All inclusive in Tenerife

Another large hotel chain has just announced the opening of a new all inclusive superior hotel in Tenerife. The hotel claims to continue the tradition of providing unique vacation experiences, rooted in superior customer service and quality, in the world’s most popular tourist destinations.

The hotel chain say they are expanding their offering in Tenerife to cater to both families and luxury travelers with the addition of the new hotel.

All inclusive hotels claim to offer the experience of the highest level of service, quality, cuisine and amenities. For properties that are all-inclusive, the experience sometimes includes tips and taxes, food and beverages, non-motorized water sports, entertainment and resort activities.

All inclusive seems to be a growing trend amongst hotel chains, many local businesses suffer because of this growing insular form of tourism. More should be done to encourage free activities outside of these all inclusive resort hotels. Tourists wearing coloured wrist bands are less likely to boost the economy of Tenerife because they have already paid for everything before departing on their holidays.

Maybe something should be done to limit the new brand of all inclusive tourism before it completely strangles local businesses. These local businesses add variety to the Tenerife tourism experience, empty bars and restaurants will hardly focus the spotlight on Tenerife as a popular tourist destination.

Tenerife tourist are of course free to leave these all inclusive resort complexes but, from what the locals are saying, businesses are already being squeezed out by this modern trend. Will these top hotels chains still be able to claim Tenerife is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the future?

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

Tenerife – Alcala Fiesta – Alcala Firework Display

 

Alcala Fireworks

Tenerife Tourism – The Alcala Fiesta and Firework display, 2009

Alcala is a quaint coastal village on the south west coast of Tenerife, a small fishermans harbour and hillside settlement with narrow streets and alleys. It is a traditionally Canarian village but it also has a splash of mixed culture like so many places in Tenerife. Tucked away in the streets there are many Cafe’s and Bars offering a variety of food fayre from local Tapas and seafood to European to South American cuisine. The village even has a Club for Columbian residents which will give you an idea of the cultural diversity of this small village. Many people do not realise that Tenerife has a very strong South American Culture, which is due to inter-colonial migration between the many Spanish territories.

Once a year, Alcala hosts an annual Fiesta for one week during August, the peak summer holiday season. Between spring and autumn it is possible to attend a Fiesta almost every day at various venues around Tenerife, many Fiesta Junkies actually do that, especially the local ones at weekends. However, without doubt the locals regard the Alcala Fiesta as one of the best, probably because of it’s vibrant culture and the magnificent firework display which is held on the Saturday night.

The awesome Alcala firework display is an emotional experience for most, especially the first time. A colourful statue of La Virgen de Candelaria has already been ceremoniously paraded around the village prior to being taken out to sea for a fishermens blessing before being taken back to the church. She is then paraded out again to preside over the firework display which starts around midnight. The crowds applaud her presence as she arrives majestically to take her position on the floodlit promenade.

The lights suddenly go down and the spectacular panoramic firework display erupts before you like an artillery battle. The incendiaries are launched from three separate locations, two either side of the harbour and one, an island in the middle of the harbour. The twenty minute display is colourful, deafening and almost shocking with exploding fireworks seemingly launched not only skyward but also across the harbour and even into the sea from where they explode like naval depth charges releasing even  more clusters of fireworks. This firework display is especially impressive and surely one of the best you could ever see. Such is the popularity of this firework display that locals and tourist alike descend on this small village from miles around, there is even a large fleet of visiting yachts moored just outside the harbour to witness this exciting annual spectacle.

After the firework display, the village vibrates with the sound of music as the Fiesta swings through the night until the early hours. The main square is set up with food stalls and bars, if you were not hungry you will need to be disciplined not to sample the delightful appetisers which are available. Whether you want to enjoy a meal, take a seat, have a drink and people watch, or kick off your shoes and dance the Merengue or Salsa, there is something for everyone at the Alcala Fiesta. Even the children stay out late to enjoy the fairground stalls and rides.

A Canarian get together such as the Alcala Fiesta is an embracing event for everyone who attends, the locals will be counting the days until the next one and if you have been a visitor you will undoubtedly be touched by the diversity of the occasion. You may even wonder why something so good could be free to attend, the answer is it is sponsored by local government but nowadays there is also organised fund raising which has enabled this Fiesta to develop into the major event it is today.

If you want to attend on the Saturday night, ideally you should use public transport because available parking is all but taken up by mid afternoon. By darkness, all roads in and out of the village are chocker for miles and you should not venture home until a couple of hours after the firework display because the village becomes gridlocked. Despite this, it is well worth making the effort to enjoy an experience you will probably never forget. If you park in the neighbouring village of Playa San Juan it is only a short bus or taxi ride to Alcala.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

Visit Tenerife and reduce your Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint

Tenerife Tourism – a green alternative

A carbon footprint is a term used to describe the measure of impact of our activities have on the environment, particularly in respect of climate change. It is a measure of greenhouse gases produced during our routine daily life.

For example, 10% of greenhouse gas emmissions are produced by private transport, 3% by public transport, 12% by electricity use in the home and so on. Almost every action we take has an impact on climate change which is why it is so important to try and reduce your own personal carbon footprint. Buying a new car accounts for 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions and even food production contributes a further 6%.

There is now a great awareness that climate change needs to be tackled head on but how do we contribute if we don’t understand what we need to do. The good thing is that conserving energy also has a cost benefit. Using a bicycle or your feet for short journeys will also have a health benefit. Using a bus is also better than taking a taxi, remember the bus is running on a schedule , so you will be saving all the fuel the taxi would use.

Well if you are a tourist you will probably already have contributed to the 6% global greenhouse gas emissions resulting from air travel. Some airlines are trying to do something about this in the future, one day aircraft may use alternative low carbon fuels known as biofuels. A biofuel is naturally produced from plant crops, there is also a secondary advantage because plants absorb carbon dioxide which depletes greenhouse gas already in the atmosphere.

The Tenerife Government are already doing their bit by employing extensive renewable energy sources such as wind farms and photovoltaic cells. They have invested heavily in this so by coming to Tenerife for your holiday you will probably be reducing your carbon footprint. At least you can feel that the carbon emissions from your air travel has been offset beause a good proportion of energy you consume whils’t here has been naturally produced. Tenerife has a temperate climate so air conditioning is not really necessary here, neither is heating, another carbon footprint bonus.

So your are here, what can you do to reduce your carbon footprint in Tenerife other than trying to avoid using motorised transport. Use of electrical energy is another important factor, so turn off lights as much as possible and use electricity sparingly. If your accomodation does have air conditioning try not to use it unless absolutely necessary, it does consume a lot of energy. Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for hot water heating which also reduces energy consumption on the island. Another green solution.

If you buy anything on the island try and think about how energy may have been consumed to produce it. Production of metal plastics and glass are high energy operations so avoid them if alternatives are available. Food packaging even consumes energy so buy loose items if you can and reuse your carrier bags whenever you can. Consider eating salads sometimes to avoid energy consumed by cooking food. If you are having a drink, remember bottles or cans are recycled because it saves money, however if you drink draught beer no recycling is necessary.

If you are buying foodstuffs, remember locally produced food will have less of an impact on greenhouse gas emissions because transportation is significantly reduced. Any imports to Tenerife by air or sea contribute significantly, so if you are buying anything try buying local. This maybe taking things a bit far but remember that eating meat increases your carbon footprint because animals emit methane during their life cycle, yes another greenhouse gas.

If you buy items of clothing, try and buy something which does not need ironing after washing, especially welcome when you are on holiday. Select natural fibres where possible because energy is consumed producing any man made material. Remember also that anything which is recycled will not have consumed as much energy during production.

When you visit Tenerife, if you follow the advice we have given you will be reducing your carbon footprint. You carbon footprint will almost certainly be less than it would be with most other tourist destinations. By coming to Tenerife you are helping to reduce global warming. The carbon footprint of people living in the Canary Islands is one of the lowest in the world. The longer you stay the more you will be reducing your carbon footprint. Also think about the size of your carbon footprint had you stayed home.

Remember reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce global warming and reducing your carbon footprint does really matter, so please tell others.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

What is said about the reputation of Tenerife and tourism

Mount Teide

This following article was published by Mirror.co.uk on 22nd April 2006.

Our comments

Whilst promoting 5* Tenerife tourism in the north of the Island it is, to say at the very least, very negative about the south of the Tenerife which is also promoting 5* tourism. Those of us who live in the south of Tenerife will know that class is something which is not exclusive to the north of the Island. Well done anyway for discovering how wonderful the north of the Island is, but be aware that the south of Tenerife now has a well deserved 5* reputation.

The beauty of this Island can be enjoyed from a base in the north or the south. The south has more to offer discerning tourists, especially golfers, sun worhsippers, people who enjoy mixed culture, or those that simply enjoy the exclusivity of being pampered in a 5* resort. The point here is that this Island is quite large and very diverse, even the Canarian’s from Santa Cruz travel down to enjoy the southern experience. The so called beer monsters will be rarely seen outside of the contained fun areas in Las Americas, so if you are thinking about coming to Tenerife, you should not be put off staying in the south of the Island. You will be very surprised how much the south of Tenerife has changed.

Tenerife is much more of an Island than two halves as suggested in the article. The island welcomes all types of tourists, which is why the cultural tapestry here is so diverse.

End of comments

The Article

A HIGH OLD TIME

By Katherine Derbyshire 22/04/2006

The real party’s going on up north in Tenerife (beer monsters not invited)

MY Spanish small-talk with the locals rarely strayed from: Buenos dias. Engleesh? they asked. Si, I would reply. Football? Barcelona? Gary Lineker? Bueno! they concluded.

Hardly life-changing, but to be fair, I never expected to need my halting Spanish in the British expat stronghold of Tenerife.

Far from the horrors of Guinness pubs and Sky Sports, I was astonished to find a historic, volcanic and botanical paradise full of real-life Spanish-speaking inhabitants. No, really.

Turns out it’s the south of the island which mainly caters for package tours and beer monsters.

Relatively few Canarians live there as this is where you’ll find the huge hotels, water parks and roast-beef dinners, not to mention the bar famously owned by Gary Lineker’s brother.

We flew instead to Tenerife North airport in La Laguna, which is the other side of the imposing live volcano, Mount Teide.

Visitors to the north generally head straight for Santa Cruz, the lively capital just 20 minutes from the airport.

A great base for a holiday, Santa Cruz is an Atlantic-facing port and is still the start point for many an ocean adventure. It has all the tree-lined avenues, shopping streets and nightlife you would expect from a city on the Spanish mainland.

It’s crowded and noisy but well worth exploring, especially the old-town district of La Noria, which is great for some late-night tapas and a carafe of house red.

I recommend the charming candlelit atmosphere of Los Reunidos with its pretty terrace – and extensive wine list.

If it’s peace and quiet you’re after, your best bet is to hire a car and get out of town.

There are many beautiful places to visit, but public transport is not flexible nor frequent enough. So it’s no surprise there are seven cars to every 10 Canarians.

The island’s circumference is just 250km but within a few minutes’ drive you can find yourself in a remote spot.

And you will definitely need a car to travel to the end of the world…

That’s what locals charmingly call Taganana, the northern-most village on the island, reached in about an hour by a single road which winds through the naga mountains.

Popular with surfers, the beach’s black volcanic sand is also beautiful and peculiar enough to keep children well entertained.

Here you can have an inexpensive fish dinner in one of the beachside cafes – we chose Restaurante Casa Africa – then sunbathe in relative peace.

Driving there through the evergreen “silver forest” of ash trees is likely to give you an urge to come back for a walking holiday. Very popular with Germans, I’m told, and many route maps are available from the tourist centre.

After a day at the end of the world, we visited the lunar landscape at the base of Mount Teide. Also about an hour in the car from Santa Cruz, the pumice rocks look other-worldly against the snow-capped peak.

In good weather you can take a cable-car to the top, but it is frequently closed due to strong winds. Frustratingly, you can’t tell until you get there – even if it’s 25C and calm in Santa Cruz. And don’t forget a jacket – the handy trade winds enjoyed by Christopher Columbus still cause quite a chill at 2,200m.

A popular activity is to hike three hours up the volcano and stay overnight at the basic refuge there. It then takes about an hour to reach the top early in the morning to watch the sunrise over the islands.

If you want to splash out, the five-star Parador is the only hotel in the Mount Teide National Park but offers 13 guided walks and night-time stargazing trips.

The professionals even come here to view the skies at the stellar observatory.

And if you’re worried about sudden eruptions, don’t be. The next one has been narrowed down to “sometime in the next 700 years”.

Another area worth visiting is La Orotava Valley, or The Garden of Tenerife.

The valley stretches from the skirts of the volcano down to the ocean and is a wonderful location for a romantic weekend.

The town of La Orotava itself is by far the most charming I visited, with its palaces, gardens and banana plantations.

Fans of architecture can admire the Portuguese-inspired balconies and dinky shopping streets while they sip a cafe con leche.

If you plan to push the boat out, about half an hour away in Garachico is the five-star Hotel San Roque, a boutique hotel in a restored 18th-century mansion.

But that’s enough relaxing. If you are going to take advantage of some winter sun just a four-hour flight away, you should definitely pick a very special February weekend.

Once a year is the Santa Cruz Carnaval, claiming to be the second-largest street party in the world after Rio.

Arrive the week before to experience the whirl of preparations and get ready for a Friday night to remember. Needless to say, it was still early when we ran out of steam by 4.30am.

For an island with such an almighty reputation for drunken English package tours, I was amazed at how rural, friendly and beautiful the north of Tenerife actually is.

I’m sure if Gary Lineker and his pundit chums were here, they’d describe it as an island of two halves.

End of main article

No offence intended by this blog post. Link to the article.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

Traffic Jams in Tenerife at Las Teresitas Beach

Teresitas Beach

Last Sunday, the Santa Cruz Department of Public Safety and Transport noted a total of 16429 vehicles went to Las Teresitas beach. The result of course was massive traffic congestion. This beach only has 1165 designated parking spaces so it must have been very difficult to park.

On Sunday morning repeated warnings were given out on local radio stations advising people to use public transport. Ironically, the buses were also stuck in the traffic.

Las Teresitas beach is possibly one of the best beaches on the Island and it is just a 7kM drive from Santa Cruz, the highly populated capital city of Tenerife. The beach is obviously very popular with the locals but an increasing number of visitors are now being attracted from all over the Island.

It is a beautiful tropical designer beach with palm trees, a mountain backdrop and soft light sand imported from the Sahara Desert. Facilities are very good and it is very safe for bathing because it has man made protective sea barrier. Many say Las Teresitas beach is the best on the Island, it is a stunning location and a must place to visit.

If you are a tourist it is better to go on a weekday. Sundays are always the busiest day on Tenerife beaches.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

Air Europa Miami Tenerife Inaugural Flight

Tomorrow the first direct scheduled flight form Miami will be arriving in Tenerife which signals the the start of a new era. Tenerife may well see a significant increase in tourism from the United States. Miami has a very diverse culture and is not dissimilar to Tenerife in that respect with a large hispanic population.  There are also bound to be some family ties between the two locations.

By all accounts flght sales have been going extremely well which is a firm indicator that the new venture will be successful.

The inaugural flight will bring twenty business owners, politicians and journalists from Miami headed by Commisioner Rebecca Sosa and Mayor Carlos Alvarez. They are coming to assess the new tourist and business prospects which are now open due to the new flight schedule.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

Quantum Air fly to the Canary Islands

Quantum Air has started a new flight service with eight return flights from Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao to the Canary Islands every week. They are serving Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. They will be offering 50,000 seats over the summer period bring many Spanish tourists to the Canary Islands.

The Boeing 717’s will each carry 120 passengers on each flight with very competitive prices. There is a 50% discount on flights from the Canary Islands until July 6th.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property

Tenerife Car Hire

Tenerife Car hire is fiercely competitive and prices are very reasonable compared to most other locations. We recommend you use the above car hire comparison web site where you can compare the prices of over 50 tenerife car hire companies in seconds. Recent search results showed 307 different cars with fully inclusive prices starting from less than €90 Euros for a week.

Why not pick you car up at the airport when you arrive in Tenerife and save the Taxi fares too.

Tenerife Car Rental

Tenerife Car rental is fiercely competitive and prices are very reasonable compared to most other locations. We recommend you use the above car rental comparison web site where you can compare the prices of over 50 tenerife car rental companies in seconds. Recent search results showed 307 different cars with fully inclusive prices starting from less than €90 Euros for a week.

Why not pick you car up at the airport when you arrive in Tenerife and save the Taxi fares too.

Aer Lingus flights – Gatwick to Tenerife

Aer Lingus will be flying from Gatwick to Tenerife commencing on 29th October 2009 and running through the winter period. Seats are now on sale from £49.99.

Aer Lingus is also adding five other routes from it’s Gatwick base in September and October. They will also be flying to Bucharest, Eindhoven, Lanzarote, Warsaw and Vilnius.

Aer Lingus already operates eight routes out of Gatwick for which they say they have sold 400,000 seats to date.

Another carrier flying from the south of England to Tenerife is good news for Tenerife Tourism. The new Tenerife Flights will use the South Airport known as Reina Sofia Airport. Aer Lingus already operates flights from Belfast to Tenerife.

Blog posted by Expedia Property SL – Tenerife Estate Agents for Tenerife Property