Where on Earth can you swim with dolphins in an azure sea… play 18-holes of golf, against a backdrop of tropical palms… stroll through the world’s largest laurisilva rainforest… And all before a mouth-watering tapas lunch? The answer, of course, is the subtropical Canarian island of La Gomera …

Redefining the term ‘unspoiled’, La Gomera is a tiny (less than 25kms across) island-paradise, whose rugged coastline - of rock-strewn bays, and black-sand beaches - belies a starkly contrasting interior, wherein subtropical florae jockey for attention with prehistoric volcanic plugs.

While most of the larger tour operators offer trips to Gomera, the island is still very much an ‘alternative’ destination – due largely to its lack of traditional beaches, and other commercial distractions: although there are bars and restaurants aplenty, the 24/7 dance clubs of the Balearics are conspicuous by their absence.

That said, Gomera is warm all year round – usually sunny, with temperatures ranging from a winter low of around 20-degrees, to a summer high of 28-degrees . And it offers myriad attractions – appealing principally to holidaymakers who seek a conducive year-round climate, yet eschew the tourist crowds.

Getting there There are no direct flights to Gomera: the European Union-funded airstrip is suitable only for the short island hops - to Tenerife North and Gran Canaria - that depart twice-daily. You are therefore left with two choices: to fly into Tenerife North, in hopes of catching a connecting flight. Or to take to the sea.

The Garajonay Express high-speed catamaran from Los Cristianos (a 20-minute, EUR 20 taxi ride from the airport) reaches Santiago – the island’s southernmost town, and my chosen destination - in a little over an hour. Unfortunately, however, the service is somewhat unreliable: a light breeze is all that’s required to restrict the vessel to port.

This being the case, you’ve an equally enjoyable contingency: the Fred Olsen ferry to San Sebastian (La Gomera’s capital town).

Secure a window seat and watch Gomera, just 30kms distant, rise up out of the mist, the choppy sea refracting the golden sun, creating rainbows at the vessel’s hull. Or stay out on the sundeck and savour the sea air - eyes pealed for bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales…

On arrival in San Sebastian, you have two choices: bus or taxi. The former are regular and reliable; the latter: ubiquitous and underemployed. Santiago is roughly 30kms west of San Sebastian. A taxi is therefore likely to cost around EUR 75,-. However, the majority of luggage-laden tourists prefer to book their travel arrangements in advance – ensuring seamless taxi, boat and coach connections from the airport to El Balcón.

First impressions The 40-minute drive to Santiago is a revelation: your introduction to Gomera - carrying you heavenward along giddying mountain roads. Then plunging back down through sweeping terraced valleys scattered with cacti, prickly pear and eucalyptus. The experience triggers a kind of sensory overload - of almost unbearably vivid colours, and unfamiliar scents. To one side you encounter towering basalt cliffs. To the other: deep, dark laurisilva forests; almond and orange groves; banana plantations – a wealth and diversity of florae and vegetation that simply cannot exist elsewhere.

Then before you know it... you are sweeping down into the refreshingly undisturbed village that is to be your temporary home.

Around and about For walkers, Santiago represents an ideal base: numerous footpaths criss-cross the island. They are – almost without exception - brilliantly signposted, with routes to suit all levels of fitness and ability.

And a number of accompanied walking tours - such as the Rain Forest Walk, which takes place each Sunday – are available, offering coach-collection from the Santiago. Just one note of caution, however, before you set off…

Take along good walking boots, water, a camera, with plenty of spare memory or film - for the infinite number of inspiring views that you’ll want to capture – and a waterproof jacket. Yes, a jacket. As you bask in the Canarian sun, contemplating your first peripatetic adventure, you’ll most likely mock the very suggestion. Don’t. The temperature can drop, dramatically, following even a short drive into the mountains. And rain is not unusual. You have been warned.

Less athletic visitors will be pleased to learn that cars are available for hire, and fuel is cheap (EUR 10,- will comfortably cover your diesel costs for a full circuit of the island). The roads, though narrow and winding, are quiet and recently tarmacced, making this a great way to explore Gomera’s hidden nooks and crannies. (Just remember to sound your horn, as you navigate those all-too-common blind corners.)

You might also consider joining the full-day island excursion. This informative coach trip, which takes in a stay at the Garajonay National Park Visitor Centre, as well as lunch at the Castillo del Mar (a restored 19th century banana trading station, that stretches out into the Atlantic), will doubtless reveal numerous sites of interest to which you’ll wish to return.