Canary Islands 2023 Holiday Thread
Discussion
LuS1fer said:
That's pretty bad!I would guess the infrastructure isn't designed to deal with a lot of rain.
98elise said:
LuS1fer said:
That's pretty bad!I would guess the infrastructure isn't designed to deal with a lot of rain.
I've been strong-armed into booking a 7 day Tui cruise around the Canary Islands - during Easter school holidays. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - other than seeing little parts of some of the islands we've not been to before. On the positive side, this would be our first time on a cruise and the event might be enough to put the family off any future trips.
About 4 days ago it was 21c in Icod de los Vinos and once I got out of the Cable Car on Mount Teide it was minus 6c. It was a comfy 15c at the base of the Cable Car.
Cloudy on the coast, I headed up the TF24 into pine forests and heavy mist up in the clouds around 6000ft.
Broke through the clouds around 7000ft and glorious sunshine.
I was flying in my Fiat 500 Hybrid on that amazing GoKart track and I had it almost to myself. The little Fiat is pretty asthmatic on the autopista but a joy on those smoooth mountain roads.
I've been up and down the TF21 a few times from Puerta de la Cruz area to El Portillo and love it, again having it almost to myself.
Today was 17c and cloudy at my apartment but pouring with rain and 4c up at El Portillo. Rain stopped about 4pm and I got a 6 mile hike in. Great drive back down the TF21 but Icod looked very wet, must have been some downpours and only 13c.
Yesterday I was in the sea at Playa de los Patos. Water was fine and I was well comfy sitting on a rock in the shade of the cliffs.
Amazing change of weather over a little island
Cloudy on the coast, I headed up the TF24 into pine forests and heavy mist up in the clouds around 6000ft.
Broke through the clouds around 7000ft and glorious sunshine.
I was flying in my Fiat 500 Hybrid on that amazing GoKart track and I had it almost to myself. The little Fiat is pretty asthmatic on the autopista but a joy on those smoooth mountain roads.
I've been up and down the TF21 a few times from Puerta de la Cruz area to El Portillo and love it, again having it almost to myself.
Today was 17c and cloudy at my apartment but pouring with rain and 4c up at El Portillo. Rain stopped about 4pm and I got a 6 mile hike in. Great drive back down the TF21 but Icod looked very wet, must have been some downpours and only 13c.
Yesterday I was in the sea at Playa de los Patos. Water was fine and I was well comfy sitting on a rock in the shade of the cliffs.
Amazing change of weather over a little island
Chris Type R said:
I've been strong-armed into booking a 7 day Tui cruise around the Canary Islands - during Easter school holidays. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - other than seeing little parts of some of the islands we've not been to before. On the positive side, this would be our first time on a cruise and the event might be enough to put the family off any future trips.
Nothing wrong with going on a cruise, well except a tui cruise …. Only kidding, I’m sure you will like it.Chris Type R said:
I've been strong-armed into booking a 7 day Tui cruise around the Canary Islands - during Easter school holidays. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - other than seeing little parts of some of the islands we've not been to before.
The issue with Canary Islands cruises is the ports.Some are reasonably nice places, such as Santa Cruz in Tenerife and La Palma in Gran Canaria, whereas others such as Arrecife in Lanzarote are dull with little to see and then there is the utterly grim Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, so in those ports unless you are taking an overpriced coach tour somewhere else on the island then frankly there is little point in getting off the ship.
PF62 said:
Chris Type R said:
I've been strong-armed into booking a 7 day Tui cruise around the Canary Islands - during Easter school holidays. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - other than seeing little parts of some of the islands we've not been to before.
The issue with Canary Islands cruises is the ports.Some are reasonably nice places, such as Santa Cruz in Tenerife and La Palma in Gran Canaria, whereas others such as Arrecife in Lanzarote are dull with little to see and then there is the utterly grim Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, so in those ports unless you are taking an overpriced coach tour somewhere else on the island then frankly there is little point in getting off the ship.
Chris Type R said:
PF62 said:
Chris Type R said:
I've been strong-armed into booking a 7 day Tui cruise around the Canary Islands - during Easter school holidays. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - other than seeing little parts of some of the islands we've not been to before.
The issue with Canary Islands cruises is the ports.Some are reasonably nice places, such as Santa Cruz in Tenerife and La Palma in Gran Canaria, whereas others such as Arrecife in Lanzarote are dull with little to see and then there is the utterly grim Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, so in those ports unless you are taking an overpriced coach tour somewhere else on the island then frankly there is little point in getting off the ship.
Similarly on departure day they will want you off and away to the airport.
Las Palmas in Gran Ganaria is pleasant - get the number 12 bus from outside the cruise terminal and for just over 1 euro it will take you to the old town which is nice for a stroll around - old market building, big cathedral, etc. And as your ship doesn't leave until 11pm then it is worth an early evening stroll off the ship through the new town to the beach the other side where there are some nice (non-British) bars for a drink to watch the evening beach vollyball.
Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, do something, anything! other than staying there. If the weather is good get the bus either north to Corralejo or south to Caleta de Fuste - neither are fabulous but either is a hell of a lot better than Puerto del Rosario even if all you are doing is going somewhere for a drink and to swim in the sea.
Arrecife in Lanzarote is slightly less grim than Puerto del Rosario, but that isn't saying much. Most people seem to take a stroll around the 'puddle' which is a small tidal area with some dinghies and with a few bars around, because frankly there isn't much more to see and really unless you are hiring a car there is nothing to see on any bus routes.
Funchal is probably the pick of the bunch as there is quite a lot to see and do in the town without needing to venture any further.
PF62 said:
Chris Type R said:
PF62 said:
Chris Type R said:
I've been strong-armed into booking a 7 day Tui cruise around the Canary Islands - during Easter school holidays. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - other than seeing little parts of some of the islands we've not been to before.
The issue with Canary Islands cruises is the ports.Some are reasonably nice places, such as Santa Cruz in Tenerife and La Palma in Gran Canaria, whereas others such as Arrecife in Lanzarote are dull with little to see and then there is the utterly grim Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, so in those ports unless you are taking an overpriced coach tour somewhere else on the island then frankly there is little point in getting off the ship.
Similarly on departure day they will want you off and away to the airport.
Las Palmas in Gran Ganaria is pleasant - get the number 12 bus from outside the cruise terminal and for just over 1 euro it will take you to the old town which is nice for a stroll around - old market building, big cathedral, etc. And as your ship doesn't leave until 11pm then it is worth an early evening stroll off the ship through the new town to the beach the other side where there are some nice (non-British) bars for a drink to watch the evening beach vollyball.
Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, do something, anything! other than staying there. If the weather is good get the bus either north to Corralejo or south to Caleta de Fuste - neither are fabulous but either is a hell of a lot better than Puerto del Rosario even if all you are doing is going somewhere for a drink and to swim in the sea.
Arrecife in Lanzarote is slightly less grim than Puerto del Rosario, but that isn't saying much. Most people seem to take a stroll around the 'puddle' which is a small tidal area with some dinghies and with a few bars around, because frankly there isn't much more to see and really unless you are hiring a car there is nothing to see on any bus routes.
Funchal is probably the pick of the bunch as there is quite a lot to see and do in the town without needing to venture any further.
Weather has been incredible since Christmas eve, in some ways Christmas eve was the perfect day weather wise. Christmas day was a bit windier but the wind subsided very early yesterday morning.
We did a family and friends outing to the south yesterday, we planned it around the crowds and had a great time but I doubt I will be going back until the hordes have departed on Jan 7th, it was as busy as I have ever seen it, from Los Cris. all the way up to Adeje.
We did a family and friends outing to the south yesterday, we planned it around the crowds and had a great time but I doubt I will be going back until the hordes have departed on Jan 7th, it was as busy as I have ever seen it, from Los Cris. all the way up to Adeje.
Glorious. Much better than when I last visited in October 2019.
Sitting in a café in Masca and luckily found a table with shade
Amazing roads ruined a bit by tour buses. Could hear scraping sounds from below as I had to drop the passenger side in the ditch.
The two safari jeeps were fine but I've only got tiny wheels
Went north to iKea yesterday as I'm not happy with the lighting in my rental
Sitting in a café in Masca and luckily found a table with shade
Amazing roads ruined a bit by tour buses. Could hear scraping sounds from below as I had to drop the passenger side in the ditch.
The two safari jeeps were fine but I've only got tiny wheels
Went north to iKea yesterday as I'm not happy with the lighting in my rental
In the Spanish rentals I have used its either pitch black or lit up like a prison. The concept of dimmable lighting is yet to arrive 
Glad to hear you are having a nice time. I am thinking about hiring a 500e on Tenerife to try one out as I think an electric car will be good going up the hills.
In terms of hotel news, the Mediterranean Palace refurb is still a work-in-progress the rooms look almost done but the rear......February still remains the target for the completion and then the closure of Cleopatra next door for its re-furb.
Glad to hear you are having a nice time. I am thinking about hiring a 500e on Tenerife to try one out as I think an electric car will be good going up the hills.
In terms of hotel news, the Mediterranean Palace refurb is still a work-in-progress the rooms look almost done but the rear......February still remains the target for the completion and then the closure of Cleopatra next door for its re-furb.
PF62 said:
Well I doubt you will see much of Santa Cruz in Tenerife as the arrival day you will have spent travelling and although you have an 11pm departure it is a rare person that has the energy to get back off the ship once you have arrived - especially as the Tui mooring point is a fair walk from the town.
Similarly on departure day they will want you off and away to the airport.
Las Palmas in Gran Ganaria is pleasant - get the number 12 bus from outside the cruise terminal and for just over 1 euro it will take you to the old town which is nice for a stroll around - old market building, big cathedral, etc. And as your ship doesn't leave until 11pm then it is worth an early evening stroll off the ship through the new town to the beach the other side where there are some nice (non-British) bars for a drink to watch the evening beach vollyball.
Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, do something, anything! other than staying there. If the weather is good get the bus either north to Corralejo or south to Caleta de Fuste - neither are fabulous but either is a hell of a lot better than Puerto del Rosario even if all you are doing is going somewhere for a drink and to swim in the sea.
Arrecife in Lanzarote is slightly less grim than Puerto del Rosario, but that isn't saying much. Most people seem to take a stroll around the 'puddle' which is a small tidal area with some dinghies and with a few bars around, because frankly there isn't much more to see and really unless you are hiring a car there is nothing to see on any bus routes.
Funchal is probably the pick of the bunch as there is quite a lot to see and do in the town without needing to venture any further.
Just back from the one week cruise, and the advice was pretty spot on. I'm already forgetting what we did Similarly on departure day they will want you off and away to the airport.
Las Palmas in Gran Ganaria is pleasant - get the number 12 bus from outside the cruise terminal and for just over 1 euro it will take you to the old town which is nice for a stroll around - old market building, big cathedral, etc. And as your ship doesn't leave until 11pm then it is worth an early evening stroll off the ship through the new town to the beach the other side where there are some nice (non-British) bars for a drink to watch the evening beach vollyball.
Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura, do something, anything! other than staying there. If the weather is good get the bus either north to Corralejo or south to Caleta de Fuste - neither are fabulous but either is a hell of a lot better than Puerto del Rosario even if all you are doing is going somewhere for a drink and to swim in the sea.
Arrecife in Lanzarote is slightly less grim than Puerto del Rosario, but that isn't saying much. Most people seem to take a stroll around the 'puddle' which is a small tidal area with some dinghies and with a few bars around, because frankly there isn't much more to see and really unless you are hiring a car there is nothing to see on any bus routes.
Funchal is probably the pick of the bunch as there is quite a lot to see and do in the town without needing to venture any further.
. Fuerteventura was pretty dire - especially as we were there on a windy Sunday. We caught the #12 at Gran Ganaria and wandered around as advised. Pretty straight forward.
Arrecife ... it was okay enough for a stroll - and I don't think we were docked long enough for a car rental.
Funchal was lovely - very clean. First time visiting Madeira, and I think we'd like to return. We did an excursion which included a trip on the cable car, a descent on the wicker baskets and then a wander around the botanical gardens. We quite enjoyed this.
We did an excursion at Las Palma too, but it was overcast and windy so we didn't get to see the views. We might want to visit again in the future.
What was very noticeable in most of the port cities was how vibrant the 'high streets' are still. Not only cruise ship passengers, but locals out and about - with normal shops still trading. A stark contrast to the boarded up UK high streets.
The cruise itself had a very budget feel to it. I'd rate it as only 'okay'. If we were to go on another one, maybe we'd spend a little more and choose something a little more upmarket. It wasn't cheap though - certainly if you add all of the additional spending.
It was good in terms of having activities laid on that we could coerce our 12 year old daughter to participate in - normally she'd want to be locked up in a hotel room with a phone/tablet.
Unfortunately I seem to have returned with a cold.
Edited by Chris Type R on Sunday 14th April 09:14
Chris Type R said:
What was very noticeable in most of the port cities was how vibrant the 'high streets' are still. Not only cruise ship passengers, but locals out and about - with normal shops still trading. A stark contrast to the boarded up UK high streets.
I suspect part of that is weather-driven - warm and sunny makes you want to be outside, unlike the average UK weekend. Part is cultural - Spain still feels a more social country, probably helped by being able to live more of their life outdoors, and by having less of the 'hustle culture' that's invading the UK from the US.
And part is tourism helping keep it all going - e.g. Stratford upon Avon still has a very busy town centre (less so on cold / wet autumn/winter days), but interestingly there the big stores have all closed down and it's 80% restaurants, cafes and niche or tourist-tat shops. Great for a casual mooch, a couple of hours out, or a bite to eat. Less so for a proper shopping expedition.
havoc said:
Chris Type R said:
What was very noticeable in most of the port cities was how vibrant the 'high streets' are still. Not only cruise ship passengers, but locals out and about - with normal shops still trading. A stark contrast to the boarded up UK high streets.
I suspect part of that is weather-driven - warm and sunny makes you want to be outside, unlike the average UK weekend. Part is cultural - Spain still feels a more social country, probably helped by being able to live more of their life outdoors, and by having less of the 'hustle culture' that's invading the UK from the US.
And part is tourism helping keep it all going - e.g. Stratford upon Avon still has a very busy town centre (less so on cold / wet autumn/winter days), but interestingly there the big stores have all closed down and it's 80% restaurants, cafes and niche or tourist-tat shops. Great for a casual mooch, a couple of hours out, or a bite to eat. Less so for a proper shopping expedition.
Both of our tour guides emphasised that life on the islands was less hurried, which we experienced.
Chris Type R said:
havoc said:
Chris Type R said:
What was very noticeable in most of the port cities was how vibrant the 'high streets' are still. Not only cruise ship passengers, but locals out and about - with normal shops still trading. A stark contrast to the boarded up UK high streets.
I suspect part of that is weather-driven - warm and sunny makes you want to be outside, unlike the average UK weekend. Part is cultural - Spain still feels a more social country, probably helped by being able to live more of their life outdoors, and by having less of the 'hustle culture' that's invading the UK from the US.
And part is tourism helping keep it all going - e.g. Stratford upon Avon still has a very busy town centre (less so on cold / wet autumn/winter days), but interestingly there the big stores have all closed down and it's 80% restaurants, cafes and niche or tourist-tat shops. Great for a casual mooch, a couple of hours out, or a bite to eat. Less so for a proper shopping expedition.
Both of our tour guides emphasised that life on the islands was less hurried, which we experienced.
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