The Adventures of Debbie Dimples - in the Canary Islands, Spain
- Debbie Goodman
- Aug 21, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 8, 2023
The Canary Islands also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. The Canary Islands consist of the seven major islands - Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. I have visited the big four islands - Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and most recently - Lanzarote. As we visited Gran Canaria many years ago, I unfortunately don't have many photographs to share of our trip, however, I do have some from Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura, the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, sits in the Atlantic Ocean 100km off the north coast of Africa. With almost 150km of idyllic sandy shores including the rolling sand dunes of Parque Natural de Corralejo, Fuerteventura is a beach lover’s paradise and famous for world-class wind and kite surfing, the most popular form of watersports on the island. We visited Fuerteventura in 2017 as a family.
Hotel Riu Palace Tres Islas
We stayed at Hotel Riu Palace Tres Islas for 7 nights in 2017. The hotel is in a great location on Corralejo beach, one of the most fascinating beaches on the island of Fuerteventura.
Oasis Park Fuerteventura
Oasis Park Fuerteventura is a unique interactive wildlife zoo. The Oasis Park is a great day out for families with children. It is home to over 250 species of animals, including camels, lemurs and elephants. My favourite part of the day was the lemur experience.
Acua Water Park
The Acua Water Park located in the tourist area of Corralejo, is the only water park in Fuerteventura.
Lanzarote
Lanzarote is the fourth largest of the Canary Islands and sits in the Atlantic Ocean, about 125 km off the west coast of Africa. Lanzarote is known for its volcanic landscape, stunning beaches, and unique architecture that reflects the artistic vision of César Manrique, a renowned Spanish artist, architect and famous son of Lanzarote. We visited Lanzarote in August of 2023.
Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada Resort & Spa
Dreams Lanzarote Playa Dorada Resort & Spa is a 5 star hotel located in the town of Playa Blanca, overlooking Playa Dorada beach. The hotel is great for families. We stayed at the hotel for 6 nights. I particularly enjoyed spending the day at the infinity pool which has a swim-up bar. I found a little bit of heaven in swimming, sunbathing, reading a good book (this time it was Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center), and drinking milkshakes!
Timanfaya National Park
Timanfaya National Park is a Spanish national park in the southwestern part of the island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands. It covers parts of the municipalities Tinajo and Yaiza. The area is 51.07 square kilometres, and the parkland is entirely made up of volcanic soil. The Timanfaya National Park could be mistaken for a martian or lunar landscape. As part of the Grand Tour of Lanzarote, we visited the main attractions of Timanfaya National Park, which includes El Golfo beach (the famous black beach), a guided camel ride, and a drive up to witness the craters of some of the active volcanoes. The
Mancha Blanca
Mancha Blanca is an agricultural and wine village in the west of the island of Lanzarote. The village is also home to the Chapel and Shrine to Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, the patron saint of the island of Lanzarote. The chapel is typical of the religious architecture of the island. We stopped at the Bodegas Barreto in Mancha Blanca for some lunch during the Grand Tour of Lanzarote.
Jameos del Agua
Los Jameos del Agua is the first Art, Culture and Tourism Center created by César Manrique; a natural space created inside a volcanic tunnel. The natural lake, formed by water seeping through the lava rock, is home to a unique species of tiny blind albino crabs (Munidopsis Plymorpha) that dot the lake floor like stars. Locally, they are affectionately known as Jameitos and are the symbol of the Jameos del Agua. The Jameos del Agua is the final stop on the Grand Tour of Lanzarote.
Playa Blanca
Playa Blanca is the southernmost town of the Spanish island of Lanzarote. It is the newest resort on the island, and is part of the municipality of Yaiza.
Playa de Papagayo
Playa de Papagayo is one of the island’s most beautiful and most photographed beaches. Playa de Papagayo is located at the southern most tip of Lanzarote. The area is one of spectacular beauty and includes five large golden sandy beaches within the protected Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches. Overlooking the Playa de Papagayo sits Be Papagayo, a wonderful little beach bar and restaurant with the best views in Lanzarote.
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off West Africa. It's dominated by Mt. Teide, a dormant volcano that is Spain's tallest peak. We visited Tenerife as a family in 2014 for 7 nights. Tenerife, as with all the Canary Islands, is a great destination for a family holiday.
GF Gran Costa Adeje Hotel
The charming 5-star GF Gran Costa Adeje occupies a prime location, in the heart of the majestic Costa Adeje resort, Tenerife. We stayed at the GF Gran Costa Adeje for 7 nights. My favourite part of the hotel was the rooftop pool. Take me back to that time when I had the perfect body please!?
Costa Adeje
Costa Adeje is an up-market resort on the southern coast of Tenerife. The resort is home to numerous beaches, hotels, shops and nearby tourist attractions. We visited the beaches and took a walk along the coastal path to the shops during our stay.
Mount Tiede
Teide, or Mount Teide, is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic.
Las Águilas-Jungle Park
Las Águilas-Jungle Park is a zoological and botanical park located near the Los Cristianos beach on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Consisting of 7.5 hectares of jungle with over 500 animals, the park contains a number of walking paths with tunnels, suspension bridges, waterfalls, lagoons, and caves.
Whale and Dolphin Watching Boat Trip
Tenerife is a Whale Heritage Site and one of the best places in the world to see whales and dolphins. The area around southern Tenerife is home to a sizable colony of Pilot whales. We managed to spot a few on our boat trip.
Siam Park
Siam Park is Tenerife's water kingdom and has established itself as the best water park in the world. We took a trip to Siam Park, however, due to this being a water park, I didn't get many photo's to share.
What I missed out on....
If I visit the Canary Islands in the future, I would like to visit Gran Canaria again. Although we did visit the island when I was a teenager, we have little/no photo's of our trip and I don't remember it well. I would choose to stay at the Lopesan Baobab Resort, which is a 5 star resort in Meloneras, and visit the small town of Puerto Mogan.
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the third largest island in the Canary Islands and has the largest population. It's often described as a "continent in miniature" because it has so much variety to offer. The Maspalomas Dunes (Spanish: Dunas de Maspalomas) are sand dunes located on the south coast of Gran Canaria and are the biggest attraction of the island. The dunes are a unique and natural formation for which Maspalomas is often called the Canarian Sahara.
Puerto de Mogan
Puerto de Mogan is the most picturesque resort on the island of Gran Canaria. The resort consists of traditional two-storey apartment buildings built around a marina and fishing harbour. The town itself has been likened to a ‘Little Venice’, or as it is known “Venice of he Canaries”, with its network of canals and bridges that link the roads through the town.
Lopesan Baobab Resort
With its lagoon pools and safari-lodge styling, this luxury hotel brings a taste of Africa to Gran Canaria. I would choose to stay at the Lopesan Baobab Resort on a future trip to Gran Canaria.
The Canary Islands are the perfect for a family holiday. With year round good weather, many attractions for children, and a multitude of great resorts to choose, you can't go wrong!
Check out my adventures in Spain here:
Majorca and Menorca
Ibiza
Canary Islands
And here you can see where I want to go next in Spain:
Spain
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