Called the 'Little Round Island', it offers plenty of natural

charm with its unique basalt rock formations and a mystical

cloud forest dating back to the Ice Age. The landscape of

this island provides an extensive and beautiful trail system

for bikers and hikers alike. The lush terrain of this island

demonstrates it appeal to sea voyagers such as Christopher

Columbus, who many centuries ago stopped at this tiny island

before charting out for the Americas.

Photos from La Gomera


This black sand beach of Santiago is similar to the one in San Sebastian's where Christopher Columbus made port before sailing westward in search of a new route to the Orient.	Only on this island can you walk in the mystical cloud forest of Garajonay, a protected park of ancient laurel trees and brush that once covered the Mediterranean before the last Ice Age put on the big chill.


A tapestry that depicts Columbus's three famous ships entering San Sebastian's harbor for water and supplies for his voyage westward.	In this church, the Virgen de la Asuncion, built in 1450, Columbus would to receive blessing for his fleet prior to his transatlantic journey.


Many islanders gladly offered, 'Mi Casa es Su Casa' ~ a typical local shepherd's house. We preferred the traditional state-run paradors.	Best seen by means of a boat, these unusual basalt rock formations called 'Los Organos' resemble organ pipes. Due to rough seas and strong winds, a sighting is not always a sure thing.

Taking the "Good" with the "Bad": During our travels to these

islands, we recorded each island's good and bad points. Of course,

these are our observations and opinions to share with you as a quick

overview of the island.

The "Good"	The "Bad"
Small, quaint communities with excellent local shops and restaurants	Tourists, what is service? Islanders could not have care less if you were from mainland Spain or outer space, we all got the same "I don't care" service
Garajonay National Park ~ the only place you will want to spend a lot of time visiting especially in its mystical cloud forest; there's no getting around it anyway	The staff at the Parador could use some off-the-island exposure; even an occasional smile could help acknowledge that we existed
Valle de Gran Rey and the boat trip to Los Organos; with its breathtaking beauty, its no wonder the German's buy homes here	The pool was no salvation from the pesky flies - as the water felt colder than the seas of the north pole in the dead of winter - at least by us two Floridians
The sunrise and sunset colors against Pico del Teide on Tenerife as seen from our Parador	Some of the guests at the Parador were cooler than the hotel's pool (likely trained by the staff)