History
Tenerife was the last of the Canaries to fall under Spanish control. Tenerife officially became a Spanish colony in 1495 and the remaining Guanches suffered terribly, before eventually dying out. The island was used as a stop-over for many of the explorers and traders, before setting off for the Americas. Christopher Columbus stayed on the island before setting off on his famous voyage to the New World in 1492.
In the following years, the island would become significant to Spain in both economic and military terms. In 1797, the British navy, led by Admiral Nelson, attacked the capital of Tenerife. Nelson was forced into a retreat after a ferocious battle but not before losing his arm as he tried to take the coast. Another British invasion was repelled when locals pushed giant boulders of the cliffs of Los Gigantes, directly on to the British invading forces.
Tourism on the island began much earlier than in most parts of Spain. It is thought the first holiday-makers began arriving on the island as early as the 1890s, attracted by the warm sunshine in the winter months. However, that was all to change when, in 1936, Fancisco Franco was posted to Tenerife by the Spanish Government. It was from there that he conspired in the coup that led to the Spanish Civil War. The island fell to the Nationalists and the majority of the inhabitants were subjected to mass executions. Many of the islanders left the island during the years immediately after the coup and moved to the Latin countries of South America.
Population
Property prices in Tenerife are higher than ever due to the unprecedented explosion in the population. Immigrants from all over northern Europe continue to make the island their new home. The permanent population of the island is now well over a million and growing. Current rates of growth stand at about 10% per year. Around five million tourists visit the island every year, making it one of the top three tourist regions in Spain with Majorca and the Costa Blanca.
Places to Visit
Playa de Las Americas – ‘America’s Beach’ is located on the south-west coast of Tenerife. The resort has continually developed over the last 30 years and is now one of Europe’s largest tourist destinations and a ‘party town’ in typical Spanish fashion. The area is full of hotels, bars, night clubs and restaurants as well as attractive beaches and beautiful promenades, lined with palm trees. The quieter resort of Los Cristianos is only a 30 minute walk away.
Teide National Park – The national park of ‘Las Canadas del Teide’ has been protected by the Spanish government since 1954. The area has some of the most spectacular natural views in the world and includes Mount Teide and its crater with a circumference of 30 miles. The park suffers extremes of temperature due to its elevation of 2000 metres above sea level. In the winter, strong winds and blizzards are common, while in the summer, temperatures can reach 40C and beyond! There is a cable car that carries passengers to the summit of the mountain. Many people choose to hike to the summit and experience the unique vegetation and many varieties of lizard and bird.
Piramides de Guimar – Just south of Santa Cruz, there are six pyramids whose origins are still unknown. It was thought for many years that the pyramids were left over from ancient agricultural terraces or simply random piles of cleared stones. It was later discovered that the most probable origin of the pyramids was of ancient settlers building the structures with the same techniques used on the pyramids of Mexico and Peru. The Ethnographic Park now houses the pyramids, along with a museum, gift shop and café.
Masca – The picturesque village of Masca offers stunning scenery and a spectacular deep ravine. The winding road from Santiago de Teide allows people to reach the location by car.
Garachico – This is a town of 600 people and forms the ‘Low Island’ with Los Silos and Buenavista. This is now a quaint, sleepy town which was once the most important port on the island until the volcanic eruption of 1706. The whole village is full of places to visit including the Churches of Santa Ana, Our Lady of the Angels and Santo Domingo. The hugely popular country festival called ‘romeria’ has been earmarked by the Spanish government as one of the country’s most important tourist attractions.
Cuisine
With so many foreign visitors, particularly British ones, the cuisine of offer in Tenerife is wide and varied. There are British style cafes, pubs and restaurants on almost every thoroughfare in the main resorts. There are also Chinese, French, Italian and, of course, Spanish restaurants. Tenerife offers more authentic Canarian cuisine than any of the other islands. It is unpretentious and rustic in style. Any menu will always include the Canarian favourite, papas arrugadas. This consists of small, boiled potatoes, coated in sea salt and served with two mojos or sauces - one green and cool, one red and fiery.
Another Canarian favourite is a sizzling shrimp dish, served on a terra cotta tapas dish. Pimientos padron is also a local delicacy which consists of green peppers, friedd in sea salt. While fish plays a huge part in the local cuisine, traditional Canarian dishes often use pork, goat and rabbit, served either as cutlets or in stews. A particular favourite is garbanzo compuesto which is a stew, made with chick-peas and meat, usually pork.
Accommodation
There is every sort of accommodation imaginable in the resort of Playa de Las Americas. The area is full of hotels of all star ratings, villas and apartments. The hotel complexes are particularly popular with families as they offer huge pools, activities for the kid and nightly entertainment. Many of these hotels offer all-inclusive deals meaning guest never have to leave the hotel if they don’t want to! Camping without a licence is illegal on the island and even with a licence, is only permitted in designated areas.
Weather
The most remarkable thing about the weather in Tenerife is how little it changes between the seasons. The island enjoys one of the lowest winter to summer differences in temperature anywhere in the world. The island’s average air temperature in the summer is only around 25C, making it cooler than most mainland resorts. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. The micro climates in Tenerife mean that in one part of the island, there could be biting winds and summer temperatures in the low 20Cs while on the other side of the island it could be in excess of 30C! The average temperature in winter is a very pleasant 15C but it is not unusual for temperatures in January and February to reach in excess of 20C. The whole island can get rather windy at times and rain is possible all year round.
Transport
The roads in Tenerife are generally very good and renting a car is a great way to see some of the outlying towns and villages. There is also a regular and very efficient public bus service that services every major resort and town on the island. The bus service, operated by TITSA, also offers the chance to purchase a charge card, which can be used on any of their services throughout the island. This can be re-charged when required. However, for groups and families, it could be cheaper to hire a car. Taxis are cheap and can be found everywhere, however, tourists must pay particular attention on trips from the airport or on shorter journeys. Some drivers will not put the meter on and this is not allowed by the island authorities.
