Tenerife Information for Tourists and Resident Expats

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.

Follow 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.

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Costa Del Silencio, Arona, 38630,
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
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