TENERIFE in the Canary Islands has got a character all of its own and it is often described as a continent in itself because it has a bit of everything.
The south is barren and dry, the north is lush and green, and the centre is completely volcanic. The middle of the island is dominated by volcanic Mount Teide, where the film Planet of the Apes was shot.
The area resembles a lunar landscape and stretches for miles with a dramatic backdrop of dark, sandy coloured rock formations.
If the weather is good – sometimes there are snowfalls in the winter – you can go up in a cable car to the rim of the volcano. A lot of money has been spent refurbishing the colonial-style, four-star Parador Las Canadas del Teide at the base of the mountain, which is a great stopping-off place.
Quite close is the lovely coastal village of Garachico, which used to be the capital of Tenerife and where Christopher Columbus stopped off on his way to discover the US. It has some lovely old houses with balconies and a beautiful converted manor house called the Hotel San Roque.
Just 15mins drive away is Puerto de la Cruz, the main resort in the north, where tourism to Tenerife took off in the early 1960s. The south only started to develop some 20 years ago.
However, the north of the island has always been fashionable. Personally, I prefer the north because I’m not too bothered about getting a sun tan. Here, there is a much more lush landscape, banana plantations, lots of greenery and flowers. It’s very similar to Madeira.
The only down side for sun-seekers is that this area of Tenerife tends to be cooler. But for the older client who wants temperate weather, it’s very good and is a much more cosmopolitan area.
The south tends to be much more of an area for the typical mass-market holidaymaker with its high-rise buildings, clubs and bars. The beaches, generally speaking, are not golden sand but a dark, grey volcanic sand, which doesn’t appeal to some people. However, the facilities are superb and it’s a great place for just getting away from it all. Tenerife is a fantastic place. The people are friendly, the food is good and prices are reasonable; and you can find some good duty-free bargains.
Tony Maniscalco is product, development and marketing manager at Mundi Color.