According to ASOLAN, the Lanzarote hotelier’s association, occupancy levels in the island’s hotels and apartments averaged a smile-inducing average of 77% during 2011 which, for an island known predominantly for its winter sun, is pretty good going. So what is it that brings visitors to Lanzarote in their droves?

Sunshine. It’s the number one reason why so many northern Europeans flee winter at home and our beautiful island is blessed with it all year round. With the daytime winter mercury rarely falling below 20°C and an average of 7 hours sunshine a day, Lanzarote is a sun-lover’s paradise.

Distance. Within four or so hours flying time of northern Europe, Lanzarote offers all the tropical benefits of a long haul destination, without the long haul.

Safety. Lanzarote lies just 140km off the coast of Africa yet is a thousand miles away from its troubled neighbours. Part of the wholly autonomous Spanish region of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lanzarote enjoys a safe and laid back lifestyle with a generous sprinkling of ‘amable‘ (friendliness).

Sports. The island’s temperate, year round climate and unique landscape make it the consummate destination for sports enthusiasts. Home to the Lanzarote Ironman triathlon and host to the PWA windsurfing World Tour, Lanzarote has superb facilities and conditions for an energy-sapping choice of air, land and sea based sports.

Landscape. Birth place of the world renowned architect, sculpture and artist César Manrique whose influence ensured Lanzarote’s trademark, uniform white and low buildings, the island’s landscape is truly unique. Black volcanic terraces flashed with the yellow green shoots of vines, and rose quartz volcanoes in ash gray overcoats form a spectacular foreground against the azure Atlantic and sky.

Timanfaya National Park. Born of the longest volcanic eruption in history that, for six years from 1730, tore the island apart, Timanfaya National Park is a magnet for visitors keen to witness the volcanic wonderland where latent intense heat sets dry bushes alight and cooks lunch over one of the world’s only volcanic ovens.

Food and Wine. With 17 bodegas (wine producers) around the island, getting to know Lanzarote’s wines can be a pleasurably time-consuming affair. Coupling the aromatic crispness of a Malvasía Seco with some of the island’s creative cuisine is a favourite local pastime and you’ll find excellent tapas bars in most towns and resorts.

Walking. For those who enjoy pulling on the boots and strapping on the rucksack, Lanzarote offers superb guided walking routes that will take you to volcanic landscapes, palm filled valleys, dramatic cliff tops and tropical islands.

Secret Canary Islands. Lying just a short boat trip off the northern coast of Lanzarote are three islands – the nature reserves of Alegranza and Montaña Clara where Egyptian vultures, Osprey and the beautiful Eleanora falcon comes to nest, and the paradise island of La Graciosa where you can leave your shoes at the shore and collect them on your way home.

Sands Beach Resort. If you still need a reason to holiday on Lanzarote, look no further than Sands Beach Resort where sunshine, sports and fun in the sun combine with beautiful, beach or poolside villas and a tranquil Costa Teguise location to bring you the very best that Lanzarote has to offer.

Imagine getting out of bed on a dark and dreary, icy winter morning to face temperatures of around 4C knowing that by lunch time you could be sitting in T-shirt and shorts tucking into tapas of Jamón serrano, crispy fish croquettes, calamari and papas arrugadas (little wrinkled potatoes).

Imagine, as you pull on your clothes as quickly as possible in a bid to keep warm, that by the afternoon you could be stripping down to as little as possible in order to let a warm sun caress your skin.

Imagine, as the dark morning chills you to the bone, that by the time darkness returns you could be sitting on an outside terrace nursing an exotic cocktail and basking in the golden glow of a sublime sunset.

It’s easy for us living in this wonderful climate to forget how privileged we are to enjoy winter weather that can be better than summer weather in some other locations.

Lounging in the sunshine on the golden sand and 20-25C temperatures around the Sands Beach Resort lagoon in January, the very notion that this is winter can seem ridiculous.

And yet this is the reality of what winter in Lanzarote offers. Winter days are long, sunny and perfect for banishing those winter blues by recharging batteries on the beach or around one of the pools in the resort. The temperature in Lanzarote’s sparkling blue seas varies by only a few degrees between winter and summer, making them the perfect playground for exploring the island’s colourful undersea world. A few steps from Sands Beach Resort’s front door and you swap the bars, restaurants and smart villas in Costa Teguise for a quiet rural scene and country tracks that are ideal for exploring on two legs or by two wheels whether you simply like to keep fit when on holiday or are a professional sports-person seeking perfect warm weather, winter training conditions.

And the beauty of this almost perfect winter scene is that you can be part of it within a few hours from wherever you are in Europe. So don’t just imagine it…make it happen. Lanzarote and Sands Beach Resort are waiting to give you a very warm winter welcome.

Think of Christmas in Costa Teguise and no doubt the image that pops into your head will be of gently swaying palm trees, blues skies, even bluer seas and a big golden sun ready to wrap visitors from Northern Europe in its warm embrace.

This is the seductive scene that awaits those who have opted to spend Christmas on Lanzarote. The only problem is that it might not sound very Christmassy. And, bah humbugs aside, most of us like to taste that magical festive spirit that comes with Christmas.

However, the reality of Christmas in Costa Teguise is that visitors can still enjoy a festive atmosphere with their sunshine. There’s a packed programme of fun events in the resort to celebrate Navidad (Christmas)…and you even get Santa Claus into the bargain.

Between the 15th December and the 5th of January, there are Christmas concerts, local folk groups, choir singers, parades, exhibitions and all sorts of seasonal goodies to add a festive glow to the sun tan, many within an easy stroll of Sands Beach Resort.

Visitors to Costa Teguise should enjoy the Teguise 40 en Navidad pop/rock concert in the car park at Playa de los Charcos on Saturday 17th December. The concert includes a load of bands and DJs and lasts from 8pm till 3am. Entrance is free.

Younger visitors will be thrilled to see Santa Claus has joined them in the sun at the Father Christmas in the Pueblo Marinero event in the centre of the resort on Thursday the 22nd of December. With concerts, dancing and games & fun for the children from 5.15pm, there’s something to keep the parents and children amused until 8pm when Santa Claus (or Papa Nóel as he’s known in Spain) arrives.

With those sort of ingredients combined with Lanzarote’s fabulous winter weather, Christmas at Sands Beach Resort and Costa Teguise promises somewhat of an irresistible package.

This year you have literally to step outside the front door of Sand’s Beach Resort to find yourself on the starting line of the 2011 Lanzarote International Marathon.

Proud sponsors of the event, Sands Beach Resort are offering some irresistible marathon holiday packages to competitors and their families so you can combine a winter sun getaway with some winter marathon training and a whole lot of fun.

Races and associated events are being held over the weekend of 2nd, 3rd and 4th December 2011 and will include full, half and quarter marathon races; a child’s marathon which is free to enter and a race fair taking place along the Costa Teguise promenade around Pueblo Marinero.

Book a three or four night marathon break around the Lanzarote International Marathon weekend and Sands Beach Resort will provide accommodation on a half board basis, your marathon entry fee, a special race day energy breakfast and 15% discount on sports massage and other treatments for just €45 per person, per day. Book between five and seven nights and the rate drops to just €40 per person per day.

Luxury apartments and villas set around swimming pool plazas where you can enjoy complete privacy and relaxation, combined with all the facilities of a gym and the services of a sports physiotherapist combine to make Sands Beach Resort the ideal base for sports enthusiasts and their families. Located on its own lagoon at the eastern edge of Costa Teguise, Sands Beach resort is ideally placed to take advantage of Lanzarote’s unique landscape and climate which lends itself so perfectly to an active holiday of cycling, running or water based sports.

It’s also a great base for anyone who enjoys walking; from promenade strolling to volcano hiking, Lanzarote has the terrain to suit. And with endless golden beaches, year round sunshine, fine wines and notable gastronomy the opportunity to combine quality leisure time with your fitness regime is just too good to miss.

Come and join us on the Lanzarote International Marathon weekend and see for yourself.

If the idea of swapping bone-chilling, toe-numbing British December weather for a warm, sun-kissed Lanzorote one and saving money into the bargain appeals, then check out Sands Beach Resort’s bank-balance friendly Christmas Shopping offer.

Book some winter sun at Sands Beach between 9th and 23rd of December before the 15th October and you’ll save 15% on the cost of a holiday to Lanzarote. Think of it as an early Christmas present.

As well as having a holiday in the sun to look forward to, you’ll have saved 15%, which will come in handy for spending on Christmas gifts…or on cool cocktails beside Sands Beach Resort’s tropical Mai Tai pool.

Sunrise and sunset – nature starting and ending the day with exquisite displays of colour that can make the heart soar. Both are wondrous free gifts.

But during the hustle and bustle of our working day, we can overlook these unique presents. Maybe overlook is the wrong word. We often just don’t have the time to sit back and enjoy the light show taking place outside our front doors. However, when we take time out to recharge with a much needed holiday, it’s a very different matter.

Sunrises and sunsets seem all the more intense and memorable when we are on holiday and that’s possibly because when we’re in complete chilled mode, we have time to sit back and soak them up…ideally with a coffee in the morning and a cocktail in the evening.

At Sands Beach Resort we’re particularly blessed with sunrises and sunsets that are simply magical. In the morning the sun sticks its head above the Atlantic Ocean straight in front of the resort, sending rays dancing across the lagoon and casting a rich, deep golden glow on the villas lining the calm waters. It’s a particularly enchanting and serene time to be out and about. One of the best things is that the sun doesn’t wake up too early on the Canary Islands, so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to witness sunrise.

Sunset takes even less effort. Time it so that you’re in the bar with drink in hand and then sit back to enjoy the show as soft pink and lilac ribbons fill the sky. As the sun disappears completely behind the hills, the streaks become more intense and fiery and the water turns the colour of blue crush velvet.

Witnessing an inspiring sunrise or exquisite sunset reminds us how wonderful nature is and how good it is for the soul to be able to relax and enjoy them. It’s experiences such as these that makes holidays at Sands Beach Resort very special.

When the simmer sun sizzles and temperatures creep above the 30C mark so that even reaching for the bottle of sun cream feels like far too energetic an activity there’s only one solution – water. Cool, sweet water…either for drinking to refresh your insides, or for immersing yourself in to refresh the skin.

At Sands Beach Resort, water babes never have to take more than a few steps to reach the sigh-inducing sanctuary of one of our pools. There are eight to choose from; plus there’s also the option of that big, blue expanse of water right outside the resort.

Plaza Pools at Sands Beach Resort
Each of the six plazas has its own large swimming pool which means that it’s only a hop, skip and a jump from any of the resort’s villas to those inviting azure waters.

Sands Beach Resort Lagoon
This is my favourite watering hole because it’s like being at the beach without leaving the resort and the lagoon is just beautiful. The calm shallow water is great for children and anyone who likes the idea of swimming in the sea but is nervous of waves or currents. It’s also a perfect spot to try your hand at learning how to windsurf. The Oceanside Windsurf School gives lessons at the lagoon.

The Mai Tai Pool
My second favourite spot for cooling down at Sands Beach Resort for a number of reasons. The Mai Tai bar and restaurant are right beside the heated pool and it has a jacuzzi. It’s also the place where the resort’s animation team have a lot of fun with the guests so there’s always something going on there. And for guests seeking a bit of adventure, Calipso Diving hold free scuba diving try-out sessions at the pool each Saturday.

The Atlantic Ocean
If all that wasn’t enough, take a few steps outside of the resort and you’ve got the Atlantic Ocean as a playground and the choice of some super sandy coves between Sands Beach and the centre of Costa Teguise.

With all those to choose from I reckon it’s fair to say that Sands Beach Resort is a pretty cool place to spend the summer…or any time of year for that matter.

Instead of describing how fabulous a place Sands Beach Resort in Costa Teguise is for chilling out in the sun and letting its warm touch massage away any stress, I thought it might be more interesting to show you.

Sunrise brings a golden hue to the resort’s normally brilliantly white buildings. It’s a lovely time to be out and about; very peaceful with only a couple of fisherman and the occasional athlete working out on the promenade path that separates Sands Beach from the sea.

Before anything else, a hearty breakfast is required. I love the décor in the Hacienda Restaurant – so bright and…well summery. I also happen to think that a fried breakfast complements the colour scheme perfectly. It’s just the right combination to bring you round after a comfortable night’s sleep.

Next up is the difficult decision of where to get prone in the sun. From any of the apartments it’s only a few steps to a pool and sunbeds…

…or to the golden sand beside the lagoon if you happen to be in one of the beach front villas.

After a hard morning’s sunbathing, lunch at the Mai Tai restaurant is just the ticket for taking a break from the sun. The animation team are usually getting up to all sorts of things there, providing a side serving of fun to go with lunch.

Then it’s time to hit the sun again…maybe even choosing a different place to lay down the towel in order to enjoy another great view of the resort.

And then at the end of the day as the sun starts to head for the horizon it’s time to swap the sunbed for the shower to get ready for dinner and a night of live entertainment in the resort’s bar. On the other hand, you could linger for a while longer and simply enjoy the sunset: the resort looks magical at dusk…and you don’t just have to take my word for it.

Lanzarote is well known as being an ideal destination for professional sportsmen and women who need to keep their fitness levels at a peak all year round as well as for people who like to keep active on holiday.

Costa Teguise and Sands Beach Resort especially are both great bases for anyone who wants to get friendly with Lanzarote’s marine world during a bit of scuba diving, tame the waves windsurfing, tear along quiet country tracks on a mountain bike, or just run for miles with the sun’s warm rays as company.

On the other hand there are those who maybe prefer a more gentle way of keeping fit…gentle to the point that exercise doesn’t feel as though it’s exercise at all. That’s where the promenade that links Sands Beach with the centre of Costa Teguise comes in.

The path that follows the coast from the resort to the town is an absolute joy for a casual stroll, especially early morning when the rising sun turns the water golden and casts a magical light across the whitewashed buildings lining the route.

From Sands Beach Resort, the route skirts coves of golden beaches with sunbeds that look teasingly inviting. At the water’s edge fishermen scurry amongst the rocks depositing delicacies from the sea into scratched, plastic buckets. At points the path meanders inwards where it’s bordered by tall, curved palm trees. In other sections tropical plants add greenery to the scene and partially hide intriguing abstract sculptures; all of which adds interest and diversity to what is a lovely coastal walk.

After about twenty minutes the promenade arrives in the centre of Costa Teguise. The area around Pueblo Marinero with its attractive traditional architecture and bustling stylish cafés and bars is a perfect spot to end the walk with an aromatic coffee or, even better, a refreshingly cool cerveza, before embarking on the gentle return journey to Sands Beach Resort and some deserved R&R beside the resort’s beautiful lagoon.

As the Canary Islands continue to revel in their Winter Fiestas or Carnaval as they’re known to the world, the fun, colour, costumes and excitement of the party are heading to Costa Teguise and Sands Beach Resort are pushing the carnival boat out with a very special event.

On 25th March 2011 at 8pm the party will be at the gorgeous Mai Tai bar on the resort’s Paradise Island where a full barbecued dinner will be prepared to be enjoyed in the company of a night of exciting performances and prizes.

There will be entertainment from the wonderful Los Desahuciados Murga group with their costumes, cutting satire and vocal harmonies and there will be a guest appearance by the fabulous Danzarines Canarios dance troupe who this year are celebrating their 40th anniversary. The Danzarines Canarios troupe have collected more awards for their performances than a Hollywood starlet and have been wowing audiences across the globe with their dance skills, choreography and costumes.

As well as the entertainment, there will be fantastic prizes for the best fancy dress costumes with a weekend, half board at Sands Beach Resort for two people as top prize in the Best Costume category, lunch for two adults at the Mai Tai for the Funniest Costume and a basket of goodies for the best Child’s Costume.

At just 18 Euros a ticket (children under 12 years 9 Euros) which includes your meal, drinks during the meal and some of the best Carnaval entertainment the Canary Islands have to offer – everyone’s a winner!

And don’t forget to join the Sands Beach Resort Noah’s Ark Carnaval float in your best animal costume for the Costa Teguise parade on Saturday 26th March.