This weekend I have been reading “Living in Lanzarote” – a book from Mike Cliffe-Jones who not only lives on the island, but also blogs about it on his site Mike’s Life.

His book starts with a family holiday to Lanzarote, and how the idea to move there permanently developed – something many ex-pats on the island will no doubt be familiar with.  From this point on it is a tale of making plans, selling up in the UK, and starting a new life in the sun.

He continues by describing how he and his wife Julie went about finding somewhere to live, buying a car and starting their own business.  Indeed, much of the second half of the book revolves around the business and how much it developed and adapted over several years, dropping some ideas and picking up new ones – something I can certainly relate to!

Having watched Mike’s videos before reading the book was definitely an advantage for me, as it I could visualise him telling me his story in his own words.  Being reasonably familiar with Lanzarote also helped, as the places he talks about were not completely unknown to me.

I think that if you are considering following in Mike’s footsteps and moving to Lanzarote then the book is definitely worth reading, but be aware that it will not replace a lot of other research necessary, as it is a personal account of the family’s experiences, and not a reference book on “how to do it” or of the Lanzarotean way of life.  If, having read the book, you are still convinced that your future lies in the Canary Islands, you might want to consider applying for the ¡Estupendo! Relocation Pack – another of Mike’s productions.

To buy your copy of “Living in Lanzarote”, visit Amazon.com.

© LanzaroteGuidebook.com

Spring has now well and truly arrived, and with our flights booked, our thoughts are now starting to turn to what we are actually going to do during our holiday on Lanzarote this year.

Will we go to a museum?  Or a wildlife park?  Or try a new restaurant?  Helping us make this decision will be the Lanzarote Guidebook – a free, in-depth tourist guide that can be downloaded from www.lanzaroteguidebook.com, and now available in the Spring 2009 edition.

The Guidebook is full of information about the island’s resorts, towns and places, and also contains maps and information on opening times – invaluable for planning where to go and what to do during our stay.

To whet our appetite there are pictures from local photographer James Mitchell, making us wish that we could just jump on a plane and leave today.

The guide is distributed free to tourists on the island itself in a handy and portable A5 format, but to take an look before leaving you can download the PDF version from the website.

© LanzaroteGuidebook.com

With temperatures in the UK dipping well below zero, you could well be forgiven for starting to think about travelling to a warmer climate.  In which case, you might like to take a look at the winter edition of the Lanzarote Guidebook.

The 104 pages are packed with useful information about the towns and villages on the island, as well as information about places to visit and things to do. The Lanzarote Guidebook also features a handy Essentials section containing lots of practical information from bank opening times and ferry timetables through to emergency phone numbers and tips on driving locally.

This edition also contains information on the forthcoming music festival and carnival season.

And when you’ve read the Guidebook – visit the Homepage.  Here you can book holidays, flights, hire cars, villas and hotels in Lanzarote via island based companies – often at prices far more competitive than can be found in any High Street travel agency.

Download your free copy of the Lanzarote Guidebook here.