Playa de los Pocillos Holidays

Playa de los Pocillos, on the east coast of Lanzarote, was developed in the early Nineties. It has shops, bars and restaurants – not to mention a great sandy beach – all neatly put together with a low-key vibe. And it’s connected by a promenade to neighbouring Puerto del Carmen, about 15 minutes’ walk away, which offers a buzzier night-time atmosphere.

The beach slopes gently into calm, shallow waters, making it great for children. As for the sand, you’ve got a 1-kilometre stretch – there are sections for sunbeds and umbrellas, with space between for freestyle towel-laying. And the promenade filled with shops, cafés and restaurants goes all the way to Puerto del Carmen – which, by the way, is great for snorkelling near the old harbour.

One of the nice things about Playa de los Pocillos is that several of the restaurants here do free early-evening meals for children. And just 10 minutes’ drive away is one of the island’s top attractions, the Rancho Texas Park. As well as running themed Wild West days, this place also has canoeing, horse rides and lots of animals to see – white tigers, pygmy goats and snowy owls among them.

From Playa de los Pocillos there are plenty of sights within half-an-hour’s drive. Yaiza is a pretty whitewashed village with art galleries, tapas places and a 17th-century church, while Teguise comes with a duo of convents and a castle-turned-museum. As for the capital, Arrecife, here you have shopping on Calle Real and seafood restaurants around El Charco lagoon.