Tenerife

Tenerife is the striking (and slightly saucy) grand dame in the archipelago family. Attracting over 10 million visitors a year, the island’s most famous southern resorts offer Brit-infused revelry and clubbing, combined with white sandy beaches and all-inclusive resorts. But step beyond the lobsterred tourists and what you’ll find is a cultured and civilized island of extraordinary diversity.  This potpourri of experiences includes tropical-forest walks and designer shop struts; dark forays into volcanic lava; a sexy and sultry Carnaval celebration that’s second only to Rio, and a stash of museums, temples to modern art and creaky old colonial towns. But above all else, this is an island of drama, and nothing comes more dramatic than the snow-draped Pico del Teide, Spain’s tallest mountain and home to some of the most fabulous hiking in all the country.