When we first came March this year I was hunting around online for what we would do and Googled up this travel diary http://www.charlottecooper.net/docs/travel.htm - it's the main travel page because Charlotte loved Lanzarote so much she has done 3 trips and it is worth reading all three for ideas of what to do on your next trip. After reading Charlotte's accounts I could not wait to go and see all these wonderful things and thanked my lucky stars we were going to be spending a week in Lanzarote. It did not disappoint and we both fell in love with the island, decided we might move back in the future and we're just back a few days from our 2nd trip.

We only booked to go to Lanzarote because it was £200 each for flight and accommodation. Previously I had been to Tenerife which we had nicknamed Tel Aviv and even though we drove round a fair bit, staying in Playas Las Americas had muddied my opinion greatly as I am a self-confessed snob plus I don't go abroad to feel as if I am still in Britain. Had I stayed in Puerto Del Carmen I would not have been happy (not my cup of tea and don't mean to offend those for who it is). We went with low expectations but were blown away by Lanzarote because of the natural history, natural beauty, other worldly feel and Manrique. My highlight last week was going to Lagomar which we had left for the next visit. There was so much we wanted to show my dad who was with us it was hard to decide how to spend the week and so much left over we had not crammed into the first week.

Staying in Costa Teguise is great for us, even though it still has too many British bars and PRs to be perfect but you can't blame anyone for wanting to stay on the island and have a bar, and I laughed at another post that some people complain that it has no real night life (other than restaurants). That's what makes it good for us - no girls wearing bunny ears throwing up their booze in the street or drunk men picking fights.

We stay in an apartment complex we stumbled on the first time (first accom we had the beds were uncomfortable and too far out of town) full of well behaved and immaculately turned out Spanish holiday makers in a quiet area but close to everything. I'm not going to give the name so it doesn't get ruined by the masses, just like some Lanzarote locals who are now friends have forbidden me to post online the name of a fab tapas place they don't want spoilt. The point is there are wonderful discoveries to be made that set Lanzarote apart from what for too many Brits is the normal 'get pissed, get sunburnt' holiday.

Even if AI it is worth getting out to sample some great places that are not expensive for food. When doing the North of the island go to Orzola for a set menu (menu del dia) and the first place on the left you come to with green plastic chairs, Atundara I think, outside serves up a delightful 3 course meal with bread and drink for only 6.40 Euros. In Teguise there is a cafe called Cejas on a square near the main road through, not far from the big church there and they have a lovely courtyard where sandwiches start at 2.50 Euros. In Costa Teguise the all you can eat buffet starting at 5pm at Slow Boat (sea end of Calle Jabillo) for 4.50 Euros is very good but skip the pancakes for the duck as too soggy and do ask for the banana fritters to be prepared for you as so yummy. In Puerto Del Carmen we had tortilla for lunch at a rather swanky place overlooking the sea called 'La Terraza' that looked considerably less greasy and smelt much better than most of the PDC strip eateries, and it was a big delicious portion with salad for just 3 Euros.

My biggest regret is not spending more time on Famara beach which we went to at the end of the penultimate day for a couple of hours. I would kill to be able to walk again a few minutes on that soft warm sand, paddle in the temperate water and stare at those amazing high cliffs framing it all beautifully.

If unlike the scary majority, you are not a beer swilling, football shirt wearing, Sun reading pie monster that uses aftersun instead of sun protection factor and wears their beachwear on the flight home in Winter and you don't like Lanzarote, I'd argue you have not seen enough of it. I'm excited for your next trip as armed with where to go you will probably be enchanted by the magical Lanzarote you can experience.

"We found some great places but we're not going to tell you where they are in case you're working class"

Aye, cheers m8!