As we lay flat on the beaches with the warm winter sun enveloping us in a fierce embrace, we felt truly at one with the universe.

Swaying palms and sparkling lights…sunset cruises along volcanic beaches…Canarian wine laced with sea breezes…. Tenerife, often referred to as a ‘miniature continent’, promises complete satisfaction. Honeymooning in the Spanish islands, Sitanshi Talati Parikh revels in the delights of a heaven on earth

It was a long flight to marital bliss. Hopping on and off Sahar, Heathrow and Madrid airports, finally brought us to the isle of ‘eternal spring’. As we swooped onto the landing strip, the water lapped at the heels of our plane. Little known in this end of the world, but a wildly popular European vacation spot, Tenerife is a part of the Canary Islands – seven pieces of Spanish floating land – about 300 km from Africa.

Donning our brand new beachwear, we strolled down the beaches hand in hand, checking out the people, the little shops and the festivities. Warm ‘holas’ rang out from every corner. Smiling at total strangers had become a habit since the wedding, so returning the warm greetings was quite effortless. The Canarian-Spanish people were very friendly, entirely at ease with the tourists milling around, accustomed to the celebrity spotting, which was not unusual. We both half hoped to spot a famous face or two, despite pretending that we had eyes only for each other! We were certain that we had just caught sight of Kate Moss and David Beckham! Who could, after all, avoid a surreptitious peek or two at the tanned and toned bodies lying around the sand, sipping Black Russians?