Well it was my final full day here in Lanzarote, and what a pleasure it’s been, today I went to Playa Blanca on the south west coast, quite a long bus trip but fun. The weather wasn’t as clever today, clouds moved in and the wind was lively, your expecting a rude comment there, but i will resist, just this once.

Playa Blanca is the main ferry port to cross to Fuerteventura, just 12 minutes on the Fred Olsen ferry, and is one of the main resorts. I started at the port end and worked my way long the sea front, I thought it was a bit run down and a little seedy. The staff at the electrical shops kept trying to lure people in and there were cages out side bars with scrawny looking parrots in, i tried to teach one to swear but it would’nt perform, must be a politically correct polly.

After about 20 minutes the old front changes to the new Marina Rubicon, what a differene. It’s very bright and well planned with a relaxed continental feel, 5 plazas are linked by wooden boardwalks and bridges and it is full of nice restaurants, bars and designer shops. It was the little touches that really impressed me, bold signposts and maps at every turn to guide visitors, cycle areas complete with racks to park up and lots of bright lighting and spotlessly clean.

On the way back I noticed some unusual advertising hoardings in Arrecife, with tips to look after the island. One was about sharing with neighbours, tips like, get together with neighbours once a year to sell unwanted items at a sale, and plant your own produce and share that with your friends. there was even one showing how to make a water dispenser for the wild birds, to hang in your garden – very Blue Peter.

When I got back to the apartment I was a bit spooked to find that the maid had been busy with some wet towels I left out, and had twisted them into the shape of swans, maybe it’s a love ritual or some sort of fertility rite, she had even neatly folded my CDT footie shirt – bless her.

Anyway I must go and say a few farewells, especially to my favourite local bar. La Esquina. The whole worldwide stock market is in a state of collapse, I cant save it all but I can do my bit to keep Spanish beer shares healthy and robust, Cheers

Well today I went into full tourist mode with a day coach excursion all over the island. After a hazy early start, the first call was a camel park up in the sand dunes, this was where I discovered how wild and windy it can get over here, when the camel rose up bit by bit on 2 legs at a time, last nights beer nearly rose up as well.

Moving on, there was a stop at a Bodega to taste some wine, i was upset because there weren’t any pint glasses. Over here the vines are planted in little hollows in the ground, surrounded by small stone walls, protection from the strong winds.

The 3 course meal was pretty bog standard, a banana was one course but then it was on to Timanfaya, the fire park. This draws on the volcanic heat in the ground, first we helped ourselves to a handful of gravel from a shovel to feel the heat from it, then they chucked a bush into a small hole and it burst into flames and the party piece was the pouring of water into a small bore hole only to see it propelled up into the air as a hot geyser. I havent experienced such a hot violent eruption since my last strong curry.

I was also keen to see Jameos del Aqua, a centre built around a volcanic cave by Cesar Manrique, a celebrated local artist and sculptor. it was pretty damm impressive and the underground lagoon is home to the only Albino crabs in the world, they were very small but i treated them with respect, quite a few of my friends have complained about crabs after a holiday abroad.

All in all a good day and loads more info for my work. Now its off on the pop, i expect i will start at La Esquina and see where the wibbly wobbly road takes me. More soon

Woke with a bit of a hangover but got out on the bus to Arrecife, the Lanzarote capital, for an 11am kick off UD Lanzarote v Alcorcon. I met up with a Brit, Ian, who who helps to promote the team with posters around the bars and his own website , he also supplies the kit and sells merchandise. The crowd was about 800, and included lots of holidaying Brits and Germans so Ian’s hard work obviously pays off, there was a poster at reception in Sands Beach Resort, where I’m staying. The game wasnt bad, a 1-0 home win for the Rojillos (reds) thanks to a splendid first half strike from Fredrik, a former Swedish international.

After that I was off in exploring mode to see the sights of Arrecife, being a Sunday, lots of places were shut but i headed for the sea front and was rewarded with a lovely mix of old and new. An old castle fortress stands out to sea linked by 2 old long bridges and 2 canons stand guard just below the battlements, a reminder of past invasion attempts. To the east the Disa oil refinery is not a great sight but to the west, the front has been renovated to give a bright marina and boardwalks. just beyond that is a huge sandy beach.

There is a limit of about 3 storeys to buildings on the island but the 5 star Gran Arrecife Hotel, dominates the skyline with it’s 17 floors rising into the blue yonder – not sure how they got away with that. The good thing is they have a bar on the top floor and anyone (even me) is allowed in, so I went up for a coffee (honest) and took some pics of the amazing views.

Anyway, back in Costa Tequise now and about to indulge in a few fizzy drinks, first stop, the very welcoming La Esquina. I shall try not to be late tonight as I have an early start for a coach tour in the morning. Cheers

There’s a bit of a revolution going on in the sleepy municipality of Guia de Isora on the west coast of Tenerife. The old deserted banana plantations on the coast near Alcala have been cleared and a major new hotel, Palicio de Isora, part of the Sol Melia chain, is reaching completion.

The stretch of coast is familiar to me as I used to live in Puerto de Santiago near Los Gigantes and work for The Tenerife Sun from their office in Alcala. The small fishing cove of Alcala is a great favourite of mine as I used to swim off the quayside in my lunch break and frighten the fishes. Recent changes have seen stone steps into the sea added, I had to make do with a steel ladder, and a dyke below the sea surface now calms the waters.

The big changes come as I walk along the renewed coastal path heading west. The concrete walkway takes me around the headland to a large terraced area newly planted with young palms and shrubs, and miradors (viewpoints) with seating. The huge new hotel is very imposing and although the improved coast access and easily trodden paths are welcome, I can’t help wondering if the trade off is worth it. Will they be able to fill the hotel, will the hotel pools be enough to please the guests, as swimming off this wilder coastline beyond Alcala is a big risk, and will the influx of 100’s of tourists overrun the rural charms of this rocky coast.

Past the hotel, the new walkway finishes and I’m back on the old track clinging to the shore and dipping and rising on it’s way to Punta Blanca, where the sea gets rougher as the cliffs of Los Gigantes appear in the distance. The local surf club have come as close as anyone can to taming the sea at this point and have been very outspoken about the destruction of this special environment. For years this was a magnet for campers, many virtually living here full time, and on holiday weekends it was swelled by many more campers from the big towns, leaving a legacy of litter and rubbish. The council and the police have now won the battle and cleared the campers away – at least for now.

It’s a leisurely hours ramble from Alcala to the end of the path at El Varadero and i’m left with mixed feelings. The new hotel and walkway stand for progress and a new breath of life for an area where fish and bananas can no longer sustain the economy but the rugged beauty of the coast, the locals fishing off the rocks and La Gomera standing proud out at sea are still sights to stir the defiant cry for tradition.

Just 45 days, that’s all it took to build the new temporary home produce market in La Laguna. This is on an island where public work projects normally go at 2 speeds, slow and stop. So on Tuesday December 11 at 7am, traders can start to sell their local produce to the public just in time for christmas. The Catalan builders, AS Montaje, definately deserve their christmas bonus this year.

Back in the summer, the old market building in Plaza del Adelantado, started to crumble and slip into a barranco and of course promises of a new temporary building in Plaza del Cristo were met with a cynical response. The project has been remarkable, first the car park below was strengthened and then 15 aluminium arches were put up to support the building, after that it was full steam ahead.

Not only will the market help farmers and co-operatives to sell fresh vegetables, bread, pastries, wine, sauces and much more, it will also entertain the kids. On the site there is a 400 square metre artificial ice rink, where for a nominal 3 euros, children can exhaust themselves while their parents shop till the kids drop. The rink opens from 10am until 4pm in the week and till 10pm at weekends, fiestas and in the run up to christmas. Also on site is a cafe/bar open for the same hours.

If you want christmas wrapping and decorations, there is a special market open at the plaza by the Tower of the church of the Conception (see pic) again from 10 to 10 each day, up until December 22. Besides the usual goodies, they have large inflatable Tweety Pies with christmas hats on, wonderful for target practice, just set them up and shoot those Pios (it’s a Las Palmas thing) down.

As my trips to Santa Cruz normally involve football and large quantities of Dorada, I took the chance today to nip up and see how the Tenerife capital is shaping up for Christmas. The bus station is a lot better these days and the bus drops you a short walk from Avenida Tres de Mayo, or if you drive, the car park below has been shown to be the cheapest in the capital.

First stop had to be the new Tres de Mayo Commercial Centre, since opening on November 29, traffic on Avenida Tres de Mayo has increased by 2,500 cars per day, a rise of 10 %. I expected the centre to be bigger, it’s on 3 floors and some locales are still empty and it didn’t really excite me but the designer clothes shops will no doubt please a lot of shoppers. The main thing I wanted to see was the Saturn electrical store, the German company has arrived on a storm after advertising hoardings screamed that “Tenerife is very expensive”. The huge, 25,000 square metre shop doesn’t go in for fancy lay outs, just row upon row of every thing you can imagine that needs power. The choice is amazing and there are some fantastic low prices on computers, cameras etc but it’s not just cheap gear, they go right the way up to top of the range goods.

Cutting back across the small modern plaza to El Corte Ingles, I enjoyed having a poke around on the 10 floors, once IÂ stopped drooling at the cakes and pastries just inside the entrance. I’m no expert but for me El Corte Ingles is still the Daddy.

Onward to Plaza de España, well as near as you can get with the remodelling still going on. The tram system is very impressive and gives the city a modern, moving with the times, feel but I can see how they have had a few accidents. They do ring their bell as they come snaking around the tracks but the bell isn’t that loud and doesnt ping until it’s just about to squash you like a ripe tomato on the inlaid tracks.

Call me sentimantal but I couldn’t resist a look in at the Ayuntamiento (council) offices to see the large nativity scene they always do. Impressive and with a change of lighting to show night every few minutes, it is well worth a look and is free.

There is a large box for donations and this year the money goes to AHETE the local society for heomophilia sufferers.

The main shopping drag of Calle del Castillo, from Plaza de España to Plaza General Weyler was bustling as always and after a few coffees (honest) and tapas and a couple of more attempts to head butt a tram, I headed back down south.

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Normally if I want to observe heavenly bodies I head for the beach, but earlier this year, on a trip to the island of La Palma, I had the chance to take the guided tour of the observatory at Roque de los Muchachos, 2,400 metres up. There are 14 telescopes up there, and you can read all about them in my feature (page 24) in the latest Think Spain Today.

If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s the first weekly national English language newspaper for the whole of Spain and it’s islands. It hits the shops every Friday, but takes a day later to reach the Canary Islands, and is just 2 euros. As well as a feature each month I will also be chipping in news stories from around all 7 islands each week.

OK advert over, back to La Palma. The observatory tours are few and far between but the website of the Institute of Canarian Astrophysics will keep you informed of La Palma and the Tenerife observatory.

La Palma is well worth a visit anyway, it’s not called the Beautiful Island for no reason. Lush and green, it boasts the Los Tilos biosphere park, the last Canarian volcano to blow (1971) at Teneguia, and some great walks and historic churches.

A wooden slatted walkway, running the length of the sea front, is just one of the nice touches that makes El Medano one of my favourite parts of Tenerife. A large modern plaza, interesting sculptures and a generally chilled out feel, all add to the attraction.

On my latest visit,the winds that normally buffet this exposed corner were missing, bad news for the wind and kite surfers but good news for the small bars and cafes along the sea front. Hotel Medano, with it’s English style pier jutting out into the sea, still stands firm despite coastal authority threats to bull doze it. The law of the coast forbids building onto the beach but the Hotel was built years ago, there would probably be a sit in or some other relaxed protest if the threat was attempted.

And what a swimmers delight, the sand shelves gently into the sea so you can stand even when quite far out, and if you stay at the pier end on windier days, you can leave the surfers to their acrobatics. The main beach, Playa Chica does tend to shrink away as the tide comes in but there are plenty of little coves eaten into the sandstone by the waves.

If your hungry, visit the La Boheme pancake parlour in Paseo El Pilacho and for drinks the Playa Chica bar is the place to enjoy the sea lapping at the tables. Back at the other side of Montaña Roja, by the big sand dunes, the camping facillities are now open, a great addition to the area. Not far off perfection really, if you haven’t been to El Medano lately, go and enjoy.

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Not enough southern holiday makers take time out to visit Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s capital, in the north. That is the finding of research done by Santa Cruz council, and from this week you will see a big poster campaign in the south to tempt people, and their wallets, up there.

Vibrant and interesting, there is always something going on in Santa Cruz, the tram has become an exciting part of the city and the Plaza de España renovation is nearly complete. A sea water lake, fibre optic lighting and a tunnel under the plaza past the ancient fortress, are just some of the new features.

Art figures heavily in the capital and until December 15 you can see some new sculptures by Greek artist, Sophia Vari. Most are by the Plaza del Principe, leading from the headquarters of Caja Canarias bank, the sponsors of the exhibition. There are also works by the Auditorium and the Plaza de Patriotismo. You will also find many older sculptures spread around the city and several art galleries.

If that wasn’t enough, all the top fashion shops are in Santa Cruz and there’s history by the bucket full. The 110 or 111 buses will whisk you up there in just over an hour from Las Americas or Los Cristianos or if you drive, the parking under the bus station came out the cheapest in the city in a recent survey, so go and enjoy. OK, where’s my cheque from the tourist board?

Forget the ongoing political row about the financing, and possible corruption surrounding Las Teresitas beach, it’s wonderful. Man made (take a bow man) from imported sand and protected from erosion by a rocky arm that embraces the bay, it’s huge and orange.

The back of the beach is lined with palm trees and refreshment kiosks but behind that and the main road, is just a sheer cliff face, no hotels, shops or any commercialism. The beach starts with a small shanty town of crumbling fishermens houses and an array of boats on the sea, but beyond that there is loads of swimming room. The sand though is amazing, fine and light orange but getting darker as it gets wet at the shoreline and even the sea seems tinted, the colour reminded me of Caramac chocolate bars.

Midweek it was sparsely populated, but it would take a lot to fill it. Maps and bus routes make it look like it is a little way from San Andres but it leads straight on from it, and San Andres has a good selection of bars and restaurants. The 245, 246, 247 and 910 buses will get you there from Santa Cruz or you can drive, there’s a fair bit of parking behind the beach and it takes about 20 minutes. Looking out to sea, you can see the hook nose of the Santa Cruz Auditorium, round the coast, that’s how close you are.

It has to be said, it can get very windy there, but well worth a look to see probably the best beach on the island.