Hi

We have never been to the island and we are planning to come in july 2011. looking at villas in Playa Blanca.

What is the resort like? should we stay near the marina with pool so my 13yr old can play pool etc or should we stay a little further? what sort of weather in july/august? do we really need a car for 14 days? and having swam in freezing water in Portugal is the sea warm on the island?

Lots of questions and any help would be great

Griffo

griffo sent you a p.m

Griffo,

There are many sources for the information you want, try Googling: Playa Blanca, Lanzarote information, Lanzarote relocation and Lanzarote Forum. You'll be able to read the answers many times over there, and find out many things you didn't think to ask about the island.

To answer your specifics: Playa Blanca is a quietish, laid back resorts with some big hotels and a lot of private and rented villas. It has fantastic views to Fuerteventura about 8 miles away from a long promenade that spans an up-market marina, a big gentle beach, the smaller, sandy blue flag town beach surrounded by restaurants and a shopping precinct, and the hotels. Out of town are the beaches at Papagayo which are some of the best in the Canaries (google papagayo).

Not sure what you mean about pool. If you mean swimming, all hotels and many villas have them. If you mean the table game, then several bars have them. The Marina doesn't come into it, although there is a bowling alley there.

At Christmas the sea is full of children and adults swimming happily, so you can imagine it's fine in July. Having said that, some people think a heated indoor pool is "freezing" so it depends on pesonal choice.

Unless your holiday price includes transport from the airport, the taxi will cost about 35 -40 Euros each way and excursions to attractions around the island would cost about 30 Euros per person per trip. and two weeks car hire would cost about 280 Euros. Petrol is about 70 pence a litre, and you'll use about 50 litres in two weeks. It would be a shame not to see the isand outside the man made resorts and attractions, it is startlingly beautiful, and a car is by far the best way to do it. Finally, depending where you stay in Playa Blanca, a car is very useful, because the town is about 4 miles long with the restaurants etc in the middle. There is a bus service, which costs 1.5 Euro per trip. You can do the sums!

Must point out that in July will be absolutley roasting - make portugal feel like the north pole!

Looking a long way ahead for your hols - or is it becuase its miserable at home today?!

??????

Average temperaure in July...............

Faro 28C

Lanzarote 28C

must admit foodie bawbee got ya there

July not overbearing. very plesant. get a villa with a communal pool as if you get a private pool, you will more than likely not interact with any of the other residents in the compound.

I've been there for teh past 8 years, always going to PB. This year for the first time, I stayed in Las Brisas. Have a look. I enjoyed it. It's very central, great staff, english speaking and reasonable prices.

The only negatives woudl be that the villas are a little 'dated' and there was a lot of ants around.

Las Brisas are one of the best communal places in PB.

They are perfectly located.

Very " British" though.

I'd say that getting a villa with a private pool is the very reason you don't want to interact with other "residents".

Got me?! Fair enough but I would much prefer portugal in July and August than Lanza! Just too hot for me am afraid regardless of the stats.

In fact I would go to neither as refuse to be sc*ewed by the airlines and holiday companies in school holiday times! June and November for me!!

regards temps, we're just back. At the start of the hol it was about 30, the last few days the locals were saying well into the 40's. From what I can work out it's all down to wind and cloud cover.

At the start it was blue skies all the way, and plenty of wind, the heat was dry, no sweating, never felt too hot, just right. At the end the sky was a mass of haze, the sun was getting thru no problem though, but the haze acts like a blanket so the temps sore and humidity seems to sore with it. A short walk had you sweating buckets. Not pleasant. I didn't get to see a temp gauge at the end of the week but have experience of very hot climates and it certainly felt like it was well into the 40's.

This phenomena is called a "Calima".

The heat comes from the sahara, sucking up sand, locusts etc, then drifts over to Lanza.
Sometimes you are lucky, it´s just the sand that drops, but , as you say, the haze and clouds hold the heat, VERY hot and stifling. But not a regular occurance.

My friend hates flying but said landing in a Calima was the most gentle ever, no wind etc.

35.4 in the shade today in PB, above 40 in the sun, but that's a false reading. I've been in Darwin in the Summer, and Singapore at the equinox, and that was about 37, felt much the same as today here. Well into the 40s is horrible, so we stay out of the sun.