The Happy Islands
Please feel free to email us with your views that could help other holidaymakers.
This group of islands, with a preferred climate and constant temperature through all the year, and splendid beaches of fine sand, consists of 7 larger islands Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, Hierro and a few smaller ones Alegranza, Graciosa, Monta?a Clara, Roque del Este, Roque del Oeste und Lobos. Surprisingly, the landscape of each island is radically different to the others.
Lanzarote
Lanzarote is different, not only compared to the other islands, but to everything else on this planet. Lanzarote is of volcanic origin. Great parts of its surface are covered with ashes and lava, making you feel that you could well be on the moon. Lanzarote's inhabitants made a great effort to cultivate this land, and today you find large plantations of fruits and vegetables.
The best known beaches in the south of Lanzarote
Playa Blanca, An excellent beach with tropical ambience and outstanding installations for relaxing holidays.
Las Coloradas, Small bays and turquoise sea, great for sports fishing.
Punta del Papagayo Beautiful landscape and finest sand of golden colour.
Playa Quemada A very beautiful part of the coast with opulent vegetation; small apartment-houses with gardens.
Puerto del Carmen A thermal spa in tropical surroundings, with a wide beach.
Playa Grande Another very nice beach.
Playa de los Pocillos Impressive volcanic landscape and a small settlement in typical style.
Tenerife
If you?re looking for a holiday in Tenerife - It is possibly on of the best spots on earth that enjoys a perfect climate, Tenerife in the Canary Islands is it. There is markedly little variation in the average temperatures between summer and winter, which hover between 15?C and 24?C, and there is only very occasional rain. Throw this in to the mix - of verdant forests in the northern part of the island as well as mountains, deserts, volcanoes, exotic plant and animal life, and spectacular beaches (with black volcanic sand) - and you have a holiday paradise.
A holiday in Tenerife offers the unique experience of swimming and sunbathing on a beautiful beach while just a few miles away snow sparkles on the crest of Mount Teide. The island?s central mountain stands at 12,200 feet, the highest in Spain, and a cable-car ride to the summit offers unrivalled views of the lunar-like landscape of the volcanic slopes.
The island?s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is an upbeat town geared for tourism. Its port, where once the first shots of the Spanish Civil War were fired, is today a morass of ferries, jetfoils and freighters.
Gran Canaria
The Small Continent ... that is how this island is called because of its extremely varied landscapes with European, African and even American vegetation. The mountain range in the island's centre is of a height of about 2000 meters, and cut by some bizarre canyons. Hardly anywhere else you can find such different landscapes and even climatical zones being geographically that close one to each other.
Along the seaside there are wide beaches of sand, and while elsewhere people are shuddering of cold, here the tourists are lying in the sun and looking at those mountain peaks being covered with snow...
The Beaches of Gran Canaria
Maspalomas Maybe the most beautiful among the fantastic beaches of this island. Fine white sand at a length of 6 kilometres and a width of up to 1 kilometre, and intensely blue sea ... a paradise for sun worshippers. There are modern hotel-complexes and sports installations, more than anywhere at Faro de Maspalomas, with the island's most important sports harbour, Pasitoblanco. Along the beach there are several oasis with palms and even a fresh-water lake.
Playa del Ingl?s next to Maspalomas, is of a length of 2.700 meters. This is one of the most famous beaches of the archipelago, with modern hotels of all kinds.
San Agust?n Less known than the two foregoing, but quieter and more relaxing. An ideal place to recover from the stress of everyday life.
Playa de Patalavaca Another great beach with fine sand of golden colour. Also ideal for sport fishing.
Fuerteventura
The Old Land. The island with the oldest history has the longest beaches of the entire archipelago, with wonderful fine sand. Only a narrow channel separates Fuerteventura from the African continent. It is a paradise with great beaches even very close to the island capital, Puerto Rosario.
Beaches of Jandia and Sotavento paradise for divers and friends of nudism
Between Pajara and Jandia you will find an almost untouched beach of a length of 6 kilometres.
Golden sand and crystalline sea, and a colourful world under water which magically attracts divers. This beach is one of the less crowded of all the islands, parts of it are not accessible by car.
Beach of Corralejos crystalline sea
Corralejos is a picturesque fishing-village in the very north of the island. Fine sand and crystal-clear water make its beaches some of the most beautiful of the archipelago. Also the romantic village its self is well worth a visit, and from here you can take an excursion by boat to the nearby island Lobos.
Lobos island the lonely paradise
Surprising but true. Just a few kilometres from the most modern complexes of tourism, you find this lonely island, inhabited just by a handful of fishermen. This is a really great place for all the "Robinson Crusoes" among us.
La Palma
The Beautiful green island. It has La Caldera del Taburiente which is the world's largest volcanic crater, with a diameter of 9 kilometres and a depth of 770 meters. The island's highest mountain, Roque de los Muchachos, measures 2423 meters
Santa Cruz de la Palma which is on the island's east-coast is a picturesque port-town with 18.000 inhabitants. Behind it, like a colossal amphitheatre, there is the mighty volcanic crater Caldereta. This town, with its characteristically steeply inclined alleys, offers a really lively ambience. Among the most important sights there are the Town Hall and the church Iglesia del Salvador, both of 16th century, and the interesting Museum of Natural Science. A few kilometres out of town is located the Santuario de la Virgen de las Nieves, a sanctuary of the island's patroness.
Gomera
Island of Mountains This island is characterised by its central massif of a height of 1487 meters, dropping steeply to the sea. The region of Alto de Garajonay was declared a National Park. Particularly interesting are the population's very old and original popular customs. The inhabitants of the different valleys use to communicate with each other in a whistling language, comparable to the "yodelling" in Central European Alps.
The Beaches of Gomera
Here we find mostly small bays with fine sand, in the island's steep coast. Playa de Santiago a picturesque small fishing-village with a fine beach and crystal-clear water. At the exit of Valle Gran Rey, a valley with important plantations, is located one of the island's best beaches. Vallehermoso, being another fine beach.
Hierro
The smallest island of the archipelago is an ideal place to make relaxing holidays in direct contact with nature. Its steep rocky coast is very different from the wide beaches that are dominating on the other islands, though we find here as well a beach of 14 kilometres length, at Golfo.
Valverde is the island's capital, a picturesque small settlement with gardens and parks, an interesting church and a nice square from which you have a great view over the sea.
