The Spring edition of Lanzarote Guidebook, the in-depth island information guide, is out now. And to mark the occasion readers can enter a competition to win a villa holiday on Lanzarote, worth over £650, courtesy of the island holiday specialists www.lanzarote1.com

Puerto Pollensa is a beautiful unspoiled port on the Mediterranean Sea. Its clear waters are shallow for safe swimming for children, and there are many water sports available. There are also four small coves that can be explored. Its palm-lined pine walk promenade has a marina, shops, cafes, and restaurants. Locals and visitors love to stroll there especially in the early evenings.

One luxury four star hotel is ILLA D’OR, which overlooks that walk promenade. The hotel has a classical style but also modern amenities such as air conditioning and satellite TV in its 119 elegant rooms. There are two swimming pools including an inside heated one. There is also a Jacuzzi, a sauna, a tennis court, a gymnasium, a Health and Beauty center, spacious terraces, gardens, and much more. Its La Terrasa is open in the summer and is a gourmet restaurant with excellent food and spectacular views. Breakfast is a buffet with a dietary corner, if needed, and you can sit out on the patio at the sea’s edge. Lunch is a la carte, and there is a large selection of dishes at dinner. The lounges offer a variety of entertainment and internet access. Excellent service and the visitors’ comfort is of prime concern in all areas of the hotel, and everything is spotless. You can also expect to find a chocolate on your pillow!

Another luxury place to stay is the five star BARCELO FORMENTOR HOTEL in nearby Formentor. It is in the center of landscaped gardens that grow their own flowers, limes, lemons, and melons. The hotel is only 300 meters from the beach and offers spectacular views of Formentor Bay. Guests can enjoy an outdoor pool, a children’s pool, a gym with fitness equipment, a sauna, a hot tub, beauty and massage treatments, laundry facilities, and much more. There is free parking, a doorman or doorwoman, and a concierge desk which can arrange for boat and other excursions. There is a complimentary abundant breakfast buffet, and you will be greeted by a large fruit basket in your room that lasts for days. This hotel is due to undergo a multi-million Euro makeover even though it is quite livable currently, has an old world charm, and the staff is very polite and cheerful.

Fantastic beaches. Great weather all year round. A whole host of unique visitor attractions. Lanzarote really does have all the right ingredients for a winter sun break. And there’s never been a better time to visit this small Canary Island located just off the coast of Morocco. As flights to Lanzarote are available from just £9.99 return this winter from low cost specialists Ryanair.

Lanzarote has long been a hot favourite with British tourists. As along with the other six Canary Islands this is the closest winter sun destination to the UK, with flights clocking in at a manageable four hours.

As a result Lanzarote welcomed over 1.5 million visitors last year alone – with around 60% of them arriving from airports across the UK. But despite the island’s popularity it still manages to remain largely unspoiled. As high rise buildings were outlawed in the 1970´s whilst strict controls are in place to govern development. Restricting tourism to just three well contained resorts on the south east coastline.

During the winter month’s visitors can expect to enjoy temperatures in the region of 20 Celsius plus – making it plenty warm enough for says by the pool or on the beach. With very little chance of rainfall – as this arid island is located just 100 miles or so from the outer fringes of the Sahara Desert.

Indeed sand from the Sahara was used to create some of the beaches in the main resorts when tourism first took off here in the 1970´s. But there are still plenty of all natural beaches to explore around the island. Such as the huge 8km long sweep of sand at Famara and the attractive coves and bays of Papagayo. Both of which are regarded as amongst the best in the Canaries.

Lanzarote´s main attraction though is the surreal volcanic region. Forged in fire some 250 years ago this area is now one of Spain’s most treasured National Parks and welcomes close to one million visitors a year. Boasting an incredible lunar like landscape of lava fields and spent volcanic peaks.

There’s no shortage of good value accommodation options either. As you’d expected on an island that has been welcoming tourists for over forty years.

The best selection of hotels and villas in Lanzarote are located in the resort of Playa Blanca. Which is located right at the southern tip of the island – making it the best choice for a winter sun break. As even on a small island such as Lanzarote there´s a pronounced microclimate at work.

Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, is Spain’s most populated island. It also has Spain’s highest mountain, the earth’s third largest volcano, and 4 of Spain’s 13 national parks. The cities and resorts on Tenerife are very popular and contain many historical and top-ranked structures.

The ancient Romans, and the Arabs in the Middle Ages, visited the Canary Islands because of the abundance of the now extinct monk seals (“sea dogs” in Latin, and thus the name of the Islands, Insula Canaria, meaning “Island of the Dogs”). Spanish traders and conquerors also stopped there on the way to the New World, and pirates were also attracted to the area.

Los Gigantes (“The Cliffs of the Giants”) is on the western coast, has a small black volcanic sand beach and a very busy marina with many yachts docked there.

The beaches are filled with swimmers looking for safe waters, surfers, divers, fishermen, catamaran sailors, paragliders, jet skiers, whale and dolphin watchers, and pleasure boaters. The “blue flag”, which is given to those beaches with regulated cleanliness standards, was given to Playa de Las Americas in 1998 by the European Environmental Education Foundation (FEE).

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is the capital and seat of the Parliament of the Canaries, has the highest skyscrapers of the Canary Archipelago (the Torres de Santa Cruz – towers of Santa Cruz) as well as Spain’s highest residential towers. Also interesting to see is the Tenerife Auditorium, which is the best known modern structure in the Canary Islands.

If this is a family vacation, Costa Adeje offers various entertainment for children at the hotels and restaurants. You can also visit the Monkey Park, Jungle Park, botanical gardens, and a large water park (Aqualand Costa Adeje). Camel rides and go-karting are also available. For the adults there are well manicured golf courses, casinos, a busy night life with live music and karaoke, etc.

Another known family resort is Los Cristianos, which is joined by a promenade with Playa de Las Americas. The beach between the two resorts is lined with shops and restaurants with international cuisine.

Plaza de Las Americas is the most developed of the Canary Islands resorts with shopping centers and street markets as well as luxury 4 and 5 star hotels and many restaurants (with the Chinese ones offering the best value). It also has its own man-made beach, which is the world’s most accessible beach for visitors who are disabled.

Lanzarote is the fourth largest of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a Spanish island about 125 km off Africa’s coast and was a target of pirate raids in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Canary Islands are known as having black sand beaches because of volcanic eruptions. El Golfo has two black sand beaches, a famous Green Lagoon, and some excellent seafood restaurants in this small coastal village. The Green Lagoon is a lake of emerald green water in the center of a volcano. The green color is from an accumulation of algae. Near the town of Orzola is a natural lagoon where you can enjoy the rarity of bathing in a bath water temperature.

Most of Lanzarote’s 90 plus beaches have golden or white sands. Its three main resorts have Blue Flag beaches, which means they are maintained well, regularly cleaned, and have facilities such as loungers and toilets.

One of the best beaches is at Papagayo, which has a number of coves and better weather as it is at the southern tip of the island. Another beach, which is called one of the most beautiful in the world, is Famara. On the northwest coast and having a nine-kilometer stretch of sand, Famara is not suited for sunbathing during the winter. Its strong winds make it more suitable for activities such as kite surfing. Playa de la Canteria’s beach has huge breakers, which are dangerous for swimming but are a favorite with surfers.

Said to be the most popular tourist attraction is the lava Volcano Park at Timanfya with colorful dormant volcanoes. The Green Caves is one of the world’s longest volcanic tunnels. Also popular is the breathtaking home of Cesar Manrique, an artist and architect born there, which was built around five volcanic vacuums in the lava flow.

The Castillo San Jose is a beautifully renovated castle from the 18th century which features modern sculptures and paintings and an interesting restaurant that you reach up a spiral staircase. Admission is free.

Mozaga, the Farming Museum, is another with free admission. It is an old renovated farmhouse having locals recreating and selling traditional craft items.

The Castillo San Gabriel features archeological pieces from the original aboriginal inhabitants of the island. There are fossils, skeletons, ancient pottery, coins, and jewelry.

Masdache, the Wine Museum, in the island’s oldest bodega dating back to the 1770′s, contains ancient presses and bottling equipment.

The Whale and Dolphin Museum has life-size models, preserved specimens, real skeletons, and a fascinating film.

If this has given you a flavour for a Lanzarote holiday then you shoudl book one through any good travel agency

If you want to take an adventurous family vacation, visit Alcudia on the Mediterranean island of Majorca.

The scenery itself with its seven-mile white sand beaches, warm waters with many sports available, the rocky Aucanada Peninsular covered with pines, historic sites, and much more are just the start of what is available to explore.

Safe warm bathing in the Mediterranean Sea is just one of the things you can do to take advantage of these beautiful waters. There is fishing, diving, kite surfing, and taking a glass bottom boat trip to see the sea sights or go to another island.

If you prefer that your children swim in a pool, most of the hotels are very family friendly and offer special pools, clubs with activities, play areas, as well as early eating times. Hidropark is within walking distance of many of the hotels and has a wave pool, two children’s pools, slides, a boating lake, water flumes, and very attentive lifeguards.

The El Laberinto Giant Maze Fun Park is one of the biggest attractions in northern Majorca. It has water monsters that fight with pirates, wizards, clowns, games, a castle, etc. Their maze of wooden panels are often changed to create different challenges.

You can find miniature golf courses for the whole family, watch boats in the marina at the scenic harbor that used to be a fishing port, go bicycling or horseback riding, go-karting, observe fiestas throughout the year and learn about the culture of the island, or just soak in the sun.

A special place is the S’Albufera bird watcher’s conservation area where you can see some of the over 200 species of birds.

The Old Town (an ancient walled Moorish fort) has Spain’s smallest amphitheater and Roman, Moorish, and Byzantine historic buildings where a guided walking tour can teach you much about the history of the area.

The colorful market on Tuesdays and Sundays is a sight to behold with the souvenirs, embroidered linens, leather goods, crafts, jewelry, and more.

Much of the night life in Alcudia is also geared to the family with entertainment for children such as a parrot show, bird and reptile shows, movie nights showing the latest films, a “Grease” show, etc.