Canary Islands 2024 Holiday Thread

[sinbaddio]

Just had a week at the Arona Gran in Los Cristianos.

Nice hotel I thought, decent food on half board.

Weather was great, mid twenties and a bit of occassional cloud.

[LuS1fer]

Ascension and Hopscotch if you want good food with veg and reasonable drink prices.

The rest are pretty generic Canarian fast food with salad. Watch for the ones who add tax and overcharge on the drinks as you end u paying the same for crap food.

The Step Inn does a good Sunday lunch.

[croyde]

Leave the southern tourist sprawl behind and get to the North coast (Tenerife)

Proper Spanish towns with great little places to eat that are dirt cheap too.

[chip*]

classicaholic said:

a311 said:

I'm no expert but have been 3 times and returning this year.

Algo Mas up on the golf course was hands down the best meal(s) we had while we've been, nice setting and really good food. Others rave about Nestors which is up the hill. The chef and owner is south American food was good but the restaurant is getting a little rough around the edges IMO.

Ascension was good too, a la carte menu surroundings not as nice as Algo Mas.

A lot of everything else is very in-between as you've described which I don't mind so long as it reasonably priced. Found the pickled palm really good, and there was a Japanese place on the harbour by the castle.

Algo mas would just be 5 mins up the hill from.the Sheraton in a taxi.

Another vote for Algo Mas

Ate there last evening.
Tried the mixed seafood which was ironically deep fried, but at least it was lightly deep friend (crispy light batter outside and soft and flavoursome meat). The prawns were magnificent, proper tasty unlike the bland mass farmed prawns found in the normal restaurants (and in the UK).
Only criticism is the lack of kiddie menu. My girls shared the salmon pasta but it was too rich / creamy for them.

Thanks for the recommendation, I would definitely go again.

[a311]

chip* said:

Ate there last evening.
Tried the mixed seafood which was ironically deep fried, but at least it was lightly deep friend (crispy light batter outside and soft and flavoursome meat). The prawns were magnificent, proper tasty unlike the bland mass farmed prawns found in the normal restaurants (and in the UK).
Only criticism is the lack of kiddie menu. My girls shared the salmon pasta but it was too rich / creamy for them.

Thanks for the recommendation, I would definitely go again.

That's a shame as we asked and they knocked up kids size portions of whatever we wanted, pasta, chicken/fish goujouns etc. There chef is Italian so always decent pasta.

Totally forgot about Hopscotch which someone else mentioned. I think they've moved premises now. Menu was pretty much fine dinning in the evening bit reasonably priced.

[dirky dirk]

sinbaddio said:

Just had a week at the Arona Gran in Los Cristianos.

Nice hotel I thought, decent food on half board.

Weather was great, mid twenties and a bit of occassional cloud.

I’m sat looking at that as a type

It was 35c on Saturday

[LuS1fer]

dirky dirk said:

sinbaddio said:

Just had a week at the Arona Gran in Los Cristianos.

Nice hotel I thought, decent food on half board.

Weather was great, mid twenties and a bit of occassional cloud.

I’m sat looking at that as a type

It was 35c on Saturday

Yes it has been pretty hot since last Tuesday when we arrived. The Calima rather than the cloud hazed the sun on one day but it's really baking now.

[123DWA]

chip* said:

Hi,

Currently staying at Sheraton (hotel is pretty good and general clientele is generally pretty decent ??) at Caleta de Fuste, but I am looking for decent restaurants recommendations from the Canarian experts on this forum.
I was lazy on the first night and tried out Jimmy's at the nearby Athletico shopping centre. I should have gone with my gut feeling when I turned up. but my kids was hungry...Let just say the 4.4 Google rating is a tad optimistic, actually to be honest, it was fking awful ??

Do you recommend any restaurant (except Mexican, Chinese or Indian) in town? I am NOT looking for restaurants that serve large portion size / deep fried type places, just wholesome freshly cooked meals using quality fresh ingredients.

In San Eugenio there is a place called Meat Boutique in X-Sur shopping centre, they are a butcher that cook their own meat. Being in a shopping centre there aren't any views to speak of, the seating area looks out over the TF-1 but the food is really nice and reasonably priced. Their mixed grill was fantastic.

[croyde]

I think views of motorways are very underrated

This from a friend of mine in Athens at the mo'. She says the hotel and food is nice. Bit of graffiti in the tunnel under the motorway but the beach it leads to is fine.

And it's 27c.

[chip*]

a311 said:

Totally forgot about Hopscotch which someone else mentioned. I think they've moved premises now. Menu was pretty much fine dinning in the evening bit reasonably priced.

Tried out Hopscotch as Ascension was closed on Sunday.
The pork belly was pleasant enough, typical pub like food but a bit jazzed up. I would go again, but not in any rush whereas I would happily return to Algo Mas without hesitation.
Dreading dinner tomorrow as I promised we will go to the Golden Arches after a week of constant badgering from my girls!

[Pincher]

LuS1fer said:

Pincher said:

Seen a few news articles recently about the Canarians staging a bit of a revolt against tourists. Seems a bit odd to me, as I would have thought that tourism was what they would need to survice, broadly speaking.


Any locals seens much of it about and is it widespread?

I am in a sun-soaked Los Cristianos at the moment and I have seen no anti-Brit sentiment. I think many confused anti-Brit with anti-tosser. If you behave, nobody cares, if you're a lager lout, they do.

Bit of a protest yesterday by all accounts. Be interesting to hear from PHers ‘on the ground’ so to speak.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/27441806/tourist-pro...

[a311]

Pincher said:

LuS1fer said:

Pincher said:

Seen a few news articles recently about the Canarians staging a bit of a revolt against tourists. Seems a bit odd to me, as I would have thought that tourism was what they would need to survice, broadly speaking.


Any locals seens much of it about and is it widespread?

I am in a sun-soaked Los Cristianos at the moment and I have seen no anti-Brit sentiment. I think many confused anti-Brit with anti-tosser. If you behave, nobody cares, if you're a lager lout, they do.

Bit of a protest yesterday by all accounts. Be interesting to hear from PHers ‘on the ground’ so to speak.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/27441806/tourist-pro...

It's the same in any area which has high demand for tourists. I live in the Lake District and in many of the towns are at the point that locals can't afford to live in the areas they grew up, schools are under subscribed and getting staff is difficult.

I don't expect there'd be much in the Canaries if it weren't for tourism. I imagine people who live there either need to be paid more which will drive prices up or ring fence accommodation that's is either subsidised and/or prevent being bought for holiday let's. There's a large amount of unfinished shells of buildings in Fuetaventura and across the Spanish mainland from the financial crash. I'm surprised the Spanish government hasn't struck some deal with the banks who own these. Where Mt dad lives in Spain there are huge multi story concrete apartment buildings just sat there while there have been other developments since.

[croyde]

In the press there's talk of a major hotel development by Terjita (mind my spelling) beach.

That'll be awful as currently it's devoid of bars, shops, kiss me quick hats and the general Brit yobbery of Costa Adeje.

I have to say that I am generally embarrassed by the Brits pouring into Tenerife when I have been waiting at the airport to pick up/drop off friends/family, and was glad to hightail it back to the North where I stayed amongst the Canarians.

I'm returning for a month in July, I'd better make sure that I talk like a local

[Register1]

CardinalBlue said:

Hope I'm not stepping on any toes by starting the 2024 thread...

Booked 10 nights in Costa Adeje at the GF Isabel for me, my wife and my young son. We've got unlimited tickets to Siam Park which I've been to a few years ago - but I expect it might be a different experience with a toddler in tow....

What's everyone else got booked?

Costa Adege.
Best of all places.
We have been to several places in the south, but Adege is always the winner.

[LuS1fer]

Register1 said:

Costa Adege.
Best of all places.
We have been to several places in the south, but Adege is always the winner.

We stayed in Los Cristianos and visited Adeje.

Nice to look at but way too crowded and overdeveloped and hard to park.

If you like crowded beaches, lots of shops selling much the same stuff and a bit of noise then maybe. Even I would object and I don't even live there...

[r159]

Register1 said:

CardinalBlue said:

Hope I'm not stepping on any toes by starting the 2024 thread...

Booked 10 nights in Costa Adeje at the GF Isabel for me, my wife and my young son. We've got unlimited tickets to Siam Park which I've been to a few years ago - but I expect it might be a different experience with a toddler in tow....

What's everyone else got booked?

Costa Adege.
Best of all places.
We have been to several places in the south, but Adege is always the winner.

We’re off to GF Isabel in July, same as you 10 days with Siam tix. 3rd time at the hotel for us spread over the last 8 years or so. It’s first stop for the park free bus, which can get very busy but for less faf it’s not much in a taxi. If is anything like the last visit we had allow some extra time on your first visit for getting the passes sorted or make your first trip in the afternoon when the entrance is quieter.

Edited by r159 on Sunday 21st April 16:16

[Carl_VivaEspana]

croyde said:

In the press there's talk of a major hotel development by Terjita (mind my spelling) beach.

Yeah I need to agree I head up there once a week and on the Sundays it's a roadblock from 11am. I don't think it needs a hotel tbh.

[Carl_VivaEspana]

re: Demonstrations, I didn't notice much myself, there was nothing at the South airport when I flew in. There were demonstrations around the Easter weekend though.

I am not a tourist anymore but so many people here live on the poverty line, there is plenty of room for compromise and plenty of money sloshing around to get more places built and the AirBNBs policed properly.

I was shocked at the jetski death in my weekend stomping ground of Anfi Del Mar. What a horror story.

[Greenmantle]

Carl_VivaEspana said:

croyde said:

In the press there's talk of a major hotel development by Terjita (mind my spelling) beach.

Yeah I need to agree I head up there once a week and on the Sundays it's a roadblock from 11am. I don't think it needs a hotel tbh.

Sorry I'm confused

Playa de la Tejita is just by Tenerife South Airport.

That picture is Playa de Las Teresitas which is north of Santa Cruz

where is this new hotele development?

[LuS1fer]

Greenmantle said:

Sorry I'm confused

Playa de la Tejita is just by Tenerife South Airport.

That picture is Playa de Las Teresitas which is north of Santa Cruz

where is this new hotele development?

I was at La Tejita last week. The last time I went, there were rock pools with sea slugs in them. They had disappeared and been replaced by promenade. There is a very large building being built just behind that Pirate's Cove cafe but not sure what it is going to be.