Where to stay in the Canary Islands

Rebecca Brown - 22 Mar 18

If you want to enjoy year-round sunshine, lush pine forests, and sandy beaches, the Canary Islands are the perfect place for your holiday. This archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean consists of seven main islands and a couple of smaller ones. Each one of them is different, with its own personality.

If you don’t have time to explore them all, we picked out some of the best places where you can stay during your holiday on the Canary Islands, this wondrous, most southerly region of Spain.

Los Cristianos, Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest and most populated island of the Canary Islands. It attracts millions of visitors a year and has many popular tourist sites including the UNESCO-listed city of San Cristobal de la Laguna. The sandy beaches on the island are some of the most child-friendly.

However, the most interesting sites are beyond the tourist enclave. If you visit the Teide National Park, you will be mesmerized by the sight of the snow-draped Teide, Spain’s highest peak and home to fabulous hiking, and wine tasting in picturesque towns.

Los Cristianos is one of the most popular resorts here. Once an old fishing village, it has experienced major expansion. It has a harbor that offers cruises, fishing trips, and diving excursions. The main beach of the resort is a large stretch of golden sand with calm waters, offering a variety of water sports.

Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

Lanzarote is an intriguing island with a dramatic landscape. Because of the unique natural environment, the island is a UNESCO-listed Biosphere Reserve. You can see solidified lava streams, extravagant rock formations and enjoy the surreal play of color on the lava fields.

The influence of the environmentalist and architect Cesar Manrique can be seen all over the island. He saved Lanzarote from rapid tourist development and managed to preserve the island’s environment.

Playa Blanca, in the south, backed by volcanic mountains, is Lanzarote’s most attractive and sophisticated resort. The main attraction of the resort is the famous white sand beach called also Playa Blanca (the White Beach). It’s a blue flag winner, popular with families. There is a promenade nearby, so you’ve got a good choice of eating and drinking spots.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria offers more scenic diversity than any of the other Canary islands, ranging from the green north to the mountainous interior and desert south. It is a “continent in miniature” with almost half of the population living on this island.

Nearly half of the island is protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Enjoy hiking, cycling, and water sports or visit the Canary Gardens, a spectacular botanic garden.

Gran Canaria is considered to have better beaches than Tenerife and more attractive historical quarters. Las Palmas is one of the towns with an interesting historical legacy. The archaeological highlights of the town are the 16-century cathedral and the Museum of the Canary Islands with its interesting archaeological and ethnographic collection. Don’t miss La Playa Jinamar, a small beach with a dark sand shoreline.

Corralejo, Fuerteventura

The windiest of all the Canary Islands is Fuerteventura. It makes this island a good choice for windsurfers and kite boarders. The wind has molded the hills into softer shapes, and the landscape often resembles North Africa. Striking similarities can also be seen with houses with flat roofs for collecting rainfall.

The island holds an interesting variety of birds as well as beautiful historic villages. There are far more goats than you would expect, and the plains are dotted with windmills. Fuerteventura, with its barren beauty, was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

Despite the volcanic terrain, Fuerteventura is a beach paradise with miles of undiscovered beaches that are virtually deserted. Corralejo, surrounded by an intriguing desert landscape, is a resort that stands out. The town has a working fishing port, and it combines traditional culture with a tourist ambience. Corralejo Natural Park is the best place to enjoy an enormous extension of white sands.

Rebecca Brown

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