This year we have had the driest winter and spring that people can remember - great for those on holiday on La Palma, but not so great for the farmers or those with small-holdings and even just gardens. Along with the lack of rain, these past few months have been hot, hot, hot, or so it seems.

Luckily though, we are fortunate on La Palma to have natural fresh water springs that provide crystal clear water all year round and this is what we use on the land. For the 'hot, hot, hot' element, we can also use a natural and plentiful water supply - the sea.

Just below us here at the finca in Franceses lies the old port and beach of La Fajana de Garafia. Once the most important port across the whole of the north coast, it is now mainly laid to banana plantations which are transported by a road which wends its way up to Franceses and then eventually to the main port of Santa Cruz de La Palma.

In the other bay to the port though is a secluded beach - usually a mixture of sandy and rocky stretches but at the moment, one glorious stretch of sand. Even if it's not for an actual swim, it's still a good chance to cool off with the help of the mighty Atlantic.

Another favourite of ours are the sea pools at La Fajana de Barlovento which lie halfway between Barlovento and Los Sauces. They are a great place for a swim with three pools in addition to changing facilities and a couple of restaurants. With lots of colourful fish in the water, they are also really interesting when snorkeling plus a very good place to swim for anybody who is a little less sure of themselves in the water. Here's our blog post about it, Keeping your Hat On.

Other sea pools nearby are at Charco Azul, by San Andres, Los Sauces. Again, great for anyone who is not so water-confident but also great fun for anyone to cool off and have a bit of a swim at the same time. Plus, there is a waterfall in one corner with water crashing into the pool - a bit of a power shower and head massage all at the same time! This is the blog post we wrote last year about it - Charco Azul, the Blue Lagoon.

For those who love to get in the sea, there is also a bay just by Charco Azul. The water can be turquoise and it is so tempting, it's difficult to resist! It's fantastic for snorkeling with lots of fish and even a swim through - hold your breath and dive under a rock archway and pop up the other side.

However, there is a new beach on the block, so to speak, at Puerto Espindola near to San Andres. It's an excellent sandy beach with an easy entry and exit and you can park the car just by the edge of the beach. There are no changing facilites but there is the excellent restaurant Meson del Mar for a post-swim freshen up and lunch.

Just recently with family staying and a complete day off, we had the great enjoyment of swimming in three different locations on the same day - La Fajana de Barlovento then Charco Azul and finally topped off with a swim at Puerto Espindola. That's hard to beat for a lot of fun - and cooling off big style!

In my quest for holiday-type bargains, whether that be flights to La Palma, ferries or accommodation on the island, I am pleased to be able to bring you a whole range of other goodies. These include getting your holiday photos printed, holiday and walking clothing, camping gear and travel accessories such as suitcases, rucksacks, etc.

The best way to check the current deals are either to have a look at our very own Holiday Shop - click here - or keep an eye on our Tweets - click here - for announcements.

For example, through Photobox we can offer you 60 free photo prints (offer only open until midnight tomorrow). Go to our Holiday Shop and scroll down to 'Photobox' and click the link.

Photobox is a pain-free way for getting your holiday photos developed over the internet so now there is no excuse for leaving them on the computer! And they make excellent gift products too such as A4 photo books, canvas prints, mugs, t-shirts and jigsaws.

At Blacks, go to our Holiday Shop, click the Blacks link and you can enjoy 20% off camping gear - offer valid until midnight 6th June. Blacks is one of the high street's best-known names, offering quality products and friendly, knowledgeable advice on a selection of outdoor kit in over 104 stores nationwide. From Berghaus and The North Face to Merrell and Technicals, Blacks has both the understanding and the capability to meet our customers' high standards. Free Delivery on Orders over £70. So now you can get your tents, rucksacks, water bottles all at a bargain price.

You can also go to John Lewis directly from our Holiday Shop. John Lewis supply walking clothing (Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Ronhill, The North Face, Speedo, etc.) and fitness equipment, holiday clothing, mobile electronic devices (iPad, netbooks, tablet, laptops, etc.), cameras, holiday and travel accessories and a whole lot more.

And because life doesn't end after holidays you can also browse through their on-line home and garden section. As well as special offers, John Lewis is 'never knowingly undersold' and offers a price match. John Lewis International now ships to abroad to 33 countries.

If you like to shop at Debenhams, then don't miss out because they have lots of travel and sporting goods with top names in store.  (Plus furniture with up to 60% discount).  And since they now deliver to 44 countries worldwide, even we expats can join in the fun of shop til you drop without leaving the computer. 

We can even offer you £15 off your first on-line order of £80 or more on groceries at Sainsbury's. Again, go to our Holiday Shop, click on the Sainsbury's link and once there, enter the Code: MVDD-FN6V-7Q9Q. Offer until 10th June. Sainsbury's also supply sports and leisure wear, luggage, rucksacks, computing, cameras, camcorders and more.And, as before, you can get all your maps of La Palma, Spanish phrase books, guide books and walking books from Amazon, directly from our site and travel insurance too.

Lastly but obviously not leastly, we have added Pancho's children's book to the list. Just scroll down, look for his cheeky face and you can click on his photo for more details.

So what are you waiting for - have fun!