A Canary Islands Honeymoon

September 11, 2012 7:05 AM

Help me learn more about the Canary Islands as a possible honeymoon destination!

I am in the preliminary stages of planning my honeymoon and have begun seriously considering the Canary Islands as a possible destination! We live in New England and would like to know how feasible it is to go on a week/ten day honeymoon to the Canaries. For those who have travelled there, how easy is it to get there? Is it more expensive than travelling to other European destinations? Is it a good place for a relaxing, yet interesting honeymoon? We love history, nature, great cocktails and fun in the sun!

posted by arveale to travel & transportation around Spain (7 answers total)

You know big chunks of it are like Myrtle Beach for Northern Europeans. I mean I'm sure there are nice parts of it, but its a huge package tourist destination. I've never been tho. Easy to get to from almost any major city in Europe.
posted by JPD at 7:38 AM on September 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

To get to Tenerife you're going to have to transit somewhere in Western Europe - I'm not aware of any direct flights from anywhere in the Americas. Barcelona and Madrid are both likely prospects. It takes a while from North America - you're probably looking at 13 or 14 hours each way.

You'll need to rent a car. Hopefully someone drives stick.

The Playa de las Americas is a typical tourist-trap beach area. El Teide National Park is one of the most fantastic natural landscapes I've ever seen, and you could easily spend a few days just driving around it. If you're into trekking, that's the place to do it but you'll need to be appropriately equipped. La Oratava, Santa Cruz, and Puerto de la Cruz are all very charming. A week might - might! - be a bit much to spend on on Tenerife unless you're planning a multi-day expedition up El Teide. It's relatively easy to island-hop, and there are things to see and do on La Gomera and Lanzarotte as well.
posted by 1adam12 at 7:52 AM on September 11, 2012

We love history, nature, great cocktails and fun in the sun!

The Canaries can be very pretty, but you need to pick your spot carefully. It is incredibly popular with pile-em high and sell-em cheap hotels.

You might also want to consider the Balearics. Majorca/Mallorca and Ibiza are similarly popular and have a reputation for being a bit lairy at times, but have a much better selection of honeymoon-ish hotels.

I'd go to Morocco, personally. I'd stay in a Riad in Marrakech, then a few nights in the Atlas Mountains, then back for a couple more nights of luxury in somewhere like Essaouira.
posted by MuffinMan at 8:09 AM on September 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Not much there you won't get better in the Caribbean/Bahamas. The Greek Islands are lovely.
posted by Goofyy at 9:12 AM on September 11, 2012

Have you looked into Madeira? I found it much more lush and beautiful, historical and interesting than the Canary Islands (although I enjoyed La Palma and Gomera too).
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:43 AM on September 11, 2012

I went to La Palma for a conference leaving from New England. It was totally reasonable for a week. Certainly less time than flying to Hawaii and lots of folks don't think twice about going to Hawaii from New England. I flew through Madrid and then dierctly to La Palma.

I get the sense that La Palma is less touristy than the other islands (although I didn't go to any of the other islands), which I liked. Depending on what you'd be doing, you might find a week a bit long to be there, but I quite enjoyed it.
posted by Betelgeuse at 10:43 AM on September 11, 2012

I've been to Fuerteventura, which was perfectly nice and I had a lovely time, but not necessarily anything that would blow your mind, I think. It's one of the less raucous of the islands. A good friend who has been to most of them always said that Gran Canaria was the nicest of the bunch and Tenerife is the biggest party one. Is there any reason you want to go the Canaries specifically? As mentioned upthread, they are (along with Spain) kind of the Mexico of Europe, i.e. a place where a lot people go on package holidays in the sun. Some places are very nice and some are not. They can be very budget friendly, which is nice. They are easy to get to (well at least from the UK they are, not sure about the US).

I would also like to second the Balearics, Greek Islands or, if you really feel like breaking the bank and honeymooning in the same place Will and Kate went, the Seychelles.
posted by triggerfinger at 9:41 PM on September 11, 2012