Tenerife - a country of two parts. (Part 1)

If you are young and you want the high life of bars and clubs and staying awake all night, then you must head for the South of the island. You will also get more sun bathing and a better tan in the south.

On the other hand if you prefer the more relaxed way of life and are less dependant on a sun lounger holiday then head for the north of the island. The Mount Teide that sits in the middle of the island is what causes the complete split in climates.

The South

For fun, sea and sand you can choose from Playa de los Americas or Los Christianos. Here they have shipped in golden sand for the beaches which are naturally black from volcanic lava. You can see these black beaches in the north of the island. Playa de los Americas is full of hotels and night clubs for the fun seekers. My most important advice to you going here is to remember that you are almost in Africa – not in Spain and you will still burn very badly even on a cloudy day, so do not ever go out without sun screen. Please though do not sunbathe alone if you are still drunk from the night before, people have died doing this by falling asleep and literally cooking themselves to death. Or you could take an alarm clock to wake you every half hour or so.

Playa de los Americas

This area is really aimed solely at the young and young at heart, so would not be enjoyed by anyone looking for a relaxing beach holiday. Think Benidorm but further away and hotter.

For those who are a bit older but still like a lively holiday, the hotels put on entertainment most nights of the week and organise excursions to nightspots that have Tenerife style entertainment and visits to other Islands or up to Mount Teide or the more remote parts of the island which have unusual things to see and do. One example is the 1, 000 year old Dragon Tree in Icod. An amazing shape, plus Icod has some wonderful restaurants serving Canarian cuisine and some very nice shops too.

Further along from Playa you can walk to Los Cristianos and take a boat to La Gomera for a days trip or go whale watching, a trip really worth doing. You will see sights of Tenerife that you will never see from the land. Great expanses of rocks, millions of years old.