The warm praise heaped on Papagayo’s beaches is partially due to their less accessible location, which means that they rarely get as busy as the beaches in the main resorts. Bennett also wrote that the approach by water taxi was one of the most glamorous ways she could think of for arriving at a beach. She also highlighted the fine sand, extremely clear waters and the surrounding natural reserve as factors that added to the allure of Papagayo.

All of which is good news for Lanzarote, as Susana Perez, head of Asolan, the Association of Hoteliers on Lanzarote remarked. The British tourist market is the largest, with approximately fifty percent of all foreign visitors to the island coming from the United Kingdom each year, so any positive news items are welcomed in helping to promote Lanzarote as a holiday destination.

In total foreign tourist arrivals rose by nearly 30% last month versus July 2009 figures, according to statistics released by the Spanish Airport Authority AENA.  As a total of 146,603 non Spanish visitors enjoyed a holiday on the island.  German tourism also picked up, rising by 44% versus July 2009.  But tourist numbers from Eire remained largely unchanged at around 19,000 plus arrivals.

The idea of night-time barbecues was part of Cesar Manrique’s original plan for the restaurant.  The grill at El Diablo uses the geothermal heat that emanates from the dormant volcano on the Islote de Hilario to cook all the meat and fish dishes served in the restaurant.  And during the months of August and September, the grill will be providing food for up to 1,000 evening visitors per week. The restaurant will be open on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights until the end of September.

The full list of top ten beaches leads with La Ses Illetes in Formentera, followed by Playa de Famara in Lanzarote, Playa de Levante in Alicante, Las Benirras in Ibiza, Es Trenc in Mallorca, El Mar Menor in Murcia, Lago Martianez in Tenerife. The final three are Es Grau (Menorca), Lloret de Mar (Costa Brava) and Puerto Mahon (Menorca).

Activities include face painting, a foam party, bouncy castles, pony rides, charity merchandise, food stalls, bars, raffles, auctions and a demonstration from the local fire brigade. Live music will be brought to this event by The Skatoons, Joy Council, Africa Yeah, The Soul Commitments, Naughty Boyz, Simply Wed and the Tareaways.

This shift in consumption patterns has only recently come about as only a decade ago, 95% of the island´s wine production was destined to be drunk on Lanzarote. The vast majority of these exports end up on one of the other Canarian islands, with only 3.5% going to mainland Spain and a further 1.5% reaching destinations further afield.

Individual bodegas have been making inroads in the promotion of their products over the last few years, with the Bodega de Bermejo, for instance, participating in wine tastings based in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco for the third consecutive year. Meanwhile, Bodega La Geria has begun to export its wines directly to Poland.

This vital thoroughfare has become increasingly necessary since the number of cruise passengers arriving in the port has gradually risen. Before its creation visitors had to walk at the edge of the tarmac on the road that runs between these two port areas.

The new walkway also opens up access to two small sandy coves that can be found in the environs of Puerto Mármoles. Finished in local basalt stone and prefabricated paving stones, the work has required an investment of 1.94 million euros to be completed. It covers a total of 1, 250 metres in length between Puerto Mármoles and Puerto Naos. There are two miradors or look-out points on the path, with benches so that pedestrians can stop to admire the views.

The work was created by local sculptors, Juan Agustín Padrón Pérez and Francisco Montelongo Hernández, using grey volcanic Arucas stone in the shape of a typical Graciosera hat.

 Cedres is a well established figure in the art world, as the creator of spectacular costumes and surreal performances that have often been featured at carnivals and gay pride festivals around the world.