Lanzarote in the Canary Islands is a hugely popular winter holiday destination.  Thanks to the fact that it enjoys great weather during the depths of December and January.  Due to its location off the coast of Morocco.  Whilst at the same time is close enough to major markets such as the UK to attract tourists in large numbers.

Indeed flights to Lanzarote from the UK take just four hours.  And have never been cheaper.  Thanks to the introduction of low cost fares by airlines such as Ryanair and easy Jet.  Making a winter break on the island more affordable than ever for British tourists.  Who last year accounted for around 800,000 arrivals on the island.

Places To Stay

There are plenty of accommodation options for anyone planning a holiday on the island during the winter months.  With something for all tastes and budgets.

The best hotels in Lanzarote can be found in the southern resort of Playa Blanca.  Which also enjoys the best weather during the winter months.  Here tourists can book good value four star accommodation in establishments such as the Princesa Yaiza and the Timanfaya Palace from as little as €60 per night.  Which is the cost per room and not per person. Alternatively there’s also a big selection of villas in Playa Blanca for rent too.  With prices starting from around €500 per week.  (more…)

Lanzarote is a Spanish owned island located just off the coast of West Africa.  Part of the Canaries archipelago which has become synonymous with package holidays over the last decade or so.

But despite the fact that these seven islands welcome over 9 million visors every year some, such as Lanzarote, retain much of their original character and are largely unspoiled.  With tourism having made little visible imprint.

Lanzarote was first conquered by Spain in 1404.  Becoming a stopping off point for the Spanish galleons that crossed the Atlantic between the new World and the Old.  Feeding the growing Spanish empire with Inca silver.

Modern package tourism first took root here in the late 1960´s, growing rapidly during the 1980´s.  With the bulk of visitors originating from the UK, Germany and Eire.

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GUNKANJIMA (Japan): the Ghost (and forbidden) Island
Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island’s most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan’s first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare for the residential district, one of the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima’s mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it’s called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima is currently prohibited. (more…)