TRAVEL
winter break....
In this new regular feature Tracy Mason, owner of
independent ABTA bonded travel agency Tracy Mason Travel
in Penkridge Staffordshire will answer your travel questions. In
this first feature she guides a couple wanting a winter break.
Hi Tracy
We always have a holiday in the early spring / late winter to get away from the terrible British weather, but are bit concerned
with the terrorism problems in Sharm El Sheikh and in Turkey and wonder if you could suggest any alternatives for us. We don’t
mind a few hours on an aeroplane, if it is going to be worth it.
Reply
The Canary Islands have a great
all year round climate and have
always been a popular choice for
holidaymakers. The Canary Islands
themselves comprise of 4 main islands
but the most popular one of these
islands is Tenerife. This is an island
of contrasts, it boasts a long sunny
coastline with gigantic sea cliffs and
numerous sandy beaches, against the
backdrop of Spain’s highest mountain
Mount Teide, this is snowcapped for
much of the year. There are trendy
resorts and traditional villages and a
friendly international culture combined
with carnivals and tradition.
The largest of the Canary Islands is
Tenerife and it boasts the greatest
number of tourist attractions. This
triangular shaped island is home to
Mount Teide, the highest mountain in
Spain. Tenerife also features numerous
beaches, a lot of them manmade,
48
magnificent sea cliffs, bustling new
resorts and traditional towns and
villages. The coastline is over 269
kilometres, and features spectacular
cliffs and coves, some wonderful
golden beaches, especially in the Santa
Cruz area and it also has many black
volcanic sand beaches.
Tenerife’s capital is Santa Cruz and
this is in the northern part of the island.
It boasts many historic buildings and
its hub around the Plaza de Espana is
close to the busy harbour. This fantastic
city is a perfect location for things to do
in Tenerife. There are two noteworthy
churches, a lively bazaar, food market
and state of the art Opera House, and
couple of interesting museums. One
housing the canon which allegedly
removed Admiral Nelson’s arm.
On the south of Tenerife is the popular
resort known as Playa de las Americas,
this is one of Tenerife’s most popular
holiday destinations. This was originally
a quiet fishing village, it was developed
in the 1970s in to the social hub that it is
today. The beaches are the resorts main
attractions and there are numerous
beaches within Playa Los Cristnos and
Playa de las Vistas, these are better for
families with shallower waters. Playa de
Troya and Playa del Bobo are the resorts
main beaches. These are lined with
restaurants, bars, shops and a number
of water sport centres, so you will never
be stuck for things to do in Playa de las
Americas.
The choice of accommodation in
Tenerife is wide and varied from self
catering apartments to luxury 5* hotels
and with ease of access from every
airport in the UK a mere 3 1/2 to 4 hours
later should see you in warmer climes
and I would heartedly recommend
Tenerife or one of its sister islands for your
holiday.