British Guild of Travel Writers 2010Annual General Meeting 26th to 29th January

Hip & trendy Tenerife

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Tenerife is fast becoming a ‘hot’ destination for the hip and trendy traveller who

seeks to stay in boutique hotels, dine out at chic restaurants and sip cocktails at

stylish bars.

These travellers are discovering a different side to this popular Canary Island

where traditional Canarian culture, local food and wine, and cutting edge

architecture and design are proving a big attraction for those seeking a more

upmarket and stylish holiday.

Some suggestions below on cool places to sleep, eat, drink and play for the hip

and trendy traveller:

Sleeping – Tenerife has plenty of five star luxury resort hotels and the number

of boutique style hotels is increasing, especially in the lesser known northern

region. Below is a selection of places to stay that are considered boutique and

offer their own unique ambience:

Hotel San Roque is a contemporary hotel built in an 18th century aristocratic house

in the unspoilt town of Garachico with fantastic views of Mount Teide. The hotel

has 20 rooms, 8 duplexes, 2 junior suites and 2 suites all with designer furniture

and contemporary art on the walls. www.hotelsanroque.com

Hotel Taburiente is an old hotel built in 1966 that has been completely refurbished

and updated with a stylish and contemporary finish, located in Tenerife’s chic

capital, Santa Cruz. The hotel features a fantastic laid back lounge bar that is

worth having a drink in even if not staying here. www.hoteltaburiente.com

Hotel Quinta Roja is an old ancestral mansion dating from the 16th century in the

historic town of Garachico. The architecture is typical Canarian Baroque and it

is a charming mix of modern facilities with authentic historical features. www.

quintaroja.com

Royal Gardens Villas– this five star boutique style property offers 28 villas with

private pools and opened its doors in 2006 in the south of Tenerife, on the Costa

Adeje. Each villa offers exquisite design and modern elegance, and the location

on a cliff side over looking the sea is superb. www.royalgardenvillas.com

Eating - Head for the more Canarian towns, such as Puerto del la Cruz or the

fashionable capital, Santa Cruz to enjoy traditional tapas and typical local dishes

including fresh fish with the spicy ‘mojo’ sauce, island stews and the Canarian

speciality of ‘papas arrugadas’ salted wrinkly potatoes.

In Puerto de La Cruz the Régulo (C/Pérez Zamora,16) is set within a beautiful

Canarian mansion house situated in the heart of the historical old town and

offers some of the finest cuisine and wines in the city.

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For something more rustic the Lucas Maes (Barranco La Arena, 53 La Orotava) is

a restaurant in an old-colonial style house with fabulous views from the terraces

and gardens of El Rincon and Puerto de la Cruz. Diners can enjoy specialities such

as tartar of tune wrapped in cucumber, mustard seeds and pork crackling.

For award winning Canarian cuisine one of the best restaurants on the island is

El Jable (Bentejui,9, San Isidro) inland in the town of Granadilla in the south that

offers dishes produced from local produce including baked smoke goat’s cheese

on a bed of coriander mojo sauce and the islands freshest fish.

Drinking – The south of Tenerife is where visitors will find an abundance of bars,

pubs and nightclubs, but for more stylish nightlife head to the north and Puerto

de la Cruz that is earning a reputation as a sophisticated holiday destination.

There are many bars and nightclubs, especially along the Avenida Cruz.

The island’s capital, Santa Cruz is also one of its ‘best kept secrets’ and those

seeking vibrant nightlife that is most definitely Spanish should plan a night out

in the city. The Noria District is the newest and coolest part of town to head

for the hippest bars. It is also popular among families, as there is a friendly and

welcoming environment.

Tenerife’s southern Costa Adeje has seen a re-vamp of its nightlife in recent years

and there are many upmarket, cool bars and clubs opening up.

One of these is the lavishly decorated El Faro Chill Art, overlooking the Playa

Puerto Colón that has transformed itself from a laid back club into a vibrant and

chic venue since opening in July 2007. It’s billed as one of Tenerife’s ‘best kept

secrets’ and is a great place to start the evening and watch the sun go down on

the Zen terrace. Later in the evening the club hosts world class DJ’s, live bands,

comedy and magic shows.

Casinos - If you fancy trying your hand at the gambling tables there are three

casinos on the island - Casino de Taoro at Puerto de la Cruz, Casino Santa Cruz

in Hotel Mencey in Santa Cruz and the Playa de las Americas Casino in the Gran

Tinerfe Hotel.

- Ends -

Tenerife Tourism Corporation

For more information visit www.webtenerife.com or contact Raquel Fonseca

Email: raquel@humewhitehead.co.uk Tel: (0) 20 8334 7026