I've found the perfect way to see the Canary Islands

I have always shied away from cruises. I cannot help but picture those hulking great liners crashing into wharfs in Venice and dwarfing Mediterranean ports, or hordes of sharp-elbowed pensioners jostling for position at the 24-hour buffet bar and pub singers crooning in garishly-lit lounge bars.

So when I was invited on an eight-day cruise around the Canary Islands I was initially sceptical. My only experience of the Atlantic islands was a week in Playa De Las Américas in Tenerife decades ago, and I was put off returning to the archipelago because of the hassle of multiple domestic flights or lengthy ferry journeys.

My reservations were unfounded. I was pleasantly surprised to see that our ship, CroisiEurope’s La Belle des Océans, was much smaller than I had imagined, with just 65 cabins, each with an outside view and some, like mine, with a balcony.

After settling into my sixth-deck cabin and unpacking (something you are unlikely to do while island-hopping and changing hotels every few nights), I set about exploring the ship, taking in the lounge bars and restaurant before checking out the outdoor grill and pool. There was also a small gym and a spa with a range of massages on offer.

After a night spent docked in Arrecife, Lanzarote, I joined a bus excursion next day to Timanfaya National Park – a dramatic expanse of rippling volcanic terrain, other-worldly in its rocky, Mars-red starkness. In the afternoon, we explored the heritage of the late César Manrique, the celebrated artist and sculptor who remodelled the island’s volcanic rock into fantastical and fashionable forms.

Seeing his work had been on my bucket list for years, and so it was a joy to take in the views from his Mirador del Rio lookout, high up on a cliff, and explore his home and studio at the César Manrique House Museum (fcmanrique.org) in Haría.

For sun-starved Britons, the balmy Canary Islands have always held the promise of winter sun. Unsurprisingly, then, the islands were a leading cruise destination for decades until a pandemic-induced, 16-month ban on international cruises was put in place (450,000 cruise ship passengers sailed across the Canary Islands in 2019).

The ban was lifted in August 2021 and 2023 is set to see a return to these pre-pandemic levels, according to forecasts from industry body Cruise Lines International Association.

A cruise gives people the chance to see the best of the islands in one go, says Vicky Mayer, editor at World of Cruising. “On a typical Canaries cruise you will see Tenerife’s volcanic landscape, explore Gran Canaria’s sand dunes and eat authentic tapas in La Palma, for instance. And if you choose to travel from a UK port you will be able to take a generous amount of luggage and avoid all the hassle of flying.”

If you are travelling with children, most of the bigger cruise ships contain everything you could need to keep younger passengers happy, from babysitters and childrens’ play areas to kids’ clubs and even ice skating and rock-climbing facilities.

As for when to set sail, there is no time like the winter. “Taking a cruise around the Canary Islands, particularly when the weather is less reliable in the Med, is hugely popular,” says Katrina McMullan of advisory service Travel Counsellors.

“One of the benefits of a cruise is that you dock at some of the lesser-known islands, such as La Gomera, where there are no direct flights [from the UK]. You get to experience culture and beauty off the beaten track and you only have to unpack once.”

Most ships touring the islands drop anchor at the various Canarian capitals, meaning it is easy to disembark and explore without having to bother with public transport or hire cars. When we docked in Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s attractive capital, I wandered into the old town and the grand Plaza de España, Plaza de Candelaria and Plaza de Weyler. Among the rows of boutiques, cafés and restaurants, there are some lovely historical buildings, such as the 15th-century La Concepción church.

If you are visiting in February, it is also worth catching a glimpse of the Tenerife carnival, supposedly the biggest in the world after that of Rio. There are street parties, floats and costume parades, as well music and dancing well into the small hours. Accommodation in Santa Cruz gets booked up months in advance but, of course, this is not a problem if your ship is docked a 15-minute walk away.

Similarly, there is no dilemma about where to eat. A highlight of my cruise was the food. There was no buffet of limp French fries or rubbery chicken drumsticks here. Instead, meals were served twice a day at the table (with the odd buffet on deck, weather permitting) by smartly clad waiters.

The Gallic-flavoured menu – duck terrine with leek fondue, truffle parmentier and chocolate entremet, say, paired with modern wines from France and Spain – has been put together by head chef Guy-Albert Lagaville (who has worked on ships including Le Boréal and the Disney Cruise Line), using local and imported French ingredients.

This year is CroisiEurope’s second Canary Islands season, which runs from November to April. Alice, one of the ship’s entertainers, says clients love the visits to gardens, such as the Jardín de la Marquesa in Gran Canaria. “They also like the fact that the bar and the Wi-Fi are free, which isn’t the case on many cruises. And because we are a small ship, it doesn’t take long to get to know each other.”

Unfortunately the visit to the island of La Palma, another stop on the itinerary, was cancelled due to bad weather and choppy seas, but lush La Gomera more than made up for it. A Unesco World Heritage site, the island is known for its mountainous landscape, ethereal mists and dense forests.

On the way back from Garajonay National Park, we stopped off at a hillside café, where we were treated to a demonstration of Silbo Gomero, a whistled register of Spanish traditionally used by inhabitants to communicate across the island’s deep ravines.

In Fuerteventura, on another land excursion, we found out how a prize-winning goat cheese is made at Finca Torres in the north of the island. Afterwards, at a factory processing aloe vera (one of Fuerteventura’s most important crops) in Tiscamanita, we were given an introduction to the versatile plant and the myriad ways in which it can be used. These are definitely things I wouldn’t have considered doing on a regular holiday.

On the last night of the cruise, after a delicious farewell gala dinner, I heard music wafting through the open lounge doors on my way back to the cabin and popped in to have a look. A local band, dressed in traditional costume – the women in full-length skirts, the men in pork-pie hats – were playing Canarian folk music, all drums and Spanish guitars, to a lively audience. Not a pub singer in sight.

Tina Walsh was a guest of CroisiEurope Cruises (croisieurope.co.uk), which offers the eight-day Canary Islands Archipelago cruise from £2,089pp, based on two people sharing a cabin, including all meals, drinks and port fees