Canary Islands and Fuerteventura Flights

As we have been reporting in our blogs a whole raft of new flights and increased frequency of existing flights have been announced since our last newsletter. This is great news for all the canary Islands and in Particular for Fuerteventura who lost the Ryan Air flights at the beginning of the year. Below we have tried to sort out which airline has announced new flights recently

Palmair is returning to Exeter airport for the first time in a decade this winter with flights to Fuerteventura, after already announcing flights to the same destination from Bournemouth.

Monarch will be adding two flights a week which will operate from Manchester to Fuerteventura plus weekly services from Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton.
Gran Canaria will be served by two new flights a week from Birmingham and Manchester and a weekly connection from Gatwick. The airline is also stepping up frequency to Tenerife.
The introduction of new services to Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria brings the total number of routes operated by Monarch for summer 2010 to 49.

*New route Fuerteventura - two flights a week from Manchester and one flight a week from Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton
*New route Gran Canaria - two flights a week from Birmingham and Manchester and one flight per week from Gatwick
*Increased frequency: Birmingham-Tenerife - six flights a week
*Increased frequency: Gatwick-Tenerife - seven flights a week
*Increased frequency: Luton-Tenerife - seven flights a week
*Increased frequency: Gatwick-Lanzarote - up to six flights a week
*Increased frequency: Manchester-Lanzarote - up to seven flights a week.

Jet2.com has announced three new routes for the summer of 2010 from Manchester airport to Gran Canaria.The announcement came as Ryanair dislcosed plans to cut routes from the Manchester airport. Jet2.com has also increased the frequency of its summer 2010 services to Lanzarote
Prices for summer 2010 now on sale from Manchester includeGran Canaria from £59.99 departing from 1 May 2010

Easyjet The low cost carrier is to serve Fuerteventura from Liverpool and Stansted and Lanzarote from Liverpool. The new flights start on the 2nd November (Liverpool-Fuerteventura)

RyanAir will be starting 15 new flights into Lanzarote, which is good news for Lanzarote and also for Fuerteventura which is only a 12 minute ferry crossing with Fred Olsen from Lanzarote. The flights will commence from late October from various UK airports and run until the 31st of March 2010 and possibly beyond. A total of 39 new routes will run this winter from three islands. The services will start in October from Gran Canaria (16), Lanzarote (15) and Tenerife (8) as Ryanair switches aircraft away from Stansted and Dublin

Added to this and a Canadian company, Harbour Air Seaplanes have approached the Canarian port authorities in Los Llanos on the island of La Palma and Santa Catalina in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to seek approval to begin flights between the islands with more services to follow for other islands.

Fuerteventura's Tefia Garden Centre And Italy's Baroni Family Produce Two new Liqueurs

Fuerteventura’s Tefia Garden centre has teamed up with the world famous Italian Baroni family distillery to produce two liqueur type drinks made from the flowers of the Aloe Vera Plant.

Boroni have been making Grappa since 1849 and they still use the old method of using a copper still producing the alcohol slowly over real fires. This method improves the taste and and ensures that no additives are needed. Garden centre owner Saskia said “Boroni works with high-class restaurants world wide and so you can imagine that it's a privilege for us to work with this company and that they have put their name to these two products”. The Aloe Vera plants have been grown ecologically for the last 7 years.

One of our dinks is called "Distillato di Aloe Vera di Fuerteventura" which is made the same way as the Grappa. As the connoisseurs know, the Grappa is made from only grapes. Therefore our product is called "Distillato". The "Distillato" is best served as a digestive (at room-temparature after dinner), together with a nice (Italian) coffee.
Our other product is called "Liquore di Aloe Vera di Fuerteventura" it is lower in alcohol percentage, softer and a little sweeter of taste. The "Liquore" is best served with crushed ice, nice and cold, after or in the evening. Both product have got there distinctive perfume and the aroma of the original material, the Aloe Vera flower!

If you would like to purchase any of the above mentioned products, it is now for sale in Garden-Centre "HAPPY PLANTS" in Tefia. Open Wednesday-Sunday, 09:00-18:00. Or contact Saskia by E-mail: aloefenimoy@hotmail.com

The 6 Best Places To Windsurf And Kitesurf

Windsurfing and kitesurfing expert Gareth Bayley introduces 6 of the best places to get on your board.

El Médano, Tenerife
Only 10 minutes drive from Tenerife Sur airport, El Medano is a wind and kite surfers' paradise, featuring year-round cross-onshore winds from the left and water temperatures where you can get away with board shorts and rash vest (if you're hardy) or a shorty wetsuit (if you're a wuss). Water temps are around 17 C in mid-winter and 25-26 C in summer.
The wind is strongest and most reliable in summer, but the wind stats are pretty good all year round, thanks to a north-east trade wind strengthened further by a thermal effect. In summer, leave your big kites and sails at home; kiters here tend to use just 7m kites or smaller, and the windsurfers are looking at between 3.5m and 5m sails. Travel: find cheap flights to Tenerife

Hot spots:

El Medano Bay - suitable for any level with a mixture of chop and small waves. The wind tends to fill in as the morning progresses, and then remains steady throughout the day, with surfers out right until sunset. El Médano is not the easiest place for learners, but there are schools right on the beach for both kitesurfing and windsurfing, with fully qualified instructors.

Cabezo - further upwind, featuring waves and only for the more advanced rider.

Sotavento, Fuerteventura
Like Tenerife, there's very good and reliable wind in Fuerteventura, and off-water fun aplenty if the wind should drop, although Fuerte is so blessed with wind that it's become a fixture of one of the major kitesurf world tours. Travel: find cheap flights to Fuerteventura airport

Hot Spots

Sotavento Beach - wide and long with a lagoon for learners to pick up the sport. On the outside, a mixture of chop and waves pulls in the more advanced.
Sotavento is around 40-50 minutes from Fuerteventura Puerto del Rosario airport.
Flag Beach - the other main location on Fuerte for wind. Situated in the north east.


Cabarete, Dominican Republic north coast
Another legendary spot in the Caribbean for wind and kitesurfers, with a chilled out beach atmosphere in which to recover from tricks gone awry. This is very much the place to mix a Caribbean holiday with your wind pursuits. Cabarete's wind is most reliable in the summer months. Find cheap flights to the Dominican Republic
Hot Spots
Kite Beach - this imaginatively named kite spot can get busy due to its relatively smooth waters protected by a reef but there is plenty of space to spread out in Cabarete, including at Bozo Beach a bit nearer to town, but featuring chop and small waves. If you get bored quickly, then there's always a guided downwinder you can take.
Cabarete is about 30 minutes drive from the nearest airport, Puerto Plata. It's quite a bit further to the next airport, Santo Domingo, around three-four hours drive away.
There's a good range of accommodation for any taste and budget. And there's a great variety of bars and restaurants on Cabarete's main beach drag.
If the wind drops, you can always explore inland, cheaply hiring a car or motorcycle in Cabarete.

Aruba, Caribbean
Aruba, a Dutch dependency located off the coast of Venezuela, has some of the most reliable wind stats on Earth. Not a big island, you nevertheless need to hire a car if you're going to get the best out of the two wind spots, at either end of the island.
Hot Spots
Fishermen's Huts - this area provides off-shore wind and therefore flat water conditions. For a small fee, someone will keep an eye on you and bring you back in if you can't stay upwind. Time is divided between kitesurfing (morning and late afternoon) and windsurfing (day).

Boca Grande - located at the other end of the island, the cross on-shore winds, chop and small waves at will keep you entertained for days. It's not a huge bay for launching, but once you're on the outside, there's the whole Caribbean to play in.
Aruba is also great for diving, on wrecks as well as reefs. And for the ultimate dive sensation, head to Aruba's sister island of Bonaire, the entire coast of which is a designated marine park, and rightly so. The water temperature is always balmy, so surfers can leave their wetsuits at home.
Aruba is the perfect place for a couple or family who want to be doing different things on their holidays. Beach bums can head to the brilliant (and cooler to the touch) coral sand beaches outside the main hotels. Watersports nuts can head off to the windsurfing, kiting and diving. And all can get together again in the evening, for the laidback but delicious Aruban cuisine.
Travel: Find cheap flights to Aruba

Red Sea, Egypt
There are a number of places around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, perfect for windsurfing, kitesurfing and diving.
Hot Spots
Dahab - the "Goa of Egypt" but with plenty more wind averaging over 300 days a year of sailable weather. Dahab is laidback, friendly and always sunny, and along with Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, is also world renowned for good diving. Travel: find cheap flights to Sharm el-Sheikh (just 1 hour away.)
Sharm el-Sheikh - not quite as windy as Dahab, but Sharm's still got it. The main reason to come to Sharm, however, is to sample the world famous diving, including on the "Thistlegorm", the wreck of a World War 2 freighter complete with its wartime cargo. Plenty of dive schools here to choose from, as well as charter boats to join going out to the main sites on day trips or longer liveaboard excursions. Travel: find cheap flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, just minutes away.

Safaga - South of Hurghada, but with a much quieter vibe. Again, great wind statistics and different conditions for all levels. And did we mention the diving? Again, world class.
Moon Beach - for something a little bit different, try Moonbeachretreat.com, equidistant from Sharm el-Sheikh airport and Cairo International Airport. Moon Beach is a get away from it all kind of place, tucked away on the east coast of the Gulf of Suez, near Ras Sudr. There, you can try kitesurfing, windsurfing and yoga for when your limbs fail you. The Moon Beach team arrange windsurfing from your doorstep. The kitesurfing is run out of a resort twenty minutes up the road. The wind of course is great and reliable. No diving, though. Travel: find cheap flights to Cairo


Tarifa, Spain
The European Mecca of windsurfing and kitesurfing, Tarifa needs little introduction. Situated west of Algeciras on Spain's Atlantic coast, Tarifa benefits from the effect of winds funnelling through the Straits of Gibraltar from the east (the "Levante") and the west (the "Poniente").

In summer, the Levante can get quite mental, occasionally hitting Force 10! But in general expect more manageable wind and a relaxed but hip off-water life, centred around the funky and compact Tarifa old town.
The water is a mixture of chop and small waves. Water temperatures are high in the summer, so you only need board shorts and rash vest. In the autumn and winter, you're going to need a full wetsuit.
Off the water, there's plenty to see and do, so hire a car and make some trips to fishing villages, mountain towns and the sherry capital of Jerez.
Travel: Find cheap flights to Jerez, Gibraltar and Malaga.

Source Skyscanner

New flights to Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria have been added by Monach

New flights to Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria have been added to Monarch’s scheduled flying programme for next summer.

Two flights a week will operate from Manchester to Fuerteventura plus weekly services from Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton.
Gran Canaria will be served by two new flights a week from Birmingham and Manchester and a weekly connection from Gatwick.
The airline is also stepping up frequency to Tenerife, Lanzarote, Larnaca, Gibraltar and Ibiza.
The introduction of new services to Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria brings the total number of routes operated by Monarch for summer 2010 to 49.
Liz Savage, managing director of Monarch flights and holidays, said: “We are seeing huge demand for our mid-haul destinations this year and have responded to this with the introduction of Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria in addition to increasing frequencies to Tenerife and Lanzarote meaning even more people can take advantage of our low fares.”
Highlights of the summer 2010 schedule currently on sale include:
*New route Fuerteventura - two flights a week from Manchester and one flight a week from Birmingham, Gatwick and Luton
*New route Gran Canaria - two flights a week from Birmingham and Manchester and one flight per week from Gatwick
*Increased frequency: Birmingham-Tenerife - six flights a week
*Increased frequency: Gatwick-Tenerife - seven flights a week
*Increased frequency: Luton-Tenerife - seven flights a week
*Increased frequency: Birmingham-Larnaca - three flights a week
*Increased frequency: Manchester-Larnaca - up to seven flights a week
*Increased frequency: Gatwick-Lanzarote - up to six flights a week
*Increased frequency: Manchester-Lanzarote - up to seven flights a week
*Increased frequency: Luton-Gibraltar - daily flight
*Increased frequency: Manchester-Ibiza - six flights a week

Source: Monarch Airways and Phil Davies, Travel Mole.

Optimism Is High For The Canary Islands Future

The year 2010 will be a significant milestone for the resurgence of the Canaries, and optimism is high for the Canary Islands future top politicians believe.
The European Union will be under Spanish presidency and president of the Government of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero believes this will give the archipelago a chance to put itself firmly on the European map. Despite the effects of the economic recession, Zapatero feels the Canary Islands can act as an international platform in relation to other continents for business and commerce opportunities. One big opportunity will be when the islands host a summit of countries from West Africa in Las Palmas. ZP says this will give Europe another chance to discover the Canaries which, he says, can forge ahead with vigour and force following the economic crisis.
The Spanish premier made his comments following a meeting with Socialists in Lanzarote. He revealed that the Cabinet will present, debate and approve a special plan of action on October 9. This strategy will continue medium and long-term measures for the reactivation of the Canary Islands which have been hard hit by the downturn. Zapatero says the plan is vital because of the archipelago's problems with tourism, the construction industry and rate of unemployment. The measures will aim to capitalise on the islands' strengths and, to this end, he stresses, it is vital to maintain close links and liaisons with all sectors of the community. ZP is still maintaing an optimistic outlook, believing the worst of the economic crisis has now past. On August 13, the Cabinet was due to discuss a new model of growth for the country.

Source Tenerife News

Spain Has Announced Airport Taxes Will Be Frozen From 2010

Airport taxes will be frozen from 2010 the Spanish Government has announced. Spain's minister for public works José Blanco has said the move was devised to help stimulate the economy.

In a further initiative, the minister said discounts, which currently apply to travellers to the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands and Melilla, will be increased to 30 per cent. Francisco Alaya opposition member of the People's Party insisted that the government's initiative was too late and should have been introduced this year. Mr Alaya also noted it is discriminatory to apply the taxes just to selected islands.

The Canary Islands are a favorite destination for expatriates and holidaymakers alike and this will greatly help the tourist industry. The news comes after several airlines annouced increased flights to the Canaries.

Evidence Of Green Shoots In The UK Housing Market

Further evidence of green shoots in the UK housing market at the start of the month
stimulated GBP to notch new highs for 2009 against the US dollar at 1.6744. According to
the Nationwide, house prices jumped by 0.9% in June, the second consecutive monthly rise,
bringing the annual house price falls below 10%.

However the final figure for Q1 GDP (Gross Domestic Product), revised down to a 2.4%
drop in growth, the steepest quarterly fall in 50 years, reminded the market how grim things
were at the start of the year. So with the last three quarters (Q3 08 -0.6%, Q4 08 -1.6%, Q1
09 -2.4%) showing this recession deepening, there is a lot at stake that the talk of green
shoots will buck the trend.

There was further evidence of stabilisation in the UK economy with the latest readings of the
Purchasing Manager’s Index for manufacturing and services. The positive momentum in the
manufacturing sector was confirmed with a reading of 47.0 in June from 45.4 in May and the
all important services sector held expansionary territory with a reading of 51.6.

In the US, seen as the leading indicator in this credit crisis, the data took a turn for the
worse. Despite marginal improvement in the housing sector and the manufacturing sector,
consumer confidence surprised the market by dipping back down lower from 54.9 in May to
49.3 in June and the all important non farm payrolls scuppered hopes of a solid recovery.
The non farm payrolls proved to be 100k jobs worse than expectations with 473k jobs lost in
June.

The equity markets around the world bucked their recent weakening trend to rally across the
board backed up by an impressive Chinese Q2 GDP number of 7.9% allowing the FTSE to
end the week with its strongest weekly gain for this year of 6.3%. Other significant events
included further signs of stabilisation in the housing market with the RICS housing market
survey jumping from -43.8 to, its highest reading since September -18.1 in June2007.
As we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, the equity markets continued
their propulsion higher as confidence grew amid the US reporting season, with 75% of
companies that have reported thus far, exceeding market expectations. The FTSE 100 has
now pushed higher on 10 consecutive trading sessions, a feat only managed twice in its 25
year history and never at this rapid 10% rate of ascendency.

Growth in the UK in Q2 fell by 0.8%, more than twice as bad as market expectations, taking
the year on year drop to 5.7% and markedly outpacing the recession in the early 1990’s,
although still behind the 6.4% drop in growth in the early 1980’s. There were however some
fresh green shoots from of the housing market, with a jump in mortgage approvals and also
on the High Street as retail sales surged by 1.2% in June, although the weather and early
discounting were cited as the transitory positive influences.

The rampaging global equity markets were again the driving force for the Dollar’s decline
last week with just a little help from the UK’s favourite dinner party topic, house prices, to
bolster Sterling. With up to 75% of major US corporate results out-stripping analyst’s
forecasts and household UK names such as BT and Cadbury doing likewise, the growing
investor optimism had translated directly into higher share and commodity prices and a
familiar sell off in the Dollar.

Source HIFX

Sterlings climb will help overseas property investors

It was a rewarding week for sterling, climbing from below €1.16 last Monday to open at €1.1750 in London this morning. There was moment's panic at the very beginning of the week when the pound dipped briefly to €1.15 but thereafter the only way was up. For overseas property purchasers and investors the exchange rate is an important consideration in Spanish Real Estate.

Nationwide reports a third successive monthly rise for house prices. Sterling close to eight-month high against the euro.

After the sell-off at the end of the previous week the market's first instinct was to buy the pound, although nobody was quite sure why. Hometrack's housing survey was vaguely helpful, inasmuch as it showed prices not falling, but investors found it difficult to get excited because prices were not going up either. It was a similar story with the CBI's retail sales report for July: At -15 the figure was better than the previous month's -17 but did nothing to motivate buyers. Money supply data on Wednesday were another net "don't care" for the market. The number of mortgage approvals went up, true enough, but as Reuters put it; "British financial institutions lent less money to households last month than at any time in the past 15 years." Gfk's index of UK consumer confidence survey produced another utterly useless figure when it remained unchanged at -25.

Investors at last woke up on Thursday morning when Nationwide's house price index came out. For a third successive month the building society saw a rise in the average price, this time by an entirely respectable +1.3%. The annual decline eased from -9.3% to -6.2%. The firm's chief economist offered an impressive hostage to fortune, saying "there is now a reasonable chance that prices could end the year slightly higher than where they started.

"Sterling's performance over the week obviously had something to do with the UK economic data - few thought they were - but mainly it was the by-product of another quiet week during which the mood of investors became more upbeat. As one of the allegedly riskier currencies it is more likely to find buyers when the market is less nervous.

The euro's profile last week was so low as to be almost subterranean. An almost complete absence of pan-euro-zone economic data meant just three useful statistics. Consumer confidence improved slightly from -25 to -23. Inflation - make that deflation - went down from -0.1% to -0.6% in the year to July and unemployment ticked up from 9.3% to 9.4%. Individual national figures did not add much to the proceedings. German consumer confidence was higher and German unemployment was steady at 8.3%. As with sterling, the euro's main claim to fame was to provide investors with an alternative to the US dollar, which was under pressure throughout the week.

Sterling starts August looking more potent than it did in July. It appears to have punched out of the €1.15-€1.17 range that held it for the previous three weeks, helped by its upward break against the US dollar. The high in June at €1.19 was sterling's best level since the beginning of December and that must be its next target. The pound has the potential to test €1.21 but, up here close to an eight-month high, buyers of the euro should take the opportunity to pick up a few more.

For more information and expert guidance on Canary Island property call 0034 928 535 044
Or contact info@goldacre-estates.com

Source Money Corp

Monarch Flights And Holidays Report Bookings Increase By 32%

Monarch Flights and Holidays report bookings since the start of the school holidays have increased by 32% year on year.

The Costa Blanca in Spain is the travel group’s most popular destination this summer, with sales up 216% over the same time last year.

Monarch attributed the boom in demand to dismal UK weather which has seen fed up families fleeing to warmer climates.

The group’s top selling destinations are:

Costa Blanca +216% year on year
Crete (Greece) +188%
Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) +143%
Kenya +133%
Fuerteventura +112%
Larnaca (Cyprus) +95%
Dalaman (Turkey) +87%
Rhodes (Greece) +85%
Luxor (Egypt) +64%

Monarch also claimed strong demand for scheduled flights, with 260,000 passengers jetting off at the start of the school holidays and load factors for July increasing by 1.39% compared to the same period last year.

Malaga on the Costa del Sol, Faro in the Algarve and Alicante on the Costa Blanca are the most popular getaways for flight-only breaks. Monarch Flights and Holidays managing director Liz Savage said: “We are seeing strong demand for both flights and holidays this summer, which has been assisted by the dismal weather in the UK and the bleak August forecast sending fed up Brits looking for warmer climes. “This year we are seeing that all inclusive holidays are proving hugely popular, with bookings up 60% YOY, especially with families, as they provide fantastic value for money and allow costs to be 'locked in' prior to travel.

“It is very encouraging to see that despite the current economic climate people are not looking to forego their overseas summer holiday this year.”

Source Travel Mole by Phil Davies

Ryan Air Start 15 New Flights To Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Ryan Air will be starting 15 new flights into Lanzarote, in the Canaries, to take advantage of the Spanish low taxes and charges. This is good news for Lanzarote and also for Fuerteventura which is only a 12 minute ferry crossing with Fred Olsen from Lanzarote.
The flights will commence from late October from various Uk airports and run until the 31st of March 2010 and possibly beyond.

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