There's something magical about Christmas abroad. Maybe it's the much-anticipated winter sun, depending where you're travelling of course. Or maybe it's the chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. In any case, there are few places where you can simply relax and let the traditions roll out. La Gomera, the second smallest Canary Island and a destination that discerning travellers like to keep for themselves, is just such a place.

But before you read any further, here's the catch: if you want to go, you might as well start booking now. Hotels get busy all over the island and reach full capacity in sought-after properties, such as those in Valle Gran Rey. This doesn't mean you'll be faced with a sea of fly and flop tourists like other islands in the Canaries. It's just that La Gomera isn't inundated with massive resorts. Instead, you'll find small, family-owned boutique hotels that offer a more authentic, bespoke experience.

Ready to book your Christmas holiday?

La Gomera Equals Traditions

In La Gomera, much like in the rest of Spain, Christmas Eve is called Nochebuena, and it's when the family gathers for a large meal. Little presents might be exchanged then, but most gifts are opened on the 6th of January, celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem. Also, celebrations happen everywhere in La Gomera on the 6th of January, the official Feast of the Epiphany.

Lovely decorations adorn the island, and Christmas trees sparkle with thousands of lights in the central squares of each town. The most spectacular sight is the nativity scene in the Exhibition Hall of La Gomera. And it's free to visit!

Another interesting fact is that the local council sends out around 7,500 Christmas cards to all the families in La Gomera and its citizens living abroad so they get a little taste of home during the holiday season.

Surely, one of the many things they might miss, and which visitors can try in every bakery this time of the year, is the Torta de Vilana, a traditional Christmas cake made with eggs, raisins and almonds. 

When it comes to food, Gomerans know what they're doing. Their Christmas tables fill up with sweets, pastries, yams, tender potatoes and succulent meat – delicacies that hotels are keen to offer their guests in the name of family spirit. Indeed, the feeling of being a part of a community is one of La Gomera's many charms.

In fact, you can join in on the holiday cheer as local groups sing Christmas carols door to door. As part of an ancient tradition, these local groups play on the streets in the weeks leading to Christmas Day. 

To celebrate New Year's Eve in Spain, there is also a tradition of eating 12 lucky grapes as the clock strikesmidnight, one for each of the twelve chimes, in order to have a lucky and prosperous year.

And if you're hoping to kick off 2018 in style, the town of San Sebastián hosts the biggest New Year's Eve Party of all in the Plaza de Las Américas, the town's central square. After midnight, local bands play festive dance music all night to the appreciation of a merry crowd. It's a unique experience you'll remember fondly for years to come.

For more information, please visit La Gomera's official website.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For media enquiries, please contact Natasha Sá Osório at natasha@prmediaco.com or call +44 (0)20 33025560.

Pressroom and Media Gallery: la-gomera.prmediaco.com

About La Gomera

La Gomera is known for being the most rural, authentic and visual of the Canary Islands. Regular flights run from the UK to Tenerife, where visitors can then take a 50-minute ferry ride or a 30-minute connecting flight to La Gomera.