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

{Primark checked blazer} {Bershka pointed flats} {Sugar Hill Boutique printed dress via Lilac Rose}

{Forever21 black culottes} {Mango white dress} {H&M sunglasses and jewellery}