Canary Islands - Ever been? Itinerary?
Dec 4th, 2012, 09:46 AM
#21
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Kenav
I suppose what I am saying is that the world is a very large place and most of us do not have the time to see every square inch of it. In the limited time most of us have to travel, we just add up the pros and cons of a destination and make a judgement.
Most of Tenerife's beaches are poor and artificial. The Saharan winds blow huge amounts of natural sand onto Fuerteventura and as Biblo pointed out above, there are some stunning beaches on that island. However, Tenerife is in the lee of Fuerteventura and gets little natural sand.
If you want early summer sun, good hotels, good food and cultural day trips I would head for Nerja in Andalucia or maybe the Cost de la Luz, or one of the other Canary Islands.
If Tenerife was the only place on earth with sun in May, I would still avoid it.
But them I am not 17, a virgin or about to die (hopefully).
I suppose what I am saying is that the world is a very large place and most of us do not have the time to see every square inch of it. In the limited time most of us have to travel, we just add up the pros and cons of a destination and make a judgement.
Most of Tenerife's beaches are poor and artificial. The Saharan winds blow huge amounts of natural sand onto Fuerteventura and as Biblo pointed out above, there are some stunning beaches on that island. However, Tenerife is in the lee of Fuerteventura and gets little natural sand.
If you want early summer sun, good hotels, good food and cultural day trips I would head for Nerja in Andalucia or maybe the Cost de la Luz, or one of the other Canary Islands.
If Tenerife was the only place on earth with sun in May, I would still avoid it.
But them I am not 17, a virgin or about to die (hopefully).
Dec 4th, 2012, 12:51 PM
#22
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I'm sorry to say but Dickie must have experienced a very unique vacation on Tenerife.
I seriously don't get that obsession with virgins and old lizards and describing the rest of Tenerife island aside from the Southern beaches as "rock". It's a f*cking almost 4,000 meter mountain, obviously made from rock. So the Alps are also "just rock" or what?
On the northern coast you will find subtropical forests, quaint towns, and so on and on.
I am not even a big fan of Tenerife, but Dickie's assessment is highly bizarre to put it mildly.
Yes, Tenerife is a European tourism hotspot. Just like Miami Beach or San Diego are tourist hotspots in America. If you want to get sh*tfaced every day of your vacation on cheap booze, you will find taverns to suit that taste in either location. But you also have a vast number of families or ordinary people just spending a week or two on vacation on Tenerife. It's definetely not like Daytona Beach during spring break.
In fact, it's not even popular with "virgins". Those you will probably find rather on Ibiza or Mallorca than on Tenerife.
If OP wanted to spend a week on Mallorca's Playa de Palma a word of warning would be appropriate but Tenerife is a far cry from that.
I seriously don't get that obsession with virgins and old lizards and describing the rest of Tenerife island aside from the Southern beaches as "rock". It's a f*cking almost 4,000 meter mountain, obviously made from rock. So the Alps are also "just rock" or what?
On the northern coast you will find subtropical forests, quaint towns, and so on and on.
I am not even a big fan of Tenerife, but Dickie's assessment is highly bizarre to put it mildly.
Yes, Tenerife is a European tourism hotspot. Just like Miami Beach or San Diego are tourist hotspots in America. If you want to get sh*tfaced every day of your vacation on cheap booze, you will find taverns to suit that taste in either location. But you also have a vast number of families or ordinary people just spending a week or two on vacation on Tenerife. It's definetely not like Daytona Beach during spring break.
In fact, it's not even popular with "virgins". Those you will probably find rather on Ibiza or Mallorca than on Tenerife.
If OP wanted to spend a week on Mallorca's Playa de Palma a word of warning would be appropriate but Tenerife is a far cry from that.
Dec 5th, 2012, 04:31 AM
#23
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Dickie - Was reading about Malaga and Nerje and found this article. Seems disturbing. Pumping raw sewage into their waters?
<b>Costa del Dump
July 8, 2010 | Filed under: Environment,News | Posted by: Green Guide Spain
POLLUTED: Nerja's water under spotlight</b>
NERJA is being blamed for the poor water conditions along the Costa del Sol. A new group, the Integral Sanitation Forum, was formed to put pressure on towns that dump sewage both in the sea and inland into rivers.
In particular, the group is extremely concerned with the black-spot of Nerja, which is the only municipality along the coast that still dumps sewage into the sea.
The town has failed to install a sewage plant, after numerous unfulfilled promises and failed deadlines. The town of 21,000 people still continues to pump raw sewage into the sea, infuriating both residents and the Nerja town hall.
Further disruption was caused by a property dispute that ended with the Nerja town hall paying 900,000 euros for the previously un-derpriced land.
The Junta admits it will be 2015 at the earliest before the plant is licensed, constructed, and fully operational.
Speaking in Torremolinos, director of the new forum Salvador Vilches believes it is crucial for officials to understand the urgency of the situation.
“If the coastline’s sanitation gets any worse tourists will abandon the Costa del Sol and flock to cheaper destinations like Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia,” said Vilches. To sustain the Costa as a tourist destination, Vilches insists that sanitation must become a top priority. “The quality can’t just be hotels, services and facilities,” he added. “The sea water must be of a high quality too.”
<b>Costa del Dump
July 8, 2010 | Filed under: Environment,News | Posted by: Green Guide Spain
POLLUTED: Nerja's water under spotlight</b>
NERJA is being blamed for the poor water conditions along the Costa del Sol. A new group, the Integral Sanitation Forum, was formed to put pressure on towns that dump sewage both in the sea and inland into rivers.
In particular, the group is extremely concerned with the black-spot of Nerja, which is the only municipality along the coast that still dumps sewage into the sea.
The town has failed to install a sewage plant, after numerous unfulfilled promises and failed deadlines. The town of 21,000 people still continues to pump raw sewage into the sea, infuriating both residents and the Nerja town hall.
Further disruption was caused by a property dispute that ended with the Nerja town hall paying 900,000 euros for the previously un-derpriced land.
The Junta admits it will be 2015 at the earliest before the plant is licensed, constructed, and fully operational.
Speaking in Torremolinos, director of the new forum Salvador Vilches believes it is crucial for officials to understand the urgency of the situation.
“If the coastline’s sanitation gets any worse tourists will abandon the Costa del Sol and flock to cheaper destinations like Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia,” said Vilches. To sustain the Costa as a tourist destination, Vilches insists that sanitation must become a top priority. “The quality can’t just be hotels, services and facilities,” he added. “The sea water must be of a high quality too.”
Dec 5th, 2012, 09:20 AM
#24
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"Dickies assessment is highly bizarre"
It is an assessment shared by most of the British travelling public. Tenerife is like shopping at Aldi, nobody admits to doing it.
You can ramble on all you want but of all the many holiday destinations Brits have adopted over 50 years of mass tourism, Tenerife is firmly in the bottom five of down market destinations and for good reason. It is Myrtle Beach on a bad day.
It is an assessment shared by most of the British travelling public. Tenerife is like shopping at Aldi, nobody admits to doing it.
You can ramble on all you want but of all the many holiday destinations Brits have adopted over 50 years of mass tourism, Tenerife is firmly in the bottom five of down market destinations and for good reason. It is Myrtle Beach on a bad day.
Dec 7th, 2012, 10:26 AM
#25
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My goodness Fodor people can be so snobbish, what's wrong with places that attract lots of tourists. Personally I like Tenerife, but then I also like Blackpool and Torremolinos - at least they are not as pretentious as many of the popular spots that frequent this board. Santorini for example is full of mass tourists loaded onto long sufering donkeys struggling to keep their foothold on steep steps between beach and town, and yet it is paraded here as the bees knees.
Dec 8th, 2012, 05:15 AM
#26
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Well, so now I'm totally confused.
Will definitely have to think a lot about this.
As to the article I found about he pollution in the Costa del Sol -anyone have any experience with this?
Will definitely have to think a lot about this.
As to the article I found about he pollution in the Costa del Sol -anyone have any experience with this?
Dec 8th, 2012, 08:36 AM
#27
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kimhe on Dec 8, 12 at 6:34pm Nerja is special, the only town along the Costa del Sol whitout a sewage plant. It has been a never-ending story, but now it eventually seems to be built: http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-ne...uilt-say-equo/
The locals have been furious, totally desilluionised, laughing or all through several years. But the sewage goes out way off the beaches, and the local people don't go out of their way to protest the delays of the plant and seem not to be very alarmed. They might be tired of it all, but the local people also go swimming there as do their kids and thousands of visitors, also many Spanish. "Nerja has got no sewage plant because the nerjeños don't give a damn": http://www.denunciaseninternet.com/2...orque-los.html
Friends in Nerja welcome the plant, but they also indicate that the horror stories are way out of proportion and provided mainly by people from far away who don't know local conditions. I've yet to see some solid info that indicates that the water quality is so bad as some suggests, and remind that the Nerja beaches have got all the top ranking national and international awards, where water quality is an important variable.
This part of the Costa del Sol has reatained much of the Andalucian charm, although it has got all the amenitis that makes it popular with tourists. If you are put off by the Nerja waters, go to Almuñecar a little further west. http://www.almunecar.info/
I've visited Nerja every year for some eleven years and I use to swim all the time, as do thousands of others.
The locals have been furious, totally desilluionised, laughing or all through several years. But the sewage goes out way off the beaches, and the local people don't go out of their way to protest the delays of the plant and seem not to be very alarmed. They might be tired of it all, but the local people also go swimming there as do their kids and thousands of visitors, also many Spanish. "Nerja has got no sewage plant because the nerjeños don't give a damn": http://www.denunciaseninternet.com/2...orque-los.html
Friends in Nerja welcome the plant, but they also indicate that the horror stories are way out of proportion and provided mainly by people from far away who don't know local conditions. I've yet to see some solid info that indicates that the water quality is so bad as some suggests, and remind that the Nerja beaches have got all the top ranking national and international awards, where water quality is an important variable.
This part of the Costa del Sol has reatained much of the Andalucian charm, although it has got all the amenitis that makes it popular with tourists. If you are put off by the Nerja waters, go to Almuñecar a little further west. http://www.almunecar.info/
I've visited Nerja every year for some eleven years and I use to swim all the time, as do thousands of others.
Dec 8th, 2012, 09:05 AM
#28
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Kenav
Don't be confused just be sure what Tenerife is all about and decide whether that is what you want. Steve likes Tenrife and that's fine, he has been to many of the Southern Europe destinations that I have. Some like Corfu, we will agree on, some we will not.
I spend half my time, 10 minutes away from Blackpool and I too love it for what it is but when I travel abroad I want a specifically local experience which I don' t feel Tenerife offers.
Don't be confused just be sure what Tenerife is all about and decide whether that is what you want. Steve likes Tenrife and that's fine, he has been to many of the Southern Europe destinations that I have. Some like Corfu, we will agree on, some we will not.
I spend half my time, 10 minutes away from Blackpool and I too love it for what it is but when I travel abroad I want a specifically local experience which I don' t feel Tenerife offers.
Dec 8th, 2012, 10:13 AM
#29
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kimhe - I've read some blogs in which tourists tell of the waters being clear one day and the next filled with "brownish disgusting stuff". Yet, there are people swimming in it. Obviously I wouldn't want to go on a vacation and worry that the water will turn me off.
Thanks for everyone's opinions.
Thanks for everyone's opinions.
Dec 18th, 2012, 05:01 AM
#30
I'm a little late, but I agree with everybody's opinion of Tenerife 
There are parts that are typical of the worst excesses of mass tourism. El bingo, El fish and chips, English pubs, all day breakfasts, premier league on the television, all the night life you could ask for etc.
The Teide National Park is weirdly beautiful - more Luna surface than Earth. The hiking is great. The older North coast towns are interesting with parts of them hundreds of years old. There is relatively easy access to La Gomera which is well off the tourist route.
In May, there are many places that I would rather visit (Southern Italy, Sicily), but for an inexpensive, warm holiday in the middle of the European winter, The Canaries are fine.
I'm off there again in January.
There are parts that are typical of the worst excesses of mass tourism. El bingo, El fish and chips, English pubs, all day breakfasts, premier league on the television, all the night life you could ask for etc.
The Teide National Park is weirdly beautiful - more Luna surface than Earth. The hiking is great. The older North coast towns are interesting with parts of them hundreds of years old. There is relatively easy access to La Gomera which is well off the tourist route.
In May, there are many places that I would rather visit (Southern Italy, Sicily), but for an inexpensive, warm holiday in the middle of the European winter, The Canaries are fine.
I'm off there again in January.
Mar 30th, 2013, 09:33 AM
#31
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Hello, I am Dessi from Gran Canaria, I have just discover this web and already read your post. All the 7 islands are differents and very nice indeed. The weather is always warm, today for example we have 25-27C. I live in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in Las Canteras beach, one of the best beaches in Spain. If you are interested I will send you images and videos. My email is: [email protected]
My regards
Dessi
My regards
Dessi
Mar 31st, 2013, 03:08 AM
#32
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Please, have a look to a natural beach full of nature, lots of fishes and marine animals in general, an ideal place to To practise skin-diving and scuba diving. In spite of being an urban beach, it is not polluted at all. It is in the center of the city, Playa de las Canteras, a really very special beach, protected by a natural barrier that makes the beach very sure. But this beach is also exiting, it is in the atlantic ocean, very good waves if you want to practise surf (there are specials areas for practise surf). But also the city is nice and comfortable, with all the services and transport to go everywhere in the island or travel to the others. Another important thing: it is not expensive. Ideal to enjoy a week in may or whenever in the year, this current week: any clouds at all. You can check it. And we have the best weather in the world, for sure, and our beaches are NOT POLLUTED. Come and verify it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY2007iZWt4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY2007iZWt4
Apr 1st, 2014, 08:58 AM
#37
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Lanzarote is nice too. And easy to get to Tenerife or most of the other Canary Islands. www.yourplacetostay.com
Has great villa in Lanzarote.
Has great villa in Lanzarote.
