The Spain holiday island where it’s 20C even in January with 5* hotels and bargain flights

I’M drinking my second glass of Spanish wine by the pool – and it is only midday.

There is no better time to visit Lanzarote than the first month of the year, where the temperature remains above 20C and flights are just a few hours (and pounds) with Ryanair.

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So I hopped on a plane from the UK and headed to the new Barcelo Lanzarote Active Resort, which reopened last summer.

I visited my first Barcelo hotel in Alicante in 2021, where I was quickly sold by both its style and affordable price.

And the Barcelo Active Lanzarote Resort is just as fabulous, with an emphasis on getting guests fit and in shape.

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions but even I found myself wanting to work out using the hotel’s wide range of options.

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There is a ten-lane Olympic swimming pool, heated to 26C, and you can even book your own private lane.

I was much too intimidated to join the serious swimmers — thankfully there are seven other pools at the hotel so I chose one of them instead to fit in some early morning laps.

The hotel also has a huge gym with Les Mills exercise classes, cross training area and cycling centre.

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But my favourite were the outdoor classes to start the day, including a sunrise yoga class led by the very chilled Angel while overlooking the sea.

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My overindulged body definitely needed the challenging stretches, making me feel lighter than I had in weeks.

Of course, I quickly made sure I undid any of the hard work with the breakfast buffet, gorging on fresh croissants and crispy churros dipped in hot chocolate.

So don’t worry if you don’t get the urge for some exercise – the hotel has enough to let you switch off without the guilt.

It was refurbished last year and is now set across two adjoining hotels.

At the smaller resort side is the Royal Level, which has an air of exclusivity with restaurants, pool bars and swimming pools only open to these guests.

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If you really want to get in shape, there are three specialised “sport” rooms which have their own sauna, hot tubs and exercise gear inside each suite — one even has a hypoxic chamber system simulating altitudes of up to 4,000 metres.

I relaxed in one of the standard suites of the hotel, albeit still with king-size beds and a big seating area.

After a long workout, the bathroom’s huge showers were very welcoming, followed by some quiet time watching the sun set from my seaview balcony.

But while I wanted a bit of a health kick, I wasn’t going to skip the fine dining and booze as that’s hardly a holiday.

There are two pool bars and two bars in the lobby, each serving drinks and snacks all day, with a highlight being a refreshing frozen mango daiquiri.

In the middle of the hotel are the on-site restaurants surrounding a large outdoor plaza that has live shows and performances during the summer.

La Dolce Vita is an Italian trattoria, where you are greeted by a harpist playing relaxing music as you enter.

The restaurant is a mix of a buffet of hot pasta and pizza dishes, as well as an option to order the fish of the day.

My favourite restaurant was KOI, an Asian fusion with both Korean BBQs where you cook your own meat at your table as well as courses and courses of Japanese sushi.

I came away with my monthly fill of fresh salmon, although my table was split by the dessert which consisted of a chocolate fondant . . . and a punchy wasabi sorbet.

Sports fans can head to the Champs Sports Bar with live games on the huge TVs and neon signs telling you “there is no finish line” next to the outdoor food truck serving chips and nachos.

Here I knocked back a couple of Arehucas and coke, the former being a Canarian rum popular with the locals, although make sure to request a glass of El Grifo wine which is the oldest winery in the Canaries.

While I was content relaxing at the resort, it is also a great base to explore the island, being a short walk or cycle ride to the nearby Playa Bastian beach.

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Divers and watersports fans can also book classes via the hotel as well.

A stay at the Barcelo Active Resort is definitely the best way to spend the pounds (and lose some) when keen to escape the chilly British weather.