If you’re experiencing single digit temperatures and rain in the UK, you probably don’t want to know that I’m writing this post poolside at a hotel on Gran Canaria, armed with a large beer and a good book.

In case you didn’t know, the Canary Islands are part of Spain, but their location off the west coast of Africa gives them a very pleasant climate, which a lot of Europeans find it worth flying down for in winter.

It is a solid four hours and change in the air from the UK, but you have your pick of airports and airlines, and one delightful bonus of this destination is that it is in the same time zone as the UK, meaning no jet lag and relatively civilized arrival and departure times.

I’d like to come back another time and see a bit more of the place, but for this holiday, R&R was the order of the day, and the furthest I’ve been from the hotel was one town over for a highly recommended steak restaurant, which did not disappoint.

Well recommended - the same flying time as Cyprus, but no jet lag and a bit more choice of places to stay. I haven’t been to Spain recently but on the face of it these islands are treated exactly like mainland Spain, in terms of connectivity, customs and the price of sending a postcard to the UK.