A Week in Tenerife

I've not long returned from a week spent in Tenerife.  Having never visited the island before it gave me the opportunity to cross off #7 from my list of thirty before thirty (travel somewhere new).  It felt so good to be exploring somewhere I'd not been before, especially when the weather was so amazing, we had glorious warm sunshine every day.

We had booked into the Muthu Grand Golf Plaza hotel in San Miguel de Abona.  If asked whether I would stay there again, I'd have to be honest and say no.   Although the hotel was lovely, I failed and hadn't done enough research prior to the trip, it wasn't really near anything.  Personally when on holiday I like to venture out and try out different restaurants, the hotel wasn't in walking distance to very many of them and those that were close by weren't the kind of places I fancied trying, which meant our options were limited.  The food at the hotel was ok, your typical buffet style food really but with a different theme each night it did add variety and mix it up a bit.

A couple of days were spent catching the rays by the pool at the hotel, but for me a holiday is all about exploring what the country has to offer.  I don't really feel as thought you can say you have been somewhere unless you have actually seen it, and so for us we spent a lot of time on the road driving around the island to see what else was on offer.

Being a volcanic island the landscape is rather dull, however every once in a while it surprised us with a breath-taking view.   During a drive through the mountains to visit Garachico we were at one point above the clouds, quite possibly one of the most surrealist moments I have ever experienced.  We twisted and turned our way around the roads, through pine forests and past sheer drops into the ocean.  It was breath-taking in more than one respect at points but well worth it for the sights that were seen. 

Aside from the beautiful views that we enjoyed during our drives out around the island, the biggest highlight of the week for me had to be the water park, Siam Park.  I bloody loved it, so much so we visited a second time to spend another day here.  It reminded me in many ways of Orlando, somewhere I've not been too for a long time but really want to visit again.  The layout was really good and the rides were all fantastic.  I hardly managed to take any photos while I was here as I was far too busy enjoying myself so you will just have to trust me on this one.  If ever you visit Tenerife, this place has to be on your list of places to check out.   

Another thing you must do is order yourself a Barraquito, a traditional Tenerife drink made with condensed milk, coffee and liquor, my god it is to die for.  These things are absolutely delicious.  I ha enough of them to know.

If I were to ever return to the island, top on my list of places to visit would be Mount Teide and the National Park, I'm not quite sure why we never got here but the week practically flew by.  The rest of the duration would most likely be spent at Siam Park to be honest, I loved it that much.  The shopping centre next door is worth checking out too, it was a really good way to fill an evening and get rid of some of those euros you have taken out with you, with high street shops such as H&M and Mango plus lots of other really great fashion stores. 

Have you visited Tenerife before?  Would you say there is anything I have missed out, somewhere I should have visited during my stay?

~ Gem x