Treasure islands of the grand Canaries
The largest of the islands,tenerife is the most popular with British visitors. It has the most unmistakeable silhouette in the form of Elteide, which rises a stonking 12,198ft from the sea and is the highest mountain in Spain.
Of all the islands,tenerife is the best adapted to big-number tourism, with its main golden beaches and most popular resorts (Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas) on the sunnier southern corner, close to the main airport. More sophisticated and palatial hotels are around the corner on the west coast, with black volcanic sand up by the cliffs of Los Gigantes.
The island has something for everyone, from theme parks in the south to remote hiking trails on the northeastern corner to El Caleton’s lava rock pools but it does feel crowded at times. Fortenerife culture, the heritage destinations are up on the northern coast around Puerto de la Cruz. Puerto is a gentrified resort with lots of shopping and eating in pleasant pedestrianised streets, but it has no beaches and is often overcast.
Santa Cruz, the island capital on the north east coast, is unexceptional, except when it goes carnival-crazy in February.
Don’t miss: Head up to Elteide, winding up through belts of cloud-shrouded pines and into the huge crater of the extinct volcano. Up here the air is so clean it almost squeaks. Alternatively, for a completely different side of Tenerife, seek out the 800-year-old dragon tree in Icod. Sit in the back patio of Casa del Drago and sip a dragon’s blood liqueur, made with tree sap.