Best resorts in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are where Europe meets Latin America. Away from the crowded party spots, you’ll find wild volcanic landscapes and serene fishing villages.

A record 18.4m holidaymakers visited last year – lured by guaranteed sunshine, beaches and bargain prices just a four-hour flight from the UK. Peak season from late November to early April is the perfect pick-me-up during a bleak winter. 

A visit can be as exotic or as familiar as you want, something affected by where you choose to base yourself.

To help you choose, our reader survey respondents have shared more than 1,000 holiday experiences and rated Canary Island resorts on their beaches, dining, attractions, scenery and more.

Which is the least-touristy Canary Island? Where can I find the best hotels in Gran Canaria? Where are the best beaches and the least-tacky resorts? Read on to find out. 

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 Canary Island towns and resorts rated

Here are the best and worst towns and resorts in the Canary Islands, as voted for by you.

Keen to travel elsewhere in Europe? See how Which? members rated seaside and beach towns in the Mediterranean 

Which part of Gran Canaria is the best to stay in?

Best resort in Gran Canaria: Puerto de Mogán 79%

If any single destination sums up the evergreen appeal of the Canary Islands, it’s Puerto de Mogán. Andalusian-style sugarcube houses jostle around a marina, and bougainvillea scrambles over arches above canals. 

Behind is an old town like a game of snakes and ladders – stairways climb steeply, turn corners, then tumble downhill again. You’ll encounter bright pastel-coloured windows, palm trees swaying in tropical breezes and volcanic slabs of mountain stacked up in the background. 

For first-time visitors, it’s a striking vista; little wonder it got four stars for scenery. No one would claim this is anything but a resort, yet development has been sensitive. Radisson Blu caused a stir when it opened a sleek hotel in a ravine behind the town in 2017. Yet it’s a low-rise number that wears its five stars lightly, a balance to the traditional Hotel Cordial Mogán Playa nearby. 

The latter’s restaurant, Los Guayres, holds a Michelin star and is Puerto de Mogán’s culinary highlight. But you’ll eat well throughout the resort. You could stay a fortnight and never exhaust options along the waterfront. The horseshoe beach is pretty enough and sheltered for a dip.

Read our review of Puerto de Mogan's best hotel, the Hotel Cordial Playa Mogan, and listen to our Which? Shorts podcast to learn more about the history of Gran Canaria.

 Which part of Tenerife is best to stay in?

Best resort in Tenerife — Puerto de la Cruz 77%

If southern Tenerife is a place to sizzle on a sun lounger, this small city in the north is somewhere to feel the pulse of history. Neither a sleepy village nor a modern resort, Puerto de la Cruz is the birthplace of tourism in the Canary Islands. 

Since the late 1800s, visitors have strolled among balconied 18th-century mansions in the old town, promenaded in the contemporary botanic garden or poked around the former fishermen’s quarter, La Ranilla. If history appeals, nearby La Orotava is even better. 

Agatha Christie was an early visitor, penning chapters of The Mystery of the Blue Train during her stay at Gran Hotel Taoro. Reopened in 2025 after being renovated, the 135-year-old hotel is a grande dame reborn, a class act for Tenerife with a spa and five restaurants. Speaking of dining, Brunelli’s gets the nod for steak, according to critics. 

Puerto de la Cruz, then, is Tenerife, but not as you know it – a working, lived-in town with all its shopping and dining opportunities. Admittedly, the beaches aren’t great (scoring just two stars); the saltwater and freshwater swimming pools of the Costa Martiánez waterpark appeal more for a swim.

Book your trip to Tenerife with a Which? Recommended Provider, like top-rated providers Jet2, Kuoni and Trailfinders.

 Which part of Lazarote is best to stay in?

Best resort in Lanzarote — Playa Blanca 75%

The beach is the attraction of Playa Blanca – the clue is in the name – yet that undersells this south coast resort. Smaller and smarter than other destinations on the island, it’s the riposte to every tired joke about ‘Lanzagrotty’. 

The nightlife at Rubicón Marina offers low-key cocktails at sunset – sports bars and music venues are corralled into Papagayo Commercial Centre. Similarly, hotels are good, even if most provide pools with sea views rather than beach access; five-star Grand Hyatt Lanzarote, opposite Playa Dorada, is an exception. Other options include adults-only Calalanzarote and boutique Casa del Embajador in a former diplomat’s residence. 

Playa Blanca is the fly-and-flop all-rounder for families and couples; relaxed and quiet. Frequent ferries shuttle to Corralejo, Fuerteventura, for day trips. For scuba divers, there’s Museo Atlántico, a surreal sculpture park. And those beaches? Sheltered Playa Dorada is convenient; Playa Flamingo is good for youngsters. 

For keen photographers, try the six Papagayo coves east of Castillo de las Coloradas watchtower. The nearest, Playa Mujeres, is the largest. Playa de Papagayo is the most scenic. If you can’t face a two-mile flat(ish) walk to the latter, all have car parks. The sole food option is Casa El Barba chiringuito above Playa de Papagayo – worth it for the views alone.

Always book your trip with a Which? Recommended provider. Head to Jet2, Kuoni or Trailfinders to browse holidays in Tenerife now.

 Which part of Fuerteventura is best to stay in?

Best resort In Fuerteventura — Corralejo 69%

Corralejo – a modern working town on Fuerteventura’s north tip – is the Canaries resort for people who don’t like resorts. Packed with easy-going authenticity, it's as much for locals and tourists. 

Corralejo was rated four stars for its down-to-earth accommodation. The nearby Corralejo National Park is six miles of Sahara-esque sand lapped by a turquoise sea. You can also take a surf or kiteboard lesson in the near-constant breeze, or take a ferry to go mountain biking and hiking in the uninhabited Isla de Lobos.

Considering a trip? Make sure you book your holiday with a reputable operator, such as Jet2, Kuoni or Trailfinders — all scored 82% or more in our latest survey of the best beach holiday providers.

Best resort for peace and quiet

Playa de Santiago, La Gomera 72%

This village-like destination is an anomaly among our parade of resorts. No karaoke bars trouble its tiny grid of streets. No sandcastle appears on its beach of charcoal pebbles. You’ll tick off most dinner options within a week; don’t miss Tasca Enyesque for innovative tapas. 

Did we mention getting there? It’s a bit of a schlep, requiring either a domestic flight or a ferry before an hour-long drive. If you’re in the market for tranquillity, however, Playa de Santiago is ideal (with four stars for peace and quiet). Aside from 18 holes with Tecina Golf, you come to do, well, not much. 

If you rent a car, you’ll discover inland villages that feel more like Colombia than the Canaries; Agulo is a charmer. Walk in laurel rainforests of Garajonay National Park or go whale watching. Yet we suspect more days will pass in a happy haze of swims, books, lunches and siestas. What more do you need? We bet you’ll leave feeling reset.

When booking your holiday, avoid nasty surprises by booking with a Which? Recommended Provider, like Jet2, Kuoni or Trailfinders.

Worst resort for peace and quiet

Playa de las Americas Tenerife 62%

Although on the same island, Playa de las Américas is the opposite of Puerto de la Cruz, spiritually as much as geographically. The ‘energetic’ nightlife has made the resort both the bogeyman of the archipelago and a rite of passage for teens. All-inclusive packages at mega-hotels go for implausibly cheap rates. 

The ‘Golden Mile’ turns out to be a tawdry strip of shops and restaurants. The booze overflows in the Starco Commercial Centre’s bars before visitors try raucous nightclubs on Avenida Rafael Puig Lluvina, aka Verónica’s Strip. At the risk of sounding like a contrarian, can we suggest that the complaints are misplaced? 

To moan about budget tourism’s excesses in Playa de las Américas is like complaining that Las Vegas is brash. It’s in the place’s DNA. The resort has never pretended to be anything else since it appeared practically overnight in the late 1960s. Avoid Playa de las Américas beach unless you want to watch surfers. 

There are five other options for a beach towel, including calm Playa del Camisón. Hundreds of rental outfits, tour operators and Siam Park waterpark mean you’re as likely to run out of activities as bar options. It’s not even rowdy if you stay around Camisón beach. The trick to Playa de las Américas is to visit with your eyes open. Who knows, you may have a blast.

 Which is the prettiest Canary Island resort?

Top-rated Puerto de Mogán in Gran Canaria and Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife were the only resorts awarded four stars for their scenery in our 2026 survey. But if photo opportunities are what you’re after, consider the underrated island of La Palma. Beauty here doesn’t come in the form of sand in shades of gold, lapped by a turquoise ocean, but 'La Isla Bonita' (the Pretty Island) certainly lives up to its marketing moniker. 

If it’s beaches to yourself you want, jump on a ferry to La Graciosa island. Regular boats leave from Orzola in northern Lanzarote en route to the sandy islet. It’s a rough but blissfully short journey, and soon enough you find yourself in the whitewashed pueblo of Caleta de Sebo.

What are the 7 Canary Islands called?

The main Canary Islands, from largest to smallest, are:

• Tenerife
• Fuerteventura
• Gran Canaria
• Lanzarote
• La Palma
• La Gomera
• El Hierro

Why are people protesting in the Canary Islands?

How to be a better tourist in the Canary Islands

‘Canarias tiene un limite’, read the banners at demonstrations across the islands last year– the Canaries have a limit. The 35,000-plus protestors had come out against the Canary Islands’ tourism strategy, not tourists themselves, but until that changes, there’s a duty to visit responsibly. 

Book family-owned hotels

A major source of friction is international mega-hotels which siphon money from the islands’ economy. Iberostar is a multinational, but Spanish family-owned and rated the top international hotel chain in our survey.

Try to avoid holiday homes and apartments 

These also reduce the pool of properties available to residents.

Dine in local restaurants

Put your money in locals’ pockets by eating out at locally owned eateries, and consider tipping – for example, a 10% tip is appreciated, even if it isn’t compulsory.

Don’t change towels and sheets every day

Try your best to conserve water. Tourist areas use up to six times more water than residents. Not changing towels and sheets each day makes a big difference.

 Canary Islands weather

Are the Canary Islands warm all year? Due to their subtropical climate, the Canary Islands experience warm autumns and mild winters with maximum temperatures of 18-21 degrees and six to seven hours of sunshine, compared to the UK’s 7-10 degrees and one to two hours of daily sunshine.

Canary Islands weather by month

Average maximum temperatures according to Weather2Travel:

January - 18°C

February - 19°C

March - 20°C

April - 20°C

May - 21°C

June - 23°C

July - 26°C

August - 27°C

September - 26°C

October - 24°C

November - 21°C

December - 29°C