cheers andy

I cant believe Im gonna ask this , I really want a holiday as its been years and years now but he dont wanna . In real life Im not really overly confident etc and the thought of going away on me tod scares the shit out of me Really what Im asking is , can going on oliday on your own ( billy no mates ) be good

Mura it depends entirely on the circumstance. I did it for three weeks when i went inter railing round Europe a few years back and absolutely loved it. FLG is spot on, you need others in the same situation as yourself to fully enjoy it. In europe that generally means travelling and staying hostels, dunno if that's your cuppa tea like but that's where most single travellers, in my experience hang about. It's then just a case of heading down to the hostel bar and asking others if you can join them for a drink. Sounds daft but some of the best nights i had whilst i was away happened like that. Where do you have in mind by the way?

yeah, i think its a bit weirder if you are 'holidaying' rather than traveling if you know what i mean. i have been on my own to traveller type places in asia, and its fine as you meet loads of other people in the same boat, and backpackers etc. i wouldnt do it on my own if it was going to be a week by the pool in spain or wherever though

a few photos from Lanzarote

It wasn't what I was expecting at all (thank fuck ), a really pleasant surprise. We were on a Thomas Cook flight but opted to sort out our own accommodation, package tours not really being our thing. We ended up finding a house on the edge of Playa Blanca, in a small complex around a pool which was really cheap and 10 minutes' walk from the nearest beach.


There were more Spanish voices than English or German which was another surprise. We hired a car, really, really cheap, and as well as going to the beach every day we really explored the island.

There was an artist from Lanzarote called César Manrique who has really left his mark on the island (he was killed in a car crash in 1992), his designs are all over the place. We went to his house which is built on a lava stream from a nearby volcano. It's partly above ground, and partly below ground, with rooms built inside bubbles in the lava, some of the open to the sky above. A really cool place.


Later we went to a beach in the north of the island called Playa de Famara, a huge expanse of sand but so, so windy. There were loads of kite-surfers there taking advantage.


Another day we headed up the coast to a place called Los Hervideros which is a series of caves and blowholes (no homo).


A bit further up the coast is El Golfo where there is a bright green lagoon separated from the sea by a black beach.


We then headed inland to Timanfaya national park where we went on a camel ride up a volcano


And then it was on to Mirador del Rio, a viewpoint on a high cliff in the north of the island, looking down over the neighbouring island of El Graciosa.


The next day we went to the Castillo de Santa Barbara which sits high up above the town of Teguise.


Teguise is really beautiful and is the closest there is on Lanzarote to an unspoilt town apparently. I think this photo was from another village but it gives an idea anyway/


Another day we went "caving" at the Cuevas de Los Verdes - there are a series of caves running 5km through lava streams up to a volcano. There are guided tours through part of them. It was quite interesting but our tour guide was really annoying, and it was difficult to take pictures because it was so dark and we were being constantly moved along. This photo is a pool of water. It's only about 10 centimetres deep but because it's so still it reflects the roof of the cave perfectly giving a sense of much greater depth.


Nearby is another of César Manrique places - Jameos del Agua. It's a bar and restaurant complex, and is unbelievably cool. You enter through a huge lava bubble with a pool, then climb up through a sheltered restaurant area to a bar by a swimming pool.



On the last day we were there we went to another César Manrique creation, Jardin de Cactus. Which is basically full of cock-shaped cacti


more photos here for those that are interested

nice pics, especially the close up of the kite surfer

the cesar manrique stuff is amazing in person and well worth a visit

im still not sure about the black beaches though

i need a holiday badly….

the one by our apartment? never did see anyone in it


having only previously experienced British beaches I found the different kind of beaches on Lanzarote quite strange

the black beaches (that we went to anyway) were rougher than the golden ones, didn't really like them

the man-made golden beaches were a bit weird, I liked them even less. it feels like you're standing on a pile of sand rather than a "solid" beach

the real golden beaches were definitely the best, feeling much firmer underfoot

and that is the end of my Lanzarote beach review

I want to learn to kitesurf.


I know there's been a few before - but does anyone have any new york recommendations for hotels?

at that pic

your villa looks nice

Yeah, I used to do it all the time when I was single. I still go away for a couple of days every now and again now without the other half, sometimes it's nice to suit yourself and not have to consider what someone else want to do, I spend a lot of time in museums, he hates that.