Mount Teide on Tenerife soars 3719 metres above sea level.Photo: 123rf.com

Flicking through El Mundo a top Spanish newspaper one February morning, I'm struck by images of Madrid blanketed in snow and Madrilenos shivering in thick coats and scarves.

I'm in another part of Spain, in a T-shirt, shorts and thongs, sipping a cafe con leche on a cobbled plaza framed by handsome balconied mansions dripping with radiant bougainvillea. Pretty soon, the sun will melt into the Atlantic Ocean, happy hour will commence, and the smell of barbecued seafood and the sound of tapas orders, wine-fuelled chatter and jazz, salsa and flamenco music will spike the blissfully mild air.

Such is life on the Canary Islands. Moored off southern Morocco, this volcanic archipelago was initially the preserve of the wealthy and wanderlustful who would sail here for the sub-tropical rays and therapeutic waters. The Canaries went mass-market in the 1970s and 80s, however, with resorts, Anglo-Saxon pubs and Nordic restaurants mushrooming along coastlines, sparking an influx of holidaymakers seeking sun, sea, golf and R&R away from the frosty climes of Manchester, Berlin and Copenhagen. Despite their appeal to Europeans particularly during winter, when temperatures are usually in the early to mid 20Cs the Canaries remain a mystery to Australians, who are rarely tempted to take the three-hour flight here from Madrid. Trust me it's definitely worth the effort. Get beyond the islands' (mostly) uninspiring tourist enclaves, and countless cultural treats and pulse-raising surprises await the adventurous traveller.

The largest of the seven main Canaries, Tenerife is 46 times smaller than Tasmania and distinctly two-faced. The south is parched, Mars-like and smothered in cacti-strewn desert; the lusher, more humid north is carpeted in banana plantations, pine forests and vineyards. In the middle of the island looms the cause of these micro-climates.

Spain's loftiest peak, and the third highest volcano in the world (when measuring its base from the ocean), Mount Teide soars 3719m above sea level and is dusted with snow in winter. The easiest way up Teide is via a cable car that ascends to a viewpoint, from which, depending on the weather, you'll either observe a sea of clouds, or the entire Canarian archipelago. Scaling the mountain on foot takes five hours and decent hiking boots, sunblock and plenty of water but it's infinitely more rewarding.

Apart from July and August, when temperatures can hit the mid-30Cs, Tenerife is a magnificent walking destination. Sign-posted trails, for all fitness levels, zig-zag the island. I love the Masca gorge hike, which snakes 8.5km from the idyllic whitewashed village of Masca down to its rocky beach, where you can board a boat to the town of Los Gigantes.

The next day I laze on Tenerife's nicest beach. A contrast to the island's many volcanic black-sand coves, Playa Las Teresitas flaunts golden sands imported from the Sahara desert. It's near Santa Cruz, Tenerife's chilled-out capital and port, which springs to life each February when it hosts what's claimed to be the planet's biggest carnival after Rio de Janeiro's.

A 30-minute tram ride from Santa Cruz whose avant-garde auditorium was designed by ace Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava La Laguna is an old charmer.

Its cobblestone grid-centre, crammed with museums, galleries, churches, colleges, convents and palaces; has UNESCO World Heritage listed status and was the blueprint for the Spanish colonial towns of Latin America. Indeed, on a foggy, drizzly day, there are shades of Quito, the Ecuadorian Andean capital, about La Laguna, which was established, 543 metres above sea level, in AD1494, after a Spanish army conquered the Guanches (the native people of the Canary islands).

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Beginner's guide to the Canary Islands: The other side of Spain