Lanzarote (Spain)

Lanzarote - completely unexpected - it was totally different from anything I'd pictured, and for good reason - there's nothing else like it around (apart from perhaps Hawaii, but I can't confirm that myself).

Getting around is easy once you've hired a car - and doing so is very cheap. There are buses, and taxis, but hiring is the simplest way to go. It's only 45km long but there's a lot packed into that space - and you don't want to spend your time waiting for public transport.

Once you're settled with your transport, it's exploring time. Lanzarote has two main "tourist spots" to visit - the north - with the caves, lava tunnels, and spectacular views, and the south-west, with the famous Playa Blanca beach, and the volcanic park. Everything I just mentioned is exceptional and TOTALLY worth seeing. Lanzarote has taken special care to make each location really well setup for tourists - from guided tours in English and Spanish, to well sign-posted roads and a free map at the airport that has everything you could want in it.

At night, Puerto Del Carmen is the place to go for clubbing, and it's really good fun - for a small island it feels like a European club, but step outside and you're on the beach - a relatively deserted one at that.

The hidden gem on the island is La Famara beach on the west coast - one of the best surf beaches around, with long, LONG breakers and a slow gradient, and plenty of space! None of the massive crowds experienced around Playa Blanca.

And the entire time you're travelling around the island, you will be amazed by the spectacular landscape - it's a cross between a lunar outlook, the desert, and Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings.

Have fun, enjoy, and take lots of photos!