Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and while they are Spanish they are geographically part of the African continent. Chris and I have just returned from a wonderful week spent in the colourful and scenic north of the island.
Tenerife is dominated by Teide, a dormant volcano which is the highest peak of Spain and the third tallest volcano in the world.
There are 900,000 inhabitants and Tenerife receives over 5 million visitors each year as people are attracted to its sub tropical climate and mild winters.
Keen to spend our time exploring we hired a car for the duration of our trip, collecting it on arrival at Tenerife South Airport and returning to the same place as we left.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at lunchtime and wander to Puerto de la Cruz
Day 2: Teide National Park and Los Gigantes
Day 3: La Orotava, Punta del Hidalgo and Playa del Ancon
Day 4: Puerto de la Cruz 12 mile walkabout
Day 5: Masca and Garachico
Day 6: La Orotava, Playa de Castro, Playa de las Americas
Day 7: La Laguna, Anaga National Park and Playa Teresitas
Day 8: Drive back to the airport
Weather
We were fortunate to have had no rain for the entire week despite staying in the north of Tenerife where the temperatures are lower and it is more likely to rain than in the drier south of the island. According to holidayweather.com, average temperatures in March usually reach about 22 degrees and there can be 6 days of rain.
Food
The great thing about self catering is the freedom to choose where to have your meals each day. Some days we had breakfast on our terrace and other days we found a cafe. We had some fabulous meals and recommend the following two restaurants in particular:
- Violeta Del Teide in La Orotava which specialises in local wine, local grilled cheeses and has a tasty range of vegan and vegetarian food
- Mama Nena in Puerto de la Cruz for its lovely rustic courtyard setting, welcoming glass of local cava and traditional Canarian menu with a twist!
Physical menu’s are something of a thing of the past in Tenerife now… even in small authentic restaurants you need to use your mobile to scan a QR code for the menu! And booking an evening meal later in the week back in Mama Nena’s was quick and simple with their online booking system.
Accommodation
We spent the week staying in the Villa Finca El Drago which is sandwiched between the historic La Orotava, a 30 minute uphill walk to the north and the tourist resort of Puerto de la Cruz, a 30 minute downhill walk to the south!
This is the perfect place to stay if you have a car as the villa is located next to the main TF-5 road with easy access to the north west and north east of the island. Next to us was Junction 33 which leads to TF-21, one of the main roads right across the Teide National Park.
Thanks to an early flight from Luton we collected the hire car from Tenerife South airport and following an hours’ drive, we arrived in the early afternoon. We were amazed when we entered our villa with its large spacious rooms and gorgeous little terrace from where we could see the Atlantic.
Despite close proximity to the main TF-5 road, the accommodation was set far back from the road which gave it a relaxing and peaceful feel. We were able to sit at our patio having breakfast while listening to the birds and smelling the sweet smells of the surrounding tropical flowers.
Travel logistics
Compared with our trip to Spain before Christmas travelling to and from Tenerife was a breeze and has firmly restored my faith in foreign travel! Other than completing the Spanish Health Declaration Form within 48 hours of departure, and wearing face masks on the plane, the journey’s both there and back were straightforward. All credit to EasyJet with no delays, organised boarding and disembarking and all going very smoothly. Unlike the other airline where we are STILL waiting for compensation… 😦
And thankfully the UK recently dropped all covid restrictions for entry back into the UK… YAY!!!!!
Summary
We had a brilliant week exploring the north of Tenerife and did 505 miles in the hire car. There is far more to Tenerife than the bustling resorts of the south of the island. However, with Tenerife being a year-round holiday destination even in March it was still fairly busy.
frombluetogreen.com 
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