Surf’s Always Up On Lanzarote

The Beach Boys sang about waxing down their surfboards and waiting for June, well there’s no need to wait for June on Lanzarote as the surfing season continues all year round. Even though the main surf beaches may be relatively free of crowds at the moment, there are still a few committed surfers who go out every day. However, plenty of surf fans will be planning their surf holidays for next summer and booking their flights to this popular island in the Atlantic.

Several of the surf schools on the island have been in business for over 10 years now and have well established bases, coaching surfers from all over Europe throughout the year. Famara is the best known spot on Lanzarote for surfing, for various reasons. It’s location is key, being in the perfect spot to receive those ideal Atlantic swells that roll in continuously, sometimes quite aggressively, sometimes more gently for beginners. Famara also has great sand, to keep the spectators happy and, being quite remote from the typical tourist beaches, there’s no problem with sun seekers getting in the way. An added benefit is the area’s beauty, with no lack of wonderful scenery to provide a perfect backdrop to a day’s surfing the waves.

Only rarely will surfers experience the huge waves that non-surfers conjure up in their minds when they think about the typical Hawaiian surfers shown in advertisements and film scenes, but for most of the surfers that visit Lanzarote, such big rollers would only mean most people having to sit out the day on the beach, watching just a handful of professional?level superstars getting their kicks. No, for majority of people the temperate waves of Lanzarote’s surf beaches are plenty big enough. In addition to the favoured beach at Famara, the tiny island of La Graciosa, which lies off the north west coast of Lanzarote, provides an alternative surf spot just south of the beach at Playa de las Conchas. South of Famara is another area around the La Santa Sports Club, with a choice of 4 locations, but only recommended for more experienced surfers due to the speed of the waves and the rocky sea bed.

Some final choices on the southern end of Lanzarote’s western coast are El Golfo and Janubio beach, both suitable for surfers of intermediate ability. Lanzarote has also gained a great reputation as one of the best competition locations in Europe and regularly hosts the European legs of the world’s top international surfing competitions. In early November 2009 the Santa Pro surf competition was held at Famara beach, although organisers were forced to shift beaches south to la Santa for a couple of days due to the conditions. Almost one hundred competitors competed for the prizes and huge twelve foot waves provided exciting conditions. Australian professional Drew Courtney defeated Brazilian Bernardo Miranda in the final.

Earlier in the year, during July, Spain held its national kitesurfing championships in Lanzarote at Playa de Famara, when 84 competitors visited the island to compete for the national titles. Top level windsurfing also came to Lanzarote during July when the PWA championship event was held at the Playa Las Cucharas in Costa Teguise. In 2010, there will be more professional surfing in the Canary Islands when the ASP Junior Surf Tour comes to Realejos in Tenerife during September.

For those new to surfing, who are not sure where to start, then the easier version of wave boarding or “boogie” boarding is the perfect option, even for young children and Lanzarote’s beaches are the perfect place to. With some cheap equipment and a little instruction, complete beginners can be out in the waves having fun within a few minutes. You just need a board and some optional flippers and you’ll be away. Unlike the UK, you won’t even need a wetsuit during the summer months. Its probably best to start with a session or two at one of the many surf schools, if only to learn about beach etiquette (how to avoid upsetting everyone else out there) and to understand the safety aspects of rip tides and danger areas. Apart from than that it’s a great surf sport for young and old.

Consider taking a cheap flight to Lanzarote and catching some waves while the rest of Europe battles the winter chills. This report highlights why many people now consider Lanazarote one of the best surf locations in Europe.

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Honeymooners On A Sailing Vacation

A cruise expedition is the most popular option for honeymoon vacations. It is truly romantic. You get away from the city life back into the lap of nature. Just imagine cruising through the ocean with the stars above and breathing fresh air!

You would find many more couples contemplating a romantic trip. Such couples would add romance to the atmosphere on the ship. Now it is your choice to either befriend them as in ” more the merrier ” or just be with your loved one to work on your relationship and get closer.

Usually, honeymooners decide on a sailing vacation. If you two are a honeymoon couple then do loads of window-shopping before booking a cruise line. Along with attractive rates, most cruise ships also offer amazing privileges. The newly weds are spoilt by them with special fluffy robes, a wedding cake and breakfast in bed. You may even get to reserve your table at the restaurant, which is a rare opportunity. These privileges may not be free. Yet, you could still look around and find some good deals to choose from. It is still possible for you to plan and organize some romantic surprises for your partner. For instance, you could order and arrange some flowers in your cabin room even before boarding the cruise.

Carnival Cruises are popular not only with just the newlyweds but with all those couples who wish to go honeymooning again to rekindle their relationships. To create a mystical atmosphere in your cabin, you could place some flags and balloons. It would truly feel like a journey into the romantic world. These decorations will be charged money but your wedding cake is free when you dine on the ship for the first time.

You could add to the enjoyment and push invisible buttons by purchasing a honeymoon package that may include T-shirts, champagne, cameras and other such items that would not even cross your mind.

Princess Cruises is another popular cruise line. Both the Cabin decorations and your wedding cake are free. However, there are two kinds of honeymoon packages you can choose from:

Honeymoon Experience – This is less expensive and includes

two engraved champagne glasses with champagne in them
two long-stemmed roses for a little less than $150 and
chocolate strawberries

Princess Honeymoon Experience – This is more expensive then the Honeymoon Experience and includes

massages
breakfast in bed
fluffy robes and
appetizers delivered to your room and
all the other items are economically priced

Honeymoon Planning

Just like planning a written report or news article, you have to know the who, what, when, where and how in regards to your honeymoon planning. The who and what portions of the planning are no-brainers as the who refers to you and your intended while the what refers to the honeymoon. So do you have any ideas as to the when, where and how in referring to your honeymoon planning?

Typically, most honeymoons occur within a few days of the wedding ceremony although that is not always the case. Some people will plan the wedding based on school or work schedules and plan a honeymoon trip later when both parties can get a large chunk of time off for vacation. Others will decide where they want to go first and then decide on the when in regards to honeymoon planning. If you and your intended have your hearts set on a skiing vacation, then the obvious when in regards to honeymoon planning will be sometimes in the winter months. However, in seeking a tropical destination, the when could occur at any time of year.

Knowing where you are going is crucial to the where part of honeymoon planning. For strict budgets, you will likely stick close to home with the idea of going all out in a few years on a more extravagant vacation. Looser purse strings might see you venturing abroad to foreign countries either by cruise ship or by plane. The where in honeymoon planning is also influenced by what you and your intended’s likes and dislikes are in terms of weather and available activities. Tropical settings offer up the most opportunities for newlyweds and they are also romantic as well.

Unfortunately, the buck sometimes stops right where you don’t want it to – your dream destination for your honeymoon. Unless you want to be in debt for a few years while you pay off your dream honeymoon, it pays to be more sensible in your honeymoon planning. There is no reason not to choose a destination based on what your budget will allow and still plan that dream destination vacation for a later date. For some couples, a cruise makes economical sense in terms of the how of honeymoon planning. Your food, drink, activities and accommodations are not only under one roof but also part of one price. Plus, with this type of honeymoon, you can still see new places each time the ship makes port during your cruise. Let your budget dictate what you can and cannot afford in terms of your honeymoon destination. Honeymoon planning doesn’t have to be rocket science, just plain old common sense with a hint of dreams and romance thrown in.