Canaries

The Canary Islands are a good group of islands to visit anytime as the climate is moderate. We usually go during the winter months, we did some island hopping during January and February this year spending two weeks on four islands. Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Ganaria, Tenerife.
We enjoy walking and most days go out for a 5 mile walk, can't do much more these days the old feet are slowly giving up on us.

All of the islands have there charm, we particularly love the sand dunes on the outskirts of Correlegio in Fuerteventura great for walking by the sea and watching the kite surfers. The Jandia area in the south has a national park and the coastal towns are filled with plenty to do including sailing There's a good bus service which allows cheap travel to most areas of the island.

We stayed in Puerto Del Carmen in Lanzarote which has a very long front with the usual shops and restaurants, long beaches and good coastal walks. You can take a bus to PLaya Blanca a lovely town for a day trip, you can take the ferry from there to Feurteventura.

We rented an apartment in Playa del Ingles in Gran Canaria and were there for the Carnival this year it was great fun. It's a bit hilly but there's good hiking in the mountains if that's your thing. There is an amazing beach which is great for walking on. The island has a good bus service which allows you to visit other resorts on the island.

Tenerife seems to have more evening entertainment than the other islands and if you love to go out in the evening this is the place for you. The hotels don't have any problem with you enjoying their shows for the cost of a drink. Plenty of restaurants shops, diving is available not sure of the price though. Good bus service.
Jean

Have been to lanzarote, Tenerife and gran canaria,my favourite is gran canaria,and in particular Puerto Rico ...happy holidays

We have enjoyed some delightful holidays in Tenerife staying at small boutiques type hotels, well away from the masses. Having a car enabled us to discover more of the island, the mountainous backbone is stunning and as already mentioned the north , west and east.
Guimar and Garachico are delightful.
We too had a week on La Gomera at the Parador,very quiet and peaceful and good walks too!

Many years ago DH and I used to visit Los Cristianos 3 or 4 times a year. It is a bit quieter than Las Americas but there was still plenty of nightlife (we were younger then and it was what we were looking for). The beach between Los Cristianos and Las Americas is very long and golden (they imported the sand), but if you are looking for a quieter holiday then those places recommended by others might be a better bet for you.

Thanks to all of you. Sooo much info. I'm now going to write it all down, get the map out and then back to the iPad.

We regularly go to Tenerife as one of our daughters live there. There is only one tiny part of the Island that is 'spoilt', Los Christianos and Las Americas - but it only takes minutes to get away from the razzmataz and the scenery in the East and North is great. I stay in the Puerto de la Cruz area, with its lovely botanical garden and hire a car to visit the rest of the Island and La Gomera. There are also lots of coach tours that will pick you up, at very reasonable prices.

Nearer to the South, you could stay in La Calleta, which is a small fishing port within walking distance of Las Americas, or near Alcala a bit further to the West, between Las Americas and Los Gigantes. Los Gigantes is lovely, as said above. What is your budget? There are some amazing hotels in lovely locations near La Calleta.

I agree with merlotgran, Los Gigantes is lovely and if you go up in the hills above it, very scenic. It's easy to travel to the hill villages by local bus which we have always found to be reliable and cheap. The beaches are not brilliant but if you go to Playa La Arena, there is quite a large black sand beach which OH loves for swimming. You can walk there from Los Gigantes, if you are active, or take a bus or a taxi.

We are going to the next door resort, Puerto de Santiago, in May this year, but we have also been many times in the winter months and always had lovely warm weather. We hate kiss me quick hats too and actively dislike the more well known resorts like Playa de las Americas.

We have also visited La Palma and Gran Canaria and think that the Canary Islands are much maligned; as long as you choose the resort carefully you can find pretty villages and quiet hotels, with good food and plenty to do.

Happy holidays!

petra, you mentioned you wanted scenery but , being volcanic, the Canaries don't offer many great views unless you like it barren. There is a ban on high rise buildings on Lanzarote which I prefer, having also holidayed on Tenerife (black sand), Gran Canaria (wind whips up the sand) and Fuerteventura.
Whichever place you choose I am sure you will enjoy yourselves.

I would second Shysal's Playa Blanca, which, as it's name suggests has white sand beaches. We have been there twice, once in Spring and once at Christmas. Hire a car and you can tour the whole island easily or take a short boat trip from Playa Blanca to Papagayo or a day trip to Fuertaventura for more wonderful beaches.

We used to go to Los Gigantes on the West coast of Tenerife. The little town is lovely with good shops and restaurants and is nothing like the overcrowded, noisy resorts in the south. The beach is small with black sand and rather overshadowed by the large cliffs but we had many happy holidays there.

Madeira is cold in December. The only one that was sort of warm was Lanzarote and that was chilly.

We went many times to Feurtaurventura and always found fabulous beaches and good restaurants,it is a small island and there are some lovely small villages,always warm we used to spend some Christmas's there with family very relaxed.

We went to Lanzarote at Christmas about eight years ago and found it a bit dull and uninteresting, although the weather and food were nice.

We went to Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife on 28 January this year. It was the first time we'd been to there and we had a lovely time. We went with Thomson Hotel El Tenerife right on the sea front. Beach was black, very popular with surfers. Apart from one day of light rain, we had very pleasant weather.

I understand the south of Tenerife is less likely to be cloudy/rainy and has more beaches but is more commercialised and a bit on the tacky side.

We were told by a young lady living in Tenerife that the best time to visit the north of the island is September to November when rain and cloud are less likely.

We went to Puerto Mogan on south coast of Gran Canaria for a week in March one year. It is a pretty little fishing village, no huge hotels, very quiet and relaxed place for a week or two. Not a lot there. We stayed here, quite a simple hotel but great location. www.hotelpuertodemogan.com/index.php?lang=en

To be honest, the port is lovely with pretty flowers every where etc but scenery around the port was very barren around, big hills/mountains with no greenery. It wasn't until we got a trip to north of the island that it got beautiful and green and lush, but I understand the north consequently has more rain and cloud.

Probably not for you, but only time I've been here. Personally, I would rather go to Madeira, very beautiful scenery, stunning flowers everywhere - but you have to swim off the rocks, as hardly any beaches.

I like the Playa Blanca area on Lanzarote. I have not been for several years though, and there was a lot of developement going on in the area. Here is a link which may help you choose.The nearby Papagayo beaches are quiet but have no amenities, but good for a visit. I found the best way to explore was by hired bicycle. I hope you enjoy your trip, the climate is perfect at this time of year.
www.lanzarotebreaks.com/beaches.php