Canary Islands

Tenerife

Hints & Tips

• Don't believe the rumour that the south of Tenerife is the 18 - 30 club whilst the north is the 80 -130 club. All ages go to both parts, families, couples with kids and without. With a car you can get round the island in a day easily so you can enjoy all that the island has to offer whereever you stay.
  
  
• Motorways are restricted to 120km/h (about 75mph) and are enforced. Many other motorists are tourists anyway, so driving here is relatively stress free.
  
  
• Take your passport or photo driving licence with you if you want to pay with your credit card. Many places insist on this. I took a good quality colour photocopy of my passport around with me and got away with it.
  
  
• If you intend hiring a car you will need a credit card - we saw people declined even though they had money, passports and driving licence but no credit card.
  
  
• Puerto has two large supermarkets where you can get all your needs, just like Tesco. So don't think you have to bring enough stuff like toiletries for the full two weeks, it is very easy to get supplies.
  
  
• Ciggies are dirt cheap here about £1 a packet but as a non-smoker I must emphasise that the government warning on the packets still says "Smoking Kills" - just more cheaply. (No it doesn't say that last bit on the packet, I made it up, doh!)
  
  
• Booze here is dirt cheap too and as a drinker I say get it down your neck because you'll soon be back in Blighty where pints start at £2 a go down your local. No, I'm not advocating the loutish, drunken behaviour seen on the south of Spain. I'm just saying make the most of it!
  
  
• Taxis are cheap (at least in Puerto) so rather than climb those 121 steps back to the hotel, jump in a cab.
  
  
• Tune in to Power FM for a bit of English levity (reception a bit dodgy in the north, but fine in the south).
  
  
• Some, no make that a LOT, of roads are steep here, because Tenerife is one large set of mountains. So your car will be in first and second gear a lot of the time. Don't fret about it, so are all the other cars! Just make sure you can do a hill-start without rolling...
  
  
• We had fun in Tenerife and hope that you do too!

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