaria<<
Eh, would that be anywhere near Puerto Rico I wunder?
(Hehehe!)
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Lanzarote coming up a bit cheaper than Tenerife.
Not expecting any glamour, just want 5 sunny days with the family by the pool. Gotta beat damp Denmark in March...
Has anyone ever booked through LastMinute.com? They seem to have some reasonable deals. Flights are EasyJet, but the Lastminute.com website seems far easier to navigate than the EasyJet Holidays page IMHO.
Hey Z - who did you book your impending Moroccan adventure with? (And have you alerted the FCO ;-))
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>> Has anyone ever booked through LastMinute.com? They seem to have some reasonable deals. Flights are
>> EasyJet, but the Lastminute.com website seems far easier to navigate than the EasyJet Holidays page
>> IMHO.
>> Hey Z - who did you book your impending Moroccan adventure with? (And have you
>> alerted the FCO ;-))
Booked via LastMinute.com as it happens, not the first time I have used them, and nor would it be the last. You need to be careful about dates to get the cheapest prices, (if you choose popular flights (time and day) the price goes up, so try various combinations.
Not informed the FCO, I am sure the indigenous population can cope with me and need no warning.
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>> I am sure the indigenous population can cope with me and need no warning.
No doubt a short sharp shock will do them good, wake them up from under their sombreros eh? There shouldn't be too much of a spike in heart attacks, strokes etc. Culture gaps have their uses....
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Z. Must have missed the detail re your Moroccan adventure. What are your plans? Did a fornight there a couple of years ago including a 4 day guided tour through the High Atlas and into the Sahara taking in some of the well known locations.
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>> Z. Must have missed the detail re your Moroccan adventure. What are your plans? Did
>> a fornight there a couple of years ago including a 4 day guided tour through
>> the High Atlas and into the Sahara taking in some of the well known locations.
Just need some winter sun, so booked 7 march nights in Marakesh for 550 odd quid for the pair of us. Will see what day trips the Hotel has available with respect to mountain and deserts, there are plenty of both within striking distance.
Didnt have much of a holiday last year cos of the time spent at the games, so two this year.
Currently looking at Christmas in Cuba.
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Looks like a bargain. There should be plenty to fill your week. Experience the night time eating in the central market place and a drive up the Col De Tichka into the High Atlas.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cmq4cGFyeU
One of the 5the Gear presenters test drove the Dacia Duster on that road and described it as 'the best driving road in the world" I don't know about that but it is spectacular.
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We stayed in a beautiful Riad in the old town.
Frankly , I would not go to Marrakech again but as you are going and if you want to treat Mrs Z to a great meal that is not a tajine I can recommend Pepe Nero restaurant ... difficult to find but beautiful Riad in the old town and great food.
The souk and the old town are a bit too frantic with pestering locals trying to sell you anything from a monkey to their mother,...
.... and the traffic is downright dangerous in the old town with scooters and mopeds dodging in and out of the crush of pedestrians in the very narrow alleys..... I ended up refusing to move making them drive round me
Not my idea of a relaxing holiday watching the locals slaughtering and skinning sheep for their Eid barbeques from the roof terrace of the Riad....
Last edited by: retpocileh on Mon 7 Jan 13 at 20:52
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Haven't been to Lanzerote for years - Puerto Del Carmen was pretty low rise - a very inoffensive place in the 90s.
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>>Has anyone ever booked through LastMinute.com?
I've used www.lowcostholidays.com/ for my last few and can't fault them.
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Thanks for all the help so far folks.
Anyone been to "Lanzarote’s beautiful Playa Blanca"..??
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Playa Blanca is probably the best part of Lanzarote.Stayed here many times,mainly xmas-new year period.Lots of good hotels/apartments all within easy reach of the small town and recent port development.Can be a little windy,but very pleasant when warm.
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I have had a villa there for 30+ years. There has been a huge amount of construction there during that time. However, due to the influence of a local artist (Cesar Manrique) it is strictly controlled. Nothing is allowed to to be built more than 2 storeys high, with exception of one hotel in the middle of Arrecife. All recent building seems to be white and all exterior woodwork is dark green, dark blue or Natural light brown. Feel free to email me with questions!
To those who asked about booking I have used a2btravel, 2 bookaholiday and qwerty travel, for other European destinations; £299 each 4* all inclusive in Paphos in February a few years ago, for example.
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Lifted from an ex-pat forum in reply to a bod from Canada about buying an owse in Spain:
"We are quite open and flexible. Must haves are: Low crime. Good air quality. Sunny. No snow. Friendly people. A townhouse would be preferable. Good public transportation. We would not have a car and would prefer to get around by train, foot and bicycle.
Look at Gran Canaria, the weather is 24/7, no winter as you still get on the Spanish Mainland. Because of the near idyllic climate property is more expensive but if you want to be able to visit anytime of the year it has to be the Canary Islands.
The island has a different tax system so fuel is cheap = cheaper taxis, pretty good bus service in clean modern buses, clean air, great beaches in the South, low cost of living overall compared to Canada. If you smoke and drink you'll be paradise as both are very cheap. Eating out and you have a great range, Spanish of course but also Greek, Indian, Chinese, Italian.... KFC and big macs, its up to you. I'm back out there on the 28th for a month.
:}
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All Canary Islands are relatively cheap as, fiscally speaking, they are not part of the EU. This hotel in the South West corner of Lanazarote might suit but it is "no Children"
www.hotelh10timanfayapalace.com/en/index.html
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Lifted from the Cyprus Mail ...
Snowing in Kathikas and b--dy freezing in these un insulated houses with no proper heating.Moved to Cyprus for mild winters not to risk pneumonia.!
All this lifting is very tiring you know :-)
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It's looking like Mallorca for me in March.
Hope it's warm enough?!
Never been there before - any hotel recommendations? Need beach nearby and pool for 2 pre-teen kids. Found a flight-only deal so looking to book hotel - and car of need be - myself.
Is there plenty to do to keep kids amused for 6 days?!
Thanks! N.
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16 -18C by day 4-6 by night
weatherspark.com/averages/32046/3/Palma-de-Mallorca-Balearic-Islands-Spain
Whatever hotel you look at please check out at tripadvisor.com - it isn't perfect and opinions vary but it is a pointer
Easyjet has a holiday section on their site. I have had good flight + car hire and flight + hotels deal in the ast, not from EZY though.
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Average high for March in Mallorca /Majorca is around 17C, so it should be OK.
My experience is based on one stay only and I don't know how much the place shuts down over winter.
Palma seems to have its grotty/chavvy bits, though the town centre is good and the cathedral worth a visit, as is the Moorish palace next door.
Plenty of beaches all over the island.
Kids might like the trip on the (old-fashioned) narrow guage railway from Palma to Soller, and from there the (old-fashioned) tram to Port de Soller, where there are beaches.
They might also like the Cuevas del Drach (Dragon Caves) near Porto Cristo - and there are other caves to visit.
There is also the Santuari del Lluc (monastery) in an atmospheric setting, and Chopin's apartment in the former monastery at Valldemosa, which is a fine town in itself.
For car hire, Europcar were recommended via Trip Advisor forums and we were very happy with the service.
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>>They might also like the Cuevas del Drach (Dragon Caves) near Porto Cristo
No, No, No and thrice nay. If you want to spend a fortune and be gloriously ripped off, then go ahead, you'll be walked through caverns and sat in an underground amphitheatre, where you'll wait for ages for a few boats to parade by on the lake to the accompaniment of amplified music and then you'll spend ages traipsing out again.
There's several caves in Majorca, but the best I saw were Arta. A simple tour with an English speaking guide who gave an informative tour, without the hype. I understand others have since opened.
A good day could be spent dropping the kids off at the Palma water park, while the adults do the Palma-Soller train (with the option of the Soller-Port de Soller tram).
At that time of year, Palma could be a good bet. Plenty of local attractions and the hub of the island for transport.
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">>They might also like the Cuevas del Drach (Dragon Caves) near Porto Cristo
No, No, No and thrice nay. If you want to spend a fortune and be gloriously ripped off, then go ahead, you'll be walked through caverns and sat in an underground amphitheatre, where you'll wait for ages for a few boats to parade by on the lake to the accompaniment of amplified music and then you'll spend ages traipsing out again."
That's your view. It isn't mine. We enjoyed it.
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Be aware it can be very cold in Majorca in March. I stayed in Pollensa one year and it snowed!
Weather is normally OK but do take do take some warm cothing just in case.
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Thanks all.
Have booked a week's car rental with Hertz for 135 Euros which seems good value to me. Now I just need advice on which way to head out of the airport at 11pm on a Saturday night...
Is one side of the island nicer/cheaper/sunnier etc than the other?
Cheers
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In the direction of your hotel. You do have a place booked, at least for the first night, I assume.
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If you've booked somewhere in Palma, parking's a nightmare!
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No accommodation at all booked yet, hence my question! Which part of the island should I be looking in to? Don't fancy staying in Palma for the night, would rather drive from the airport directly to chosen destination.
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Agree that Palma is difficult for parking.
The left-hand side of the island is mountainous and there's not much accommodation. (Having said that, we stayed in Port de Soller in the NW, which was nice - not too touristy.) You have hotels aplenty in areas west and east around the Bay of Palma in the south, included the dreaded Magaluf.
Maybe the east coast is the best bet.
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Booked a week with a hotel in Port de Soller. Anyone been there?!
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Visited there once many moons ago . Port surrounded by mountains
Did seem to be quite nice, I remember they had trams running along the front and a very scenic railway down from there to Palma but not much else.
Gets good reviews on Trip Adviser.
tinyurl.com/crmu9u5
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Holiday advice; Canaries, Tenerife, etc? - Meldrew
