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If there is any spot on the globe that enjoys a perfect climate, Tenerife in the Canary Islands is it. There is markedly little variation in the average temperatures between summer and winter, which hover between 15ºC and 24ºC, and there is only very occasional rain. Throw this in to the mix - of verdant forests in the northern part of the island as well as mountains, deserts, volcanoes, exotic plant and animal life, and spectacular beaches (with black volcanic sand) - and you have a holiday paradise. Tenerife offers the unique experience of swimming and sunbathing on a beautiful beach while just a few miles away snow sparkles on the crest of Mount Teide. The island’s central mountain stands at 12,200 feet, the highest in Spain, and a cable-car ride to the summit offers unrivalled views of the lunar-like landscape of the volcanic slopes. The island’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is an upbeat town geared for tourism. Its port, where once the first shots of the Spanish Civil War were fired, is today a morass of ferries, jetfoils and freighters. Main Tenerife Resort reviews
Costa Adeje see Playa de Las Americas
Costa del Silencio/Las Galletas Costa del Silencio is about 6 miles from the airport and 4 miles from Los Cristianos. Most complexes are two storey. There are a few three and four storey complexes. The area is quieter than both Las Americas and Los Cristianos but there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants in the area. Silencio, the holiday area, has grown to the east of the fishing village, Las Galletas, which has a small beach (sand and shingle mix) and promenade. The roads slope down from Silencio to Las Galletas but the gradient is not too steep. There are regular cheap and clean bus services to the other parts of the island.
Fañabe see Playa de Las Americas
Golf del Sur Located in the sunny south of Tenerife, just a few minutes drive from the island's international airport, is GOLF DEL SUR, one of Europe's best golf and leisure complexes. Covering about 410 acres of land, Golf del Sur is in essence a town with a golf course running through it, catering not just for the golfer but also for families who require a more up-market area, where the environment is clean and the scenery beautiful. If you are a golfer, then paradise awaits you here! If you think there is no better way to relax than on gloriously sunny championship fairways, then look no further than Tenerife.
Los Cristianos is the second largest holiday resort in the south of Tenerife, the largest being its next door neighbour Playa de Las Americas. Despite their close proximity to one another there is a distinct difference in the atmosphere of the two, especially at night. The town has a history pre-dating its transformation into a tourist resort. Prior to undergoing major development in recent years, Los Cristianos existed as a small fishing village. It has an old town centre, complete with Catholic church, stretching from the port up to the main shopping streets. This grid-like centre is entirely pedestrianised, which is great news of course for tourists and people in a wheelchair. Los Cristianos offers beaches almost along its entire seafront expanse, the quality in these other areas can vary.
Los Gigantes is a very pretty resort about 20 miles north west of Playa de Las Americas. Los Gigantes has probably the best climate on Tenerife. It has a beautiful harbour and a small beach and everything is within 10 minutes walking distance. It's peaceful, friendly and relaxed and you can take a boat trip out to see the dolphin and whale colonies, which live between the west coast of Tenerife and the neighbouring island of La Gomera.
Puerto de Santiago In Puerto Santiago you'll find a small fishing port but you're limited in terms of beaches. The resort is rather sprawling, a mixture of homes, hotels and apartments. As you would expect from a tourist resort, there is an assortment or bars, shops, restaurants, but little in the way of nightlife. Warning. Like Los Gigantes (see above), the roads throughout Puerto Santiago are very hilly and may not be suitable for the elderly, the infirm or wheelchair users. If you're after a quite and relaxing holiday then Santiago may be ideal.
Playa de la Arena (or in English ..... Sandy Beach) is a modern development built to cater for the increasing tourist trade. In our opinion, Playa de la Arena has one of the finest beach in this region. Although smallish, and has black volcanic sand, it can confidently stand comparison with any other beach of similar size on the island. The beach is situated centrally along the main coastal thoroughfare, which has relatively easy parking facilities. For a relatively small resort, Playa de la Arena boasts a mind-boggling array of bars and restaurants of all shapes and sizes, although 'nightlife' in the sense of clubs and discos, while it undoubtedly exists, is on a much smaller scale than the larger resorts in the south.
Playa de Las Americas The main tourist resort in the south of Tenerife is certifiably crazy and just waiting to pounce on the unwary tourist! Whatever you want Las Americas offers it all to you with a sunny smile and a glass of your favourite tipple! Warning: If you are seeking peace and quiet, Las Americas isn't for you. Las Americas is big and just keeps expanding. You can now include several satellite areas like San Eugenio, Fañabe, Costa Adeje, Porto Colom and Torviscas, which are all bustling mini-resorts in their own right. Playa de Las Americas is situated at the southern end of the west coast where the climate is arguably one of the best on the whole island with some of the best beaches in Tenerife, all of which meet European Commission cleanliness standards. The waters off Las Americas' beaches are warm, generally calm and safe, with breakwaters constructed to ensure safety in all but the most adverse weather conditions which, thankfully, are rare. Las Americas is a tourist haven pure and simple, with no pretensions to be anything else. It is geared to fun, fun, fun all the way. And what's wrong with that?
Porto Colom see Playa de Las Americas
Puerto de la Cruz is the major tourist resort in the north of the island. On a cloudless day it boasts spectacular views of the volcano Mount Teide. Like Los Cristianos in the south, Puerto de la Cruz began life as a small fishing village and grew into a major tourist resort. Unlike the dry and arid south, the north is very green and therefore, in the eyes of northern European visitors (including our German friends), is much more reminiscent of home and less 'foreign'. The town boasts many good quality hotels and plenty of bars and nightlife, but relatively little in the way of decent beaches. There is the Lago de Martianez, which is a very impressive public pool only a matter of yards from the sea itself, where there is plenty of room both to swim and sunbathe.
Torviscas see Playa de Las Americas Tenerife Travel Facts: Time: Local time is GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in October); The Canary Islands: GMT (GMT +1 in summer).
Electricity: Electrical current is 220 or 225 volts, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are standard.
Money: Spain's official currency is the Euro (EUR). One Euro is divided into 100 cents. Money can be exchanged at bureaux de change and major hotels, but banks give the best rates. All major credit cards and travellers cheques are widely accepted at most hotels, restaurants, and shops. ATMs are widespread and are generally the cheapest and most convenient method of obtaining money.
Language: Spanish is the official language, but English is widely understood in areas frequented by tourists. Catalan, Galician and Basque are spoken in the relevant areas.
Entry requirements for UK nationals: British citizens must hold a passport (can be expired for up to one year), but no visa is required for a maximum stay of 90 days for those holding a passport endorsed British Citizen, European Community, British Dependent Territories Citizen or British Subject. Other UK passport holders require a visa and a passport valid at least three months beyond visa expiry date.
Health: There are no health risks associated with travel to Spain, and no vaccination certificates are required for entry. Spain has a reciprocal health agreement with most EU countries, including the UK, providing free emergency health care at State run hospitals. UK travellers should take a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Note that private clinics are not covered, and the scheme gives no entitlement to medical repatriation costs, nor does it cover ongoing illnesses of a non-urgent nature, so comprehensive travel insurance is advised. Tipping: Hotel and restaurant bills usually include service charges, but additional tips are welcomed for services rendered. In restaurants tips of about 15% are expected. In Mallorca value-added-tax is usually included in restaurant bills, designated 'I.V.A', and may be mistaken for service charge. Drivers of metered taxis expect tips of 10 to 15%. It is customary to tip small amounts, usually 5-10% for most services, including guides.
Safety: Visitors should be aware of the activities of the Basque terrorist group, ETA, who have renewed their threat to extend their terrorist campaign to Spanish tourist areas. Numerous small bomb explosions have occurred in a number of hotels and cities across Spain, but due to prior warnings severe damage and serious injury have been avoided. Customs: From 1 January 2006 laws against smoking in public places came into effect and stiff fines will be imposed for smoking in areas such as enclosed public spaces, areas where food is prepared and sold, public transport, designated areas of bars and restaurants, and any places that cater for children.
Communications: The international access code for Spain is +34. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). Pay phones are either blue or green and accept either coins or phone cards, which are sold at post offices, tobacco shops, and newsagents. Three mobile phone operators provide thorough GSM 900/1800 coverage throughout the country and the Balearic and Canary Islands. Email and internet access is available at internet cafes in most towns and resorts.
Useful contact information: Spanish Embassy, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7589 8989 British Embassy, Madrid: +34 91 700 8200 |
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