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Cyprus and the Canary Islands: A winter getaway to the sun
Your next adventure to the sea and sandy beaches is only a short flight away
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Your support makes all the difference.The best possible start to winter’s journey into sunshine? A flight that leaves at a civilised hour, and arrives in time for a drink, dinner and a good night’s sleep. So let me commend BA2676, which takes off from London Gatwick around noon. Two thousand miles later, you stroll off the plane at the western tip of Cyprus just after 6.30pm. Assuming the arrival and taxi into town is a smooth as last time I was there, I can picture myself sipping a Keo at the waterside Captain’s View and planning the next day’s adventures by shortly after seven o’clock.
A five-minute walk from this very bar is an Archaeological Park, where the waves of cultures washing through the eastern Mediterranean are evident in the mosaics and rock-cut tombs. Paphos is enjoying a year in the sun as European Capital of Culture (shared with the rather less sunny Aarhus in Denmark), a celebration that will leave the town enriched.
The beaches unroll south-east from here, with some excellent waterside hotels, or head north-west to find some blissfully empty stretches of sand in hidden coves along the Akamas Peninsula.
When asked for a good winter getaway, Cyprus is one of my instant answers; the Canaries comprise another. Within about four hours of leaving West Sussex, you are touching down on a dramatic volcanic island off the north-west shoulder of Africa.
Despite their location, they are emphatically Spanish, which spells great cuisine, hotels and culture.
For the height of adventure, choose Tenerife. The largest of the Canary Islands is home to Spain’s highest mountain, Teide, which you can ascend on foot (apply online for a permit) if you fancy a challenge or, effortlessly, by cable car. At lower altitudes, the Orotava Valley has some great day-long hikes through pine forests draped across spectacular landscapes. Tourism in Tenerife took shape in Puerto de la Cruz in the late 19th century, and it remains a tranquil corner of the island. The town’s Jardin Beach was designed by the Canarian architect, César Manrique.
Manrique created his greatest works on his home island of Lanzarote. His mission was to preserve and beautify, using nature as his inspiration. His inland home, a magnificent study in organic architecture, serves as a shrine to his memory.
The power of the planet is evident at Timanfaya National Park, the closest Europe gets to the surface of the moon, with heat and steam seething from the earth. You’ll find sunbathers on Lanzarote beaches year-round, but for my favourite in the Canaries, hop on a ferry to the island of La Graciosa and enjoy the solitary splendour of Playa Francesa.
Book a British Airways holiday with a deposit and pay the balance as late as ive weeks before you travel (£150 per booking up to a holiday of £1,500). Terms and conditions apply. Visit BA.com/wintersun