TEN OUT OF TEN
The Spanish island loved by Mariah Carey and Shakira – with the best water park in the world and £1.50 pints
The island has fascinating black sand beaches and gentle blue waves, overlooked by an ashen-looking volcano
EVER been to Tenerife?
I knew when I told my pal I had just returned from this tropical Canary island, he would say he preferred “Elevenerife”.
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He was trying to get one up on me.
But, having just come back from the picturesque archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, it’s hard to see how he could have ever beaten this island break.
With its fascinating black sand beaches and gentle blue waves, overlooked by an ashen-looking volcano, Tenerife is certainly a place I’ll be boasting about for years.
I was staying at Wyndham Residences Costa Adeje, a convenient 15-minute drive from the southern airport, but this is no airport hotel.
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The resort is set in a residential area, tucked away from the boisterous nightlife in Playa de las Americas, with spacious apartments and a large outdoor swimming pool, from which you can spend hours soaking up the year-round heat.
Our three-bedroom holiday home was perched on a hillside, and had a large balcony that offered uninterrupted views of lush palms and pines leading to the sparkling Atlantic and beyond.
While days were spent exploring rugged surrounding landscapes, evenings focused on drinking in the villa vistas from our outdoor Jacuzzi.
Inside, there was a relaxed lounge area and well-equipped kitchen. But the highlight was in the main bedroom, where a whirlpool bath stole the show.
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The resort has everything a fly-and-flop holidaymaker could desire.
However, if you prefer to relax by the sea, the beach is just a 15-minute walk (or climb) away.
Europe's best beaches according to Tripadvisor
Be warned — the return journey was a bit of an uphill struggle, but well worth it for the peaceful setting.
It also earned us the right to gobble up as much tapas and sangria as we could handle.
And we were in the right spot for that.
Lining the miles of seafront on our doorstep were bars and restaurants, all offering impressive views of the black sand beaches, so coloured because of the island’s volcanic rocks.
Which direction you should head in depends on what you’re after. South of the resort is Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos — ideal for English breakfasts and cheap pints (around €1.50).
Go north for more up-market Costa Adeje, where you’ll still get a cheap pint.
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We kept travelling until we reached the Playa del Duque, fringed by smart shops and said to be a haunt of singers Shakira, Mariah Carey and Queen’s Brian May.
They all reportedly stay in the exclusive Bahia del Duque resort.
With a stroll to this beach they could have nabbed a sunbed for just six euros!
If you’re up for an adventure a little further afield, Tenerife’s mighty volcano and Spain’s highest mountain, Mount Teide, is an hour’s bus ride away from Wyndham (the resort offers several excursions that can be easily booked on arrival).
The vast caldera — cauldron — of Las Canadas makes up part of the mountain, whose ancient, rock-strewn landscape featured in 1968 film Planet Of The Apes.
This region is reached through a spectacular national park, which sits at an altitude of 2,000 metres.
Thrill-seeking rides
Meanwhile, snow-capped El Teide’s peak is another 1,000-plus metres up.
Pack a jumper, as it gets chilly.
For those who love adrenaline but prefer something less strenuous, Siam Water Park is only a 20-minute walk from Wyndham.
It’s been voted best waterpark in the world nine times in a row thanks to its twirling water slides, family flumes and floating Thai market.
After those thrill-seeking rides, we were grateful for the Sunrise pool bar back at our resort, where happy hour takes place from 5pm to 6pm, Saturday to Thursday.
It’s impossible not to feel relaxed while sipping on mojitos and watching a setting sun cast its glow over this magnificent island.
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Next time someone tells me they’ve been to Elevenerife, I’ll be telling them Tenerife is the place to be.
Because it simply doesn’t get much better than this.
GO: Tenerife
GETTING THERE: easyJet flies from Gatwick and Luton to Tenerife South from £37.99 each way.
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STAYING THERE: Rooms at Wyndham Residences Tenerife Costa Adeje cost from €90 a night.
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