The
tourist complexes of Don Pedro, Don Palio and Ten bel offer a traditional
type of holiday accommodation complete with reception, room service and
organised entertainment. If you think the 'animator's' in their canary
yellow t-shirts, shark-toothed grins and strident exhortations to sing-a-long
might get a bit grating then you can also book a privately owned self-catering
apartment in one of the many semi-residential complexes Costa Del Silencio
has to offer like Tagoro Park, pictured here.
See here for
a list of aparthotels and hotels
in Costa Del Silencio and a description of living in the town or
read on below for a description of walking round the neighbourhood
while bars in Costa Del Silencio will give
a short description of a few family friendly places to have a refreshing
drink or three. The Costa Del Silencio Map has numbered flags which
correspond to those below.
Around and About In Costa Del Silencio
On
your first day, you might want to simply wander round the area, on
down to Las Galletas and back to your apartment for an afternoon siesta.
Here are someplaces you will pass should you walk round Costa Del Silencio
starting from Coral Mar.

Coral Mar 
Top Level
Sadly the British Video Club on the top level of Coral Mar
which used to offer temporary membership for tourists is no more due
to a family
bereavement.
At this
time the
future of the locale is up in the air but there is a possibility of
the business being sold as is in which case this would be the place to
go
for the widest selection of English videos in the area.
Also on the top level is an English hairdresser and
a gift shop also British run.
Ground Floor
Downstairs you'll see a Netto supermarket which is fine if you are desperate
but hugely expensive so avoid buying there if you can. Don't be tempted
by the English books on display either as they are way too expensive
and you'd be better to stock up with second hand books from the bars
roundabout where the money is often given to local charities like K9.
Round
the balcony there is a 'Great British Chippy' and a number of British
bars.
Stella's
is
great
for good
old
fashioned
grub
- steakpie,
suasage
and
mash, breakfast,
etc.
Round to the other side of Netto, you'll find El Penalty, run by a young
Spanish couple. I have fond memories of this one as the pretty girl in
there is the first one my four year old ever asked to marry him
Next to El Penalty was the long awaited but short lived Murphy's. There
was a lot of money and effort put into setting up that bar/restaurant
but it all went for naught when the owner got into a spot of bother and
flew the coop. News is the bar has found a new owner so better luck this
time around.
The Pit
Downstairs in the pit, there are yet more bars. If you have kids, this
is a good place to chill out. As long as you keep an eye that they don't
shoot up the stairs, the little ones are quite safe down here. There
is an air hockey table and a couple of snooker tables for bigger kids.
An old favourite of many , Tommy
Todgers, is now under new ownership.The owner, Mark, has great things
in store to bring new life to this venue so it is well worth a visit
to see what he is up too.
K.C.'s Euro Bar is the busiest at the moment and though it serves no
food, orders can be made with Stella upstairs and eaten down here.
Back to the main level again, you will find a a number of little restaurants
and bars along the roadside although the newsagent that used to be along
here has sadly closed.
Across from Coral Mar is 'the Dip', a collection of bars and cafes which
you might want to explore. I avoid this area like the plague because
anytime I have ventured down there it has had a very unfortunate 'burst
pipe' ambience.

Leaving
Coral Mar and walking in the direction of Alondras Park, you'll pass
Cameleon. This is a very attractive little bar which having had several
ownership changes in the recent past has rather lived up to its name.
Now in the capable hands of Lisa and Steve, the Cameleon offers both
a Tapas and an English menu. You can join in with karaoke or the Sunday
Quiz and if you have a large group, you can call Lisa to book a table
on 600216562.
Next door to Cameleon is Woody's, a nice spot for lunch or a refresher.
Across the traffic island from Cameleon and Woody's you will see Legends
at Joe's Bar owned
by Steve and Kate who pride themselves on offering great entertainment
including karaoke, X Factor, various quizes and a very good happy hour.
Call Steve on 659719593
There a few more bar/restaurants tucked into the Gaviotas cul de sac
before you get to Alondras Park. There is also a laundrette here and
a Lions Club charity shop.
Alondras Park itself hosts The Harvester Grillhouse which is
very reasonably priced (Sunday Lunch platter for two adults costing $11.95)
and has regular entertainment. Open six nights a week till late, closed
Mondays). Older kids are welcome here.

Carrying
on along this road you will come to a right hand turn down towards Chasna.
On the other side of the road is the Costa Sol and along side you will
find a couple of bars, a slittle supermarket and some business locales.
Particularly recommended here is the Alejandra Cafe. It opens six days
a week from 7.30 to 5 pm and its hospitable owners Gerry and Elaine do
a cracking breakfast. Having stopped here in the past with my two pesky
kids and one huge dog, I can personally vouch for this nice couple's
friendly and welcoming attitude.
You can follow on down this road between Alondras and Costa Sol, bypassing
the horrible Chasna altogether to reach the coast at Yellow Mountain.
There are some interesting carved inlets here to the left but if you
go on straight down the steps you'll find a little sunbathing spot
with metal stairs down to the sea. The current is surprisingly strong
in this
little bay so take care not to get caught with the tide whether you
are swimming or walking round the tip of Yellow Mountain. If you do
manage to make your way right round the tip, you'll find a little nudist
sunbathing haven here. Though not strictly necessary to get your kit
off, if you've made it this far, why not?
Back to the road again and you'll pass the Club Marina. This
is a pleasant place for an afternoon drink and is also where you will
pick up the tour bus to Loro Parque if you decide to do that during your
holiday. Club Marina has a very nice poolside area with bar. Sunbeds
are available to hire for the day.
Onward and you'll pass Tagoro Park and Los Geranios. Both
are mainly residential but there are private holiday apartments available. Atlantic
View on the other side is the same.
Keeping on the Altlantic View side of the road, you'll eventually see
Hermusa supermarket in front of you. This is a better place to shop than
Netto (though even better would be to jump in the hire car and do your
holiday shopping at Mercadona in Las Chafiras). There is
a wide selection of products including English, Belgian and German specialties
and you can pick up English newspapers and magazines here.
The corner on the other side of the road is dangerous especially
at night because this road is very poorly lit and the pedestrian area
is not clearly marked. So taking care, follow the road round this corner
on to Calle Diana. If you walk just a little way down Calle Diana you
will see the first completed part of the pavement work in this area.
The nice wide path down the side of Pali Don Pedro is an absolute pleasure
to walk on compared to the cramped and uneven road it was before.
You can take a left down to Don Jose with its bars and small
shops or you can keep on a little and turn right down the road towards
Alborado past some very shabby tennis courts. The alternative route past
the now extinct Bollypan is still passable and will take you down to
Tre Bol.
So
following the turn down to the Alborado car
park keep on past those shabby tennis courts until on the left you spy
a
dusty trail. If
you
step
onto this
path,
you'll
find
a broken chain link fence. If you are in the mood, skip through the fence,
scramble down the hill and there you have the only spot of sandy beach
in Costa Del Silencio. It is about the size of a handkerchief but it
is sand and the kids like it.
Back to the car park and you'll
see the Alborado building in front of
you. On the far right of this is a nighttclub, La Cita.
Across the road from this is Park John
Huygen with a little swing park with one swing,
a climbing
frame, a couple of slides and whirlygigs. It has a carpet of sand
which
is okay but bear in mind that La Cita across the road is a late night
boozer and all sorts of detritus may be hidden below that sand
Take
a walk across the park heading for the little road called Andromeda
that you can see on the map. Keep an eye
out for
the
flock
of wild
green
parrots
that
roost
there
in the
afternoon.
I've also seen a hawk in this park a couple of times and there
is a resident family of hoopoe.
F
ollow Andomeda nearly to the top and to your right you'll see Damon
Park. Though sadly neglected in the past ten years, this was once quite
a popular spot with a kids train, swimming pool and manicured lawns and
paths. Now although the rest of the park is very run down you'll find
a very pleasant spot for an afternoon beer tucked into the far side.
This is actually a Tennis and Petanque Club and there is a little mini-golf
range to keep the kids amused.
At the risk of sounding like a totally paranoid parent, I have to say
that the children's play area in Damon Park is also not up to scratch.
The ancient heavy metal old double swing that is in the enclosure there
is just an accident waiting to happen. No matter, when I take my kids
there, I take some super balls or tennis balls and they amuse themselves
quite happily by rolling them through the mini-golf course.
You
can leave Damon Park and turn right towards Tre Bol or left
to retrace your steps, turning right at the bottom of the road to Ten
Bel (which you will know by the incredibly ugly tower). Downstairs
in
Ten Bel, the Netto and Kodak shop are no more though
the perfumeria, a very good little clothes shop (bikinis for €5),
an amusement arcade with internet access, assorted small shops and a
hairdresser still survive.
Fabiola's is a Belgian bar/restaurant and though one of the waitresses
has the tendency to be a bit lemon-faced it has a nice shady section
and serves a wide range of Belgian beer. Also down in the Teb Bel pit
is Rinconcito which is Spanish. If you enjoy very loud golden oldies
sung just a bit off key then check this out on a Sunday afternoon.
Walking out of Ten Bel through the underground car park (directly opposite
the Netto doors), you will pass an electronic shop (next to the gift
shop, opposite the tablecloth shop). There are several electronics shops
down
here but this is the only one I would recommend. Ash, the tall, thin
bespectacled Indian in the shop is honest as the day is long and you
can take his advice to the bank. If you stop by don't forget to tell
Ash
I said
so
;)
From the carpark exit you can see Las Galletas which is the subject
of a whole other page.
Had you taken the other direction from Damon Park and walked through
to the roadside you would find yourself facing Garanaña with the Tre
Bol and Chapparal complexes to the right.
Garanaña
is home to Happy Days
Clubhouse where your Scottish hosts
Amanda and Gordon are as happy to entertain you with live music and
entertainment as they are to let you loose on the tennis and
lawn bowls courts. Happy Days offers a very good three course menu
for only €9 and Sunday lunch is only €6. Saturday afternoon
there is a live music showcase with new acts welcome. You can phone Gordon
or Amanda for more information on 922785373 or email for details of
upcoming events on happydaystenerife@hotmail.com
Heading back to Tre Bol and you'll find a few bars and restaurants,
a bank, carhire and Tenerifehome - a Scottish run estate agent. The recent
roadworks have not been kind to Tre Bol as access to the area has been
quite disrupted. Now that the end of is work is in sight it is not so
hard to imagine a nice open boulevard with busy street cafes and a lively
air.
The same can be said of Chapparal across the road. On a recent visit
I was quite shocked at how quiet it was and on a Saturday night practically
the only place to go for a drink was the Chinese restaurant. It has
been hard for the bar and restaurant owners to keep going when the roads
to access the area have been pulled up and cut off.
Thankfully the end is in sight and the proprietors of establishments
in both Tre Bol and Chaparral must be looking forward to the walk-by
traffic that those lovely wide boulevards are bound to bring.
From here it is a straight shoot back up to Coral Mar where I am sure
you will be happy to stop for a nice cold drink and the chance to decide
where you are going tomorrow.