The lead up to the trip was a tad stressful to say the least. Poor Tammey being ill and me stressed about my workload meant I really wasn't looking forward to going away. Usually I love the excitement and planning of a trip but even when I booked it, I was a little preoccupied and didn't do my full due diligence. This was certainly evident from some of the 'issues'.
Trying to make the most of the trip, I booked the earliest flight out. This meant being up at 2:30am and we arrived at the airport well in time to hit Weatherspoons and have a glass of wine at 4:00am. That's certainly the earlist time I've drunk wine before (I guess with the exception of partying into the early hours which hasn't happened that often).
We flew with Ryanair. I always say you get what you pay for but I think Ryanair are getting worse. Since changing their baggage policy, you now have to pay for even a small holdall bag. Luckily we were caught between the changes so we were able to bring a small handbag onboard and our small holdall bag went in the hold free of charge. I didn't get to sit next to Tammey but we did both get window seats which helped us have a little nap on route.
We flew into Tenerife South however we were staying in Tenerife North (first rookie error identified). Luckily I'd pre-booked shared transfers and the bus full of people were all heading to the North (it shows it wasn't just me with my error).
The actual drive time to Puerto de la Cruz (some 90km from the airport) was only an hour however the multiple drop offs to hotels took an additional 45 minutes. I was tracking our location on Google maps and we were so near to our hotel at one point yet it took another 20 minutes to be dropped off.
We stayed at Gran Turquesa Playa hotel on an all inclusive basis. I had read the reviews a few times and they seemed to be fairly mixed. It was only a three star hotel so I never expected too much however I was still a bit disappointed with a few things.
The actual hotel was lovely and clean. A nice big swimming pool, good size roomed and although the food wasn't the best, we did always find something to eat. What let the hotel down were the incredibly rude guests, mainly the Spanish.
They seemed to not follow basic social etiquette. For example, waiting for a table to be cleaned then just blurt something in Spanish then sat down. Or even pushing in front on the lifts when they could see Tammey uses a walking aid. Anyway enough of the negatives.
I love getting up on the first morning to go for a jog and explore the local area. This is the perfect way of getting my bearings and seeing the area when it’s nice and quiet.
The area of Puerto de la Cruz is a more traditional resort. It didn’t have the usual rows and rows of tacky shops selling yelping puppies and glowing things you throw up in the air. There were some traditional Spanish high street shops, restaurants and not an English/Irish pub in sight.
The beach was beautiful. Raw volcanic sand which glistened in the sun and was so soft underfoot. The sea was pretty rough but I actually enjoyed jumping the waves.
After quite a few days simply sunning ourselves by the pool (and of course day time drinking on the all inclusive package), we decided to hire a car on our last day. It was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, explore the island and not be stuck on a transfer bus for hours.
The roads were good conditions and with google maps it was easy to navigate our way up the mountain to the Teide National Park. Now the navigation was the only simple thing. Whilst the roads had no pot holes, it didn’t make driving on narrow roads with a very steep incline easy. At one point there was a stop sign however I had such fear of rolling all the way back down that I may have ignored the sign and hoped for the best (we made it!).
The views driving up the mountain were incredible. The scenery along the way went from lush smelling pine trees to exposed rock face and finally a sandy land. It was hard to remember to concentrate on driving and not keep pointing out the window.
After a pit stop at the top and a little walk to stretch our legs, it was time to drive down the other side. It was much easier driving down than up! We decided to stop in Playa de las Americas for the afternoon.
We’d heard this side of the island is where the Brits tend to stay and from the large beer bellies and ample swearing we were welcomed with, it was indeed chav city de la Americas.
We stopped for some lunch at a horrible place where I found a hair in my food. After this we decided to check out the beach. It was again pretty choppy here but they’d created a cove so you could swim safely. After catching some last minute rays it was time to head to the airport.
I decided to quickly get changed in the car so whilst changing I didn’t realise there was a man sitting over the other side who got a very clear view of my tan lines - opps.
The flight home with Ryanair was as horrible as ever. Late flight and people waiting on the tarmac to board the plane when they were still offloading the last passengers. This obviously left no time to clean the plane which was evident when I pulled the tray table down and it was full of food - yuck.
Overall Tenerife is a nice island but I have no desire to return. Your choice is chavvy Brits or rude Spanish.
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