SANTA BRIGIDA GRAN CANARIA

This comfortable, bourgeois town is so well connected by fast road to Las Palmas, that it is now virtually a suburb of the capital city and definitely well-heeled. Despite whitewashed houses and Canarian balconies, Santa Brigida has less of a Spanish feel to it than any other town on the island. Its wide, tree lined streets and large villas set in spacious gardens owe much to early British settlers, many of them involved in the wine, then the banana business. Though often working in the city, they made their homes here, attracted by the town's altitude and cooler temperatures. Santa Brigida and its neighborhood are noted for their excellent restaurants.