Has anyone been to the Canary Islands?

[blackkitty]

If you have would you like to share your experience, including where you stayed? Thinking about going this summer

[dulcemariamar]

I have been to Peradventure. The beaches are really beautiful. I also have heard good things about Lacerate.

The only issue I had with my trip and for me it was a big deal is that I had to deal with those huge flying cockroaches. I never saw them before and I had several in my hotel room. I stayed at a really nice hotel and when I went to complain about it, they told me that it was completely normal to see them everywhere even though they tried to control them.

I dont know but at least for me it was hard to sleep at night knowing that I had seen once crawling out of the AC vent only hours before.

If that doesnt bother you, the islands are really pretty.

[GilliC]

I went with some friends in December a few years ago. We actually took a cruise to/from Spain, so we visited La Palma, Tenerife, and Lanzarote.

I probably liked Lanzarote the best, but I'm a bit of a volcano enthusiast. My friends had never visited an active volcanic region before, so they thought it was amazing. It is pretty cool, and the moon-like landscape is interesting, but the volcanic activity isn't that spectacular if you've been to the national park in Hawaii, the volcanic areas in Iceland, etc.

On Tenerife, we drove up Mt.Teide and the scenery was quite nice. It was interesting to see the changes as you drive all the way up from sea level, through the forests, and then up above the tree line. At the top we took the cable car up the mountain. It was pleasant, but the whole thing was vastly overshadowed by the craziness in organizing it.

La Palma was pretty, but it was definitely a quieter place than the other two islands.

In general, I really wasn't that impressed by them. There are so many cheap flights to get there, but I've never really had the desire to go back, even for a lazy beach holiday. I have friends who come back raving about the water parks or the Loro Parque, but I guess it's no really my scene. I think I prefer Goa or the Caribbean or the Seychelles (or probably northeast Brazil from what I hear).

[anna7602]

I went to Tenerife for my 20th birthday (many years ago). I went with some friends and we hung out on the black sand beaches and went to lots of nightclubs and hiked up Mt. Teide.

It was fun and relaxing and offered plenty of nightlife for my 20-year-old self, but I haven't been back since. I didn't feel like there was anything particularly striking that I need to see there again, even though I am all for revisiting places.

By contrast, I would love to go back to Madeira (not too geographically far from the Canary Islands). I was there for my birthday 5 years ago and it's hard to convey exactly what was so awesome about it, but I just really liked it and wouldn't mind exploring it again.

[Deleted]

I've been to Tenerife. I spent about a week there. We stayed outside the touristy area on the northern side of the island. There was a lot to do and we had a good mix of beach and "adventure".

We went to the top of Teide, as well as exploring.

Tenerife is a beautiful island with a very diverse scenery depending on location. I would go back.