Canary Islands 2023 Holiday Thread

[croyde]

Yesterday, freezing in flat, wind and rain outside, dark by 3pm.

Much rather be in the warm and light, even for 2 months.

I'd go and stroll around the beaten up Spanish towns inland. Always found a friendly bar or restaurant in the past.

Make some place a local and start using my year of learning Spanish.

If I didn't have to work, I'd spend all winter over there.

BTW, how are you long stayers finding car hire now. Any good deals?

[ChocolateFrog]

I was also wondering about car hire.

It's only about £100 quid for the week from the airport but we'd only need it for a couple of day.

I can imagine hiring locally we might end up paying the same amount as for the whole week

[98elise]

Jaguar steve said:

mikal83 said:

I'm in LANZA now for 2 months!

No offence intended and it's a serious question because I'd really like to know the answer.

What on earth is there to do for two months in any of the Canaries to keep anybody from going stir crazy? We've been several dozen times to most of the islands and love the warmth and the food and the beaches and laid back lifestyle but even though we read and go for loads of walks and do something or go somewhere different everyday the most I can manage is three weeks at a time before I'm bored stiff and looking forward to coming home again.

Mrs JS would happily spend a couple of months there in winter and there's nothing stopping us but I'm not agreeing to that anytime soon.

I'm retired and there is very little to do in the UK when it's cold and wet outside.

I could easily spend 2 months doing nothing in the sun.

[President Merkin]

croyde said:

Congrats on the Irish citizenship. Mine was also confirmed last week but Dublin aren't sending anything to the UK until the postal strikes are over Grrrrrrrrrrr!

Is that right? I'm waiting on documents/certs for my daughter from Ireland for the same thing. I've been fretting a bit over that as we had the email confirming her FBR application before Christmas & so far, nothing in the post. Keen to get her passport sorted so we can head off to Caleta de Famara this summer & hit the waves, enjoy the seafood, take in a bit of Cesar Manrique, all the loveliness of that part of the world.

[mikal83]

98elise said:

Jaguar steve said:

mikal83 said:

I'm in LANZA now for 2 months!

No offence intended and it's a serious question because I'd really like to know the answer.

What on earth is there to do for two months in any of the Canaries to keep anybody from going stir crazy? We've been several dozen times to most of the islands and love the warmth and the food and the beaches and laid back lifestyle but even though we read and go for loads of walks and do something or go somewhere different everyday the most I can manage is three weeks at a time before I'm bored stiff and looking forward to coming home again.

Mrs JS would happily spend a couple of months there in winter and there's nothing stopping us but I'm not agreeing to that anytime soon.

I'm retired and there is very little to do in the UK when it's cold and wet outside.

I could easily spend 2 months doing nothing in the sun.

retired as well, quite a while ago actually but still mid 60's so not quite dead yet. We are just off for a 3km walk to catch a bus to the Teguise sunday market. Walk around for an hr or three, cup o tea and a sticky bun, then bus back.....3km walk back to our accom. By then it'll be 4pm ish. Cup o tea watch the sun, the sea....listen to the radio. (always bring my smart speaker and hook up to wifi)....then maybe something on the grill....dunno really.

[croyde]

President Merkin said:

croyde said:

Congrats on the Irish citizenship. Mine was also confirmed last week but Dublin aren't sending anything to the UK until the postal strikes are over Grrrrrrrrrrr!

Is that right? I'm waiting on documents/certs for my daughter from Ireland for the same thing. I've been fretting a bit over that as we had the email confirming her FBR application before Christmas & so far, nothing in the post. Keen to get her passport sorted so we can head off to Caleta de Famara this summer & hit the waves, enjoy the seafood, take in a bit of Cesar Manrique, all the loveliness of that part of the world.

When I got my email saying that my certificate was being printed, there was a link to the Dublin passport office for applying for a new passport.

On their website it said that all documentation whether it be a passport, citizenship certificates or birth/death certificates, were being held safely until the postal strike was over.




Just sticks in the craw doesn't it.

Not only has the Dublin office been snowed under due to Brexit, it then closed through much of Covid and now we are nearly there, a strike by the postal workers.

Edited by croyde on Sunday 15th January 10:37

[98elise]

mikal83 said:

98elise said:

Jaguar steve said:

mikal83 said:

I'm in LANZA now for 2 months!

No offence intended and it's a serious question because I'd really like to know the answer.

What on earth is there to do for two months in any of the Canaries to keep anybody from going stir crazy? We've been several dozen times to most of the islands and love the warmth and the food and the beaches and laid back lifestyle but even though we read and go for loads of walks and do something or go somewhere different everyday the most I can manage is three weeks at a time before I'm bored stiff and looking forward to coming home again.

Mrs JS would happily spend a couple of months there in winter and there's nothing stopping us but I'm not agreeing to that anytime soon.

I'm retired and there is very little to do in the UK when it's cold and wet outside.

I could easily spend 2 months doing nothing in the sun.

retired as well, quite a while ago actually but still mid 60's so not quite dead yet. We are just off for a 3km walk to catch a bus to the Teguise sunday market. Walk around for an hr or three, cup o tea and a sticky bun, then bus back.....3km walk back to our accom. By then it'll be 4pm ish. Cup o tea watch the sun, the sea....listen to the radio. (always bring my smart speaker and hook up to wifi)....then maybe something on the grill....dunno really.

Sounds fantastic.

Today I will mostly be spent sat in front of the TV wondering how much gas I will use just trying to take the chill off the house.

At least its not raining today.

[President Merkin]

croyde said:

When I got my email saying that my certificate was being printed, there was a link to the Dublin passport office for applying for a new passport.

On their website it said that all documentation whether it be a passport, citizenship certificates or birth/death certificates, were being held safely until the postal strike was over.

Ah ha, thanks for that. Just checked our email & it links to passport applications online where it states we require the certificate of naturalisation to proceed which we don't have yet as it's coming by post, so I guess we'll have to wait for An Post to do their thing,

[croyde]

President Merkin said:

Ah ha, thanks for that. Just checked our email & it links to passport applications online where it states we require the certificate of naturalisation to proceed which we don't have yet as it's coming by post, so I guess we'll have to wait for An Post to do their thing,

Yep! shame they can't just email just the certificate number or keep the certificate and await your passport application.

Taken me nearly 2 years so far with a bit of work from my sister in law on Ancestry to find my grandfather's papers.

So a bit annoying that a postal strike has ruined the home straight so to speak.

I guess Dublin want to be safe with important documents but the strike has only been the odd days here and there.

My Barclaycard and Tax bills have had no trouble arriving on my doormat

[croyde]

98elise said:

Sounds fantastic.

Today I will mostly be spent sat in front of the TV wondering how much gas I will use just trying to take the chill off the house.

At least its not raining today.

Completely agree, allowed myself to get too cold by lunchtime so stuck the CH on but the wind appeared to be sapping any heat away.

Badly insulated rental flat.

Ended up watching a film late afternoon with a down coat on, another one covering me and gloves.

Splashed out on an hour of heating the water in order to have a hot bath to heat myself up again.

Much rather be mooching about a warm marketplace in the sun with nothing to do

[Boringvolvodriver]

ChocolateFrog said:

I was also wondering about car hire.

It's only about £100 quid for the week from the airport but we'd only need it for a couple of day.

I can imagine hiring locally we might end up paying the same amount as for the whole week

We have hired with Cicar on Fuerteventura and there are no one way charges so pick up from the airport and take back to local depot although I think for a fee they would collect.

Seat Arona for 3 days €120 with no excess apparently

[LuS1fer]

Boringvolvodriver said:

ChocolateFrog said:

I was also wondering about car hire.

It's only about £100 quid for the week from the airport but we'd only need it for a couple of day.

I can imagine hiring locally we might end up paying the same amount as for the whole week

We have hired with Cicar on Fuerteventura and there are no one way charges so pick up from the airport and take back to local depot although I think for a fee they would collect.

Seat Arona for 3 days €120 with no excess apparently

Using Autoreisen, I generally pay 130 Euros for the full week, collect and drop at airport but booking in advance is key and checking it is important. In December, at one point, both Payless and Autoreisen were quoting 175 Euros but a week before I went, Autoreisen had dropped to 130 so I cancelled and rebooked.

In November, we decided to skip the hire car and use the bus (1 Euro 40 each to Caleta) but found it was then difficult to get to a supermarket for provisions (without getting fleeced by the Hiperdinos). I looked at booking 3 days at the start of the week but it was pretty pricey, about 90 Euros from memory but booking the last 3 days, it was only 58 Euros so we booked that and did our day trips on two days.

Payless used to be the same rates as Autoreisen but now seem to be a bit more expensive. Still worth checking both.

Overall, I decided that 130 Euros for a week was reasonable and makes you far more mobile and you have far more choice as to what to do or where to visit during the days.

[mikal83]

Boringvolvodriver said:

We have hired with Cicar on Fuerteventura and there are no one way charges so pick up from the airport and take back to local depot although I think for a fee they would collect.

Seat Arona for 3 days €120 with no excess apparently

e120.. Crikey. 3 day hire for me last week was e85.

[mikal83]

LuS1fer said:

Boringvolvodriver said:

ChocolateFrog said:

I was also wondering about car hire.

It's only about £100 quid for the week from the airport but we'd only need it for a couple of day.

I can imagine hiring locally we might end up paying the same amount as for the whole week

We have hired with Cicar on Fuerteventura and there are no one way charges so pick up from the airport and take back to local depot although I think for a fee they would collect.

Seat Arona for 3 days €120 with no excess apparently

Using Autoreisen, I generally pay 130 Euros for the full week, collect and drop at airport but booking in advance is key and checking it is important. In December, at one point, both Payless and Autoreisen were quoting 175 Euros but a week before I went, Autoreisen had dropped to 130 so I cancelled and rebooked.

In November, we decided to skip the hire car and use the bus (1 Euro 40 each to Caleta) but found it was then difficult to get to a supermarket for provisions (without getting fleeced by the Hiperdinos). I looked at booking 3 days at the start of the week but it was pretty pricey, about 90 Euros from memory but booking the last 3 days, it was only 58 Euros so we booked that and did our day trips on two days.

Payless used to be the same rates as Autoreisen but now seem to be a bit more expensive. Still worth checking both.

Overall, I decided that 130 Euros for a week was reasonable and makes you far more mobile and you have far more choice as to what to do or where to visit during the days.

If you book at least a few weeks ahead its a heck of a lot cheaper than for say next weekend.

[Register1]

Hello Gran Canaria
Arriving Lunchtime on Wednesday for 8 nights.
Have been to a few of the other Canarias, but not to Gran Canaria.
We will have a hire car.

When we were on Tenerife, we would enjoy a day out towards the top of Mt. Tide, and stop at a nice restaurant along the way for lunch.

I am looking for suggestions when we take drives out to the top of Pico Veijo or Caldera de Bandama.

What we found in Tenerife, was when it was cloudy, we could drive up, above the clouds, and have a stunning lunch view meal, above all the clouds,

Suggestions please.

[98elise]

Register1 said:

Hello Gran Canaria
Arriving Lunchtime on Wednesday for 8 nights.
Have been to a few of the other Canarias, but not to Gran Canaria.
We will have a hire car.

When we were on Tenerife, we would enjoy a day out towards the top of Mt. Tide, and stop at a nice restaurant along the way for lunch.

I am looking for suggestions when we take drives out to the top of Pico Veijo or Caldera de Bandama.

What we found in Tenerife, was when it was cloudy, we could drive up, above the clouds, and have a stunning lunch view meal, above all the clouds,

Suggestions please.

Not a lunch suggestion, but make sure you visit the dunes. We were there last summer...

[croyde]

Is that Maspalomas?

Lots of footage on-line, if you know what I mean

[fourstardan]

croyde said:

Is that Maspalomas?

Lots of footage on-line, if you know what I mean

I was going to say take some baby wipes

[LuS1fer]

Register1 said:

Hello Gran Canaria
Arriving Lunchtime on Wednesday for 8 nights.
Have been to a few of the other Canarias, but not to Gran Canaria.
We will have a hire car.

When we were on Tenerife, we would enjoy a day out towards the top of Mt. Tide, and stop at a nice restaurant along the way for lunch.

I am looking for suggestions when we take drives out to the top of Pico Veijo or Caldera de Bandama.

What we found in Tenerife, was when it was cloudy, we could drive up, above the clouds, and have a stunning lunch view meal, above all the clouds,

Suggestions please.

I just drove inland but the roads twist and turn so much that even after an hour driving, you can still see the sea below. It's better to just explore as I have been placed I couldn't find again if I tried.

[Portia5]

Anyone know this restaurant?

https://www.mesonelmonasterio.com/

My friendly local taxi driver in Adeje is promising to take us when we're back over next month., so Im hoping its worth the drive.