El Balcón de Santa Ana, Playa de Santiago, La Gomera

The laid-back little island of La Gomera is just a short distance by ferry from Tenerife, but the difference could not be more apparent.

You exchange the brashness of Los Cristianos for a tiny eco-kingdom, where low-rise hamlets, banana plantations, ferny rainforests and ancient laurels dominate.

In contrast to the fertile, verdant softness of the slopes and valleys are cloud-topped volcanic heights.