Going Native in Tenerife – will you like the same things we like?

One of the questions that some people might ask when looking for a travel guidebook will be, ‘will it include the sort of things that I like to do and see?”

Obviously that’s a very subjective question as many of us like to see and do different things. When Judith Chalmers used to present ITV’s ‘Wish You Were Here’, I always thought she spent far too much time in old churches and museums. Don’t get me wrong I like old churches and museums but I also like a lot of other things as well.

Being brought up on a Scottish Island, I have an instinctive love of beautiful scenery and love exploring the countryside; the wilder the better. For most of my adult life I worked in Manchester and was lucky enough to be there at a time when it changed from being tired and run down to becoming one of the UK’s most vibrant and beautiful cities; so I guess what I’m saying is that I love cities too; their energy, architecture and culture. I enjoy wandering about art galleries, museums and gardens. However I equally enjoy messing about in theme parks, swimming in azure seas and chilling on beautiful beaches.

Being a foodie, eating is more than a necessity; it’s a pleasurable hobby (hence the need for the swimming and long hikes). However although I positively salivate at a beautifully presented cordon bleu meal in a plush restaurant, or a simply cooked, but delicious fish straight from the fishermen’s boat in a harbour-side restaurant, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a home made beefburger full of fresh herbs (incidentally La Oficina in La Villa in La Orotava makes as good a burger as I’ve tasted on Tenerife and it’s a steal at €2.50).

Sometimes I reckon you can’t beat a fine wine in a stylish pavement café as the sun goes down…until I’m quaffing mojitos in a lively Cuban bar with pumping Latino music watching the beautiful people salsa sexily around me till the early hours.

At other times I revel in the thrill of the energetic fiestas which seem to take place every month with street parties filled with smiling people in traditional costume/fancy dress/DJs and cocktail dresses that go on till dawn. But then again it’s hard to beat the wave of shared emotion felt when someone starts singing ‘Ave Maria’ during traditional festivals, or brotherhoods in masked outfits silently march through the streets during Easter processions in La Laguna.

I could go on, but I suppose the point is this, if you’re looking for a diverse guide to Tenerife and you enjoy any, some, or all of the above things I’ve mentioned, Going Native in Tenerife should be just the guidebook you’re looking for.