Spain- Canary Islands - Tenerife

The Easy Life in the Canaries

Nice black sand at Playa La Arena

Bit of a last minute booking found us on the way to Tenerife. To be honest, neither of us could quite understand why. I suppose the reasoning included the fact that our little Apartment in Bad Hofgastein was rented out, Bournemouth airport is only 15 minutes from our new home, we benefited from a bit of a discount and it was my Birthday. I always like to be away on my Birthday. Anyway the climate in Southern Tenerife is lovely and the food superb. We had a delightful self-catering apartment in the, not so nice, Playa De Las Americas courtesy of Thomson Holidays. It is some time since we have been on a package holiday but they have not changed! We went to the welcome party where they try to sell excursions but I fell asleep. We did ask the chap if we could hire bikes but the price he quoted was far more than if we booked through the hotel. I do remember him saying that he wanted us to give him full marks in the post holiday questionnaire and that we should speak to him if we did not think he was worth a perfect score?

Easy biking on the Costa Adeje coastal path

We booked our bikes and car through the hotel. Have to say everything is made really easy with the minimum of fuss and paperwork. We hired bikes for the whole week but the car for just one day. Our day in the car was fun. They give you the car empty of fuel and tell you to put juice in as soon as possible. We could not find the local BP Station and it took about 3 increasingly anxious circuits of Las Americas before we stumbled upon it. You are supposed to just buy enough fuel for your needs but we had no idea how much we would need and where we would find another station so we put far too much in the tank. At least we did not run out on our circuit of the island.

Our little car for the circular tour

We started our clockwise tour in a Spanish Summer and passed through an English Autumn before returning to Summer again when we reached Las Americas. First we had a swim in La Arena, then had a wander around a stiflingly hot cliff dwelling Los Gigantes.
Then things got interesting, a long winding climb took us into the mist and the much greener Northern part of the Island. We found a very good place for Lunch in San Marcos, we both had delicious fish, before a quick tour of Puerto de La Cruz and the drive home via Santa Cruz. Can imagine a walking holiday in the less touristy North would be very pleasant indeed.

Birthday Boy

What we had planned for this trip was cycling along the coastal path around Americas, Adeje and Los Christianos with dips in the sea and a few games of tennis thrown in.
We really ate well in some lovely restaurants. I particularly liked the Celso Restaurant in La Caleta, the fish was lovely and it was a good cycle ride along the seafront to get there. My birthday meal was in a very nice Chinese, the Imperial Taipan. The guy on the table behind was also a Birthday Boy as was the chap on the adjacent table. It sounds a bit odd going to a Chinese in Tenerife but hey-ho.

Our little private garden in Las Americas

There seems to be two main categories of South Tenerife Tourists. The more mature types who like chillin' by the pool or beach, enjoying good food and drink and then there are the heavily inked 'others'.
Not an area we will rush back to but it does have a lot going for it in terms of year round climate and nice hotels and restaurants.
We have decided we are not good package tourists now. We managed to miss the transfer back to the Airport. When we complained that we were outside the Hotel at the appointed time we were told by Thompson that we should have been there 10 minutes earlier. Anyway, they would not pay for our Taxi. We then had a four hour delay at the Airport.