Staying at HPB El Balcón de Santa Ana

View at night from Apartment GB10

Some places seem to slow time the moment you arrive. The light feels softer, the air warmer, and everyday noise falls away until all you really notice is the sea and the sky. La Gomera is one of those places - an island that feels quietly removed from the world, where nature does most of the talking.

During October half term last year, we made our second trip to Santa Ana in La Gomera. It’s an HPB resort I’ve mentioned on the blog before, but it’s honestly one of my favourite HPB sites, so it feels worthy of a proper post of its own. It’s a truly magical, beautiful place - and if you’re with HPB, I really think it’s one you should try to visit at least once.

Arriving by Sea

We flew from London to Tenerife and then took the ferry over to La Gomera. With a family, it’s absolutely doable, and all in all the journey took around twelve hours. We booked our flights and transfers through the HPB Travel Club, which made everything feel straightforward and stress-free. From airport to ferry port, ferry to La Gomera, and then straight up to Santa Ana - it all ran seamlessly.

Arriving by ferry is actually part of the joy. As the island comes into view, you really get a sense of La Gomera’s dramatic volcanic landscape, and it sets the tone for the whole stay.

We stayed in Apartment GB10, right at the top of the site, with beautiful views across the bay. It was conveniently close to the mini-market and gym, and only about a five-minute walk down to the pool area.

Days by the Pool

The pool was where we spent most of our time. It’s not technically an infinity pool, but it feels like one, with uninterrupted views over the ocean. There’s a pool bar serving cocktails, drinks and ice creams, as well as a café offering simple but delicious meals like pizza and burgers - perfect for relaxed lunches.

On site, we also made the most of the activities: crazy golf, paddle ball and giant chess were all firm favourites.

Morning Walks and Quiet Wonders

My son is an early riser, so most mornings we wandered out of the complex and along the coastline. The sunrises were breathtaking, and on one particularly memorable morning we spotted pilot whales swimming just offshore - a moment that felt quietly extraordinary. We also walked up to the airport and watched a plane land.

View to Playa de Santiago from the walk
down from Santa Ana

The walk down to the village - Playa de Santiago - is fairly steep, though taxis are readily available and cost around €7 each way. Down there you’ll find a black sand beach, a small selection of bars and restaurants, shops and bakeries. We also took a boat trip from the port and were lucky enough to see bottle nose dolphins and pilot whales out at sea.

Exploring Beyond Santa Ana

We hadn’t originally planned to hire a car, as we’d already arranged transfers, but we decided to rent one for a day and it was well worth it. We drove up into the tropical rainforest and across to Playa del Inglés. Getting anywhere on La Gomera takes time - it’s a mountainous volcanic island - but the views along the way are absolutely spectacular.

View from near the rainforest

We’ll definitely be returning to HPB Santa Ana. It’s one of those places where everyone is friendly, there’s plenty for children to do, and it’s easy to fall into conversation without trying. The kids made friends, we had people to chat to, and everything felt gently unhurried.

It’s the kind of holiday that stays with you - not because of big moments or packed itineraries, but because of early mornings, sea air, shared smiles, and the sense that for a little while, life became beautifully simple.

Travelling to La Gomera by ferry

For my Mum's 70th birthday, we booked a villa through our Hotel Property Bond (HPB) scheme on the little known island of La Gomera. If you've never heard about HPB, you can read about it on my blog here. 

La Gomera is one of the Canary Islands and is located 18 nautical miles just West of Tenerife. To get there, you can either fly to Tenerife and then get a ferry across. Or you can fly to La Gomera's small airport which receives one flight a day and just 32,000 passengers a year. 

We chose to arrive by boat and so flew the Tenerife South Airport and then transferred to Los Cristianos port. From there, we got a small ferry over to San Sebastián port on La Gomera. 

The ferry only takes around 50 minutes, is a very pleasant journey. It's a beautiful way to arrive at the island where the pretty coloured houses on the hillside greet you. The ferry is operated by Fred Olsen, who runs three ferries a day and you can buy tickets online for around €34 return.  

I guess most people get put off by the additional travelling required to get to La Gomera. Which is probably why so few people have heard of the island. But it's very easy and quite a fun journey. The island is remote and beautiful and the Garajonay National Park on the Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site so it is definitely worth the extra travel.