5 under 25: Tenerife holiday throwback

I’ll skip the chit-chat and the apologies for being a bit M.I.A on here (oops, guess I just broke my own promise). Life got hectic, I’m actually giving my degree a proper shot with exams this term and don’t even get me started on the year abroad organising saga - that’s for a different post.

To make it up, I’m treating you to some summertime beauty: photos from my Tenerife holiday last summer. As if you need more reminders to brace your not-bikini-ready body that summer is coming…

I’ll include a nifty little bullet point list of what I thought were the highlights and the absolute must-do’s when on this Canary Island purely because I loooove lists and you probably hate me rambling. You can thank me later. As a general disclaimer though, it was the tropical holiday of my dreams without having to travel an insane number of hours to the Caribbean. So a win-win really. The weather was actually not as sunny or warm as we thought and we had a few showers when it’s meant to be cloudy only 60 days a year. Traveller’s luck for you. I suggest you rent a car and get out of the all-inclusive resort bubble as much as possible to really experience Tenerife and its natural wonders. The city sightseeing should be kept to a minimum - with the exception of one or two villages, I don’t remember anything of the urban scene. Otherwise, charge up your batteries outdoors: go swimming with dolphins and whales, kitesurfing, volcano-climbing etc etc. That’s also where you should eat. The most vivid memories I have are of multicoloured platters of exotic fruit I can’t even pronounce the name of. The local markets are a delight for the senses and they sell only locally grown stuff like tiny indigenous mangoes, avocados and the canarian potatoes that they serve with the traditional mojo (a red or green salsa, quite tasty with fish too). Keep an eye out for sneaky iguanas during the day and the incredibly clear skies at night when you can literally see the Milky Way.

Best for

Food: El Guachinche de Peter in Santa Cruz and Sabor Canario in La Orotava

Star Gazing: drive on TF - 436 at night and you will see stars like you've only seen in photos before! The astronomic observatory in the Teide Natural Park also have events where you can see through their telescope but you need to book in advance

Beaches: Playa de Los Cristianos, Playa de Santa Cruz and Arico

Nature: El Teide natural park and Il Baranco del Inferno walking trail

Sea life: Off the coast of Adeje, from Playa de los Cristianos, take one of the eco-friendly boats and see whales and dolphins

Day trip: La Gomera island, the ancient laurel forest and the last port where Columbus stopped on his way to America.