Guaranteed winter sunshine. No jetlag. Less than four hours of flight-time to get there. The magnet of the Canaries, so near and yet so sunny, was too much to resist in a cold, wet English December.
This is the European Union's southernmost tip. It has Spanish language and cuisine but a winter temperature that averages 21C, around four degrees warmer than southern Spain, and those few degrees make a big difference.
We chose Lanzarote, the most easterly island of the chain and according to the experts the most exotic. While all the Canary Islands have their extinct volcanoes, Lanzarote is dominated by them. Every hill is conical, and many have that sinister broken crater's edge where streams of lava once spilled over and poured across the landscape. The last eruption occurred in 1824.
The ground is mostly infertile, and with its minimal rainfall the island has the misfortune of not having a single river or stream. Fresh water has to be pumped from wells or wrung out of the sea via desalinisation plants.
In this wild environment ("moonscape", as no tourist brochure can avoid putting it) the few palm trees or flowering cacti that manage to take root have a special charm. But the attraction is the coast, and as it only takes an hour to drive from one end of the island to the other, and half that time to cross, you are never far from the sea. In most places, the sand is a respectable yellow, and only a few beaches have the tell-tale black sand of lava deposits.
The oldest resort, Puerto del Carmen, has several miles of yellow sand as well as a pleasant small cove, Playa Chica, near the yachting harbour. Most of the package tours concentrate here or at Playa Blanca on the south coast. But with a rented car you can get to the quieter beaches of El Papagayo along a dirt track to the east of Playa Blanca. This area was turned into a national park a few years ago to stop any risk of coastal ribbon development. Yet even before then, Lanzarote had managed to avoid the damage done by uncontrolled building.
The hero was a draconian figure called Cesar Manrique, who has left his stamp all over his native island. An internationally-acclaimed architect and artist, he was friendly with the island's political leadership and used his influence to ensure that development was strictly regulated and the island's character preserved.
High-rise building and advertising hoardings were banned. Every house, even in the remotest hamlet, had to be white-washed, its doors and window-frames painted green or blue.
We had intended to have a lazy week reading by the pool but found ourselves spending more time exploring the island. The volcano of Timanfaya is Lanzarote's main curiosity, and well worth a half-day excursion. At the El Diablo restaurant, those in quest for the ultimate culinary sensation can enjoy (besides the stunning view) chicken or beef grilled over the heat of the volcano.
Another fascinating volcanic excursion is to the Cueva de los Verdes, a tunnel-like cave formed by a prehistoric eruption. As it poured towards the sea, the river of lava cooled at the top and hardened, leaving a long tunnel underneath. But unlike caves in most other parts of the world, Lanzarote's minimal rainfall has left this one dry and a pleasant 18 degrees, and you can wander through in light clothes admiring the colours of the rocks.
One day, we drove to Lanzarote's most stunning beach, at Famara in the north-west. At the foot of beetling cliffs, this is a mile-long stretch of breakers on a wide curved bay, and a surfer's delight on days when the currents are not too strong.
Lanzarote is not "organised" for rambling and there are no officially marked trails, but by walking beyond the last house, we found a contour path about a third of the way up the cliffs. The breakers looked wonderful from above and in three hours we met only one other hiker.
Surrounded by the sea and with minimal opportunities for agriculture, Lanzarote's people mainly used to live off fish. Seafood is still the mainstay of the cuisine, although most of the shellfish that appears on every menu is flown in deep-frozen from elsewhere. The best local fish is cherne , which is unique to this part of the Atlantic and has a fine fleshy texture. Mero (grouper) and vieja are also local. To sample them at their best, head for one of the fishing villages rather than the larger tourist resorts.
At Orzola, at the northern tip of the island, we had an excellent meal at Os Gallegos. The fish is all freshly caught and came, as is common in most Lanzarote restaurants, accompanied by tiny potatoes which are cooked in their skins ( papas arrugadas ) and sprinkled with a red chilli sauce ( mojo rojo ). The three-course meal cost about £11 a head including wine.
In Puerto Calero, the quiet settlement of villas where we stayed, there is a choice of a dozen restaurants alongside the yachting marina. Most offer comfortable wicker-work armchairs at their alfresco tables. Our favourite was Don Quixote, which has a superb gazpacho starter and plenty of fish dishes. Here, too, a three-course meal cost little more than £11.
Tapas bars are everywhere. We liked La Lonja in the old port area of Puerto del Carmen, where locals also drop in and seem not to mind rubbing shoulders with tourists.
For a splurge, you cannot do better than the four-star Gran Melia Salinas in the resort of Costa Teguise. The building was conceived by the unavoidable Signor Manrique, and is centred on three courtyards filled with jungle trees, palms, lianas, and rustling streams. The style has since become a cliché elsewhere, but this early example is outstanding. The restaurant on the edge of Courtyard Three is first-class, and even here the price per person plus wine does not top £30.
Surprisingly, in view of its volcanic character, Lanzarote has its own wine. Nowhere in the world can vines be more lovingly tended. If you drive out to La Geria, you can marvel at the way the farmers dig a series of small round depressions in the volcanic black soil, and surround each one with a stone wall. The occasional rain is collected in the hole, the wind is kept at bay by the wall, and the year-round warmth and almost constant sunshine do the rest.
The resulting wine is more than passable, and had it not been for the insistent temptation to see as much of this unusual island as possible in the space of only seven days, we would have drunk a whole lot more of it.
The practicals
Meon Villas (01730-230370) has a range of four and five-star villas, starting from £344pp per week. Jonathan Steele stayed one week at the Villa Ramos, above Puerto Calero, which costs from £499pp, based on six sharing, including return flights, airport taxes, villa accommodation with private pool, welcome pack, weekly cleaning service, and car hire with unlimited mileage. For departures February 22 to April 4 the price is £585pp. In January and February, Meon Villas has special offers on selected four- and five-star villas in Lanzarote with savings of up to £247pp on one week bookings. For details, see Somewhere for now.
