How therapeutic to fall asleep and wake to the sound of waves. Luckily staying in the South of Tenerife in Los Cristianos in a luxury rental apartment just a stone’s throw away from this Tenerifian beach, this was to be our background music for no less than two weeks.
I travelled with my family on a Christmas vacation to be in a warm climate with family members who reside there all year. In this travel blog I will try to highlight a few things we enjoyed doing and places we dined at for travellers who are perhaps planning a holiday there some time in the near future!
Beaches
For beach lovers like me, Tenerife has several sandy beaches to relish including Playa de Las Vistas, Playa de Los Cristianos, Playa Bolullo, Playa de las Americas, El Medano, Playa Jardin, Playa de Las Teresitas and so many more! Playa de Las Vistas situated to the South of Tenerife is just one of the great beaches that make up Los Cristianos in Arona, it is one of the most commercial as well but I enjoyed the cleanliness and the convenience of all the amenities close at hand. I paid 4 euros for a sunbed for the whole day which is pretty cheap compared to Greece and Italy prices.
All the umbrellas, showers, and busy beach amenities anyone could expect are here. Seaside sports rentals, bars, food stands, restaurants, the beach is perfect for travellers looking for convenience. We also had a person selling fresh coconuts and pineapples at lunchtime! Best of all, this is one of the most eco-friendly seashore spots in Europe, having been awarded the Blue Flag by the European Environmental Foundation (FEEE) for several years now.
For the best beaches, simply ask the locals for help! For information about surfing schools, please read my blog Breakfast or Surfing.
Monkey Park, Santa Cruz
We went on a family outing to the Monkey Park in Arona, South Tenerife. It is an international breeding centre for endangered species of primates including monkeys, gorillas, birds and reptiles. It is a very small and compact park, a walk-through attraction with educational signs en route. We bought some vegetables at the entrance with which we were allowed to feed the animals We spotted a number of monkey species including Lemurs that are naturally found on the island of Madagascar, and Gibbons which are very small apes usually found in tropical rainforests across south-east Asia. Our daughter enjoyed seeing these animals from up close and it was a pleasant outing for us all.
Visit http://monkeypark.com
Dining and dancing at Malibu Restaurant
If you are staying in Los Cristianos, Tenerife and you fancy going out for a great meal and enjoying some entertainment such as singing, Spanish dancing, and Cabaret shows every night well Malibu should be one restaurant on your list. This a family business with a long career in the hospitality. For over 20 years, it has been catering for locals and tourists who enjoy home-made cooking, good music and a fun night out.
We went to this very busy restaurant on a Wednesday night when there was a one-hour long Spanish dancing show by a duo of very talented flamenco dancers. Here are a couple of photos I took of them. We also got up to dance on the dance floor at one point. Oh yes! We had a lovely time here so I do recommend it and we will certainly return on our next holiday to Tenerife.
Visit http://www.malibu-tenerife.com/
Child-friendly destination
When you have young children, you long for a place that is child-friendly and safe. You want to have a relaxing break while your children can also have a fun time. The places we visited in Los Cristianos and Las Americas had very wide pavements for easy manoeuvering of the push chair, they all had high chairs and they were well-catered for travellers wiith children. We saw several families from all parts of the world. It does seem to attract a lot of tourists from Britain, Germany, Japan, America, Sweden and Russia.
Jogging
For the athletic and health conscious persons like us, here was excellent for us because there is a never-ending promenade where we could enjoy a good one or two hours of exercise every morning followed by a stop for coffee and water at one of the many restaurants dotted along the seashore.
Best Sangrias
Every Spanish city should have excellent sangrias but here we had so many fresh ones everywhere! To name a few places we had them at Stone Grill in Arona, Restaurante Las Olas in Calle Playa Grande, Royal Garden Restaurant in Las Americas, El Pincho in Los Cristianos and at Chiringuito Punta Vista in Arona, Los Cristianos.
Stone Grill – Carne a la Piedra
I would like to recommend this restaurant that is situated along the seafront promenade of Los Cristianos Beach, Arona because it offers a unique dining experience in this part of Tenerife. You choose meat or fish or a mix of both and you cook it yourself on a hot stone that is presented to you on the table. They serve a variety of excellent quality food and the service is also top notch. I had the salmon while my husband had beef fillet. I have also visited this place during the day several times during our stay, to enjoy either a good cup of cappuccino at sunset or a sangria with dinner, and I was never disappointed. Please take note to pay this place a visit when on this Canary Island. You can find them on Facebook.
Papagayo Beach Club – our favourite night club
We spotted this venue one morning in Arona while we were jogging along the promenade and we did decide to visit one night. We had some exquisite cocktails and beers here served with olives and nibbles and we danced here till the early hours of the morning to cool tunes played by a local DJ. In each of the five bars on both floors you will find masterful hands preparing the best combinations of cocktails to die for. Not only will you find well known and delicious mixtures on the menu, but you can also ask for specials made for you on the spot. Decorated with white sofas everywhere and complemented with sexy blue and pink lighting, Papagayo is one of the trendiest places to be at and reservations are highly recommended on Friday and Saturday nights.
Visit http://www.papagayobeachclub.com/en/
Local food
Every new place I visit, I always try to taste local specialities. This time I enjoyed Spanish potatoes served with two types of mojo sauces – a cucumber and avocado one and a tomato and chili one. I also enjoyed this spicy Spanish chorizo sausages served with condiments including potatoes and spinach at Maui Beach club. These bites go really well with any type of drink, especially Sangrias!
A Photographer’s Paradise
There are so many beautiful views to shoot everywhere you visit. Here was no exception. It was here in Tenerife that I started shooting some looks for my Fashion Blog.
Visit www.graziellecamilleri.com/Blog
Siam Park
One day we decided to dedicate a day to visit the Siam Park which claims to be one of the most exciting water parks in Europe, purely to enjoy the water slides for which it is famous for including The Dragon, The Tower of Power and The Jungle Snakes. We were there early one morning during the week to be able to enjoy the whole day there. Despite my love for adrenalin rushes and fun activities, I am not one who loves water slides but after my husband begged me to join him and his brother, I tagged along. I was not looking forward to this, but to my pleasant surprise I did enjoy it. We spent a whole day exploring this huge attraction spread across 46 acres of fun things to do.
Visit the official site to check opening times and prices http://www.siampark.net/index.php/en/
Siam Park includes Thai theming on all of its rides, park buildings, and restaurants. The park’s 25 buildings are the largest collection of Thai-themed buildings outside Thailand. In addition, the restaurants serve Thai food as well as family favorites. The park also has a Thai floating market so you get a taste of Thailand in Tenerife.
So from this blog, you can gather that my vacation in this Canary Island was a very pleasant one and look forward to return every year. If I were looking at buying timeshare in Europe, Tenerife apart from Portugal, Malta and Thailand would be very high on my list of favourites.
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