Lovely Little La Palma
La Palma, the little active volcano island. All kinds of excitement, for the active and those who prefer to watch from a distance.
Our destination was La Palma, where you can go hiking and see the most recently active volcano. And/ or a great museum about volcanoes with videos taken every day during the last months long overflowing of red hot lava.
However, from London our most convenient and affordable international flights were from Stansted into Tenerife where we stayed before and afterwards, catching a ferry to and from little La Palma.
La Palma Hotels
The Parador
A remote inland hotel is a parador hotel, part of the popular parador network established by the government to promote regional culture, food and tourism. This parador has an outdoor pool open to residents in the daytime and a beautiful botanical garden.
The hotel will give you a picnic lunch if you tell them you are leaving before breakfast for a ferry or hike.
La Palma Vinery Visits
Bodegas Teneguia, La Palma
A large co-operative, with a huge courtyard entrance, but friendly like a family business.
Malvasia Grape
Book and buy the package of the tour of the vineyard and learn about Malvasia, which was the sweet wine exported to England in William Shakespeare's time and praised in his plays featuring King Henry, Falstaff and the lady of the night who gets drunk on the wine. (You can find online on Youtube a video of the Royal Shakespeare Company performing this.)
La Palma is a great outdoors place with challenging hikes in the strong Westerly winds. Our group hiked down to the lighthouse, but the wind was so strong trying to walk back up Trevor had to hitch a lift from a passing car, and could hardly hold the door open against the wind to get in.
Museum
But for non hikers see that fantastic museum on the recent volcanic eruption. Drive to the nearby village for lunch in a small cafe.
***
TERRIFIC TENERIFE And Mount Teide
Tenerife is larger. It has two airports, north and south. We flew to the north airport from Stansted.
Tenerife - large island with Mount Teide, massive triangular mountain, more or less in the middle but you seem to see it from everywhere. A cable car takes you to the top if you are prepared to pay the price.
Tenerife Hotels
The Parador - Parador Las Canadas Del Tiede
The 3 star parador hotel is isolated at the base with a secured car park for overnight residents, because the public parks are notorious for the thefts of belongings in cars and even the parts of the car such as the tyres. Next door to the parador is a shop and cafeteria.
The hotel helpfully gives you a picnic lunch if you tell them you are leaving before breakfast for a ferry or hike. (I didn't want ham, or any processed meat, nor pork. The parador had offered fish and when I said I was allergic to shellfish I was offered chicken, and smoked salmon, which was lovely, and I took one of each. Great service.)
The indoor pool in a side building closes early, and you have to take your towel back to the hotel's reception. For security most of the outer doors are locked, so I ended carrying a heavy wet towel, plus my costume and bag, up and down stairs and around long corridors. A whole nuisance.
The Melia Hotel
The group has more than one Melia hotel on Tenerife. The one we stayed at was near the beach, on the seafront.
It has an outdoor pool. We were given a voucher for the spa, for a 45 minute session in the pools with water jets. Very nice. Any longer would have cost a fee. You don't get a voucher per day, but once per person as an introduction to the spa. We were out and about so much no time to use it more.
We paid for an upgrade, for a seaview room and use of the Level, a ground floor private dining area. Less food than the buffet in the main room, but cooked breakfast main dish option, and longer hours so you could eat or snack earlier or later. With help yourself to a glass or two of free sparkling wine for lunch and dinner as well as breakfast.
The Taoro Hotel
A big hotel, which we stayed at because my husband was invited to a conference, Wine Summit.
Swimming pool with sloping entrance for wheelchairs and those who don't like vertical ladders into pools.
Inconveniently, the courtyard entrance is completely pedestrianised, so many people in a hurry end up dragging their own suitcases on wheel to the front entrance from the open gate entrance with the staff who check you in and out.
The packed breakfast was satisfactory. But we had to choose between pork and vegetarian.
Vineyard Visits
The bigger island of Tenerife has five wine areas, each having different soil - colour and consistency, climate - sun and wind, height, grapes and grape blends and so important and distinctive that it has its own protected name of origin.
Big Free Museum
Casa Del Vino
The name means house of wine. Lots to see for free. Exhibits about the old farm building, growing and bottling wines. And a honey museum. So, something for all the family.
There's also a restaurant in one corner of the quadrangle, under separate management, with an indoor area beside an attractive outdoor terrace.
You will probably be tempted to pay for a wine tasting which includes food, at the entrance to a shop selling wines. They offer a kiddie tasting option.
Useful Websites For Tenerife and La Palma
Parador Hotels
Museum & Tasting
Post being written. Come back later for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment