A holiday in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain with a difference;
a holiday home in Tenerife to be bought twice
with a deadline.

Our holiday in Tenerife was unusual, indeed. We hadn't come like normal tourists. We also never joined any organized tour.

We organized our own tours on the island during our vacation. We saw many a beach and much more.

You don't know where Tenerife is?

I am not blaming you. Have a look on this map to discover the Canary Islands and Tenerife which are mere tiny specks compared to real islands like Japan or Madagascar, for instance. Even Great Britain is a continent compared to the biggest of all Canary Islands.

We, my late husband and I, were meeting up with our friends Sonia and Richard for a Tenerife holiday in Puerto de la Cruz. We hadn't seen them for almost a decade.

We wanted to find holiday homes to buy in our two weeks of holidays as well. Hence, we, really had to organize and plan virtually every minute to find time for sightseeing and relaxing in Tenerife.

During their holiday in Tenerife normal tourists are often spending most of their time on a beach like the one here called Garden beach in Puerto de la Cruz.

Of course we went to see it as it's one of the bigger Tenerife beaches.

Yes, your eyes are not betraying you. This beach Playa Jardinin north Tenerife is a black beach. However, just figure, you might get a much better tan on black sand while on holiday in Tenerife... Anything dark catches sun rays better. Also, don't worry, a rented car would get you from Puerto de la Cruz to the white Santa Cruz de Tenerife Las Teresitas Playa (Beach) within half an hour, only.

The sea is rather smooth at Playa Las Teresitas You would love it. By the way, to Please find a map of Santa Cruz in via michelin. That way you will be less likely getting lost during vacations in that area.

Please, take note how wide and how clean they look.

Santa Cruz trees are magnificently old. Such trees are unusual in a shopping area... Isn't it?

You can make out people casually chatting. Indeed, one still has much more time for socializing in the biggest of all Canary Islands.

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The atmosphere in the capital is not as hectic as in most European capitals which is so nice when on vacation. Santa Cruz is a great option for going out in Tenerife during day or night. And, it, of course, has Tenerife night life. Seldom you see people that are really in a rush.

Everybody, always fits in time for a coffee or a meal. One tends to eat out so much more in Tenerife.

It's contagious, I promise.

And, its very affordable good food, you know...

Our holiday trip to Tenerife was in 1997, around Easter time. Blue skies and gentle temperatures were blessing us during the short while when we were there. An occasional afternoon shower broke off the monotony of relentless sun.

Only, for our night strolls or for Tenerife excursions, would we take a jacket or a jersey along. In Puerto de la Cruz, later at night, we often had a long drink at my ocean front bistro Café de Paris. I am still fond of it. It serves the best ice cream in town. The same as at the Pinguino in the town hub. Same owner, you know... Mind, our hotel was only a few steps from Café de Paris in Paseo de Martianez next to Paseo San Telmo.

Although, we stayed at one of the biggest Tenerife hotels right opposite the Lido where Beach Playa Martianez is adjoining we only passed it like taking it for granted.

During our 1997 holiday in Tenerife, we used the time, when we had no appointments with estate agents,

to relax on the rooftop of our Hotel Valle Mar. There, we often took a lunch break and/or a dip in the heated hotel pool.

The Valle Mar Hotel, which had been a good choice for our holiday in Tenerife, has a glass screen protecting against winds on its rooftop. From there, we could look straight down to the After supper we usually strolled along the waterfront towards the hub of of the town. Walking in Tenerife in that part of Puerto de la Cruz always lets you discover something new.

We never got lost as the hub with Plaza del Charco and the ocean front are best Puerto Cruz orientation points..

From there, every way was leading us home, easily.

We never got around seeing the Place of the monk with all its nice restaurants, so close by. I would have loved a walk at Monasterio of the monk like the one done with Swedish friends.
Also, the culture as well as its Tenerife business in past and present are quite intriguing.

We strolled more than once a day through Puerto's hub.

I cannot forget how much Canary Island coffee my hubby would have in all kinds of places within our holiday in Tenerife. Coffee is good in Tenerife and cheap starting with 75 Cents. And, it comes in all sorts of variations...

It’s the one with the large green and white canvas roof.

My best Puerto de la Cruz "hub" restaurant La Casona
is next to it, on your right in the photo, on Plaza del Charco.

La Casona serves an excellent Tenerife cuisine as well as international food. Very good fish dishes with the best surroundings... Don't miss it, while on holiday in Tenerife...

However, you may just as well order a pizza, if you are short of cash or less hungry. The Pizza at La Casona is good too and, you may also sit inside. A real treat, you know... How about it for your holiday in Tenerife?

At night we often went for a drink at a bistro by church San Francisco. A manicured, little park with flowerbeds and a center fountain is in front. A harp and a guitar player entertained us there with Spanish music on the veranda outside. You will see it and you will hear when you walk through the Puerto hub. All this is Tenerife night life with a very relaxing touch. And, it's cheap.

Live music entertainment is not unusual during a holiday in Tenerife.

Plaza de Charco de los Camarones the main town square is right next to the little old harbor. We passed that when we went to a large quay parking lot, where we left our car. Parking in Tenerife may be a problem. This spot was a blessing. The only other large one is below Pyramides mall by the end of town. But, there you pay.

Tenerife walking is one of the cheapest activities on the island.

A long, rough, stony walkway or Tenerife quay which the Tinerfeños call here the Muelle, is almost joining up from the harbor with Playa Jardin in Tenerife (Garden Beach).
Occasionally, we walked there looking at fire red crabs sitting on big gray artificial square boulders jumbled up in heaps below. The granite blocks serve as additional barrier against the powerful Atlantic. In any case of trouble, the waves would then have the cars on the huge parking ground to play with. Here and there we got sprayed by sometimes ferocious waves. There sure was all kind of excitement during our holiday in Tenerife.

Almost every morning, we followed our plan for the day for our holiday in Tenerife.

Also, we would not have made the deadline to buy a home, had we, the two couples, not split up, often, to each go look at real estate on our own.

Our visit to La Orotava was one of exceptions. That day became one very interesting part of our holiday in Tenerife where we could combine some sightseeing with our home hunt with several best attractions like La Casa de los Balcones.

Playa Jardin (garden) is a wonderful area of the oldest resort in Tenerife North. It’s often indigenous flora is blending in well with palms and subtropical plants. I'd love a holiday home there but they are not cheap. Nor is renting... It's a perfect spot for beach lovers for a holiday in Tenerife?

We took a trip to Icod de los Vinos. Richard, our friend heard much about the picturesque town with countless vineyards in Tenerife. When we were there in 1997 the interesting Mariposas museum tel: +0034 922 815167 next to the Drago Tree was open. Later they closed it. I am sure, this butterfly museum in Icod de los Vinos is open again, now.

The Tenerife attraction by vineyards was too great for Richard. How fortunate it would be to find one in our rushed holiday in Tenerife which could serve as a holiday haven. I for my liking would not choose "Icod" for a holiday home in Tenerife, unless I would stay there with kids. The bigger towns are a bit out of the way, you know...

We, especially, used our rented car for longer excursions during our holiday in Tenerife on week-ends when no property appointments could be made. That rented car came in very handy. We would never have seen as much without it. By the way, the main 2 freeways, coastal roads and, some mountain roads were sufficient to get us to more distant areas, quite easily.

On a Sunday, we ventured right up to Punta del Hidalgo. This is a bit like the end of the world of Tenerife in my eyes. The scenery is beautiful, though and, it should, definitely, be part of all Tenerife tours on a holiday in Tenerife.

We passed through the university town of La Laguna which was first capital of the island as reported in Tenerife history Santa Cruz.

The lake that gave the town its name has vanished. La Laguna is full of student pubs and has interesting shops. Antique shops excel in this prime Tenerife history spot. La Laguna proudly belongs to World Heritage.

La Laguna must be exciting for its interesting town nooks with student bars, 'hangouts', antique shops, middle age churches and gracious public buildings. I wouldn't pick la Laguna, though, to buy real estate for a holiday home in Tenerife. And, I wouldn't chose it for making it the base of a holiday in Tenerife blaming the weather there with more rains and fogs in that area near the north airport.

Nowadays, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of Tenerife Island.. Sonia insisted to check it out. She was after a shopping spree, first of all. The impressive Auditorio de Santa Cruz Tenerife had not been built yet during our 1997 Tenerife holiday.

If I had a Santa Cruz business or, if I was employed there, I would live there. But, as far as a vacation home is concerned, I would first look elsewhere.

My hubby liked the massive old mansions near the Rambla, a tree lined fairly large walkway leading almost from the top of the city to the harbor. Those mansions would have been too big as Tenerife holiday homes, I must add. They would also have been too big , if we had bought one together with our friends. We had of course a little stroll nearby through the biggest Santa Cruz park. However, much was cordoned off in in 1997.When we were there that great Tenerife park didn't look half as good as it looks now in 2007. Nowadays, Park Garcia Sanabria is again one of Canary Islands attractions.

Auditorio Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A friend took that shot with a Nikon during his holiday in Tenerife last year.

He didn't have the right lens on him.

Yes, that’s me as the "lone guide".Can you see, how tiny I am compared to the auditorium? Mind I am not that small. Ha!

Please, go to "architectureweek" in case you like educational holidays..

We drove out to yet another farm area while on vacation in Tenerife. Again, the goal was vineyards. El Sauzal, very closed to Tacoronte is said to be in an important Tenerife wine producing district. We were also curious about fincas. fincas mean farmsteads in this context. Some Tenerife theme fincas are absolutely great for long or, short holidays and, Tenerife holiday tours. When you are looking for a vacation home, a holiday in Tenerife leads you automatically to places that you otherwise might have glimpsed from the free way, only. . . Tacoronte has a large Tenerife market for fruit and vegetables, also. Everything is very fresh and cheap, they say. A casual friend of mine used to live there with a typical Tacoronte country cottage, difficult to find as all fincas in Tenerife.

My husband quite liked Tacoronte and surroundings; it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I cannot feel at home in areas that have too much of a farmstead character. Except are big farms.

However, I would like to recommend the following insider spot for your holiday in Tenerife:

During the week, we once went up to the pine forests for an afternoon pick-nick. There is a good place near the road way from La Orotava to the Teide. The name is La Caldera (basin , hollow,) It’s actually a grill spot under tall, shady pines. You must only bring food and matches. You will find a sign to turn off just after Agua Mansa. Even, a Titsa bus, which is # 345, is going there. You take a sand road that is leading uphill very close to the bus stop. There is a mountain fountain with the freshest water, nearby. Also, a bistro with toilette...

The region around Agua Mansa would appeal to me for a holiday home in Tenerife as it’s also close to La Orotava. You will pass a Tenerife trout farm with its restaurant. They say that this gourmet restaurant is serving reasonably priced food.

We, of course had to go see the South of the island during our holiday in Tenerife, also. We got as far as Adeje and, saw a few little towns, where we passed through. Please, mind that this was in 1997. Tenerife architecture 2007 in the south looks so different, now. P>

I was disappointed. No nice old buildings, no houses with intricate Tenerife woodwork and, none of the Canary Island balconies so often discovered in the north were there.

Here, is an original wooden alcove which replaces a Tenerife balcony. It's in Puerto de la Cruz right next to the hub.

It still had a beautiful mild gold color, then. I remember much wind blowing sand into our faces. We felt like some nice hot coffee which we would have liked to have at the nearest hotel.

It was the Gran Hotel del Duque. It’s an extravagant reproduction of colonial style.

A black and white dressed "body guard"-doorman by the beach entrance of the hotel wanted to see our hotel identification. We didn't have one. So, no coffee for us… That was the only incidence during our first and last joint Tenerife vacations that left a bit of an ugly mark in my memory.

Otherwise, I haven't forgotten the building sites with skeletons of steel structures and, wooden poles to support the next concrete ceiling. They soon would grow into more hotels or, (condos) condominiums in Tenerife. All for a holiday in Tenerife...

At that moment I missed the lush greenery of the North of the island, very much. Wouldn't you love to be surrounded by palms and flowery shrubs when holidaying in Tenerife? All that flora must have been scarce, then, in the South. In those days, we, certainly, would not have bought residential property, there. <

I have been to Las America which is how Tinerfeños call Las Americas) only, last year. I was pleasantly surprised, then, although everything seems to be only modern. I had been there with 2 young Swedish girls that were on holiday on the island. They absolutely had to see famous Las Americas. They liked the shops such as Zara but wouldn't want to spend all their holiday in the south of the island.

What had impressed me, greatly, is that about 20 guys were surfing by Las Americas Beach , while the moon was up, already.

My daughter might come visiting. Then, we surely, will take some time off, to get to know the South better during her holiday in Tenerife.

What we totally missed in the south was Los Gigantes and, of course, a trip out to the ocean to watch the whales, there.

In the North we never went to Loro Park because, our friends said that we had all that in South Africa, already, which is true as I found out, later.

Did you know that a port that looks now so tiny was once the main harbor of Tenerife?

On the way back during out holiday in Tenerife 1997 we went past Garachico which I
used to spell Garrachico.

It's a legendary, little town where we had a delicious fish dish facing the endless Atlantic. Tenerife history is overpowering in the picture book town..

It also has
rock pools which remind me Indian miniature paintings of happy pool bathers.

In San Juan de la Rambla we stopped for refreshment. Little San Juan has quite a few exceptional galleries with artwork as well.

There is a fantastic restaurant called Las Palmeras Arte in Calle Estrecha, 15, by the Church. It holds expositions of paintings. More about all this later.
Telephone: 922 35 03 32. (Closed on Wednesdays)

San Juan de la Rambla is always nice for a stop by the coastal road leading within 15 or 20 minutes to Icod de los Vinos during any holiday in Tenerife.
It's rather close (20 min.) to the biggest resort of the island which is Puerto de la Cruz in the north.

We, especially, loved those smaller towns. Just figure, how well and warmly everybody was treating us with Sonia being a very sympathetic Canary girl.

Food and drink were good during our holiday in Tenerife. They gave us German filter coffee at the hotel Valle Mar. That coffee is so popular with Germans. We were regretting, though, that we had dinner included in the hotel price. Nevertheless, we, sometimes, had it on the town. We couldn’t resist the tempting Tenerife cuisine and, international restaurants on the island. On excursion, we often, had tapas, short little dishes of all sorts, usually served as salads. Tapas are not to be missed during a holiday to Tenerife.

There were many places that we never got to know during our 1997 stay on the biggest of all Canary Islands.

I, of course, discovered much more , later.

Please, go from holiday in Tenerife to Taoro Park with many photos and, tips. It's not to be missed while on vacation here. Also, it is a great option for renting or buying a holiday home in Tenerife. There is a lovely restaurant that I like especially because it's by a subtropical semi shaded park which is ideal on a hot day. There is also Risco Bello, which is an aqua park. The Tenerife orchid park is there as well as the famous hotel Taoro of Puerto de la Cruz. Hotel Taoro had been the biggest casino of Tenerife Island for a long time. It's at Lago Martianez, now.

Please, take a little virtual walking tour with map from the hub towards Taoro park and enjoy some more photos of the area.

Another great place to get a bit away from the rat race is Los Gigantes. My photos and subpages will show you very much to do there, also.

We unfortunately had no time for whale watching on vacation 1997.

Here, is the photo gallery for the stunning apartment in sale in the place that is ideal for Tenerife sports for holidays or all year round.

Teno and, romantic Masca that lend themselves to several Tenerife holiday activities.

I also never forget a Tenerife holiday later on with a private boat tour off Los Gigantes.
I hope to add more of the fantastic places for a holiday in Tenerife.

That’s why vacations in Tenerife with your own Tenerife holiday home will never be long enough.

There is just too much to do and to see. And, very much is worth going back to over and over again. You for ever miss out on some Tenerife details. For instance, we never knew of Tenerife flee markets or big fruit and vegetable markets. During a more extended holiday in Tenerife all that should be seen. The island also has good concerts. We could sample the superb Tenerife symphony concert. We enjoyed a live performance in the streets while shopping in Santa Cruz during our holiday Tenerife 1997. Our friend Richard became the proud owner of new Rebens sunglasses on that day. We couldn't get over it on how cheap they were in Pesetas in 1997.

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Here, an unusual fun homepage on holidays:
Holiday Trivia - Quick and easy exploration of holiday trivia, background, traditions, quotes and more.

Millions of repeat-visitors over the last 20 years from the UK are proof of Tenerife being one of the top holiday destinationswithin only 4 hours of flight.Holidays 4u 2

VIDE0

Here is a video on a holiday by some French people. I couldn't have shown nicer details of the island. Enjoy...

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