The Canary Islands

Despite being associated with package vacationers, the Canary Islands have a cerebral side if you know where to look. Begin on Tenerife, where you’ll swap garish resorts on Playa de las Américas for a pastel-colored hacienda in La Laguna. The best natural beaches on the island are just a short drive away in El Médano, on the island’s windswept south-east coast. Lanzarote’s north coast, with its warm waters and golden beaches, is equally tranquil. Famara beach is the most beautiful, with velvety sand and big swells popular with surfers. The sun shines even brighter on subtropical Gran Canaria, and wild sand dunes dominate the south. A memorable beach vacation could simply be spent wandering through Maspalomas – the undulating dunes of this beach resemble the dunes of the Sahara.