Here are the available villas for rental in La Gomera.

The end of the world as they knew it

From the Mail on Sunday

When Christopher Columbus sailed from the Atlantic island of La Gomera in August 1492, he did not know whether he was going to find the New World or fall off the edge of the old one.
The small, humped island was his last landfall. They still say there that he spent a night of passion with a Spanish noblewoman who ordered a fireworks display as a farewell.
On the big neighbouring island of Tenerife, the volcano Teide was erupting. Columbus's sailors, many of whom still believed fervently that the Earth was flat, muttered. The omens were not good.
Just over 500 years later Mount Teide sat quiet as the morning, a small blob of cloud sitting on its head like a woolly hat.
It was winter but this far south it was like June as we set out for La Gomera from Los Cristianos on Tenerife, the sea and the sky dove grey, the sun flicking across waves that were no more than ripples.
Dolphins wallowed in a sort of half-interested way around the ferry and a family of pilot whales held up their tails, each tail like an ace of spades.
La Gomera was in sight from the start, although the ferry voyage would take an hour and a half.
In the way of islands, it had seemed to be moody, as to whether or not to show itself: on some days entirely vanishing and then sitting there clear and sturdy in precisely the same place.
As we voyaged, engulfed on deck by Spanish families with camcorders, gabbling bits of amateur commentary as they filmed Uncle Jose and Auntie Maria patting a lifeboat, I was watching the island changing colour and contour as we neared - moving, it seemed, like a dancer performing the slow Spanish saraband.
It was tall, rising at its middle to 5,000ft. An aeroplane appeared, navigating towards the mist and mountains. The new airport is up there - somewhere - its short runway fitted into the shadows. People continue (perhaps understandably) to travel by sea. ... more

A guide to the islands

From the Daily Mail

GRAN CANARIA
Not the biggest of the Canaries; it just feels that way when you try to negotiate some of the busiest streets of the capital, Las Palmas.
Most visitors find themselves in one of the purpose-built resorts in the south of the island and fortunately most stay there for the duration, apart from the odd trip into town.
The secret to getting the most out of Gran Canaria, then, is to hire a car and get away from the maddening throng.
While the island can be circumnavigated in a day, it's more fun to push north to explore some of the typical old settlements or into the mountainous centre to visit villages such as Artenara, perched at 1,200m, pausing for lunch on the terrace at the Meson de Silla restaurant to admire its stunning views.
But even those who fail to make it that far from the sun-lounger usually manage a glimpse of Las Palmas's most distinctive stretch of sand, the amazing desert-like dunes of Maspalomas. And no, that camel train crossing it is not a mirage; it's a tourist attraction.
LANZAROTE
A favourite with generations of British tourists, Lanzarote takes pride in its extraordinary volcanic landscape. Black ash becomes a manicured garden, jagged tiny peaks a carefully tended rockery, while the lunar landscape of the island's Mountains of Fire is its most popular natural attraction.
Arrecife is the main town, Puerto del Carmen the principal tourist resort.
Both used to be small fishing ports and, though they attract crowds these days, there are still boats in their harbours and good fish restaurants to visit after the evening passeo.
Those of a cultural disposition should enjoy the troglodyte home and surreal art of Cesar Manrique; those who prefer the seaside will find the best beaches in the south of the island, along the bumpy tracks beyond Playa Blanca.
FUERTEVENTURA
For many people, this is little more than a windy desert just 50 miles from the Sahara. The upside is that at least the sand is good and the windsurfing is among the best in the world.
Corralejo in the north is the best-known resort and is good for families.
One of the highlights for day-trippers is a jaunt inland to Betancuria, founded in a fertile valley in 1405.
However, the best beaches are in the south, particularly the magnificent stretches on the Jandia peninsula.
You will need a four-wheel-drive car to reach the loveliest stretches, such as Playa de Barlovento.
On the way back north, stop for a meal at one of the restaurants in the traditional fishing village of Las Playitas. ... more