It is officially spring, and thoughts of the sun are taking over my focus. Automatically, I am recalling previous trips and one of my best summer vacations was on the Canarian Islands. Their location is quite unique as politically, they are part of Spain, but geographically, the seven islands are western from the Sahara. So I spent three weeks in Tenerife in a relatively quiet area called Puerto de la Cruz, which is on the north side of the island.
For a person who thrives on a full, fast-pacing schedule, the ambiance in my destination was extremely chilled and relaxed. When I started exploring the area, I immediately noticed how locals take everything with ease. They take their time when preparing the dishes in cafes, easily start conversations with strangers while waiting in the queue. It took me some days to get used to this slow-paced living. However, looking back, I feel that exactly this type of holiday pulls you away from your ordinary routine and recharges you.
Beaches. The first thing that comes up in most people's minds when thinking of relaxation and this is where I spent the majority of my free time. I was lucky enough to live close to my favourite two beaches in the north of Tenerife: the Playa Jardin and Playa Maria Jiménez.
This was an attraction in itself... As black sand absorbs and reflects heat the most, people who wanted to cool down after sunbathing (I wasn't an exception) were forced to train their endurance on their way to the water. Coming out of the modest warm water, one felt the toasty sun from above and beneath oneself as long as one was wet. Afterward, the race continued...
Another beach in Puerto de la Cruz is Playa de Martiánez. It is located in the tourist-centered area and is, hence, more crowded. Apart from that, it is a stone beach which makes a beach day less comfortable. An incredible alternative would be the Lago Martiánez. This is a resort with seven different swimming pools with SEAWATER. For the 10€ (excluding drinks and food), this resort also offers several bars, restaurants and solariums. All these facilities can be used all day long. In other words, it has my full support for being the principal tourist attraction in Puerto de la Cruz.
Tenerife can also boast of its natural phenomenon, which is the reason for the black sand on the beaches. It's the active Teide volcano that erupted the last time in 1909. With a height of 7500m / 24600ft, it is the fourth-highest volcano in the world. Many excursions are going up to the Teide and the connected Teide National Park, for which you should definitely pack some warm sweaters and trousers! Even if you travel in the summer, the average temperature varies from 1 to 14 degrees Celcius.
I also highly recommend visiting one of the islands' top spots for family adventures: the best Zoo in the world (according to TripAdvisor). In 1972, Loro Parque started off as a reservation with 150 parrots. With time, the German owner acquired rabbits with the purpose that his children can play with them. Gradually, he built the biggest reservation for parrots in the world, acquired different endangered species to be taken care of and attracted more than 50 million tourists across the globe to see the parrots. Not quite right, though. Apart from those vibrant birds, people can encounter typical zoo-animals such as monkeys, crocodiles, penguins, lions, and so forth.
I was mostly thrilled about the DOLPHINS and the ORCA SHOW. Both shows take place regularly throughout the day and visitors get to see different choreographies accompanied by music and performed by the mammals with their instructors. This was cute and impressive, but the ORCA Show - never seen in my life before!
The moment I was entering the hall to find a good seat, the moment I noticed staff offering ponchos, the moment when part of my excitement turned into nervousness, this was the moment where I changed my direction from the front rows towards the middle section.. and I was right about it. Don't get me wrong, it was the best show I've ever seen, simply without having the enjoyment of being splashed by five orcas.
The show started off with an introduction of these cute big boys, who surprisingly can sing!! After some jumps and turn arounds, they occasionally started to swing and strike out their fins under the water and, at some point, appeared at the surface with a massive water wave on the audience. The poor people in the front without those ponchos were soaked entirely after the show. 😂😂😂
Well, my three weeks ended pretty quickly, after which I jumped on the plane to Maspalomas in Gran Canaria... ✈️
XOXO
Diana
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