Islands in the stream: Why the Canaries make for a perfect island-hopping holiday

Forget fly and flop – this Spanish archipelago was made to be explored by boat thanks to excellent ferry connections, discovers James Litston

Macizo de Anaga in northeast Tenerife (James Litston)

Arriving at a resort after dark can sometimes deliver a wonderful surprise. It's my first morning in Gran Canaria and I've just pulled back the curtains to reveal the view from my balcony into a grove of poolside palms. The first of the day's sunshine is brightening their fronds, bringing them into textural relief with shadows and colour and light. Green parakeets dash noisily over the heads of early risers who are already laying out towels to reserve their loungers by the pool. It's all looking to be a typical December day in this holiday haven.

A four-hour flight from Britain, the Canaries are our nearest and best bet for winter sun escapes – and Seaside Palm Beach, my home for the next few days, is the perfect retreat. Its palm-grove setting is right beside the famous Maspalomas dunes: a rolling mass of towering sand that resembles a mini Sahara. The hotel provides great cuisine, friendly service and a joyfully retro environment whose bright colours celebrate its 1970s heritage. With the promise of sea swims and hot stone massages at the spa, I can already feel myself easing into a holiday frame of mind.

If all that sounds like a typical Canaries beach break, you'd be right. Fly-and-flop sunshine escapes are the islands' biggest draw; but I haven't come all this way to settle for just one type of holiday. Being such a diverse archipelago interconnected with frequent ferries, the Canaries are as well-suited to island-hopping as Greece or Croatia but with the added advantage of summery weather year-round. My plan is to mix my sunny Gran Canaria beach stay with a city break and some outdoor adventures in neighbouring Tenerife.