One of the many excellent reasons for staying in Costa Teguise, apart from the fact that Sands Beach Resort is there, is that you’re in easy reach of so many of Lanzarote’s top attractions, including the awesome Cueva de Los Verdes which really should be near the top of everyone’s ‘must see’ list.

In the north east of Lanzarote, just inland from the beautiful underground lake of Jameos del Agua, some 3000 to 5000 years ago the La Corona volcano erupted and sent rivers of lava flowing beneath an already-cooled surface of rock. The result was a six kilometre long underground volcanic tube which opened out into caves and grottos.

During the 16th and 17th centuries when Lanzarote was subjected to constant invasions by pirates looking to capture fresh slaves to trade, the caves served as an effective hiding place for the local people who kept their existence a secret. Incidentally, if the young Jack Sparrows in your family want to learn more about the swashbuckling history of Lanzarote, then a visit to the Piracy Museum in Teguise is another one for the ‘must see’ list.

In 1964, one kilometre of the caves was creatively illuminated by the artist Jesús Soto and made safe for tourists by the island Cabildo (Government). Since then they’ve been visited by millions of people and provide a unique and atmospheric venue for classical concerts staged throughout the year. Arriving at the Cueva de los Verdes, groups are guided through the incredible rabbit warren of tunnels. Sometimes crouching almost double to get through a passageway and at other times emerging into a huge grotto that reaches up through layers of russet, gold and copper rock for fifty metres, you carefully thread your way past features like The Crypt, The Guanche’s Foot and The Monster’s Head.

The Cueva de Los Verdes is a surreal landscape, enhanced by the background music and the stunning lighting which reveals layers, twists and turns in the tunnel that seem to go on to eternity. It’s a brilliant place to visit for all the family and what’s more, the temperature inside the cave is always a very pleasant 19ºC so when the mercury rises as it did this weekend, the caves are the perfect place to go to escape the heat.

Cueva de Los Verdes; open every day 10am to 6pm (last tour 5pm); adults €8, children (7 to 12 years) €4; allow one hour for the tour and up to 45 minutes waiting time to begin a tour. In high season (July-September) go in the afternoon to avoid the coach tours.