The Canary Islands are popular for an all-year escape for good reason. Our expert picks out the best new hotels, walking routes and even volcanoes to get excited about
It’s the season where the Canaries are coming into their own — safe, sunny and an easy four-hour flight away. Maybe they once had a reputation for tacky resorts and exuberant nightlife, and there is some of that, but their enduring appeal comes from the fact there’s plenty more to them.
In this cluster of volcanic islands in the Atlantic — where winter temperatures top 20C and on an average day more than 100 flights arrive from UK airports — there are white-sand beaches rarely troubled by clouds and hiking trails that run beneath the fronds of ancient rainforest. Across the eight main islands you’ll find superb scuba diving, world-class windsurfing, Michelin-starred restaurants and rooftop cocktail bars. Some of the most dependable whale-watching in Europe is to be had in the waters between Tenerife and La Gomera, and this year Lanzarote is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a Unesco biosphere reserve, recognised for its unique volcanic ecosystem.
On La Palma you can stand at the top of one of Europe’s newest mountains, formed by the 2021 volcanic eruption there, and look down across still-smouldering lava fields; on Gran Canaria you can kick up clouds of sand as you run down the lofty Atlantic-facing dunes of Maspalomas. Epic sands also entice holidaymakers to return again and again to Fuerteventura — surely the island that can claim to have the best white-sand beaches in the archipelago. And if you really want to escape modern life, rugged El Hierro and teeny La Graciosa stand ready to welcome you to a much slower pace of life.
The Canary Islands are an enticing destination for short-haul winter sun, and here are ten new holiday ideas for this season.
1. Hike and bike Lanzarote
All too often hikers and bikers form separate tribes on separate trips — not so on KE Adventure’s new combo week in Lanzarote. You’ll meet your group in Costa Teguise, a low-key resort on the east coast of the island that serves as your base. Guided walks take in the undulating pepper and paprika peaks of Timanfaya National Park, the lava still steaming, plus the sheer cliffs of Famara and the vineyards of La Geria; ebikes get you up to the perched sugar-cube church of Ermita de las Nieves and Las Peñas del Chache, the highest point on the island.
2. Tenerife on two feet
Get the inside track on Tenerife on this new walking tour, which mixes self-guided hikes with walks accompanied by a guide. In the north of the island you’ll explore the historic La Laguna, one of the oldest towns in the Canaries, with your guide on the first day, then head out independently to explore the lush laurel forests of Anaga, the deep ravine of Masca Gorge and the lofty volcanic peak of Mount Teide, at 3,718m (12,198ft; can be reached via cable car if you don’t fancy the hike). Accommodation is in locally run hotels in pretty villages — Garachico, where you’ll swim in natural lava rock pools, is a particular highlight.
3. La Palma’s new volcano
La Palma was for ever changed in 2021 when the Cumbre Vieja ridge erupted for 85 consecutive days, spewing lava across an area of about four and a half square miles, burying farmland and thousands of homes. Today the island is in recovery, with hiking possible on the freshly minted landscapes of Tajogaite, its newborn volcano. Macs Adventure’s new self-guided itinerary includes a day hiking on the ridge, plus routes that plunge through prehistoric forests beneath giant ferns, zigzag along coastal paths to caves once known only to smugglers and loop through calderas. You’ll walk about 50 miles across the week and stay in simple hotels in Santa Cruz, the diminutive capital, and lively Los Llanos.
4. Luxury retreat on Lanzarote
This year Lanzarote has made no bones about what it’s after: “higher quality” tourists. To attract them a luxury hotel, the Paradisus Salinas Lanzarote, opened its (very chic) doors on the beachfront of Costa Teguise in August, offering gorgeously understated rooms and villas — some with private saltwater pools and outdoor showers, others with a bathtub on the balcony. This is one for the grown-ups, with alfresco couples’ massages in the spa garden, a child-free lagoon pool and Bali beds scattered across sea-facing terraces. Don’t miss dinner at La Graciosa restaurant, where local seafood is matched with wines from the island’s La Geria wine region.
5. Family beach fun on Lanzarote
Bringing the family? Lanzarote’s second big hotel opening for this winter season is the Barcelo Playa Blanca, set back from the golden sands of Playa Dorada, on the southern tip of the island. Launching in December, this family-friendly four-star will delight little ones with its dedicated kids’ pool (there’s a pirate ship too, naturally) and soothe frazzled parents with its 180m infinity pool, multiple pool bars and wellness centre. Rooms are spacious, sleeping up to four, and there’s direct pool access from the balcony of the swim-up suites (though guests in these rooms must be at least 13 years old).
6. Artists and animals on Lanzarote
Lanzarote was the birthplace of the architect and sustainability pioneer César Manrique, and his vision for the island lives on in everything from gardens and parks to its sculpture-topped roundabouts. He would surely be delighted with the new Hektor hotel, the passion project of the Belgian couple Yves Drieghe and Bert Pieters, which recently welcomed its first guests — and its first resident artists. Book one of the five suites and you’re free to roam the farm, meeting its rescue animals and picking fresh veggies for dinner. Each suite is wilfully individual — choose La Grafista to surround yourself with graphic art or bed down in El Herbolario, its green hues a tribute to the winter colours of Lanzarote.
7. Rambling on Fuerteventura
You could drive the length of Fuerteventura in well under two hours, but this windswept, rock-strewn island has always marched to a slower pace, and you’ll find a ramble here far more rewarding. Join Ramblers Holidays’ new guided trip this December and you’ll cross the spine of the island, following marked paths between twisted rock formations and volcanic craters to reach somnolent villages and remote beaches, one of them home to a loggerhead turtle hatchery. You’ll stay in two comfortable hotels at either end of the island, each with at least one pool and easy beach access, with buffet meals included.
8. All-inclusive Gran Canaria
All-inclusive has never been so popular, and an increasingly elite range of hotels are now offering this stress-free option. For the first time the super-stylish Seaside Palm Beach in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, is among them, and everything from your cocktail by the palm-shaded pool and that beer from the minibar to your tapas at its La Bodega restaurant and a barbecue buffet dinner is included — there’s even unlimited champagne. You’ll also find five swimming pools (including one just for the kids), complimentary yoga, t’ai chi and meditation classes, a tennis court and a spa.
9. Naturist villa on Lanzarote
Like being in the nuddy? Clothing is optional at Eco Beach, the newest villa of Lanzarote Retreats, in the naturist enclave of Charco del Palo in the northeast of the island. Take a dip in the natural sea pools just outside or doze in a hammock by your private pool, surrounded by sand. The roof terrace cries out for sundowners, or perhaps a morning Pilates class or guided meditation, which can be arranged on request. The villa sleeps up to ten adults, across five en suite bedrooms, and has a kitchenette.
10. Water coasters and wave pools on Tenerife
Siam Park can claim to be the world’s favourite waterpark (it has won the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award every year since 2014), and this year it has upped its game with Saifa, a new high-speed duelling water coaster that pits you against your friends. The entire park is Thai-themed, and you’ll also find the Mai Thai lazy river, a pool with artificial waves up to 3m high and the 28m Tower of Power freefall slide, which speeds you through a shark-filled aquarium. Jet2 Holidays includes unlimited park entry with some packages — choose to stay at the family-friendly Spring Hotel Bitacora and there’s even more fun at its five outdoor pools, adventure playg
