As a 15-year-old secondary school student, a break from the stress of school and approaching GCSEs was incredibly appreciated, and Jo could not have done a better job in helping us find the perfect holiday.
My travel companions were Dad and Nanma (when I was born, she couldn’t decide if she liked Nan or Grandma). None of us had previously been to Lanzarote, a destination that Jo was confident would provide what we were after.
She was spot on. Everything about this trip was exactly what we needed, from the tranquillity of the Hotel Cordial Marina Blanca to the wide range of restaurants and shops within easy walking distance of our room.
The main goal of the holiday was to relax, and relax we did. Almost every day we spent by the pool, soaking up the sun, enjoying great books, listening to music, doing word puzzles and the odd painting of nails, only taking breaks to run to the very conveniently placed pool bar which served delicious drinks, snacks and ice creams.
The pool was perfect when in need of a cooldown and hosted many competitive family games of catch; I’m still haunted by accidentally hitting Nanma in the face and equally proud of a headshot on Dad when he wasn’t looking!
At lunchtimes, we had the option of eating at one of the many snack bars in the area or making our own food thanks to the big supermarket which was a five-minute walk away.
For dinner, we explored as many of the different restaurant options in the lovely Playa Blanca area as we could, eating somewhere different every night.
My personal favourite was the 7Sensi La Pizza Napoletana, an adorable family-run pizza restaurant in a secluded spot, a short walk up the hill, right in the corner of the town. The delicious food, unique aesthetic and friendly service created the perfect meal.
We also really enjoyed a couple of Jo’s recommendations. The Terazza La Cubierta overlooking the marina was lovely with very tasty food and a brilliant waiter, and the portions of Tapas at Lani’s snack bar were huge and extremely scrummy.
Dad felt a bit bad about not exploring a bit more (I didn’t!) but after wandering around the busy local Wednesday market on the Marina Rubicón, it only reinforced how happy and comfortable we were simply hanging out at the hotel and soaking up the sun.
The apartment was clean, cosy and cool - once we had worked out leaving the aircon alone! There was plenty of choice at breakfast which set us up for the day perfectly. I also loved looking at the mountains every time we came to and from the room.
I had a super time. Thanks, Jo. And well done to Jet2, too - our flights and transfers were all perfect.
