Feeling frosty? Grab yourself a week of cheap & chic winter sunshine at Lanzarote’s perfect Playa Blanca says PHILLIP BURKETT

JUST a few hours from the UK, the Canaries are our best option to catch up on some well-earned winter sun.

So it's no wonder parts of the islands can be crowded, heavily builtup and gridlocked with traffic.

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But one area of Lanzarote manages to cater for tourists without sacrificing that unique Canarian charm.

Playa Blanca, that's "White Beach", is the island's most southerly resort.

It's got a traditional, relaxed feel and the nightlife is low key yet lively, making it perfect for families and couples.

We stayed at the Sun Tropical Holiday Village - a hotel in quiet surroundings but just 700 metres from Playa Dorada beach.

Playa Blanca beach and the main resort, with its shopping, bars and restaurants, is just 1.5km away.

The hotel's 207 apartments are housed in eight two-storey whitewashed buildings, making a refreshing change from high-rise hotels.
In fact there is a by-law limiting the number of storeys to a building, plus another forbidding advertising billboards. Houses can only be whitewashed and their window frames must be green, blue or unpainted wood.

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Not good for those with ambitions to build their own London Gherkin or pebbledash their homes but it all means the area stays looking chic.

Overlooking the pretty gardens, our apartment at Sun Tropical also did its bit to keep up the standards of good taste with its sunny colour scheme of blue, yellow and white.

We stayed all-inclusive with the run of four bars (including one with satellite telly for football fans) and a buffet restaurant serving a different cuisine each night.

There are places to grab snacks and two a la carte restaurants, making it like a village in itself.

But don't let that stop you heading into the beautiful town and harbour of Playa Blanca too.

When it comes to eating out, you will be spoilt for choice in the many bars and restaurants gracing the promenade with its panoramic views across to the island of Fuerteventura.

We went out most evenings and were lucky to catch the last night of the annual Playa Blanca Festival, based around the harbour area and usually held in early March.

This was a fantastic evening of light and sound, celebrating the history and culture of the resort.

Local families pitch up their homemade barbecues and have a great time - there's no health and safety nonsense to ruin it and a good time is had by all. Just a 20-minute drive north of Playa Blanca is the fishing village of El Golfo, where you'll find the striking Green Lagoon and, many claim, the best food in the Canaries.

With restaurants overlooking the sea and serving only the freshest ingredients, you might even spot fishermen catching your meal.
You'll enjoy a memorable fish supper in any of the many restaurants.

But it's not just the food that should get you venturing outside the hotel. We took a half-day excursion to the Timanfaya National Park with its active volcano, which last erupted in 1824.

The coach took us through the devastated, lunar landscape to the top of Fire Mountain, where we were treated to some geothermal experiments - including pouring water into a deep hole so that, within a couple of seconds, a plume of steam shot 20ft in the air.

Just 30ft below our feet the temperature was 600ºC, something I found a bit unnerving but exhilarating. This was nature at her strongest.

We also took the Princess Yaiza Taxi/ Glass Bottom Boat trip from Playa Blanca harbour to Papagayo Beach. You can disembark at Papagayo and get picked up later, or you can go for the round trip along the Playa Blanca coastline. We decided to stay on the boat and relax while taking in the scenery.

Back at Sun Tropical, the five large and four kids' pools meant finding a sun lounger for a day of dozing was easy.

To fill our waking moments, there was volleyball, water polo, tennis and water aerobics all on offer.

Our seven-year-old son Oliver enrolled in the football school for lessons. He'd tried similar courses on other holidays but often found the coaches to be slightly lazy and more interested in texting their friends than passing on their skills to the budding Beckhams.

But what a pleasant surprise we had when we met the football coach this time. His enthusiasm was infectious.

He connected with the kids from the start and his 90-minute lessons were always structured and engaging.

He supported the less skilled players and pushed the more skilful ones forward. Oliver loved every moment.

The evening entertainment was also a good mix for both children and adults, with most performances held in The Dome, a 450-seat auditorium.

A mini disco for the youngsters started around 8pm, followed by a Thomas Cook reps show that Oliver loved. Evenings wound up with live music for the grownups, starting at 9pm.

Day and night, the Thomas Cook reps did a fantastic job. How they can take the constant barrage of kids tugging at their T-shirts and swinging from their necks I will never know.

But it meant us adults had more time to pause, unwind and enjoy Playa Blanca's laidback atmosphere.

FACT FILE
AIRTOURS Sunstar is offering seven nights at the three-star Sun Tropical in Playa Blanca from £1,278 for a family of four on an all-inclusive basis, departing on January 27, 2011 from Gatwick. Call 0844 871 6636, see airtours.co.uk or visit your nearest Thomas Cook or Going Places.

Thomas Cook Publishing offers travel guides to Lanzarote from only £4.99 - see thomascookpublishing.com or call 01733 416477.
Price correct at time of issue and subject to change, inclusive of flights, transfers and accommodation based on a family of four sharing a one-bedroom apartment.

Optional supplements may be applicable at the time of booking. Maximum child age is 14 years.