Three's magic number for little-known islands

Most of us are familiar with the Balearic and Canary Islands.

- By NATALIE KING

Each year, hundreds and thousands flock to soak up the sun in spots like Tenerife, Lanzarote, Majorca, and Ibiza. But you might not realise these aren't the only islands that belong to Spain.In fact, there is an archipelago of islands that receives a fraction of the visitors to the Canaries, despite being just off the mainland coast.

And most of us won't have heard of them at all.

The Cíes Islands are a 45-minute ferry ride from the city of Vigo in northwest Spain, and they're beautiful. The archipelago is made up of three main islands: Monteagudo (North Island), Do Faro (Middle Island), and San Martiño (South Island). Monteagudo and Do Faro are connected by a 1,200-metre long beach, with a lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other.

The beach that joins the islands together is called Rodas, and this little-known gem once scooped the title of the best beach in the world.