Before we’ve even taken off a stag party is merrily making its presence known on board our Jet2 flight out of Manchester. Tenerife’s brash, boozy image is clearly alive and well and sitting two rows in front of us, as we head off to the largest of the Canary Islands.
Yet after a week of cycling coastal paths, gingerly guiding our hire car around hair-raising mountain roads and idling in unassuming villages, it becomes clear that Tenerife doesn’t deserve such a rap.
Sure, places such as the resort of Playas de las Americas are perennially awash with Britons toasting their skin lobster pink – and it’s easy to see why, given that even in winter the average temperature is around 22C (72F). What’s more, it’s only a four-and-a-half-hour flight away.
But we’re here to find the island’s authentic soul.
We’re staying between the coastal villages of San Blas and Los Abrigos at the Barcelo hotel, which appears to embed itself in Tenerife’s craggily volcanic landscape. It’s a sprawling low-rise resort, with flowers and plants everywhere and plump cacti sprouting along meandering pathways.
Bags of style: On a hunt for the ‘hidden’ side of Tenerife, Angela Epstein explores the upmarket coastal town of Costa Adeje (pictured)
As if by osmosis, our fellow guests – many of whom are British – seem to absorb the tranquillity. Poolside chatter barely rises above a murmur, otherwise all we hear is the sound of pages turning on the latest Robert Harris blockbuster.
Across the road lies the hotel’s own nature reserve – a lunar landscape of crusty rock and lava formations sculpted over thousands of years by an insistent wind. It’s perfect for hiking – as many guests do – and is especially atmospheric at night, as we discover when joining the Barcelo’s resident astronomer for a session of star gazing.
This is Tenerife nightlife in its most authentic sense.
Imposing: Angela stops in the town of Candelaria, home to the soaring Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria (pictured)
Above, one of the nine statues of ancient kings that line the seawall in Candelaria
To explore the area we rent bikes and cycle out to banana plantations and along quiet waterside paths, stopping in the tiny marina at San Blas to catch our breath.
Later, in our hire car, we discover plenty of natural spaces further afield, the most popular of which is the volcano Mount Teide. The base is packed with tourists, so although we do (eventually) ride to the lower summit in the cable car, it’s only for a few obligatory selfies. It’s a relief to escape and take a slow drive through Teide National Park, which surrounds the peak. It’s vast and otherworldly thanks to its spectacular rock formations – it’s no surprise that cinema classics such as Clash Of The Titans and the original Planet Of The Apes were filmed here.
Discovering hidden Tenerife doesn’t mean we have to be entirely anti-social – just exploratory. If anything, we want to find places where the locals congregate.
And the ones we chat to are warm, welcoming and keen to dispel the stereotype about their beloved island. (‘You want the true Canarios,’ the lady behind the car rental desk tells us, ‘then look in the mountains and the villages, not in bars selling beer.’)
Which is why we explore the coastal town of Candelaria, home to the soaring Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria, which, among its intricate marble work, houses an arresting black Madonna.
Angela takes a slow drive through Teide National Park (seen here). ‘It’s vast and otherworldly thanks to its spectacular rock formations,’ she says
Angela finds the university town of La Laguna (pictured) has an ‘abundance of pedestrianised streets, churches and 15th Century architecture’
In Candelaria’s enormous main square, locals dawdle over ice cream and exchange spirited chatter in quick-fire Spanish (we don’t hear a single English voice). All of which takes place under the inscrutable gaze of nine bronze statues – ancient kings of Tenerife – fixed on the sea wall.
On another day we visit the university town of La Laguna, once Tenerife’s capital and now a Unesco World Heritage site with an abundance of pedestrianised streets, churches and 15th Century architecture. What’s more, there are some gorgeous cafes (my gluten-intolerant husband nearly expires with delight when we find a cafe and bakery devoted entirely to non-wheat products).
Back at sea level, there are miles of coastline to enjoy. We stop at the small town of El Medano – a haven for surfers, boogie boarders and local sunseekers – and, from the beach, follow a narrow path across the wetlands for an easy climb up the dormant volcano Montana Roja.
El Medano (seen here) is a ‘haven for surfers, boogie boarders and local sunseekers’, writes Angela
There are parts of busy Tenerife which remain decidedly genteel despite the number of tourists. Not least Costa Adeje, an upmarket resort town on the southern coast where the prom is speckled with chic cafes and restaurants, while the open market allows for the purchase of an array of fake designer handbags.
‘With your colouring, this Chanel handbag works so well, my lady,’ one stallholder tells me. It’s tempting… but I resist.
After all, this break in Tenerife has been about enjoying the genuine article.
