If you are a regular blog reader, you’re probably more than tired of people posting their holiday lookbooks on their blog and you most certainly have a point.
However, if only for how much effort we put into (over)packing our suitcases and skillfully change into all our planned outfits, dragging along our poor partners –camera in hand– through scorching weather, in order to capture the most beautiful corners of our holiday destination and show the world that we can still look pretty with no make-up on, a sweaty face and an untamable mane, please allow us to indulge in this kind of posts and maybe even enjoy the snaps as you go along.
Photos of Vegueta, the historical center of Las Palmas (G. Canaria)
I titled this post “what I wore in Paradise” because I have always thought of the Canary Islands as my happy place, my haven, ever since I lived in Tenerife for a year while I was doing my MA. Not only was the year that I met Mr Vet but also the spectacular places I visited and the lovely people I met simply stole my heart.
The Spanish archipelago is mostly known abroad for the touristic areas in the south of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, the two biggest islands out of the 7. However the real gems are usually in the north and less exploited areas, where you can find small colourful villages with ancient houses and trees, coves of black volcanic sand and breathtaking sunsets, and even some tucked-away lighthouses where the deep blue sea and the sound of the breaking waves against the rocks make you forget your own name…
Photos of the Sardina del Norte lighthouse, G. Canaria
Mr Vet is not a huge fan of spending the day at the beach doing nothing –unlike me, descendant of the Lizzard dynasty, so that translated into a couple of day trips to explore the beautiful villages of the north: Sardina del Norte (in above shots) with its typical red-and-white lighthouse a few miles away from a tiny harbour town that is half carved into the mountain; Teror, rainbow-coloured village where local pilgrims visit the famous Virgen del Pino in the basilica and known in the whole island for their chorizo; Arucas, whose magnificent church is mistaken by a cathedral and where they used to produce the exquisite rum Arehucas (the rum museum can still be visited nowadays!).
One of the things I enjoy the most when on holidays is reconnecting with nature. In Cambridge (and England in general) we are surrounded by greenery and I love the fact that the air always smells fresh and clean and we don’t have to suffer from pollution like in bigger cities.
But Canaries is a whole different story when it comes to nature and landscape. The Spanish archipelago originated from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago and it’s full of contrasts, almost each island having its own flora and fauna! Here you won’t find perfectly curated parks and shaved hedges; in Canaries nature is raw, wild, primitive, exotic… all at once!
In our day trip we also visited the Fortress of Ansite, a series of caves where the native inhabitants of Gran Canaria had to surrender to the Spanish Crown back in 1485. So much history embedded in these rocks and boulders… We had the opportunity to soak it all in, feeling like tiny ants in the immensity of those valleys, and charging the batteries before our return to England.
And if you were tired of scrolling down, you can relax now as this holiday recap is drawing to an end, and what best way to finish this post than with my favourite shooting session to date: a gorgeous sunset in a stunning location with a touch of glam!
The sandy dunes of Maspalomas beach were the perfect ending to a perfect holiday. I’ll let the shots speak for themselves, after thanking my sister for this fabulous white dress she customized for my birthday ♥
Do you have a place you consider your paradise, glamistas? Have you every visited this Spanish archipelago?
Hope you made it till the end of the post and that you enjoyed it some way or other. If you ever visit the Canary Islands and need some recommendations, do not hesitate to ask, I’d be glad to help!
Happy Sunday and week ahead.
Peace&Love
Saida
Sonia Aicha
27th October 2017 at 3:33 pmBeautiful post and pictures, so many amazing places!!
ps: I loveeeeeeee your print floral dress, really stylish 🙂
Sonia
http://www.soniaaicha.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:48 amAww you are so nice Sonia, thanks a bunch for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment. I agree the floral print dress was a real show stopper 😉
nikkilivinglife
26th October 2017 at 11:10 pmWhat an amazing trip and perfectly titled. I have never been to Spanish archipelago but I will be adding it to my travel wish list. I love holiday lookbook posts and all the awesome travel tips. I adore the pictures too. Thank you for taking us along with you on this trip through your pictures.
Xx
Nikki
http://www.nikkilivinglife.com/blog
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:50 amI am so so glad you enjoyed this kind of post Nikki, it means a lot! I also adore travel posts and like to daydream about visiting those breathtaking locations other bloggers show us while sporting glamorous outfits one day 🙂
notjessfashion1
22nd October 2017 at 3:24 pmYou always really have lovely photos on your posts dear. Loving the contrast of the grey coat and white handbag from the black outfit.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:51 amThank you Jessica! The apparition of the checked blazer started during this vacay and the round crochet bag has saved so many outfits this summer, hehehe. Lots of love, XX
The Heba Blog
20th October 2017 at 7:21 pmLove the photo of you standing on top of the sand hill in your white dress!! <3
Best,
The Heba xx
Stella
20th October 2017 at 9:18 amThese are my favourite photos of you darling! Each and one of them! Especially the ones with the white linen dress! You look stunning as ever and super stylish even on vacation! This place looks like a dream, I would love to visit one day!
Happy Friday!
xoxo
Stella
http://www.stellaasteria.com
Saida
21st October 2017 at 9:50 pmAwwww thanks so so much my sweet Stella. Canarias is definitely somewhat different to our Mediterranean islands, hope you can see it one day. For now I send you lots of love Xx
yaramel
18th October 2017 at 8:31 pmWhich island did you go to?
Such a beautiful and quirky city !!
Your white bag is everything 🙂
http://www.desiringsme.com/tres-parisienne/
Saida
21st October 2017 at 9:51 pmIt is Gran Canaria, Yara Mel, it’s a really beautiful place with lots of colourful houses ♥ Happy weekend dear and thanks for stopping by
Sivylla
18th October 2017 at 8:20 amWow! Such a gorgeous look and well written post! I just discovered you blog and love it! Check out mine at http://www.thisissivylla.com and let me know what you think!
xoxo, Sivylla
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:56 amThank you Sivylla
Georgina Hart
17th October 2017 at 10:07 pmI LOVE this floral dress! Such a stunning look, beautiful colours!
https://www.facebook.com/MissGeorginaHart/
Saida
21st October 2017 at 9:52 pmAww thank you Georgina, glad you liked the dress, I was looking forward to wearing it during the holidays 🙂
Gabrielle
17th October 2017 at 1:55 pmOoh, feel free to share as many holiday lookbooks as you like! What could possibly be better than stylish outfits in stunning locations?! The desert shots are particularly special – wow!
aglassofice.com
x
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 1:08 pmThanks for the support and for the kind comment Gabrielle, I also enjoy travel lookbooks but as this was a “late” one, was not very sure people would enjoy it 🙂
Maria | Short Girl Long Jacket
17th October 2017 at 1:23 amI love travel posts! I find them very informative 🙂 and ain’t nothing wrong with a good holiday ootd lol. I’ve only been to Barcelona but I’d love to discover more of Spain, it looks like it has so much to offer. For now I’d say my paradise is Mexico, I’ve been there twice and both times were so relaxing and the beaches are amazing.
xx
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 1:09 pmYou have some of the best holiday looks this year, babe. Mexico sounds and looks indeed as a paradise and I wouldn’t mind visiting some time soon 😛 Ah, nice that you also visited Barcelona, hope you enjoyed your visit as well
MAHRYSKA
16th October 2017 at 11:33 pmlove love the looks!!
kisses from the sandpit ❤︎
http://www.mahryska.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:35 amThanks gorgeous!
yuka
16th October 2017 at 10:41 pmoh so cute! your photos make me want to go an adventure somewhere!
http://www.prettyinleather.net
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 1:10 pmThanks lovely Yuka, you are lucky to live in a desert looking area where you can capture amazing shots almost every day tho! ♥
Real Girl Talks
16th October 2017 at 8:42 pmI just love being by the beach! Lovely photos! You look great in all outfits 🙂
xx
http://realgirltalks.com/
LENA
16th October 2017 at 3:51 pmThere’s nothing wrong with spending all day at the beach! Soak in the sun, listen to the waves and relaxing! Lol! Great photos!
-L.
LenaRevealed.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 1:11 pmCouldn’t agree more, girl, now let’s convince my bf about that, ha!
The Fashion Folks
16th October 2017 at 3:31 pmOh I love the floral dress!! It’s just so gorgeous and yes to the print itself, love it! Gorgeous photos too, as always, looks like you had a lovely time. Have a lovely weekend hun! Xx
http://www.thefashionfolks.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:46 amThank you so much my sweet Mia, it was indeed an amazing holiday and the sun made us and our skin lots of good. Sending you big virtual hugs!
Rach
16th October 2017 at 2:55 pmI can totally see how this is your paradise! It looks so beautiful there! I would love to visit there!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:36 amThat’s so sweet Rachel. Canarias is indeed something else! 🙂
didieryhc
16th October 2017 at 2:39 pmIt looks like paradise! And haha the amount of times when i’m shooting sweaters in weathers where I should be wearing shorts instead ha.
-Didier
http://www.didieryhc.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:44 amSee, I seem unable to do that still, I have even changed my planned outfit when it didn’t fit the weather but then I am stuck with summer shots when everyone is thinking about knits and jumpers, hahaha. Poor content-planning skills I must admit!
Style Appetite
16th October 2017 at 12:44 pmOhh I can totally relate to that, we also shot millions of pictures (and outfits) while our visit on Majorca only some days ago 🙂 So, yes I do really like travel diaries including holiday looks – and especially all the airy dresses that you wore ♥
We’ve been to Tenerife and Gran canaria before and loved it soo much – great shots! 🙂
xxx
Tina
http://styleappetite.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:37 amAh then you know what I am talking about Tina! So glad you enjoyed this lookbook and hopefully it brought back some nice memories from your visit. Majorca is lovely too! Thanks for stopping by dear
Monica . Mes Voyages à Paris
16th October 2017 at 11:32 amYou look fantastic! love all the outfits dear!!
xx
Mónica Sors
MES VOYAGES À PARIS
NEW POST: THE RITUAL OF AYURVEDA
stilo57
16th October 2017 at 8:26 amTienes un aura de modelo increíble. Yo estoy algo desanimada con mi blog… Tengo que buscar a alguien que me haga fotos, a ver si así recupero la inspiración. Abrazo
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:45 amAy, ay, ayyyy que me sacas los colores, Sara! Anímate, preciosa, que seguro que con la llegada del otoño se te ocurren millones de cosas. Muak!!
Shannon
16th October 2017 at 8:06 amI love seeing holiday outfit posts! The combination of fashion & travel shots is great! Love the photos here. The floral print is very holiday appropriate!
THE FASHANN MONSTER
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:43 amThank you Shannon babe, I am glad you enjoyed this post as I was somewhat concerned people might be so over this kind of content after the summer 🙂
Christine Kong
16th October 2017 at 5:48 amWhat an amazing trip and I love all the black and white, chic and monochrome looks you brought along. The floral too is so pretty for the sun drenched city. Packing for a vacay is always hard, but you nailed it with these looks! xoxo, Christine
http://dailykongfidence.com/
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:42 amAh tell me about the packing for a holiday trip challenge, Christine! Plus I had a wedding to attend to as well so that made things even more complicated, haha. Luckily these shots make me look minimal and put together, but my suitcase would politely disagree 😉
My Vogue Style (@Cami2894)
16th October 2017 at 2:20 amThat print dress is just my fave, I adore it so much!
Camila,
My Vogue Style | http://www.myvoguestyle.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:38 amI had been waiting to wear it on holidays for months, hahaha. So happy you liked it Camila! ♥
nisthasaraf
15th October 2017 at 7:35 pmYou look like a dream. I loved your white dress the most!
Nistha
https://www.fashionistha.com/blushing-in-palazzo-pants/
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:40 amAwww you are too nice Nistha, thank you so so much gal, sending you lots of love Xx
Siffat Haider
15th October 2017 at 9:53 amHahahaha omg the amount I can relate to your statement about dragging our poor partners around, camera in hand + carrying heavy suitcases. TOO TRUE! On a different note, I am loving these pictures!
xo
Siffat
http://icingandglitter.com
Saida
2nd November 2017 at 11:39 amYou are an expert when it comes to travel photography so you know the drill, hahaha. I loved your Italian shots so much girl! Thanks for reading and for your sweet comment XX