Tenerife: Warm Beaches, Requisite Hangovers
Written: Mar 21 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sunny, warm, relatively inexpensive once there
Cons: Noisy, bar mentality, overloaded with tourists
The Bottom Line: Wonderful for singles and hikers. All others proceed with caution.
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| davepaine's Full Review: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands |
For anyone out there who is looking for an island party experience, Tenerife is the place. Granted, there are other European islands that admirably fit the bill—Mallorca and Ibiza, especially—but hey, their weather isn’t as consistently wonderful as the Canaries. Unfortunately, my wife and I were not looking for a party experience, but we were able to appreciate some of what Tenerife has to offer that doesn’t involve beer bongs or karaoke.
Geography
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Island chain, which is located a few hundred miles off the coast of Morocco. However, they are politically and culturally a part of Spain, and have been around the time of Columbus. Even though the islands are relatively far north, their climate is wonderfully agreeable, due primarily to the fact that the Gulf Stream cruises overhead all year round, bringing warm air and pleasant breezes. We were there in early June, and it was a pleasant, sunny high of 75 for the duration of our stay.
All of the islands are volcanic in origin—Fuerteventura and Lanzarota still have active volcanoes—but Tenerife’s smokestack has long since gone out. It did, however, leave a very considerable mountain in its wake. As you fly into Tenerife, you’ll immediately notice the snow-covered peak that looms six thousand feet above its sandy beaches.
Because of this great variation in elevation, the temperature ranges in the summertime from mid 70’s to mid 80’s on the beach down to 40’ and 50’s above the clouds at about four thousand feet. For most visitors, though, the nickname “Land of Eternal Spring” generally holds true: temperate weather year-round with occasional showers according to the season.
What to Do?
Beaches
It’s an island; of course, it has great beaches! We were really only exposed to Playa de las Americas, which as the name implies, is right on the beach. In fact, Playa is a part of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of Tenerife at 200,000 inhabitants. In the touristy areas, if the beaches aren’t naturally “sandy” enough, the Tenerifians have imported sand. No kidding. So, you really don’t have to worry about going out there and having to deal with rocks in your bikini. Compared to Tenerife’s small neighbor, La Gomera, the beaches are really quite good. Most hotels can recommend various outfitters of different watersports, or you can try your luck with whoever’s out there, but every beach does offer waterskiing, tubing, parasailing, sailing, etc. You just have to be willing to pay for it. Many restaurants also have beach chairs for use if you’re interested in having a drink or snack for their use.
Bars!
As near as I can figure, alcohol is the main source of revenue on Tenerife. I know that is probably not fair, but driving through Santa Cruz and walking around Playa certainly gave me that impression. Tenerife is a favorite vacation spot of many European nations, most notably, Germany and, especially, the UK. This means that there is absolutely no shortage of pubs or British kids working for the bars, standing out on the strip offering a free drink if “you’ll just follow me this way” to their bar. An easy way to get free drinks maybe, but I found it tiresome after we’d been accosted by a couple of dozen teenagers this way.
Like I said, there is absolutely no shortage of bars here, and pretty much any kind of bar that you can think of it probably over-represented. However, most cater to the young and young-at-heart crowd (not many cozy, quiet pubs like I prefer).
Braving the Wilds
What I loved about Tenerife (yes, I did love something about it!), was that once you got outside of the beach towns, it was a lovely, quiet, rural island with an incredible amount of world-class hiking and trekking to be had. Before we went, I had talked to several friends who grew up bagging peaks in the Alps who spent their vacations hiking and climbing in Tenerife. “Tenerife? Isn’t that really just a party island?” Well, it is, and it isn’t. Most people go to Tenerife on a package trip that includes hotel, airfare, maybe some meals, and possibly a rental car. For hotel and airfare for a week from Europe expect to pay around $400-$500. But once you’re there, rent a car and explore. A close friend of mine backpacked for two weeks, hiking ten hours each day, and never had to deal with tourists, except at the airport. Tenerife is what you make of it.
There is a national park on Las Canadas del Teide, the highest peak in the Canaries, and several days could be dedicated to exploring the many trails which range in difficulty from benign to Oh My God. It is also possible to drive almost to the summit for anyone without a lot of aerobic inclination and a desire to see some fabulous views. On a clear day, it’s possible to see all of the other islands, and people with hawk’s eyes might be able to catch a glimpse of North Africa.
How to Get There
Basically, you have to fly to Europe—anywhere in western Europe—to get to Tenerife. My recommendation would be that if you’re planning on spending a summer in Europe and want to plan a week of playing in the sun, book a last-minute trip from a European travel agency once you arrive in Europe. Throughout the year, though, there are always deals on all-inclusive trips to Tenerife from France, the UK, Germany, Austria, etc. You just have to be a little adventurous, and go ask about them. Otherwise, it is possible to get to Tenerife from America by booking through a local travel agency or Travelocity, but it’ll be a little more complicated, to say the least. MY wife and I spent most of our time at a five-star resort on the neighboring island of La Gomera, but if we had bought just the plane tickets, we could have gotten them from Austria for less than $200 apiece.
Drawbacks?
Rowdy, drunk teenagers; very loud karaoke bars; ridiculous amount of tourists. It just was not a relaxing atmosphere in any way in my opinion. But if you’re looking for a party, Tenerife is the place.
My Recommendations
For families with teenagers, Tenerife would be a decent place to go. There are lots of arcades in addition to the previously mentioned bars, and there would probably be stuff going on at the hotel for kids as well.
For singles looking to find some company, Tenerife would be an ideal location for a vacation. Fun in the sun and a great number of other like-minded individuals. Use your imagination.
For couples looking for a quiet, romantic getaway, steer clear at all costs! Unless of course you are simply flying into Tenerife in order to go over to wonderful La Gomera. Then, by all means, proceed with my blessings
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
davepaine
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Member: David Paine
Location: Boone, NC, USA
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 11 members
About Me:
Outdoor enthusiast who gets sucked into his computer quite often.
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