Lanzarote — Graham Custance Photography

Lying 78 miles off the coast off Africa, Lanzarote is known for it's all year round warm climate and volcanic landscape. Having visited Tenerife and Gran Canaria previously this was a long overdue visit to this beautiful island. There are a total of seven Canary Islands, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro making up the rest of the islands. Formed by underwater volcanos that had erupted millions of years ago, the evidence of these eruptions are plain to see and make up the rugged terrain that can be visited at the Timanfaya National Park which was created by a more recent volcanic eruption in the 1730s.

We stayed at the Sol Lanzarote Hotel which we had chosen due to its unique position right next to the Matagorda beachfront. This was an all inclusive hotel which was in Puerto Del Carmen, with four swimming pools and a fitness centre, incredible food and nightly entertainment. One of the best parts of the holiday was hiring bikes from the hotel and spending the morning leisurely cycling along the purpose built cycle lanes which run all the way along along the promenade. Stopping for a snack and a cool drink in one of the bars that you pass on route, it was a great way to see the resort.

The beaches were long ribbons of golden sand which were both beautiful and quiet. Temperatures here rarely fall below 16c in the winter and 25c in the summer, so it really is an all year round destination to visit, with flight times from London approximately 4 hours.

The Sol Lanzarote Hotel is quite near to the airport but there is no disturbance with any aircraft noise, in fact it was a popular destination for the tourists to visit, allowing you to stand directly under the flight path on the approach to the runway...quite an exhilarating experience.

A visit to the Timanfaya National Park is always popular with holidaymakers and one which we really enjoyed taking on a half day excursion trip from the hotel. We managed to get a seat up the front of the coach and the view as we navigated the cliff drops of the lava fields as we made our way to the top were quite an experience. Once we had seen the steam erupt from craters that were filled with water by the staff to show the immense heat that still lurks just underground we descended down to have a ride on the camels, which is another must if you are on the island.

If you are more into relaxing on the beach then you will not be disappointed with typical canary island views in abundance everywhere.

I find it difficult to pick a favourite of the three Canary Islands that we have visited so far, they all have their unique charms but I really liked the purpose built cycle way that offers you the opportunity to get about in the sun and exercise at the same time and I would definitely recommend this hotel, mostly due to it's location right next to the beach.

Costa Teguise, just around the island from Puerto Del Carmen has a waterpark and an aquarium. There are also piles of bars and restaurants – from tapas bars to fast food joints. If you’d prefer something sleepier, there are still plenty of fishing villages to go around too.