article: Gran Canaria – just off the coast of Africa, yet still in Europe – is one of the most popular winter holiday retreats for Britons. Gareth Huw Davies visits the volcanic outpost in the Atlantic, said by one scientist to enjoy the best climate in the world, and draws up his list of things to see and do… . Golden opportunity: The glorious dunes at Maspalomas, and, above right, Santa Ana Cathedral in Las Palmas . 1...Style revolution . Is a design revolution brewing in the Canary Islands? The Apollo hotel, built at the dawn of the tourism boom in the resort of Playa del Ingles, has been entirely revamped as the swish, sumptuous, adults-only Bohemia Suites & Spa. Rooms, looking over the rippling dunes of Maspalomas, include stylish touches such as an illuminated armchair by designer Philippe Starck on the balcony. Opened in 2012, the Bohemia is an elegant retreat smack in the centre of a busy destination on Gran Canaria’s southern tip. It is one of only two places on the island included in Design Hotels’ global list of 260 independent properties. Each place reflects the ideas of a visionary hotelier, in this case German Rembert Euling. Golden wonder: The three-mile-long Las Canteras is a must-see for sun worshippers . 2...Sea Symphony . Gran Canaria is just four hours from the UK, making it one of the most easily reached locations for guaranteed winter sun. In 1996 a US academic concluded that it enjoyed the best climate in the world. At the end of Gran Canaria’s best beach – the three-mile-long Las Canteras – they set the seaside to music. The Alfredo Kraus Auditorium (named after the Canarian tenor) was built in the 1990s as a ‘theatre of the ocean’, set on a pedestal of volcanic stone. This is one of the most drum-rollingly impressive locations for any performance centre. See the Atlantic rise and fall through an enormous picture window behind the stage, while you watch distinguished visitors such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, or the island’s own philharmonic orchestra and world stars at the Canaries Jazz Festival. Why not opt for the winding route through the mountains, and stop off at the old villages such as San Bartolome along the way . 3...Take the high road . There are two ways to cross 30-mile-long Gran Canaria: take the dull but fast coastal motorway, which runs along the eastern and southern fringe of this circular island, or follow the twisty, switchback route right through its 6,000ft-high heart. When the light is right, there is a dreamy vista of mountain upon mountain. The road passes towering ravines and an ancient volcanic crater, scattered with the ubiquitous cardon cactus. Centuries separate the crowded coastal resorts and old villages such as San Bartolome, with its cobbled streets, where the air is fresh and clean. On this island of so many paths, the finest of all is the Pilgrims Way, the Camino de Santiago. Unesco World Heritage Site Old Las Palma was a favourite of the likes of Columbus . 4...Plaza perfect . Old Las Palmas made a rare and long-lasting export to the New World – its little central square, the Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana. With its neat arrangement of town hall, Santa Ana Cathedral, Episcopal Palace and other civic buildings all in one place, it was taken as the model for many of the main squares in Central and South American cities in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Today, old Las Palmas is recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site for its role as an architectural staging post between the Old and New Worlds. Columbus called here three times on his journeys west. He is celebrated in the Old Town in the fine old Columbus Museum, Casa Museo de Colon, where he is thought to have stopped in 1492. Visit Europe's only coffee plantation, and also try the grown tropical fruit and vineyard . 5...Coffee break . In the shade of ancient pines in the Agaete Valley, under the Tamadaba mountains on the north of the island, they raise a rare crop. This is the world’s most northerly coffee plantation, and the only one in Europe. We visited La Finca de la Laja, where we were shown around the estate by the infectiously enthusiastic Victor Lugo Jorge, who was naturally keen to show us a photograph of Stephen Hawking on a recent visit. Receiving visitors, and serving a delicious lunch of home produce, is the latest stage in a busy diversification at this combined Arabica coffee plantation, tropical fruit farm (they raise guava, oranges, avocados and mangos), vineyard, cheesemaker, and olive oil producer. Enjoy a colourful starter of papas arrugadas at Smile Cooking in Las Palmas . 6...Raising a smile . Papas arrugadas – small wrinkled potatoes boiled in salt water and then baked, and topped with a red and green pepper mojo sauce – is the brightest dish in the Canary Islands. It certainly made for a colourful starter on our visit to Smile Cooking in Las Palmas. At Smile, you can observe the chef at work, and try your hand at the dish in question if you choose, before settling back to enjoy a meal. One local star helping to raise the island’s culinary standards is Xavier Franquet, executive chef at the Bohemia Suites & Spa’s 360° Restaurant. Xavier worked at the famously innovative El Bulli restaurant in Spain, and offers a menu full of invention and daring. The restaurant, on the hotel’s eighth floor, is also open to non-residents. Gareth stayed as a guest of the Bohemia Suites & Spa (bohemia-grancanaria.com). For details on Smile Cooking, visit sonriecocinando.com. For more information, see grancanaria.com.
highlights: Gran Canaria is one of the most popular winter holidays for Britons .
  It is said to have the best climate in the world, according to a US scientist .
  Instead of driving the motorways, take the winding mountain roads to see cobbled villages .
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