Still feeling happy and relaxed from our Turkey break and my little weekend break to Amsterdam we hadn’t really planned another holiday for the year. It was mid-July and we realised that Dylan would have 2 weeks off from nursery in a months’ time and we had not thought about it! Although we are lucky enough to have the grandparents close by and able to look after Dylan we wanted to spend quality time with him too. We started our crazy, last minute search. Now normally this would be a breeze for us, but having 4 weeks till departure a list of wants and it being in the peak time of school summer holidays finding a holiday that suited us was close to impossible. I had wanted a short haul, All-inclusive break again. But hotel prices were through the roof where ever we looked and so were the flights! Nina and Natasha were messaging me asking for ideas on where they could go around the same time. I was going through the places we were looking at and what we had found. I jokingly asked if they wanted to just join us as they were looking around the same time and they jumped at the offer. To be honest I was quite surprised and taken back, I reminded them that it was a family holiday with Dylan and they were excited to be spending the week with him. I spoke to Dee and he gets on famously with the girls and so it was decided it was a holiday for 5!
Inspire me!
We changed up our search and I was on EasyJet’s -Inspire me (one of my favourite tools) most of Europe was going to have lovely temperatures in August so I was literally looking for a cheap spot. We found really reasonable flights to Lanzarote – Playa Blanca so that was where we would be heading. The hotels were coming up really pricey. We slowly dropped our bar from wanting all-inclusive to half board to B&B in nice 4/5* resorts. Soon we realised we were settling for something we didn’t want and paying over the odds for it! Dee started looking at Villas and no surprises most had already been booked up. I was a bit apprehensive about the villa idea as I was mainly worried about the open pools. We luckily found a lovely little villa that was just perfect for our needs. It was a 3-bedroom 3 bathroom villa with own heated pool, but the best bit- it had a pool gate! Making it completely safe for Dylan. Casa Lola would be our home for the week and I couldn’t wait 😊
Casa Lola
A smooth flight later we landed in Lanzarote on a sunny Friday morning. Dylan was a dream on the flight- I think he was trying to impress his aunties and was on his best behaviour. I warned them not to get used to this cute guy and that it was all an act but they didn’t believe me. He had them wrapped around his little finger! Our villa was in the Marina Rubicon area and the transfer from the airport took around 1 hour. When we arrived, it took us a while to find our villa, we finally got the street names right and were eager to get inside. The pool and garden area was smaller than we thought it was going to be but still enough for the 5 of us. The villa itself was the perfect size, it had a traditional Mediterranean feel with terracotta floors and white walls. The area is nice and quite with a mix of mainly locals and a few holiday homes. Casa Lola has a high secure front gate and felt very safe. The rental company had filled the fridge with essentials which was nice touch. We excitedly ran around the villa, dumped our bags in the rooms and headed to the supermarket which was a 5 minute walk away. We thought we’d pick up a few bits then come back every few days, but we ended up filling a trolley! Excited and filled with sun energy we headed out towards the Marina. There is a paved path which follows the ragged coast line. It’s a 20 minute stroll and buggy friendly. We stopped at a restaurant for an early dinner as we were starving by now having only really picked at bits all day. Me and Dee shared a hot stone steak selection which was delicious! The steaks are cut thin and cooked at the table on a hot stone plate to your liking. This was enough excitement for Dylan and he started drifting on the way back to our villa. A quick shower later Dylan was out for the night. We had brought our baby monitor but to be safe we put him to sleep in Nina’s bedroom downstairs and set up the monitor there whilst we sat outside in the garden enjoying a shisha and some chilled wine. This was bliss.
Pool Days
Dylan was up early and excited to be on holiday, he couldn’t wait to get into the pool! We weren’t feeling as fresh as him as we had laughed and talked late into the night but the girls happily got changed and jumped in the pool with him whilst I tried to blow up the pool rings. I swear the boy was a fish in a past life as he can live in the water! We all took turns in and out the pool, sun lounging whilst Dylan happily splashed away. We had to coax him out with the promise of ice cream. This is how we spent most of our days, splashing in the pool, reading, laughing and eating antipasti!
We would have breakfast at home and eat out one meal in the day. Nina and Dee fell into the roles of chefs and were cooking up delicious meals for us. If we had a heavy lunch we would graze on large antipasti platters in the evening watching movies or listening to songs.
The Best Day
We all woke on Sunday feeling great! The beautiful weather and general relaxing had put a spring in our step. After a full fry up courtesy of Nina we were ready for the day. A quick dip in the pool and we headed to the Marina. We had some lunch and cocktails and fed the fish and walked back to our villa. We were feeling almost zingy with excitement, for no reason. We were just loving the day! We decided to have a BBQ for dinner and got all the bits and got marinating whilst Dylan happily played again in the pool with his dad and Nina. Little things would happen to favour our day, a free drink here, a bonus deal there and a few times we were like omg this is the best day! We had a wonderful bbq and all ate outside in the garden. Dylan laughed and danced with his aunts then happily went to sleep. We carried on the evening listening to old school music and dancing and drinking outside in the warm night lit only by a few dim lights. Before we knew it, it was 4 am! I can’t remember the last time I had been awake that late! A bit too tipsy from the wine we decided to have a ‘midnight’ swim, the thought had us giggling, when would we get a chance to do this again! Why not! So we got ready to jump in! Dee laughed at us and recorded us jumping in and left us to it. We swam for a bit then headed to bed ourselves. It really was the best day. Even thinking about it now brings back so many happy feelings, I love it!
Marina Rubicon
The Marina was a short stroll from our villa and full of lovely restaurants and a few bars. There is a large communal pool here to if you fancy cooling down. After our first visit to the Marina, Dylan caught site of the pool and wanted tot go straight in. We weren’t dressed for it and even with ice cream and treats we could not keep him out! In the end Natasha sat with him and dangled legs for a while whilst we watched the sun set. The Caribe Lanzarote Restaurant is closest to the pool and it became a regular stop for us.
Playa Dorada
After a couple of pool/ Marina days we were itching to go to the beach, Playa Dorada is a short taxi ride away (10 minutes max). The beach is busy but you can see why! The clear waters and soft powdery sand is perfect. We had a blissful afternoon splashing in the sea we decided to go for lunch overlooking the sea. Dylan ordered a burger and it was the size of his face! We cut it in half and it was still huge hehe. We decided to have a large seafood Paella and it was delicious!
Our Night out in town!
We were more than half way through our holiday and fancied a change of scenery for our dinner. We would be making our way back to Playa Dorada for a meal at one of the many restaurants there. The area was relatively quiet for dinner but it soon was busy with tourists coming out for later meals. We stopped at the Irish pub to have food and listen to the karaoke. It was a laugh and we nearly got the girls up to sing! The vibe was picking up in the area and the free shots got us in the mood to stay out longer! The bars were all still quiet and we went to one small bar where we were the only people in the place! Dylan got to run around chasing the disco lights whilst we had a cocktail and danced with him. The bar man was friendly and chatty and again kept giving us shots! Dylan would dance the night away if he had the chance but Dee took him back home as it was getting late. Us girls were out and ready to party- but a bar with only a handful people isn’t the most exciting place! We decided to start talking to the others that were there and get them dancing, the barman was loving our energy and so…more shots! The place started picking up and before we knew it the place was heaving! We made so many friends and found most were people working at the local hotels. We left the party at 3am buzzing from the great music and having met so many lovely people. We spent the next day telling Dee all about our night and replaying new songs we had heard, my husband thinks I’m crazy – correction- knows I’m crazy and he laughed at the randomness of our night.
Home Time
It felt like our holiday finished way too quickly. Before we flew home we had taken Dylan to the closest beach to us ( a 5 minute walk down the path) this is more of a rocky beach and not so pretty but it was perfect for little rock pools teaming with life. He got so excited seeing little fish and crabs, it was a fun family activity. We then visited the local market by the harbour and picked up a few little bits, its a great place to have a wonder and its on every Wednesday and Saturday.We were lucky to be able to see the solar Eclipse just before the clouds hid it from site. Our last night here was blissful. We visited Lanis Grill Tex-Mex Steakhouse for our farewell meal. With the sun setting over the harbour and lovely fresh food and chilled wine flowing we relaxed and went over our week holiday. Casa Lola had been the perfect choice.It gave us the flexibility and space we needed and although it wasn’t the all inc holiday I was after originally, having all the homey comforts and restaurants on our doorstep was perfect. For a last minute break this had come in around £1000 for the 3 of us for flights and accommodation. I cant wait for my next break to the Canaries.
The Sea is Calling 