Holidays to Tenerife come in all shapes and sizes, from all-inclusive resort complexes with private beaches and sculpted gardens, to budget guest houses on the beach. With over 800 hotels and apartment complexes to choose from, Tenerife has something for everyone.

Most holidays to Tenerife are taken in the cluster of resorts around Playa de Las Américas. Playa itself has 8 fantastic beaches and is known as the party capital of the Canaries. Top end is the Cleopatra Palace, part of the 5-star Mare Nostrum resort, with a huge range of leisure facilities. Budget-conscious families will enjoy the 3-star Caribe apartments complex, which has a kids pool and tennis courts. Other choices include the Best Hotel, Bitacora Hotel and the California apartments.

Los Cristianos, located nearby is a quieter resort retaining much of its traditional fishing village charm. The sophisticated Arona Gran hotel, overlooking the harbour, is popular with older couples while the Paradise Park Resort and H10 Oasis Hotel offer a range of leisure facilities in elevated positions. Budget choices include the Bahia Colon, Andreas, Sol Princess and Costa Mar, all located close to the beaches.

Costa Adeje is Playa Las Americas sophisticated sister. Its 73 hotels include exclusive 5-star resorts like the Vincci La Plantation Dream Gran Tacande, Jardines De Nivaria Hotel and magnificent Gran Bahia Del Duque. The Tinerfe Garden and Villa Las Flores are among the best budget hotels. Other choices include the Costa Adeje Gran, Castalia Brezos, Bahia Princess and Pueblo Torviscas Hotel – built in the style of an Andalucian village. Costa del Silencio, one of Tenerife’s first purpose-built resorts, is close by.

Tenerife has a number of other resort areas. Puerto de la Cruz, on the north coast, is a popular winter sun destination that includes the 5-star Botanico Grand Deluxe, the most prestigious hotel in the Canary Islands. At the other end of the scale, the Bambi is a small, family-friendly complex that’s among the cheapest hotels on the island.

Lanzarote has hundreds of bars and restaurants, ranging from family-friendly cafes, to Canarian seafood restaurants, to authentic Thai and Indian restaurants.

Lanzarote cuisine revolves around meat such as goat, chicken and beef, most commonly. However, seafood is also widespread – the coastal village of El Golfo is renowned for its fish restaurants. Vegetarian cuisine is largely restricted to European restaurants in the larger towns, but you’ll find tortillas and wrinkled potatoes – the island speciality – everywhere. The local wine, Malvasia, is extremely good, and widely served.

Many people book holidays to Lanzarote’s largest resort, Puerto del Carmen, because of its “Britishness.” This isn’t really the place to come for traditional tapas bars, although the Canarian restaurant of La Tegala is widely considered to be the best on the island. You’ll find some good British restaurants, as well as cosy coffee shops and karaoke pubs. Casa Siam, the island’s only Thai restaurant, serves authentic curries and locally caught fish.

The island’s most famous inhabitant was the artist Cesar Monrique and the El Diablo Restaurant, at Timanfaya National Park, was one of his designs, and serves barbeques over the vent of a volcano! Another great place to dine is the Manrique-designed Casa-Museo Al Campesino, in Mozaga. Serving traditional Canarian food and wine, it offers cool seating inside the huge volcanic cavern, called a Jameo. Jameos del Agua is a fascinating cavern complex where you can dine, drink and dance in “Flintstones” style surroundings.

Holidays to Lanzarote often start at the capital of Arricife, which has some of the best eateries on the island. Try the Castillo De San José for locally caught seafood, or the Café La Terraza for a quick snack. The Fortress restaurant has lovely views in historic surroundings.

Wherever you go in Lanzarote, you will find the Teleclubs. Friendly bars catering mainly for locals, they serve authentic Canarian cuisine and local wines at very reasonable prices.

Dalaman is one of Turkey’s most historic and beautiful regions, holidays to Dalaman are becoming increasingly popular with British holidaymakers. With year-round sunshine, curving sandy bays, ancient landmarks and a lush natural landscape, holidays to Dalaman are perfect for families wanting to mix sun, sea and sand with spectacular scenery and culture.

Dubbed “The Gateway to the Turquoise Coast,” Dalaman Airport is the entrance route to cheap holidays on the Mediterranean and Adriatic coast, within easy reach of some of Turkey’s most popular resorts, including Marmaris, Oludeniz, Fethiye, Hisaronou and Antalya. Dalaman itself is becoming a very popular resort for cheap holidays, with White Water rafting on the Dalyan River, and the 6 km stretch of Iztuzu Beach. Heavily protected against tourism and water craft, Iztuzu has been awarded the title of “Best Open Space in Europe’’ and is a wonderful place to bring a young family. The harbour was for thousands of years the trading centre for the civilisation of Caunos, near Dalyan.

History is another reason people decide to take their holidays to Dalaman. As well as the beaches and wildlife there are a high number of ancient historical sites, such as the rock tombs at Fethiye and Caunos. Fethiye is a picturesque fishing town on a beautiful bay dotted with islands, guarded by an ancient fortress. On the clifftop you will find dozens of Lycian rock tombs. With columns and archways cut from the solid rock to resemble classical facades, they date from around the 4^th Century BC.

Dalyan, just 35 km from the airport, is a beautiful resort with 5000 years of history. The wildlife of Dalyan creek is truly breathtaking, while the thermal pools and mud baths make this a prime reason for older people to book holidays to Dalaman. Meanwhile vibrant Marmaris, 84 km further north, is a fun-loving resort with spacious beaches, watersports, bars and evening entertainment – as well as an enchanting old town to explore.