VACATIONS FROM HOME: VACATIONING ON TENERIFE

WHICH WAY TO THE BEACH?
Good morning Tenerife

So, we recently visited Tenerife, Spain, the largest island in the Canary Islands archipelago and stayed at the appropriately named Santa Barbara Golf and Ocean Resort. It is a vast piece of multi-tiered property in the town of San Miquel de Abona on Tenerife, and more specifically in the holiday village section called Golf del Sur down by the coast. There are plenty of other resorts and vacation rental properties in the immediate area and there are plenty of golf courses in the area, as well as a marina and a hilly promenade that edges the cliffs for those hale and hearty enough to want to brave the incessant wind which is probably welcome in the heat of summer, but in this early spring time of our visit was somewhat chilling. It is a short cab ride to the airport Tenerife South and the final approach is behind the resort.

Sunbed numbering system

Santa Barbara is massive with 8 floors brimming with suites, villas and rooms. Despite the sprawling resort there is sadly just one pool. There is a hot tub and a children’s pool of the same size next to it and there are lots of rules about their chaise lounges. Called “sunbeds”, one needs to reserve them with the pool guy by number and sometimes you only get them until 2 pm, or an afternoon shift from 2 pm on. Sometimes you can reserve for the entire day, but if you’re not in the chair by 10 am they give it away. As the days progressed and more and more people descended on the resort; Tenerife is a very very popular resort destination for a lot of Europeans, including Spaniards, and a lot of Americans; the chase for the chaise became more and more a project.

By the summer the place must be swelling beyond capacity!

Happy Hour Sangrias

There are two outdoor bars on the premises. One is by the pool and serves breakfast lunch and dinner as well. It is the only restaurant on the resort currently open. An indoor restaurant remains closed due to covid restrictions. The other bar is open from 4 to 11 pm and it hosts musical acts nightly.

The happy hour prices here are two drinks for the price of one, which makes for a lot of sangria in one sitting!

There is a supermarket on one of the lower floors and there is another one just down the road where the prices are better.

You can use a gym if you reserve in advance after first signing a waiver that you will not drink and use the equipment.

Just across the street is another resort, the Bahia Principe Fantasia Tenerife. Like the Diamond Resorts, Bahia Principe is a chain, but all-inclusive and kid-friendly Bahia Principe Tenerife boasts 7 pools and a water park. Compared especially to the Santa Barbara it is sprawling.

It's possible to get a full or half-day pass in case you're wanting to take the kiddies so they can flounce about as you drink and eat for the 50 Euro (half-day) price. 100 Euros for a full day! Half day goes from 11 am to 6 pm.

Bahia Principe Tenerife

BAHIA PRINCIPE TENERIFE

ROCKY SHORES

There’s not really a lot to do in the area, unless you plan excursions. Though the Santa Barbara is right at the ocean’s edge, there is no appreciable beach. You can pick your way down to a rocky, volcanic black beach, where the water is colored in beautiful blues and greens, but the water is rough and uninviting. For the two weeks we stayed at the resort the only time we ventured onto the “beach” was to fetch some stones for our collection and to let the English grandchildren toss rocks into the Atlantic.

The "beach" at Santa Barbara

Throughout our stay, construction was going on to shape the shoreline into a more sloping and accommodating “beach” and a back hoe worked the rocks daily.

Perhaps they are attempting to mimic what was done in Playa de Las Americas and Los Christianos, where beaches were created in this very touristed area and fine lighter colored sand was imported from the Sahara Desert to form a more appealing holiday beach.

GOOD EATING

There are three areas that have restaurants in the immediate area of the Santa Barbara. Several are just down the promenade from the resort and we took meals at three different ones several times over the two weeks, Volcanic Islands is a tapas bar that has live music on Sunday afternoons. We ate Paella and surprisingly good Mexican food at the Queen Mary, and at the highly regarded Alecrim Restaurante we went full American and ate gourmet hamburgers.

ALECRIM RESTARANTE

BELLOQUINAS AT BISTRO 27

Another place, just down the road from the resort is Bistro 27, where Janet and I had a hearty breakfast with the best Belloquina, a Canary Island specialty coffee, during our stay in Tenerife and later a family dinner with all 8 of our party served perfectly.

BISTRO 27 TENERIFE

VOLCANIC ISLAND TAPAS

Remember to make reservations. All are nothing to look at, but all are accommodating and offer great food.

WAIT THERE'S MORE!

There are several restaurants up the hill from us across from the Bahia Principe. The one I recommend is the British fish and chips place called the Reef Fish & Chip Shop, especially on Wednesdays when they have their 5 Euro basket meals…Mushy peas are another 1 Euro though!!!

It was the only place that served Victoria out of Malaga. Mostly Dorado, from Tenerife, Estrella Damm from the mainland or the occasional Tropical beer, also from the Canaries was poured.

THE REEF FISH & CHIPS TENERIFE

After a leisurely walk along Calle San Miquel there is another cluster of restaurants all surrounding a neat plaza. We had one meal at Kiosko a Spanish restaurant and another at Tapas Pata de Oro.

TAPAS PATA DE ORO

As there is much competition for your Euro, every place we ate was reasonably priced and delicious and the service was cheery.

Prices for drinks usually were around 1.50 euros with dinner, including beer and sangria by the glass.

In the couple of pubs that we happened upon like the Wild Geese Irish Pub, where we went a couple of times to watch English Premier League Football matches, beer was about 2.50 euros.