Travel & Hotspots

KIKI’S WINTER WHERE ABOUTS

Part 5

Just admit it. It's okay, I do it too. Since the whole month of December started, you've been out of sorts. Fatigue is setting in, you have little energy and actually want to binge-watch Netflix all day with a blanket over your head and eat calorie-rich food. Feeling a winter slump? I am. And every year, more than 500,000 people in the Netherlands feel the same. Fortunately, the world is wide, and there are always tropical summer spots where it's nice to stay in winter. Are you bringing the sunscreen?

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Not the money, time, or desire to sit on a plane for so long? Then there's a perfect alternative nearby for that quick shot of vitamin D: Gran Canaria. Here, it really is pleasantly warm all year round (even around 20 degrees in January). The Mediterranean climate ensures that the temperature in Spain rarely drops below freezing. Many Europeans also see the Canary Island as a top destination to winter closer to home. And don't think that only people over seventy are wintering here in all-inclusive hotels; Gran Canaria is also really beautiful for young people in winter. On Airbnb, you can find dozens of affordable apartments between 26 and 59 euros. Not expensive, no. Suppose you choose the 26-euro-per-night option and want to winter on the island for a month with two people, then you would spend 390 euros per person. Most tourists stay in the south for their entire trip and therefore do not see how beautiful and green the island is further on. Rent a car, go on a road trip, drive to Pico de las Nieves (the highest mountain on the island at 1949 meters) and visit the volcanic Caldera de Bandama with a diameter of 1000 meters and a depth of 200 meters. The village of Galdar, all the way in the north of the island, is definitely worth a visit. Here, it feels like stepping back in time by decades. Beautiful pictures guaranteed, girlfriends. The shopaholics among us can go wild at Cita, Yumbo, and Kasbah, the largest shopping centers on the island.

Credits: Flickr Creative Commons