It’s difficult to explain to someone who doesn’t live in Northern Europe how it feels to lie down on soft, warm sand with the sun kissing every part of your body. Released from the grind of clenched teeth and huddled shoulders, endorphins go wild, running around your cells with their arms flailing in the air, shouting “Whoop! Whoop!” as they go.
We can raise the profile of their culture, shine a spotlight on their short but colourful history and paint a canvas of their incredibly diverse and surreal landscapes, but the simple truth remains – most people who fly to The Canary Islands in winter come to enjoy the unbeatable pleasure of soaking up the sun.
So for anyone who’s about to send their endorphins into overdrive by booking their beach holidays, here is the Buzz Trips guide to ten of the top beaches in The Canary Islands. We don’t claim they’re the top ten, they’re just fabulous beaches. Feel free to add your own personal favourites.
Lanzarote
Las Cucharas. It may not have the wild beauty of Famara, but Las Cucharas beach in Costa Teguise is far more accessible, picturesque in its own right and filled with life virtually every day of the year. Despite framing the coastline of the popular east coast resort, there’s always a quiet corner to be found where you can enjoy watching the surfers fall off.
La Graciosa. Not just a beach but an entire island of sand located off Lanzarote’s northern tip, La Graciosa just might be the most perfect tropical beach getaway, ever. Only a handful of vehicles in the main town, no roads and no reason to wear shoes until it’s time to go home, this is vanilla sand, crystal-ocean heaven.
Fuerteventura
Corralejo. When it comes to beaches in the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura wins the sandcastle competition by a clear length. Closest of all the islands to the Spanish Sahara disputed lands of Morocco, beaches here are constantly replenished by grains carried on the wind with the result that they stretch into infinity. Not one, but several beaches, Corralejo’s finest is Playa Grande.
Jandia. On the southern peninsula of Fuerteventura, the pristine beauty of the blond sand and opaque turquoise ocean beggars belief. If you keep the hotels at your back and gaze out to the horizon, you could convince yourself you’re in the Maldives, but without the price tag and the long haul.
Gran Canaria
Las Canteras. A city beach in the true meaning of the phrase, Las Canteras is an urban playground for the capital’s residents and visitors. Hemming the city’s contours in dark golden, soft sand, Las Canteras ebbs and flows from one area of the city to the next. Bustling, cosmopolitan and less than a sandcastle’s width from shops, bars, plazas and restaurants.
Maspalomas. There’s a reason why the famous sand dunes of Maspalomas are so popular, it’s because of their stunning beauty. Endless fine white sand backed by undulating mountains of shifting grains and framed by a turquoise ocean, this is a beach lover’s fantasy landscape.
Tenerife
Las Teresitas. Built for the city but located 3km outside, Las Teresitas beach was constructed with sand brought in to Tenerife from the Spanish Sahara. Sifted, cleaned and beautifully manicured, the gold stuff forms a kilometre and a half long crescent of tropical paradise backed by swaying palm trees, food and beer kiosks and the drama of the Anaga Mountains.
Las Vistas. Undoubtedly the south’s favourite beach, Las Vistas lies at the western edge of Los Cristianos. Vast swathes of imported, amber sand face the blue infinity of the Atlantic with La Gomera framed on the horizon. Backed by shops, bars and restaurants, everything you need is in easy flip flop distance.
El Camisón. More select than Las Vistas, the crescent bay of El Camisón is right in the heart of Playa de Las Américas. Caribbean-esque straw umbrellas dot the vanilla sand while at the rear, a grassy knoll serves those who prefer to keep their skin sand-free. Five star hotels and trendy shopping malls are a lazy amble away.
Andrea (Andy) Montgomery is a freelance travel writer and co-owner of Buzz Trips and The Real Tenerife series of travel websites. Published in The Telegraph, The Independent, Wexas Traveller, Thomas Cook Travel Magazine, EasyJet Traveller Magazine, you can read her latest content on Google+
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