# Canary Islands Tips?  We'll be there next week



## Conan (Jun 14, 2011)

The fun of this timeshare thing is you reserve a year or two in advance, and next thing you know it's time to head to the airport.

Leaving from NY on Monday, we'll be away two weeks: 
Gran Canaria (Anfi Beach Club) Tues-Sat, 
Tenerife (Club Tarahal) Sat-Thurs, and 
Lanzarote (Las Casitas) Thurs-Tues. 

We'll be flying between islands, and we have rental cars in each place. The air tickets average 85 euros each, and the car rentals about 17 euros per day (we booked with Autoreisen
http://www.arcarhire.com/car-hire/car-hire.php )

We have reservations for tours at Mount Teide (Tenerife) and Mancha Blanca (Lanzarote). Besides that, we're looking for other opportunities to hike, swim, maybe birdwatch. Are there organized hikes? My spouse has an aversion to getting lost.

Thanks TUG!


----------



## Cotswolder (Jun 15, 2011)

Have a look at this site. It might help

http://www.iknow-canaryislands.co.uk/tourist_information/gran_canaria_holidays/gran_canaria_walking.htm


----------



## Carolinian (Jun 16, 2011)

I am doing an exchange in the Canaries, specifically Gran Canary, in November through DAE.  I picked up some tickets from Madrid on RyanAir for about 40 euros each.  I got my car rental though www.economycarrentals.com  This will be my first trip there.  I was looking for somewhere warm in Europe over Thanksgiving where I had not previously been.


----------



## Cotswolder (Jun 16, 2011)

Hope you can speak Norwegian ????:rofl:   Peak period for them in the Canaries


----------



## Conan (Jun 16, 2011)

Here's a link to today's water temperatures in the Canaries. Currently (pun not intended) it shows an odd hotspot.
http://www.surfline.com/weather-for...naria-sea-surface-temperature-near-shore_6934

[edited: The hotspot has dissipated, and 72-degree (22 C) water is moving in for mid-June]


----------



## Conan (Jun 24, 2011)

Hey we're here now.  Looks like I didn't need to worry about being too cold.  Air temps are 33C 91F in the day, 28 C 82 F in the evening.  Beaches are crowded but the water is perfect.


----------



## Conan (Jul 11, 2011)

And we're back.... I've submitted reviews for Anfi Beach (Gran Canaria), Club Tarahal (Tenerife) and Las Casitas (Lanzarote) but they're not posted yet.

Lanzarote was the big discovery for us - - a guided walk (English-speaking guide) in the Tamanfaya volcano valley







and the amazing work that Cesar Manrique did in Lanzarote.


----------



## Carolinian (Jul 11, 2011)

Wow, those pictures make me glad I grabbed a Thanksgiving week in the Canaries.  It may be the Orlando of Europe, and very easy to trade into, but it seems to be a great place to have a vacation.

I hear that Anfi is one of the better resorts there, and almost did a DAE request specifically for that resort, but the timing with Thanksgiving week on a week availible online at another resort was just too convenient so I took that instead.  Anfi refuses to let resale buyers at their resorts have access to RCI, so resale buyers who want to exchange use DAE or other independents.


----------



## Conan (Jul 11, 2011)

If you're going to Lanzarote, you should reserve the Timanfaya excursion two months in advance. It's free but they're very strict about obtaining a permit and showing your passport to prove you're you. Carry water, wear sunscreen, and be at least somewhat fit - - it's a two-hour hike in a windy desert.
http://www.reservasparquesnacionales.es/real/ParquesNac/usu/html/inicio-reserva-oapn.aspx?cen=6&act=%202

If you're going to Tenerife, you likewise can reserve a permit to climb to the top of Mount Teide. The trail is good but it's a challenge walking up 200 meters when you're 3,700 meters (2.3 miles) above sea level. The permit is free but you need to buy a ticket on the aerial tram to get from the valley to the starting point. Mountain-top temperature is about 10c 50f in summer; windy and freezing in winter.
http://www.reservasparquesnacionale...su/html/inicio-reserva-oapn.aspx?cen=2&act= 1

If you're doing both, change a digit in your passport number in the second reservation. Otherwise the computer won't complete the second booking.


----------



## Laurie (Jul 12, 2011)

Conan, welcome back, and I look forward to reading your reviews. So glad you loved Lanzarote and Cesar Manrique, I was astounded by both! He should be more famous than Frank Lloyd Wright. We didn't do a guidedwalk at Timanfaya, only a bus tour (and a meal cooked over a steam vent) so something to look forward to on next trip. Gorgeous pix!

And congrats if you made the walk up to the top of Mt Teide. I couldn't have done it - it's the only time I've had borderline altitude sickness, in retrospect -since we drove from sea level and took the cable car up to 11,000+ within a few hours, I assume you did too.

Carolinian, there's incredible beauty on the Canaries, but also some of the most desolate and uninteresting landscapes, the latter primarily in the overbuilt areas, so I hope if that's where you're confirmed, you can travel. IMO almost all of Lanzarote is beautiful (largely due to the efforts of Cesar Manrique and subsequent careful zoning - his biggest fear was that Lanzarote would turn into another Tenerife or Gran Canaria); but southern Gran Canaria & Tenerife were depressing and disappointing to me. With a few exceptions, you have to get to the central and northern parts for the beauty and the areas of historic interest. (I'm sure I'm repeating myself from past posts.)


----------



## Conan (Jul 12, 2011)

Confession: The pictures above are hot-linked from the Internet; not taken by me. (I shot two hours of Flip Video though that I've edited down to a 45 minute movie that I'm really proud of.)

Yes, we did make it to the top of Mt. Teide. We stayed the night before at the Posada Canadas, so we had an overnight to acclimate and time to explore Roques Garcia. The Posada has a good bed-and-breakfast deal, 30% discount for age 55 and over. Staying overnight we booked the 9am-11am permit and took the first tram of the morning, ahead of the crowds.
http://www.paradoresofspain.com/detail.php?item=90
http://www.mountteide.com/losroques.htm

Except for Mt. Teide, I'd suggest skipping Tenerife in favor of more time in Lanzarote. We drove completely around Tenerife one day but there wasn't much worth stopping for - - our one discovery was the natural swimming pool (open to the public), pictured here (again, not shot by me):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krisr/3326078713/
It's in Puerto Santiago, between the town of Los Gigantes and the actual Gigantes. We parked on Calle de la Hondura (see below) by the park-like entrance and walked over and down; there's nearer parking at Calle Magnolia but we didn't know how to get to it.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=natur...TXrgEdyAb__inT2x3SOYxqDDGAL9B09kADCg&t=h&z=18

[My reviews of the three timeshares are now on-line at tug2.net]


----------



## Cotswolder (Jul 13, 2011)

I agree with Conan regarding Tenerife. 
Both Gran Canaria and Lanzarote have more going espesially if you get away from the south in GC.
There are so many sights and wonders in the island that you don't need to stay down south unless you want the sit on the beach


----------

