Janet's blog

Just in case you are not “all shopped out” after the Christmas period .. the official dates have been released for the traditional January Sales in the Canaries.

They start on 7 Jan through to 6 March 2012 – and it’s the time when retailers clear ALL their old stock in preparation for the new Spring collections. There are always lots of bargains to be had in the early days .. but as the weeks pass, the remaining stock is reduced in price again and again until everything is gone. So if you are brave enough to play the waiting game, they’ll be virtually giving it away.

There were signs in the stores this weekend that they may be starting the sales ahead of the official start date this year, which is good news for the bargain-hunters.

Happy shopping!

Christmas is a lovely time of year especially in Lanzarote – relaxing with family and friends, eating and drinking too much, time to enjoy the sunshine. Then a topsy-turvy week of irregular working hours and left-overs in the fridge (turkey sandwich anyone???) – waiting for the next round of celebrations for the New Year and for the Spanish the additional holiday for “the Kings” on 6th January.

This week is a bit like living in Limbo-land with changed routines – but a good time to take stock of the year and its ups and downs. Thoughts for the New Year and what you hope to achieve and do, new goals and ambitions.

Enjoy your week and have a very Happy New and I hope it brings all that you are hoping for.

With only 7 more days to go till the big day, the festive activities are really starting this week. There seems to be a real buzz of activity on the island as everyone gears up for the arrival of the Christmas tourists – traditionally a time to boost the economy in the resorts.

Lots of activities to look forward to with the Carol parade in Costa Teguise on Thursday and the now famous Santa Parade in Puerto del Carmen on Friday. The office parties are in full swing and a great occasion to shake off that LBD!!

Whatever you are doing for Christmas I’d like to wish everyone a happy and peaceful time and share a thought for those less fortunate that don’t have family around them or the festive cheer that makes this time of year so special.

Feliz Navidad !!!

I’ve just returned from a short trip to the UK and was pleasantly surprised by the upgrades that are taking place at Arrecife airport. Work has been carried out in the departures lounge with a new Duty Free zone – it has the feel of a modern airport lounge with a wider selection of products attractively displayed and encouraging you to wander and browse whilst you pass the time before flying. There is also a smart new coffee shop called Caffè Ritazza serving a huge range of Italian coffees, pastries and snacks, along the lines of the UK Costa franchise.

The whole airport departure experience was much improved and good to see Arrecife airport is moving with the times and provide what the discerning traveller is now looking for.

The recent showers followed by a few hours of sunshine have transformed the landscape within a matter of days – tiny shoots of greenery can be seen, rather the baked dry landscape signalling a long dry summer.

I commented on Facebook this week at the large amount of quality restaurants that are opening at various locations around the island – high quality cuisine in stylish surroundings .. the island is definitely waking up again and it’s encouraging to see, not only new businesses – but high quality, especially on the new and smarter Avenida. Could the green shoots of recovery be happening for the economy here too, as well as the landscape?

There is always the pessimist who grumbles how all-inclusive is killing the island .. but our friends from Ryanair and other budget airlines for independent travellers have definitely reversed the trend resulting in higher than expected tourist numbers for September and October and this seems to be the case for November too.

November mornings can be a little chilly before the sun has really had chance to warm up – so a good time to wrap up warm and take a trip off to visit the island. The Sunday morning market at Teguise is always great, but by way of something different, today I took myself off to the small market at El Caballo Lanzarote near Uga to the ‘Rastro’ (second hand market).

It was great to look through the bric-a-brac, CD’s and books, clothes etc and pick up a few real bargains. It seems to be the meeting place for lots of the local ex-pats as well as some Spanish and German, so good to catch up with some friends too.

On from there to the farmer’s market in Uga, next to the church which is very Spanish. Canarian music greats you from the loud speakers, and with a fine selection of local cheeses, fruit and vegetables and some mouth-watering pastries and breads from the local baker.