In a review of European luxury wellness retreats, The Independent newspaper commented:

The Life Change Retreat, Lanzarote

Stuart Forster and Lynn Oliver have been running holistic holidays at Villa Isis on Lanzarote for the past decade. Guests can enjoy pampering spa treatments, tailor-made yoga and breathing classes, lounge by the pool – or re-evaluate their lives. Course leaders help guests assess what they want from life and how to achieve their aims.

The Life Change Retreat  lifechangeretreat.com

Ryanair have announced new flights to Lanzarote from Ireland, and Aer Lingus are putting on extra flights too - good news for Irish tourists considering Lanzarote holidays.

Ryanair’s well known Michael O’Leary also criticised Irish airport taxes, saying it costs the country more than the revenue raised - a valid point often overlooked when airport taxes are introduced and then inevitabily increased over the years.

Here is an extract of how the Irish Times reported the story (for the full article click here):

THE GOVERNMENT is losing more in VAT it would receive from growing passenger numbers than the €70 million the exchequer gets from the €10 travel tax, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary claimed yesterday.

He said the travel tax resulted in the State losing around four million tourists last year. A further three million visitors would be lost this year.

Mr O’Leary was speaking in Cork where he was announcing details of seven new summer services to Bordeaux and La Rochelle in France, Alicante, Barcelona, and Malaga in Spain, Faro in Portugal and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

He said the new services would be on average 40 per cent cheaper than similar services offered by Aer Lingus, and were due in part to Aer Lingus’s higher fares and in part to Budget Travel’s demise and the drop in charter capacity.

However, Ryanair’s announcement was matched by Aer Lingus, who yesterday launched what it described as its “largest ever summer programme at Cork”, announcing an extra 44 flights per week to bring weekly departures to the UK and Europe to 140.

Some 22 routes will be served directly from Cork, including Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Lanzarote, Malaga and Nice. Eight routes are being added with new services to Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, La Rochelle, Gatwick and Tenerife.

More details about Lanzarote, including both Lanzarote flights and a map of Lanzarote are available with yourlanzarote.net

The Times in the UK ran an article recently about taking holidays in Lanzarote away from the traditionally popular holiday areas.

They say:

The sight of Penelope Cruz, in Broken Embraces, locked in a loving clinch on windswept El Golfo beach is enough to make many people rethink their idea of Lanzarote, a Spanish island more often associated with time-share touts and package tourism. While the small pockets of development around its main resorts, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise, attract the bulk of British holidaymakers and many of the 6,000 expats from the UK who live on the island, you need drive for only a few minutes to reach a world of whitewashed houses and volcanic expanses that prompted Pedro Almodovar, the film’s director, to enthuse about the island’s “sombre, monochrome beauty”.

To read the full article click here

For more details about Lanzarote including a Lanzarote weather forecast visit http://www.yourlanzarote.net

The Daily Telegraph in the UK ran an article recently about the Canary Islands, including for Lanzarote.

Here is an extract:

In Lanzarote, why not go and see some of the extraordinary structures created in the volcanic landscape by César Manrique (www.cesarmanrique.com), the local artist and architect who saved the island from excessive development and who fought for buildings to be no higher than the tallest palm tree. The Cesar Manrique foundation is in Taro de Tahiche and open from 10am-6pm, but you can see his wind sculptures on roundabouts all over the islands for nothing.  To read the full article click here

For more details about Lanzarote, including a Lanzarote weather forecast visit http://www.yourlanzarote.net

If you’re considering your 2010 Lanzarote holidays at the moment and want something that’s eco friendly, looking at a Lanzarote map there’s a finca in the north-east of the island that could be just what you’re looking for.

To read about it click here

It’s not just holidays in Lanzarote that have suffered this year as the Euro gains strength against the pound, and the recession has persuaded some not to take an overseas holiday this year.

A recent article at Google illustrated well how the Spanish mainland has suffered too.

Here’s an extract -to read the full article click here

“This is the worst I have ever seen it. There is no one on the beach,” said Pedro Hervas who has sold freshly squeezed orange juice from a stand in the shape of a large orange installed on the boardwalk for the past two decades.

“If you came here last year at this time you would not be able to get around, there would be so many cars and people,” the 57-year-old added as he pointed to the road and beach in front of his stand.

During the first half of the year Spain received 23.6 million foreign visitors, an 11.4 percent drop over the same time last year, according to ministry of tourism figures.

The number of British tourists fell 16.3 percent during the period to 6.1 million.

The government predicts the number of foreign visitors to the country during the summer, which it defines as July, August and September, will drop by 10 percent.

The tourists who are coming are spending less than in other years, adding to the financial pain of shop and hotel owners.

Robert Downey, a 57-year-old former Glasgow taxi driver who runs a pub with a seafaring theme that serves fish and chips in Torremolinos with his wife, said his business is down between 30 and 40 percent this year.

“People used to come in at 9 o’oclock at night and have four or five drinks. Now they are coming in at 10 o’clock and having just two or three drinks. Many people are worried,” he said as he stood behind the counter of his empty bar.

Foreign visitors to Spain spent 20.9 billion euros (30.2 billion dollars) during the first six months of the year, a 7.6 percent drop over the same time in 2008, according to the tourism ministry.

Spain’s tourist sector accounts for around 11 percent of all jobs and the decline in the number of foreign visitors comes as the country is in its steepest recession in decades following the collapse of its property market.

Last year the country lost its spot as the second-most visited destination in the world to the United States, according to the Madrid-based United Nations World Tourism Organization. France has long been the number one destination.

Lanzarote and mainland Spain will be hoping for better news for 2010 holidays - for more Lanzarote information visit http://www.yourlanzarote.net

Lanzarote

The Canary Islands have found no respite from the worldwide economic downturn, and Canary Island residents who holiday abroad are seeing their own islands in a new light.

The Canary Islands have been a popular holidays destination for years now. The islands rely upon tourism for much of their economy and employment opportunities for local people - over thirty percent of its gross domestic product is generated by tourism. In recent years an average of ten million visitors holiday on one or more of the Canary Islands annually.

The wavering economy hasn’t stopped tourists from travelling to the Canary Islands, but it looks like there will be a drop this year of between 15 and 20 per cent on 2008, and often who are holidaying in the Canaries are being more careful with their spending money.

It also appears that native islanders who reside there year-round are travelling less. This may be the result of fewer tourism Euros being spent within the country. Those who own the businesses which cater to the international visitors have less of their own money to spend on outside travel.

Many Canary Islands residents are instead choosing to appreciate anew what international visitors have long been drawn to. They are opting to take “staycations” and visit the attractions in their own backyards.

The islands’ biggest draw is typically the great weather. However, outside visitors also appreciate the rich history and the diverse geography of the Canary Islands.

Canary Islands residents, on the other hand, don’t need to leave home for good weather. They are instead seeing the islands through the eyes of outsiders.

The Canary Islands are an archipelago of seven islands. Gran Canaria and Tenerife are the largest of the islands, and home to both of the Canary Islands’ joint capital cities. Both islands are popular tourist destinations, along with Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.  The four make up the largest and most populated of the archipelago.

The weather in Lanzarote for example is good year round, and there are plenty of tourists who head for the island November to March because of the weather in Lanzarote.

The smaller Canary Islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma also draw a significant number of visitors each year. They have fewer clubs and resorts than the larger islands. Instead, they tend to attract tourists who desire smaller crowds and more adventurous vacations.

All of the islands are of volcanic origin. Many are home to diverse ecological preserves and boast flora and fauna that cannot be found anywhere else. Ancient structures and preserved ruins can be found on a number of the islands. It is these attractions that are appealing to the Canary Island “staycationer.”

While similarities exist between all seven islands, significant differences are abundant too. Many of the islands feature regional cuisine and specialty local wines. Residents from one island can visit another and get a very different cultural experience without spending a lot of money.

Local events also draw visitors from one island to another. The various islands are home to golf, water sports, motorbike and other popular tournaments and races. These types of events have grown substantially over the past decade and many draw thousands or more spectators annually.

Those who choose to remain on their own islands can still enjoy the culture in their backyards. Camping destinations draw locals for quick, easy getaways. The slow economic market means that good deals can often be found on hotels and for 2010 villa holidays.

More details for Lanzarote are available with http://www.yourlanzarote.net

Lanzarote

Lanzarote might not be the first place that comes to mind when it comes to surfing, but that’s about to change when the surfing world descends upon the popular European holiday island at the end of October, and is a real bonus attraction for those thinking of taking a late 2009 holiday.

Lanzarote has some great beaches, and was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993 and has some of the most visually striking landscape anywhere. The whole island can be explored on foot, horseback or bike. Holidaymakers are well advised to do exactly that, as they will not be disappointed.

In particular, if you are lucky enough to holiday on Lanzarote, go see the Jameos del Agua. It is a stunning combination of art and nature, an intricate labyrinth of volcanic tubes where visitors can enjoy music and dance in a spectacular setting.

The beaches are part of the spectacle. Some feature dazzling white sands, while others display dark volcanic sand. All step off into crystal clear waters.

Depending on the beach, the waters are either calm and restful or feature powerful waves that come crashing in with regularity. These waves have attracted surfers. This year the La Santa Surf Pro Lanzarote 2009 will take place between October 25 and November 2. More importantly, this year it has a 6-star Prime status in the ASP WQS Series. Because of this, many more talented and qualified surfers seeking to boost their world points on the surfing circuit will be coming to Lanzarote. This promises to result in quite a show.

The hope is that as well as regular holidaymakers some will visit specifically for the surfing, and like it enough to book 2010 Lanzarote holidays after the event.

Surfing as a culture and a sport goes back hundreds of years. It was a central part of ancient Hawaiian culture. The chief was generally the most skilled surfer in the community with a board made from the best trees. But by the end of the 19th century, with the arrival of missionaries and their negative view of surfing as hedonistic, the culture had almost died out entirely. Thanks to Captain James Cook and his journal, we know that surfing was also quite popular in the South Seas back in the 18th century.

In the 20th century, a dedicated band of surfers refused to give up the ghost and continued to roam the oceans of the world, seeking the ultimate wave. But it wasn’t until mid-century that surfing once again came into its own. It took the California sounds of groups like Jan and Dean, the Surfaris and the Beach Boys to push surfing into the limelight. With songs like ‘Wipeout’ (Surfaris), ‘Surfer Girl,’ ‘Surfing USA,’ ‘Fun,Fun,Fun’ (the Beach Boys) and ‘Surf City’ (Jan and Dean - written by their friend and Beach Boy Brian Wilson), among others, everyone under the age of 30 suddenly loved surfing.

The Beach Boys in particular helped spread the word about surfing through their hits beyond California to Europe and around the world. They competed with The Beatles, Rolling Stones from Britain and from the U.S. The Monkees and Eagles at a revolutionary time for music - despite the fact that The Beach Boys had 4 number 1’s while The Beatles had over 4 times that number their music is played as much today as it ever was, and their album ‘Pet Sounds’ could have been the best album of the 60’s if it hadn’t been for The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’  which spent 15 weeks at number one in the U.S. and frequently tops polls of the best albums ever.

The surfing mystique that grew up in California in places like San Diego and Santa Cruz developed with it a language and an image all its own. It didn’t matter if you were from California or lived in a land-locked state in the Midwest. Everyone used terms like gnarly, radical, tubular, hang ten, wipeout, goofy foot and pop-up. And everyone knew what the terms meant. The long-haired blonde surfer dude in boardshorts trudging into the surf with his long board under his arm, ready to wait it out for the perfect wave became iconic.

If you were not actually a surfer, you surely wanted to look like one because that’s who the girls looked at. For at least a brief period of time, ‘four girls for every guy’ was more than just a song lyric. You heard it at concerts. You saw it at the movies. You watched it on TV. Living the surfing life was fun. It was exciting and a dream come true.

The popular image, of course, was not the complete image of the surfing lifestyle. True aficionados of the sport continued to search out the big waves from ocean to ocean. For them the sport was much more than beach parties and posturing. As the sport came more and more into its own as a truly competitive endeavour, a series of year-long meets and a system of ratings grew up around it.

As with other sports, the goal was to play in the bigs. Sponsors became an important element because without them surfers could not afford to travel the world. An entire industry built on surfing equipment and outfitting grew into multi-billion dollar enterprises. Every surf meet that was ASP WQS certified drew the biggest names.

That is why, in October of 2009, Lanzarote, which is always visually spectacular but not always the biggest holiday destination, will find itself drawing a new crowd and the Lanzarote hotels will welcome some first time visitors.

The island has great all year round weather and the weather in Lanzarote end October should be ideal.

Fans of surfing will want to be there to see the pros do their thing. But regardless of the number of professional surfers that do show up in Lanzarote, spectators should see some great surfing at the event on the beaches.