floridapete
05-31-2006, 04:12 PM
Hello all, we have just arrived back from a two week trip to Tenerife (for the benefit of US readers, this is an island in the Canary Islands group, off the coast of Morroco which is Spanish territory). We decided to go there as we had been unable to make our usual winter trip to Florida this last year because of our committments in York.
As we had been nowhere but Florida and the USA for holidays for the last 15 years, I must admit that I was feeling rather apprehensive. After all - I know Florida and the Floridian ways so well that arriving in a 'strange' country with a different environment and another language and ways, I was unsure whether I would like it. In fact it is 23 years since we last visited Tenerife, just the once, before it had become really popular with the British. However, I knew that we were going to the far SW end of the island, well away from the 'busy corner' near Playa las Americas where all the 'package holidays' go, so I felt that we should be OK over there in a muc quieter location.
We had managed to rent a private apartment from my cousin. This 'spanish village' styled complex is set on a rocky coastline near "Los Gigantes" - those gigantic, vertical cliffs, enormously high, which rise straight up out the Atlantic Ocean as they were formed by the last eruption of the islands volcano (El Teide) in the late 1700's. The cliffs were formed by the molten lava pouring into the sea - and solidifying as it met with the cold ocean waters.
But the very fact of arriving at Tenerife airport was a delight. Only a four hour flight from our local airport at Leeds/Bradford - no hiking down to London to make the flight - with no landing cards to fill, no visas required, no immigration officer to satisfy, no fingerprints, iris scans, digital photos, no endless details to be provided for 'safety and security reasons, no customs clearances, a walk-through passport desk which hardly seemed interested in looking at my open passport as I passed by, and a one-stop baggage pick up (unlike the hassles MCO). Within minutes of landing we were out of the terminal being picked up by our waiting limo driver to take us to our destination - Puerto Santiago - a little fishing harbour with a small town, near to Los Gigantes a 35 minutes tranfer away.
We very quickly came to realise that there IS life beyond Florida and we enjoyed our stay there so much that we are already planning to come back in September for Jeans birthday and spend a month. We have also come to realise that a holiday CAN be completely enjoyed without a rental car to drive, with much more walking and exercise to benefit us, and with so many local restaurants within walking distance we were able to eat at a different place every night of our stay !
The apartment complex is set on a steep hillside overlooking the ocean and looking out towards another small island (La Gomera) which looks close enough to touch but is, in fact, a five hour ferry ride away. The garden settings are beautiful with palm trees, exotic tropical flowers, waterfalls and two lovely swimming pools with lots of sunbeds to enjoy the warm but comfortable sunshine.
Tenerife is on the same latitude as Florida and so enjoys similar temperatures, but without the humidity of Summer, the subtropical downpours or the hurricanes which Florida suffers from. In fact those hurricanes start to form in the middle of the Atlantic, not far to the west of Tenerife, before they start out on their route towards the Gulf of Mexico.
It was a wonderfully relaxing time - a local walk in the morning, maybe along the rocky coastline watching the waves break over the black (volcanic) rocks and the deep blue waters. The local beaches also have dark grey 'sands' due to the luvial rocks of the volcanic island. In the afternoon
(and after a patio lunch in the shade of our ocean view apartment) we simply stepped down a few steps to the side of our community pool (which always very quiet and peaceful) for an afternoon of sunbathing. Then each evening there was a chance for us to dress up a little and walk out to the nearby restaurants to see which one we would choose this evening. We ate Spanish (lovely fish soups, paella and seafood dishes), Italian, German. Chinese and even Mexican. We have only eaten at one place twice - there is SO much choice and not a waiting line in sight anywhere !
At the end of each evening we make our way to a local bar/nightspot nearby ("Route 66") where we watch and listen to visiting entertainers performing in the bar whilst we sit in the open air with no bugs to troiuble us - no AC required at all !
For the first time in 15 years our holidays have a 'vertical' dimension to them as there is some rise and fall in the landscape. Florida is SO flat that the landscape sometimes gets boring. In fact here we could have rented a car and driven up to the volcano summit, then take a cable car ride to the craters' edge, or drive to the north side of the island which, as it catches most of the prevailing rainfall, is much more verdant and lush than the south, where we were. Beautiful landscapes to be found at every hair-pin bend in the mountain roads - but we have left all that until our next visit.
The language is different (well maybe not that different really from a lot of the Hispanics and Latinos in Orlando/Kissimmee area), the food is pleasantly different, the money is VERY different as we had not previously ever met the four year old Euro with its very colourful banknotes and curious coinage. It was fun making it all work - and to engage the locals with a little of my schoolboy Spanish - and getting understood by them to the point that they then engaged me in conversations that I didn't understand !
The costs are extremely good value as it is possible to have an evening meal for two for less than $30 including wine ! The least we ever paid (yet) was for the Menu del Dia (set menu) at a small family owned diner overlooking the island as the sun set, where the complete three courses with garlic bread and house wine cost just €8.40 (about $10 or £6) each. And it was fantastic value !
We have also taken a look at property values as there is a unit like the two storey, one bed, one bath, living and kitchen unit we are staying in available for sale right next door. The price is €163,000 (about £110K or $195,000) and, for a moment there, I almost 'got involved'. But then wiser counsels prevailed (Jean - "been there, done that, got the scars to prove it") and we determined to keep on renting - not buying again.
Tenerife, being Spanish and therefore part of the EU, is entirely open to the British to visit and to retire to if they wish. In fact, 48% of the properties in the area that we are staying in are owned by British people - though you would know it from the streets, shops and restaurants which are still very Spanish with locals in the town and down by the ancient Peurto (port/fishing harbour). So there is a big market for Brits who want to retire to the sunshine - which they are not allowed to do in Florida by virtue of the USA's stupid visa laws.
On the other hand we saw plenty of ex-pat Brits scraping a living in Brit bars and cafes, managing and cleaning firms, some in automotive trades, builders etc. etc. all thinking that they had a better life out there - but I'm not really sure how much 'better' it really is. For us it was easy - just lay back and relax. We don't have to work as we are retired, and we could retire there tomorrow if we really wanted to, no emigration problems, no visas required. But our first day back is a beautiful sunny day here in York - so why would we ?
Yes, we appear to have found 'another paradise' which we can interchange with our regular haunts in Florida. But the older we get the more difficult it is becoming to make the tiring journey, the hassles of security, and the ever-increasing costs of medical insurance for the USA in older years and longer stays, to cross the Atlantic each winter. In fact it is now almost impossible for us to get medical insurance cover for any more than 90 or 120 days in the USA, such are the percieved astronomical costs of medical treatment over there. But here, all we need is our E111 EU medical cards (for free treatment for routine attention and medications) and a much lower insurance for any medical emergency which might befall us.
I just wanted to share this enjoyment with you all. Hope that you enjoy reading it. Please ask me any questions that you think I may be able to answer.
Best wishes from Peter & Jean.
P.S. Here are a couple of 'postcards from paradise'. Our apartment is the one on the right of the picture with the sunshade opened. The panorama is of the Los Gigantes village which we walked to every few days and this is a viewpoint that we passed on every occasion.
As we had been nowhere but Florida and the USA for holidays for the last 15 years, I must admit that I was feeling rather apprehensive. After all - I know Florida and the Floridian ways so well that arriving in a 'strange' country with a different environment and another language and ways, I was unsure whether I would like it. In fact it is 23 years since we last visited Tenerife, just the once, before it had become really popular with the British. However, I knew that we were going to the far SW end of the island, well away from the 'busy corner' near Playa las Americas where all the 'package holidays' go, so I felt that we should be OK over there in a muc quieter location.
We had managed to rent a private apartment from my cousin. This 'spanish village' styled complex is set on a rocky coastline near "Los Gigantes" - those gigantic, vertical cliffs, enormously high, which rise straight up out the Atlantic Ocean as they were formed by the last eruption of the islands volcano (El Teide) in the late 1700's. The cliffs were formed by the molten lava pouring into the sea - and solidifying as it met with the cold ocean waters.
But the very fact of arriving at Tenerife airport was a delight. Only a four hour flight from our local airport at Leeds/Bradford - no hiking down to London to make the flight - with no landing cards to fill, no visas required, no immigration officer to satisfy, no fingerprints, iris scans, digital photos, no endless details to be provided for 'safety and security reasons, no customs clearances, a walk-through passport desk which hardly seemed interested in looking at my open passport as I passed by, and a one-stop baggage pick up (unlike the hassles MCO). Within minutes of landing we were out of the terminal being picked up by our waiting limo driver to take us to our destination - Puerto Santiago - a little fishing harbour with a small town, near to Los Gigantes a 35 minutes tranfer away.
We very quickly came to realise that there IS life beyond Florida and we enjoyed our stay there so much that we are already planning to come back in September for Jeans birthday and spend a month. We have also come to realise that a holiday CAN be completely enjoyed without a rental car to drive, with much more walking and exercise to benefit us, and with so many local restaurants within walking distance we were able to eat at a different place every night of our stay !
The apartment complex is set on a steep hillside overlooking the ocean and looking out towards another small island (La Gomera) which looks close enough to touch but is, in fact, a five hour ferry ride away. The garden settings are beautiful with palm trees, exotic tropical flowers, waterfalls and two lovely swimming pools with lots of sunbeds to enjoy the warm but comfortable sunshine.
Tenerife is on the same latitude as Florida and so enjoys similar temperatures, but without the humidity of Summer, the subtropical downpours or the hurricanes which Florida suffers from. In fact those hurricanes start to form in the middle of the Atlantic, not far to the west of Tenerife, before they start out on their route towards the Gulf of Mexico.
It was a wonderfully relaxing time - a local walk in the morning, maybe along the rocky coastline watching the waves break over the black (volcanic) rocks and the deep blue waters. The local beaches also have dark grey 'sands' due to the luvial rocks of the volcanic island. In the afternoon
(and after a patio lunch in the shade of our ocean view apartment) we simply stepped down a few steps to the side of our community pool (which always very quiet and peaceful) for an afternoon of sunbathing. Then each evening there was a chance for us to dress up a little and walk out to the nearby restaurants to see which one we would choose this evening. We ate Spanish (lovely fish soups, paella and seafood dishes), Italian, German. Chinese and even Mexican. We have only eaten at one place twice - there is SO much choice and not a waiting line in sight anywhere !
At the end of each evening we make our way to a local bar/nightspot nearby ("Route 66") where we watch and listen to visiting entertainers performing in the bar whilst we sit in the open air with no bugs to troiuble us - no AC required at all !
For the first time in 15 years our holidays have a 'vertical' dimension to them as there is some rise and fall in the landscape. Florida is SO flat that the landscape sometimes gets boring. In fact here we could have rented a car and driven up to the volcano summit, then take a cable car ride to the craters' edge, or drive to the north side of the island which, as it catches most of the prevailing rainfall, is much more verdant and lush than the south, where we were. Beautiful landscapes to be found at every hair-pin bend in the mountain roads - but we have left all that until our next visit.
The language is different (well maybe not that different really from a lot of the Hispanics and Latinos in Orlando/Kissimmee area), the food is pleasantly different, the money is VERY different as we had not previously ever met the four year old Euro with its very colourful banknotes and curious coinage. It was fun making it all work - and to engage the locals with a little of my schoolboy Spanish - and getting understood by them to the point that they then engaged me in conversations that I didn't understand !
The costs are extremely good value as it is possible to have an evening meal for two for less than $30 including wine ! The least we ever paid (yet) was for the Menu del Dia (set menu) at a small family owned diner overlooking the island as the sun set, where the complete three courses with garlic bread and house wine cost just €8.40 (about $10 or £6) each. And it was fantastic value !
We have also taken a look at property values as there is a unit like the two storey, one bed, one bath, living and kitchen unit we are staying in available for sale right next door. The price is €163,000 (about £110K or $195,000) and, for a moment there, I almost 'got involved'. But then wiser counsels prevailed (Jean - "been there, done that, got the scars to prove it") and we determined to keep on renting - not buying again.
Tenerife, being Spanish and therefore part of the EU, is entirely open to the British to visit and to retire to if they wish. In fact, 48% of the properties in the area that we are staying in are owned by British people - though you would know it from the streets, shops and restaurants which are still very Spanish with locals in the town and down by the ancient Peurto (port/fishing harbour). So there is a big market for Brits who want to retire to the sunshine - which they are not allowed to do in Florida by virtue of the USA's stupid visa laws.
On the other hand we saw plenty of ex-pat Brits scraping a living in Brit bars and cafes, managing and cleaning firms, some in automotive trades, builders etc. etc. all thinking that they had a better life out there - but I'm not really sure how much 'better' it really is. For us it was easy - just lay back and relax. We don't have to work as we are retired, and we could retire there tomorrow if we really wanted to, no emigration problems, no visas required. But our first day back is a beautiful sunny day here in York - so why would we ?
Yes, we appear to have found 'another paradise' which we can interchange with our regular haunts in Florida. But the older we get the more difficult it is becoming to make the tiring journey, the hassles of security, and the ever-increasing costs of medical insurance for the USA in older years and longer stays, to cross the Atlantic each winter. In fact it is now almost impossible for us to get medical insurance cover for any more than 90 or 120 days in the USA, such are the percieved astronomical costs of medical treatment over there. But here, all we need is our E111 EU medical cards (for free treatment for routine attention and medications) and a much lower insurance for any medical emergency which might befall us.
I just wanted to share this enjoyment with you all. Hope that you enjoy reading it. Please ask me any questions that you think I may be able to answer.
Best wishes from Peter & Jean.
P.S. Here are a couple of 'postcards from paradise'. Our apartment is the one on the right of the picture with the sunshade opened. The panorama is of the Los Gigantes village which we walked to every few days and this is a viewpoint that we passed on every occasion.