The Canary Islands are a sun-seeker’s paradise – summer throughout the year and splendid sandy beaches. It’s ideal for the British because it never gets too hot. For a better idea, the average monthly temperatures for Las Palmas in Gran Canaria hit a low of 21°C in December and a high of 27°C in May – ideal for swimming and for lazing around in the sun. But they offer so much more to anyone considering buying property in the archipelago & with regular transport routes between the islands by sea and air – as a Canaries resident you can easily explore the neighbouring islands!

Each of the 7 main islands has a unique landscape, although they all have volcanic origins. Gran Canaria, for example, is known by locals as ‘The Small Continent’, because of the great variety of scenery that includes European, African and even American vegetation; there’s a snow-capped mountain, massive canyons, tropical rainforest, desert sand dunes and beaches. Imagine lying on a warm beach near your home looking up at a snow-capped mountain, while your friends shiver through a British winter!

Or there’s Lanzarote, which contains volcanoes that were active in the 18th and 19th centuries – parts of it have been described as ‘walking on the Moon’. Locals used to say, ‘God forgot it on the seventh day of Creation’’ – but it’s a place of unusual beauty. Look out for vineyards between volcanic craters, unspoilt rural traditions, and, of course, a great variety of beaches.

Before taking a brief tour of each island, here is an incomplete list of things to see or do. Moving abroad is a big step, so here are a few Canarian selling points, should you still need persuading, OR for buy-to let investors, these are the key factors which will attract your visitors:

Sports - Diving, sailing, surfing, windsurfing, fishing, golf, football, basketball, mountain biking, paragliding, and Canarian traditional sports that tend to be pretty dangerous in nature;
Nature - Whale-watching, nature reserves and botanical gardens (50% of all native Spanish plants are found only here – 1.5% of Spain’s land area), climbing, walking;
History - Archaeological sites, ancient monuments and burial grounds, cave dwellings, ancient villages, museums, historic churches, magnificent architecture
Culture and Science - Music festivals, art galleries, cave paintings, opera, carnivals, film festivals, photography, astronomy, alternative energy technology;
Health - Injury treatment, reflexology, thermal spas, modern health and fitness centres with mud baths, massage, and so on – elite European sports teams come to the islands, and astronauts recuperate here;
Eating – From ancient dishes to Spanish, African and Latin-American styles - with a wonderful range of local fish, fruits and vegetables; there’s excellent local cheeses, wines, honey rum and tropical fruits; and there’s plenty of international restaurants, Tapas Bars, and British essentials too;
Party – especially at Playa del Inglés & Maspalomas, in Gran Canaria, where sun-starved youngsters gather from across Europe.

The main mass-holiday centres are based on the first 4 islands listed; the best places for holiday apartments, although there are plenty of contrasting areas on all of them, should you be searching for something different. La Palma is the least developed island served by regular charter flights. The other 2 islands tend to be much quieter, especially El Hierro, which has been happy to stay off the beaten track. Property will of course be harder to come by – but The Real Estate Advisory Centre continues to search locally on a client’s behalf for as long as it takes.

Gran Canaria is a land of scenic contrasts, as noted above. Many activities are available here – sailing and water-sports, golf, health spas, museums, art galleries and cultural events, nature reserves and other theme parks, rural tourism, trekking, cycling and climbing. History has marked the island, from much left by the original Guanche inhabitants to the very varied architectures since. The island contains Las Palmas to the north, the largest town in the Canaries with a big-city feel, lots of shopping and an organised nightlife. The southern resorts tend to be for holidaymakers from across Europe looking for sun, entertainment and holiday romance.

Gran Canaria.

Tenerife, the largest island, has a mountain range with a vast volcanic crater and a peak in the middle – once believed by Europeans to be the ‘tip of the world’. There are fertile valleys, steep coasts and wide beaches. It’s a centre for beach- and sea-sports, golf, health clubs and beauty parlours, serious shopping, and varied night-life; look out for giant cliffs, the incredible volcanic National Park, important museums and carefully preserved historic areas. A featured building is the Basilica of Candelaria, a place that is home to the Virgen de Candelaria, the Patron Saint of The Canaries, and that also honours the native Guanche religion and its Princes.

Tenerife.

As well as Lanzarote’s moonscapes, the rest of the island is protected. Look out for colourful festivals and carnivals, great centres for the Arts, the main Spanish film festival, son et lumière featuring new music in wonderful spaces like volcanic caves. For sporty types, there’s the ‘best waves in Europe’ for surfing – and there’s deep-sea fishing, yachting, windsurfing, paragliding, and the famous Ironman triathlon to watch. As a total contrast, rural areas are being carefully opened up to tourists – they’re staying in older, farmhouse-type accommodation and going biking, horse riding, and walking.

Lanzarote.

Fuerteventura is an island of mile after mile of white sandy beaches and spectacular desert-like scenery – the sand having been blown in from the Sahara; tranquillity and relaxation are guaranteed. It’s ideal for windsurfing, diving and other water-sports, and horse riding is also featured. There is also a host of natural monuments and protected environments to explore on foot.

Fuerteventura.

La Palma is known as ‘The Green Island’’, and ‘The Beautiful Island’ - not forgetting another great volcano crater that contains an ancient religious site. It stands surrounded by high, snow-capped mountains – look out for enormous rocks and torrential waterfalls. Adventure sports like mountain-biking, paragliding; climbing and horse riding are common; the island is also noted for its many traditional crafts. The island is ideal for observation of the heavens, and a massive observatory has open days during the summer.

La Gomera is a delight for the hiker and the naturalist – the land, which falls away dramatically from high central peaks, is covered by ancient tropical rainforest that is a stronghold of the primeval Canarian laurel. Many plants and animals have evolved in isolation on this island, and are found nowhere else in the world. In lower valleys, look out for terraced farming; and there are small, attractive beaches, and watersports – yachting and diving in particular. Listen out for the language of whistles, silbo, developed many centuries ago to communicate over mountainous distances. It’s a good base for boat trips, with Tenerife very close.

El Hierro, ‘The Forgotten Island’, contains unspoilt countryside - steep rocky coasts with sheltered coves, and beautiful forests (dense pines and evergreens, with figs and almonds) making it ideal for strolling close to nature, looking out for many reptile species, some from pre-history. There are watersports and adventure sports. There are important local handicrafts. There are colourful festivals, including enormous family parties. Local hospitality is legendary – but islanders are happy to see the great masses of tourists go elsewhere; there are 800 beds for visitors – enough for now.

Article submitted on 2007-08-23