Santa Cruz is the bustling capital of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands.

Famed for its black and white sand beaches and rugged mountainous landscape, the island is a favourite among holidaymakers.

As winter looms in the UK with blistering wind and heavy showers becoming steadily more frequent, the Spanish port city offers a welcome retreat for Brits seeking winter sunshine.

Tenerife enjoys warm temperatures year round, with an average of 24ºc throughout November and 21ºc well into December.

A post-Christmas getaway could be the perfect way to visit this Spanish city as Santa Cruz hosts one of the world’s largest carnivals in February each year.

During carnival season, the streets of Santa Cruz are flooded with music, dancing and bright beautiful costumes.

The events generally attract around 150,000 tourists, contributing to the close to a million participants which join in across the roughly five weeks of celebrations.

Outside of carnival season, Tenerife can be a more peaceful getaway and the perfect time to relax and enjoy the rich cultural history of Santa Cruz.

Close to the heart of the city is the Palmetum of Tenerife, a huge botanical garden home to one of the biggest collections of palm trees in the world where you can also enjoy beautiful views of the island’s coastline.

Santa Cruz’s main beach is Las Teresitas, a strip of sand which is a beautiful golden colour and was specially crafted using sands imported from the Sahara desert.

In the port of Santa Cruz, one of the busiest in Spain, visitors will find the Auditorio, a modern concert hall reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House and designed to look like the sails of a boat.

Already a popular holiday destination, Tenerife is a common route operated by many budget airlines and takes a little over four hours from the UK.

The city of Santa Cruz is closest to the North Airport at the top of the island, with return flights available from major UK cities for as little as £50 throughout the winter months.