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Gay Bars, Gay Beaching / Cruising Areas, Gay Saunas
IntroductionSituated off the coast of Africa, Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands and, along with Cran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are very popular holiday destinations for British holidaymakers. Like all the Canary Islands, Tenerife was formed by volcanic activity. The island itself is dominated by Mount Teide (Spain's highest peak) and the world fourth largest volcano. The island is part of Spanish territory with English and German widely spoken.The volcano affects the climate with the southern half of the island (resorts - Playa de las Americas, Los Christianos) being very hot, dry and sunny whereas the top half of the island is cooler, more tropical with Banana plantations surrounding the resort of Puerto de la Cruz. Is it Gay?Whereas Gran Canaria has long been an established gay destination, Tenerife has far fewer gay bars in either of the main resort areas although it can be said the gay sceene is thriving in the south in Playa De Las Americas and in the north in Puerto De La Cruz. (We recently updated our Tenerife gay bar / business listings - see below). However this is made up by far more impressive scenery, picturesque towns, etc. It is also a more restful holiday destination, so if you've had your fill of London nightlife for a while and want a cheap sunny break then Tenerife may be for you. See also Gay Bars, Gay Beaching / Cruising Areas, Gay Saunas
Getting there:Being such a popular holiday destination there are many cheap flights/packages to Tenerife. Flight time from the UK is around 4 hours and the clocks are the same as UK time so no jet lag problems. Most holiday companies offer packages to Tenerife and the other Canary Islands. We got a last minute package off Teletext for around £ 180 but expect to pay around £300 per person. Getting around:Although we hired a car, the resorts aren't that big so we walked most of the time. If you thinking of going out drinking and who isn't taxis are very cheap (around £2 from Los Christianos to Las Americas). There are buses from the resorts to the airport and around the island
Money:Currently around 1.50 Euros to a £1;. There are cash machines on the island (main resorts/some petrol stations/shopping centres) which take Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus (allowing you to withdraw money from your current account). The pound is strong so prices are very good valueThe Main ResortsLOS CHRISTIANOS This
is where we stayed. It was originally a fishing village that has been
developed into a fairly large tourist resort. There is still a half decent
town centre with lots of shops selling cheap electrical goods, aftershave
and perfums as well as normal tourist fodder. The beaches are man made
although swept clean every night. The bay is quite attractive with a harbour
in the middle and restaurants/bars along the front.
PLAYA DE LAS AMERICASPlaya de las Americas has grown so much that in now merges into Los Christianos. A lot of flashy American Vegas type hotels have been built recently which are quite attractive. Las Americas continues along the coast the the standard of hotel decreasing the future west you travel. Las Americas basically has no spanish character whatsoever.PUERTO DE LA CRUZ Puerto
de la Cruz is a quieter and slightly more sophisticated resort. Set among
Banana plantations this is where you'll find the majority of gay life.
The climate is not as good at the south though. When we visited it was
cooler and more humid. Some people may prefer this. See beaches
also
AccommodationThere are many loads of hotels on Tenerife and even more being built. Most visitors will have booked a complete package flights and accommodation. Try to ensure the transfers to the resorts are included as although there are two airports, its still a good taxi ride to the resorts. The hotels vary in quality. Most are purpose built montrosities built to house the masses. However there are some smarter glitzy American type hotels built at the posh end of Playa de las Americas, which statuettes, pyramids fancy fountains. Very Joan Collins/ very Las Vegas (although on a much smaller scale).BeachesIf you're after golden sand prepare to be disappointed. Being a volcanic island Tenerife is one big rock there are no natural sandy beaches :-(. However there are greyish man made beaches as Los Christianos and at Puerto de la Cruz there is a huge man made lagoon full of screaming kids and couples. Be warned. You best bet would be to stay around the hotel pool if you can get your towel down before the Ge-mans!
Eating OutTalking of meat, eating out on Tenerife is easy with a good variety of restaurants offering of steak, fish and pasta dishes. All very reasonably priced. Plus the obligatory Burger King, KFC etc. We ate out most nights. Food is on the whole good quality and very reasonable. Most meals came to around £ 5/ 6 per person which included several bottles of wine/sangria. The waiters are quite sweet so don't forget to tip. If you want to cook yourself there are plenty of supermarkets near the hotels.
Shopping:Shopping in the resorts is a pleasure. Because the island is virtually tax free (only 4%) it is worth checking out electrical goods, booze and cigarettes.Booze. Being able to buy a litre of Bombay Sapphire/Gordons at the local supermarket for around £6 would cheer up most queens. Other spirits are equally cheap so we spent many evening after the meal getting sloshed on cocktails. If you are a penny pinching queen not too worried about brand names you can pick up rip off Gordons lookalike gin for around £2.50. The same applies to rum, whisky, malibu etc. After the first four glasses you don't really care anyway. Just pack the Beroccas to sort out the hangover in the morning Electrical
Goods. Head for one of the major shopping centres. Santiago III
in Las Americas is particularly good. Most of the reps can arrange shopping
trips to SANTA CRUZ the capital. The majority of electical goods conform
to EEC standards so guarantees aren't a problem. Be prepared to barter,
haggle, walk away to get the price you want. The shops will always make
you a better offer than lose a sale. It is recommended that you bring
an up to date price catalogue from somewhere like Jessops or Jacobs
to compare prices. You should be able to save £50 to £ £150
on cameras, and four to five hundred pounds on camcorders. Makes Dixons
look horrifically overpriced. The goods are also new or recent models.
I purchased a nice Olympus digital camera saving a small fortune on
the UK retail price.
Gay Bars.Basically I wouldn't consider Tenerife to be a good gay holiday destination. The majority of gay life is based in Puerto de la Cruz, with a couple of bars in the towns of Las Americas, La laguna and Santa Cruz. Here is a summary of those bars/discos which call themselves gay friendly PUERTO
DE LA CRUZ
has a drag show at around 2 a.m. This is a gay club although frequented by qute a few open minded straight people. Should be kicking around 3am in the morning. also
Gay Saunas There are a few gay saunas on the island Puerto
Sana, Calla Blanco 34, Puerto de la Cruz
Touristy things:We hired a car for the week. Avis, Hertz and others all cover the island. Book before you leave the UK and don't be afraid to negotiate a good price. Get a map of the island and basic travel guide. Things worth seeing:-
The is an
Internet Cafe in Los Christianos |
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