I have recently returned from an amazing 3-night trip to North Tenerife with Kirker Holidays & the Tenerife Tourist Board. I got the train from Stroud to London Gatwick via Reading which was so easy and made me feel really relaxed, then stayed overnight at the airport. The next morning, we met with Hisham, our group leader from Kirker Holidays along with other colleagues of the Travel Industry. We were flying with EasyJet so did Speedy Boarding which is a definite to do! Got through London Gatwick for the flight with no problems at all.
After a 4-hour flight to Tenerife and was met by Dario our Tour Guide from Tenerife Tourist Board who would be joining us for the next 3 nights. He welcomed us onboard the minibus then off we went to our first stop which was La Calabacera Organic Farm (Banana Plantation). This organic farm is managed by the owner Dulce and her husband also with their employees and everything is sourced by hand. They mainly grow bananas which they provide to the UK but they grow over 100 different products including peppers, mangoes, papaya, lychees to name a few. They not only sell their products to hotels on the island but they also have a delivery service or locals can come to the farm to pick up their goods as well. One of the projects they have is with the schools to get children to eat more organically which I thought was a tremendous idea.
They grow between 600,000 to 700,000 bananas a year. Eash banana tree consumes 22 litres of water a day and dies naturally after 22 months. Each tree gives 3 bunches of bananas and their roots are up to 40 cm deep into the ground. After a tour around the plantation which is known to Dulce as ‘Walking Through the Senses’, she invited us into her home where we had a lunch grown from the products of her farm. What an experience!!! WELCOME TO TENERIFE!
We then got back into the minibus with very full stomachs to drive up to Mount Teide National Park through the Almond, Fig, Fir and Pine Trees. What a difference of scenery travelling to our Parador which was situated at the bottom of Mount Teide. We travelled through Volcanic Mounds and Monogenic Volcanoes (Volcanoes that erupt once only) it was a different world.
We finally arrived at the traditional Parador de las Canadas del Teide where we spent our first night. We had a walk around the volcanic rocks before our lovely evening meal then did star gazing outside our hotel, where Dario's knowledge came in yet again.
The next morning after a scrumptious breakfast at the Parador, we headed the other side of the National Park towards Anaga Country Park. When we first left the next morning the view over the next few miles of the landscape was like being on the moon - this is the only way to describe it!
After our 1.5 hours journey we headed the original capital of Tenerife which is La Laguna, an historical colonial city and has held the title of UNESCO World Heritage since the end of the 20th Century. It stopped being the capital as the people of Tenerife said it didn't have a port and was too far from the sea for goods to be transported so they decided on a new capital of the island which is Puerto De La Cruz. La Laguna was a lovely city with wide streets, traditional houses with wooden or metal balconies will definitely go back to explore some more one day.
We were then taken to Bodega El Lomo Vineyard for lunch. They explained to us about the process of making the wine and again all the vines are tended by hand. We then did wine testing of the various wines which were delicious and they are all labelled El Lomo. I never realised until then that Tenerife made local wine and how good quality it is. This vineyard has 24 types of grapes and is 1200 metres above sea level and they produce 140,000 litres of wine a year.
Our next stop was at the Hotel Botanico and Oriental Spa Garden, Puerto de la Cruz where we would be staying for the next 2 nights. This hotel was absolutely lovely, sitting in it's own Botanical Gardens and the main Botanical garden is about a 5 mins walk away. It was so tranquil and the staff were so attentive at the hotel. This hotel belongs to "The Leading of Hotels of the World Group which symbols of the highest quality of service. Kirker Holidays hold a musical festival every year based at this hoteI, it is quite a large hotel of 252 rooms but not sure if this will change having a refurbishment and 3 Deluxe rooms are going to be made into 2 Superior rooms. We viewed all the rooms and they were so large and very well decorated.
The Hotel Botanico spa is out of this world (no children under 16 years old) with a large outdoor pool and jacuzzi, it also features an indoor pool and a jacuzzi built into a cave with displaying large Amythest built into the rocks either side of the entrance of the cave jacuzzi. They spa is included in the cost of your holidays but you can pay extra to explore lots of different treatments to make you feel more relaxed. That evening the hotel hosted us a wonderful meal with sea views at Il Pappagallo restaurant one of the three onsite restaurants they have at the Botanico.
After a wonderful breakfast at the Hotel Botanico, we visited the historical town of Garachico which is very picturesque and has several little churches and town squares to explore. The island of Tenerife is known for its Dragon Trees and at this town, it hosts the largest one on the island which is to be 800 years old approx. Garachico has traditional cobbled streets with small boutique shops, cafes and bars etc it's wonderful.
We then went to a hidden gem Casa del Vino ( House of Wine) for another wine tasting and a lovely lunch. Casa del Vino La Branda is an old Canarian farm that dates back to the 17th century which is owned by the Tenerife Government so they can promote the quality of wines the island has to offer. The Tenerife Traditional Wine is called Malmsey and 35000 is produced a year.
La Orotava is another city we visited which was hosting its Fiesta de San Isidro at this time with decorated balconies and streets all over the city making it look so vibrant and colourful. Beautiful Gardens, churches, shops and restaurants to wonder around. That evening we went to the Capital of the Tenerife - Puerto del la Cruz, where we walked around the city and had a lovely meal in one of the historic restaurants.
After yet another lovely breakfast, we headed towards the south of the island Puerto Colon where we went Pilot Whale and Dolphin watching a private yacht, what an experience! Seen pods of whales and dolphins it was just breathtaking!
Our last meal together was a fish restaurant overlooking the sea and beach of playa del las Americas before heading back for our British Airways flight to London Gatwick. If you have any questions about my trip and wish to leave more, you can email me [email protected] or pop into the Nailsworth shop.
