Hola a todos!!

I'm thinking of visiting Spain in March, and am interested in going to the Canary Islands. Does anyone know what he weather is like in early/mid March? Is it beach-type weather? And can anyone recommend the best area to go to (Las Palmas, Tenerife, Lanzarote??)

Muchisimas gracias,

GranadaGirl

Hi GranadaGirl!
You can see a month-to-month climate guide for the Canary Islands HERE on the USATODAY.com site. It doesn't appear to be "beach-type" weather with average highs of 73ºF. Brrr...

As for other information, hopefully some of our registered members have some suggestions, but have you searched the message board yet? Might find one or two postings already there (but I don't recall).

Saludos, MadridMan

I have been thinking about going back to Spain in May. What airline flies to the Canary islands? They are so far south. Has anyone been there recently? I think it would make an interesting side-trip but is it expensive to get there?

oops! that should be a "transportstion" question. I'll post there!

Boy, it sure has been a long time sinvce my last posting! Hello everybody! Canary Islands are my specialty! In March the temp in Gran Canaria and Tenerife are pretty similar, around 75 degrees. On either Island, if you go to the south , you'll find the warmest weather, and the water is cool, not cold. But if you're looking for some heat and warmer weather look towards Fuerteventura or Lanzarote. They are closest to Africa(western Sahara)

HI!
I can't speak to the weather in the Canaries in March, but I was in Tenerife for 5 days in October...beautiful weather!!! Around 80 every day...occasionally cloudy, but the black sand of the beach warms you (or your feet, more accurately) right up.

Try Air-Europa for flights from Barajas in Madrid to the Canaries. I think Tenerife is the largest of the Islands...I stayed on the southern beach and liked it very much. There is a big volcanic(I think) mountain and park reserve that I didn't make it to, but is supposed to be spectacular.

I've been told that package deals to the Canaries are usually the cheapest way to go. The problem, if you are in the States, would be booking them from a Spanish travel agent. I went via Travelplan (flights with Air Europa) for 4 nights, 5 days for around $400 including flight, transfer, hotel and all meals. I was in Spain at the time, and booked through a Spanish agent. You can also go on the Air-Europa website to purchase individual flights. Try their "Special Offers" section.

Good luck and have a great trip!

Hi!
Weather in Lanzarote in March can be iffy!! Evenings you will need a jacket - daytime temps should be 75 degrees'ish. Lovely and hot when the sun is out but..! Remember that the Canaries are a winter destination for the Brits and Germans, so prices do tend to be high. Having said that the cost of living is quite low, though the choice of foods is limited!! Getting here.... maybe in would be cheaper to fly into UK and then get a charter flight out to one of the islands through a travel shop such as Going Places, Thomas Cook or Lunn Poly (on every UK High Street). Flying from the peninsula to Canaries tends to be quite expensive. As a resident of the Canaries, with a 30 percent discount on travel, it will still cost me at least 30,000 pts to get to Madrid or Barcelona from here.

Hope that helps!

GranadaGirl,

My only Canarias trip was in mid February 1979, yes 1979!. Despite the year, the weather was very nice during the day (mid 60s to low 70s F) a bit cooler at night, long sleeves or maybe a very light jacket.

I stayed in Gran Canaria in a very tourist trap like place, Playa de Ingles. However, it did not bother me at all. Plenty of shops and restaurants. Being Cuban, I also sounded like the locals when I spoke Spanish, but regardless the locals are friendly. I imagine Playa is probably more lke Miami Beach by now.

I used Playa as a staging point. I had wheels so got to see a lot of the island, which is beautifull!!!

Enjoy your trip,
cubatex

Hi GranadaGirl! Don't know whether you will be as fortunate as we were regarding a trip to the Canaries, but last October we got a fabulous last minute deal (we travelled four days after booking it)

Return flights from Sevilla to Tenerife, seven nights in a four star hotel in Las Caletillas on an ALL INCLUSIVE BASIS (the only things we had to pay for were drinks after 11pm - anything else was all in the price, entertainment, meals, snacks, booze etc) transfers to and from the hotel, insurance and all for the miserly sum of about 52.000 Ptas or 312 Euros. Not bad, was it?

If you go to sites such as www.solplan.es or www.iltrida.com you will find last minute deals. In fact, subscribe to iltrida on their web site and you will get stuff e-mailed to you weekly. To give you an example of how good their prices are - bear in mind that it is all last minute stuff, so you have to be flexible. I got news of a cruise round the Caribbean yesterday (yes, I know you all want to come to Spain, but this gives you an example of what to expect price-wise and also, any of us fortunate to live here sometimes could use a change of scenery and this may help us poor souls )

This cruise started and finished at Sto. Domingo calling at Tortola, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Guadalupe, and St Barth. The accomodation was in cabins with balcony etc and it was full board. All taxes, port charges and so on included, all you needed was your wheelbarrow full of money to pay for the booze on board! The price?? 695 Euros, including return flights from Madrid!! Incredible! The catch? You had 36 hours to book it and catch the plane. Hang on... why am I still here?? I remember, now, I love Spain!

Try the ones mentioned GG. You may have to trust to chance, but there's usually plenty of last minute deals available in agent's windows for the Canaries. Hope it helps!