Malaga or Gran Canaria in January?
 

Hello :)

I am planning to do a 6-day trip to Spain with my girlfriend at the end of January. We are looking for a winter sun destination like Andalusia or Canary Islands and have narrowed down our options to Malaga and Gran Canaria.

We both want the first 3 days to be relaxing without much activity, like strolling on the beach (yes, in cold weather), nature walks, light exploration, and the rest can be spent in walking tours, hikes, visiting architectures, museums, adventure activities etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations for which one would be a better option for us at that time of the year? We are prepared to brave the winter but would prefer a warmer option, hence our choice of Southern Spain.

The Canary islands will be warmer than Malaga at that time of the year. With the eruption on La Palma you might want to stay away from the western islands and consider Fuerteventura as well as Gran Canary. January would also lead me to look at Madeira too, IMO the best of the islands in that part of the world.

True, the weather might be more favorable in Gran Canaria. Apart from the climate, are there any other downsides of going with Malaga?