Early start, we head for East Midlands at 4.30am. Our Jet 2 flight check-in goes smoothly and we head for a strong coffee! Kids have a sausage bap, they are happy
to share and at £3.99 so am I!
I browse the magazines and note that there are a few home interiors magazines and booklets
I’ve not seen before. However, I like to buy the Spanish home interiors magazines locally, I love to
see the differents styles of home decor and home accessories compared with UK home decorating styles.
We booked a pre-bookable ’bundle’ with Jet 2, which included extra leg room seats and meals.
Well, I have to say, I’m impressed - leather seats, room to stretch out, a little bit of luxury is lovely on
a 4 hour flight. I’m eagerly awaiting my hot breakfast, it’s 9.30 am now so I’m feeling peckish!
I wont get my hopes too high, lets wait and see…………..
Although I didn’t want the hassle of making a sandwich for us all, I think it would have been the best
option, the breakfast wasn’t great. I think you would have to be sitting in business or first class on a
long haul flight to experience airline food at its best.
It’s soon time to land and I’m hoping our self catering accommodation will be nice and of a good standard…………….
We are staying a the 3star Aguamar apartments in Los Cristianos and the contemporary style decoration
in the reception area appealed to me. The 1 bedroomed apartment is very clean and the decoration is nice,
however not the same contemporary style as in the reception. I have to say I was a little worried about
the fact that there was no airconditioning and I find it fairly uncomfortable, however we have two fans
which certainly helps.
I always love to spend time on the beach, it is very clean at Playa Las Vistas with good facilities and the
kids love to have fun in the sea.
As we walk along the promenade, an artist is sketching out a portrait, she has done some amazing paintings.
I have always wanted to do portraits but I know it is one of the most difficult things to do in art.
When I did my first attempt at drawing my daughters from a school photograph, I was really happy with the
result - the likeness was there and that is very hard to get. I must try again soon!
We have settled into our apartment nicely and we’ve had days at the pool and the beach. The weather is
hot and sunny and it is easy to laze around every day as the heat really does zap your energy. However, on
Friday we decided to go to Jungle Park………
We enjoyed our day at Jungle Park which is a 15 minute drive from Los Cristianos.
The bird show is amazing with enormous eagles, vultures and other birds flying on command just above our
heads, it is quite fascinating to see such birds so close.
On Sunday we got up early for the 90 minute journey to Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz. As we travel
north, the scenery changes from a barren landscape to one of green, lush and scenic. I knew our trip to
Loro Parque would not disappoint and I couldn’t wait to see the orca whales. As we walk around the park,
we are all fascinated by the animals we see, we watch two gorillas playing together, hitting each other
with palm leaves, it’s a sight we could stand and watch for hours but there is so much more to see.
Seeing all the animals so close is a remarkable experience, the park clearly cares for these animals and
their surroundings. My daughters are loving this experience but I wonder if Olivia, who is 6, is able to
appreciate the sights around her.
As we approached the orca whale enclosure for the show, we were amazed at the sight in front of us.
Swimming around the pool were great orca whales, the great predators of the seas. We took out seats for
the show in Orca Ocean.
Wow!, how can I describe what we have just experienced!! These amazing creatures, following their trainers
and jumping, spinning, somersaulting at their command. How can this be possible? I am so emotional at the
sight in front of me, I am close to tears.
The trainers wave a small fish in front of the whales, who shake their heads in disapproval, they then show
a bucket of fish to the orcas, they nod their heads! This is what they want!!
Anabel and Olivia are sat on the seats close to the pool, there is a warning! YOU MAY GET WET if sitting in
these seats. The trainers somehow give a signal to the whales and they use their tail to produce big waves
which splashes from the pool and into the audience. There are screams from the soaking spectators.
Well, they were warned!
Loro Parque is a must for any visitor to Tenerife, it has something for everyone including:
- Dolphin show
- Sea Lion show
- Parrot show
- Aquarium
- Penguins
+ lots more
Our day at Siam Park was great, the oriental surroundings are lovely and there are lots of sunbeds in quiet
areas around the park. The rides are great fun or you can relax on the lazy river. This park is perfect for
all ages, I could easily have spent 2 days here, I loved it!
I love the typical canarian architecture and the colours of the buildings. One day we went to visit the
Hotel Bahia del Duque to have a look around and take photographs.
The Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque Resort & Spa is a 5 star hotel that takes its inspiration from Canary Island
culture and reflects colonial style influences in its architecture and the use of typical dress as the uniform
for the staff. However, when we arrived at the entrance to the hotel, we were greeted by the concierge,
dressed in typical canarian costume, who advised us that visitors were not allowed in the hotel until
the end
of the month.
Due to the level of security we assumed there were VIP visitors staying at the hotel.
Whilst on holiday in Tenerife I have been on the look out for things to inspire me and I have to say this year
it has been the beautiful plants and flowers. Beautiful, colourful flowers are everywhere, decorating the
roads and streets with a wonderful array of colours and shapes.
This year I will return to England after a well earned break, it has been nice to put ’creating’ to one side
for a while and gather my thoughts. However, I know it won’t be long before I’ll be picking up the paint
and materials for my art and, remembering the colourful plants and flowers, I will put on my creative head
and start designing my lovely wall art.
