| Product: |
Club Casablanca |
| Date: |
12/01/02 (4707 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Regulo, Loro Parque, Dragon Tree
Disadvantages: Can rain , up and down hill
On the northern coast lies Puerto de la Cruz and we were staying in the Club Casablanca. The first part of our third adventure to Tenerife had us arriving late at night and picking up our hire car we departed the airport. Although it had been some time since we had travelled to the north of the island, we felt confident that we could get to our destination, first big mistake. There is something quite surreal about the north of the island especially when you are in a bit of it that you know you shouldn’t be in. Fortunately for us Santa Cruz is not too hard to get out of in the early hours of the morning although there were some very interesting people around (we felt we should not disturb what they were doing and made a rapid departure). We eventually found our way back on to the correct road and duly found Puerto. We even managed to find the apartments and gratefully left the car in the underground car park that they have.
Having booked in we went to our apartment and settled in. Ours was a one bedroomed apartment overlooking the street. The apartment complex has a very good pool area and sunbathing on different levels as well as having a bowling green! The apartments themselves are all well equipped with the kitchen even having an oven as well as the usual equipment. All apartments have a terrace or balcony, we had the latter, but it would have been nicer to have overlooked the swimming pool rather than the street. I should mention that there are some 287 apartments (1 and 2 bedroomed) some of which are privately run, as is the gym.
From the apartments it is a pleasant walk down a stairway (steep hill) to the nearest shopping centre, which has some wonderful cake and sweet shops. It is a further walk to get to the main part of the resort. In fact this is probably the worst part of staying where we were, the fact that to get anywhere it is a fair walk and worse it is uphill on the way back, so leave the excess drinking till you
get back! Unfortunately when we were there the Lago Martianez area was not open, but we have seen this before it is a very pleasant area. There are some good restaurants along here especially those that are on the first floor rather than at street level. Along from this area is the Playa de San Telmo, which is the main beachside area. This is were the shops really start and you can see the sea rush in between the volcanic rocks and if you feel like a dare-devil you too can get wet. To say that there are plenty of eateries around is to state the obvious and if you are desperate for a McDonalds they even have that, but the best places lie around and about Plaza del Charco. Here you have Chinese, Spanish, German and so on, but my favourite place was I must admit recommended to me by a local and what good taste he had. Normally you have to book to get into this place, but somehow we managed to get in (they had to open up another room for us, but it soon filled up). What ambience, what good food, heaven was surely close by as this must be the waiting room of the Gods. I should point out that this restaurant is in one of those old world Spanish houses that is built around a courtyard type inside, i.e. it is enclosed but you can have a table overlooking the area down below. However it also has rooms off which if you are lucky you can sit by a shuttered windowed area (with window seat)and look at the world go by below you. We did not manage this on our first outing but so impressed were we that we went twice more (not bad for a short stay), yes I shall put you out of your misery, the name of the restaurant is the Regulo and it is on Calle de Perez Zamora which is the next street along after the Plaza del Charco.
After that mouth watering trip (does it bring back memories of garlic mushrooms and delicious steaks – mmmmm!!), things you must do if you stay on this part of the island.
If you have read my other article –Tropical Park Ap
artments) then you will know of my feelings towards Los Loros, however I can honestly say that Loro Parque is well worth a visit. To get there you need to pick up the train for Loro Parque in Avenida Venezuela, be prepared to queue, but they do run every 20 minutes from 9 a.m. Once you get there you must see the Parrot show, this is the parrot show that all others fail miserably to copy, there is something quite unusual about a parrot trying to dive bomb you inside a building and yes they do all those clever tricks but with panache. Another must see is the penguin area, it is fabulous and so well built that you begin to think you are in Antarctica. Alongside this there is also the Dolphin show, another excellent display and also very popular, in fact one has got to hand it to the people of Tenerife they have put together here a splendid area that has something to keep everyone happy for most of the day.
Another place to visit is Icod along the coast. This is were the famous Dragon Tree can be spotted and if you go on a Sunday (as we did) you will not have to pay for parking. The garden that the Dragon tree is in is well worth a visit, so don’t just settle for a view of the tree from the nearby church, which everyone does, shell out the money and go round the garden. This will keep you going for about half a day as you keep finding bits you hadn’t seen; in fact this is where to have a picnic as we did. In our case it was lucky that we did this as we had intended to go to the end of the island – Punta de la Gaviota – but as luck would have it the road was closed as they had had a landslide which closed the road, something which occurs during this time of the year. I must admit we did think something else was up on the way there though, as we saw this man dressed in a wedding gown waiting at the side of the road, as I said earlier there is something surreal about this part of the island.
Whilst we were in the North, in
the main we had very good weather, when it did rain we were not too far from the bar of the Casablanca which had enough entertainment to keep you going when this occurred. The weather can be pretty miserably in this part of the island as it is were it rains first - it is the greener part of the island and why a lot of ex-pats live up in this end of the island. Having said that it was only on the last day that it really did rain and rather than spend it there we decided to head back towards the airport, via Mount Teide.
If you have read my previous article you will know I have a bone to pick with this mountain. As we said goodbye to Puerto we went up into the clouds and within 30 minutes we had left the rain behind and were in glorious sunshine again. My wife and little one had been warned the ascent was on like it or not. My son seemed to be quite happy with this, it seems he had forgotten his last 'I’m not going up there,' so it was only my wife who seemed to look a bit green in the gills. We duly arrived at Mount Teide and I think they thought it was closed – unlucky – it was open just not as busy as the last time. Up the hill we went purchased our tickets and before anyone got a chance to change their minds we were on our way! As with all cable cars there is that exhilaration as you go up until you get to those pylons were you change the type of ascent and everyone panics and wonders if they are going to make it or end up as some new kind of manure on the surface of the mountain. Then some idiot cracks a joke, everyone laughs with relief and then you realise the idiot was you! Needless to say you can’t get off until you get there – worse still you also know you have to come back down. Having got to the top station we walked around the area, which has exceptional views of the whole of Tenerife, unfortunately it also is some way up and after some while my wife was feeling the worse for wear due to the thinn
er atmosphere, which left just my son and I to get to the north side and see the views from here. On returning to the station it was with some relieve that we all entered the cabin, but what is it that makes you think it is not as big a drop on the way down as it is on the way up? As we got out at the bottom I seem to remember saying next time we book to go to the crater – there seemed to be a loud groan come from the direction of my wife – never mind I said it won’t be until Easter I said – more groans - this time from me as I was being throttled – not bad for someone who is a good 30 centimetres shorter than me.
All in all we had a good time and we go back to the south this Easter – Mount Teide here I come!
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