by Julie Hume | Sep 12, 2011 | Tenerife, Tenerife Holidays
Sometimes all you want to do on your holidays is sack out by the pool with a block-buster, sipping cocktails all day. If you have a stressful job for the rest of the year, that two weeks of bliss can even make the previous 50 seem worthwhile.
I know because I have been there, done that and got the t-shirt. Once upon a time a horrendous boss laid into me so badly (and unfairly) in a meeting that I quit on the spot and treated myself to a week in Koh Samui to recover. All I did was lay on the warm sand and concentrate on feelings of relaxation and peace. (And dream up painful ways for my evil ex-boss to meet her maker).
I was totally refreshed and ready for action when I got back to town and very quickly found a new job. One that had better hours, better pay and a boss that was not descended from Vlad the Impaler.
Funnily enough, I think if I was in the same position today, I would do the same. I’d go for a change of environment but instead of spending my time relaxing, I would do something more exciting, something I’d never done before, like kayaking or scuba-diving. Or I would sign up for a week’s programme of personal fitness training and really get myself in shape, the kind of activities offered by Sports School Felix on the Active Holidays Tenerife website, in fact.
Another thing you can do is take professional swimming lessons. Felix at Active Holidays Tenerife is a professional swimming coach among other things and will take on infants, adults and family groups. He also trains competitive swimmers in particlsu upping the game for triatheletes who need to cut seconds off their swimming time.
It occurred to me when I was looking through that website that it would be a good package deal for a bride-to-be. She could come out here with her bestie prior to the wedding and after a week of being put through her paces by Felix, she’d be looking fabulous on her big day.
Whether you are coming to Tenerife on holiday or are already entrenched here, the activites offered by Sports School Felix look interesting and good fun. I have got Kayaking and proper swimming lessons down on my to do list … just as soon as I finish this book. 😉
by Julie Hume | Jun 28, 2011 | Living in Tenerife, Tenerife, Tenerife Property
by Julie Hume | Jan 24, 2011 | Tenerife, Tenerife Property
Newcomers are often at a loss of where to find cheap, long-term accommodation in Tenerife. Even the B & B’s charge an exorbitant amount for a single room if you look at the charges over a month. Flat sharing is always a good idea when you are looking to save on rent but the question is, where do you hear about flat share offers?
Generally, the Cultural Centre notice boards are the place to look although you don’t have to bother today because this one in Playa San Juan would be hard to beat:
Double bedroom with own bathroom in Playa San Juan for only €200 per month.
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- 2 minutes walk to the beach
- big roof terrace where you can see the sea
- Frequent buses to all areas eg: 25 minutes to Playa de las Americas, 10 minutes to Los Gigantes.
- Playa San Juan itself is a good location. Plenty of restaurants and bars, internet cafes and two beaches…
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This is a great deal for the money and will especially suit those that are working nights or in the entertainment business as the other tenants are night owls.The cost includes electricity and gas bills so no extra to pay. You will be asked for a deposit and if you want to fit in with the other tenants you’ll whip out the hoover now and then and clean up your own dishes. 😉
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by Julie Hume | Dec 31, 2010 | Tenerife
So here we are at the end of what was for many Tenerife residents a pretty tough year.
With an economy that is largely based on tourism things can get quite hairy on the island when the tourists have no money to come on holiday. Then when those who did plan their Christmas break on the island didn’t even get out of Gatwick, well… let’s just say for many that was bitter icing on twelve months of bad cake.
Everyone looks forward to New Year, don’t they? It’s not just about getting legless and kissing everybody you fancy at the sound of the bells; it’s a time to wave goodbye to the bad luck of the past twelve months and to be hopeful for better times in the year to come.
Being Scottish, I’ll be doing a Hogmanay clean today to be sure the New Year gets off to a fresh start. At midnight, I’ll be hoping for our first footer to be tall and dark, bearing gifts of coal, black bun, salt, shortbread and whiskey but the first visitor is more likely to be my short, blonde vecino bearing gifts of homemade sangria and sweeties for the kids.
Scots have always gone to town for Hogmanay. In fact, celebrating the passing of the old year was a bigger event in Scotland than Christmas – a fact that did not escape a disapproving church which commented in the Scotch Presbyeterian Eloquence publication in 1693, “It is ordinary among some Plebians in the South of Scotland, to go about from door to door upon New Year`s Eve, crying Hagmane.”
But Scots are not the only ones with traditions intended to usher in a lucky New Year. In South America you would want to be wearing bright undies at midnight (red for love, yellow for money), in the Netherlands you set light to your Christmas tree and drag it through the street (wonder what elf and safety would make of that one?) and here in Spain, you stuff 12 grapes in your mouth in the minute leading up to the first bell of midnight.
The grape tradition apparently started after there was such a bumper grape harvest one year that the king decreed there would be free grapes for everyone. You’ll find packets of grapes prominently displayed in the supermarkets today -but they certainly won’t be free. If you plan on picking some up to get in the spirit, make sure you pick up the seedless variety. It’s hard enough trying to gobble down 12 grapes without having the grapeseed dry out your mouth in the process.
If you are on holiday in Tenerife tonight, chances are your hotel will lay on a New Year’s party but if you are a free agent, a good place to be is the plaza in front of the church in Los Cristianos. There’s always fireworks, dancing and lots of fun to be had there. If you happen to spy a madwoman, with bulging grape-stuffed cheeks, wearing a red bra and yellow knickers, dragging a flaming Christmas tree and shouting Hagmane, that will be me. I need all the luck I can get.
Lang may yer lum reek!
by Julie Hume | Nov 4, 2010 | Tenerife, Tenerife Holidays
It’s true there is much to see and do in Tenerife. All holiday makers need to do in anticipation of their break on the island is surf the internet for 10 minutes to find thousands of posts about Tenerife’s resorts, beaches, shopping, nightlife, tours, scenic north, restaurants and so on and so on.
To find out how other people enjoyed a particular hotel, restaurant, location or attraction in Tenerife, all you have to do is ask on Facebook or Twitter and you’ll get inundated with opinions both good and bad. It’s all great information; invaluable when you are trying to decide how to make the most of your few precious weeks in the sun.
This morning however, I came across a post from a tourist couple who found something completely different to admire about Tenerife – a shiny red truck!
Apparently the truck is a Cloggie beavertail and Mr. and Mrs Peter Shaw (aka The Truckerdudes) saw the truck regularly throughout their stay. They took the picture above (which I hope they do not mind me reposting) and sent it to the Big Lorry Blog which is is powered by the Biglorryblog anorak army. 🙂
As a commenter said on the blog, Mapfre is a big Spanish insurance company and so the truck is most likely a recovery vehicle of some kind. If anyone has any other information to add about it please feel free to do so in the comments section below – or pay a visit to the Big Lorry Blog and comment there.
In the meantime, I would like to thank The Truckerdudes for opening my eyes. Looked at from their perspective that old Cloggie Beavertail is a handsome devil isn’t he?
Their appreciation of something that most of the rest of us would pass by without a second glance reminded me of this post about the Urban Explorers and their fascination with Tenerife’s old abandoned mines, forts and long forgotten man-made structures.
It’s true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but what other beauties might we who live in Tenerife be blind to?
by Julie Hume | Oct 1, 2010 | Tenerife, Tenerife Property
What could be better than owning your own holiday apartment in Los Cristianos?
Getting it for a knock down price in a location that you are practically guaranteed rental income is better. Better still, even after all the expenses are paid (the mortgage, community fees and cleaning costs) the rental income still makes a profit of over €7,000 per year!
Sounds a bit like having your cake and eating it, doesn’t it?
One bedrooms apartments in the Sur y Sol usually go for between €140,000 to €150,000. Thanks to the current economy, prices have been cut to the bone and you can now pick up a lovely apartment in this popular holiday complex for only €104,500.
There are ground floor and first floor apartments available and they are all the same price – even the corner units. That means it is first come, first served as far as cherry picking the best apartment.
The Sur y Sol is 100 metres from the beach in Los Cristianos. It has three swimming pools, a kid’s adventure playground, a basketball court and pitch and putt all of which make it attractive to tourists and a great investment as a buy-to-let holiday apartment.
Don’t hang about on this one. If you are in the market for a Tenerife Property Bargain, you are unlikely to find anything better than this great offer on the Sur y Sol apartments. For more information and pictures, contact me here.
