The T is for Tenerife

Do you think of Tenerife as always having nice weather, but also a promenade full of interchangeable restaurants with menus in six languages and a fitting photo for each dish? That's what I thought too. Until I crowned a French woman as chef who became my anchor in taste in many ways and who told me that she goes to Tenerife for a week every year.

Because of the nice weather guarantee, but also because it was lovely there. The nature is unspoiled and vast, the villages small and charming, and the food is of course delicious.

Where did I have to be then, I asked her. And she told me.

1. The north
The north and the interior of the island are the least touristy. There is also the Teno nature park, which is more than eight hectares large. She also loved driving to Santa Cruz (a town that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List). “You can immediately walk in those beautiful laurel forests.” After that, I had to head towards the sea and catch a fresh fish on the beach of Benijo (or at Roque de las Bodegas, that was fine too) and then for example sleep in the inn Montes de Anaga. Anaga itself is also a place so beautiful that you want to pull out your sketchbook to capture it.

And what else do I do in such a week? My desire started to grow stronger. She sat down properly. To La Orotava of course. That town dates back to the sixteenth century and has beautiful houses from noble families. It was also the set of various films, it is so beautiful.

And oh yes, of course I had to go to Garachico, another old beautiful place where you mainly mingle with the locals. It is located on the coast, doesn't really have a beach (it does have a volcanic beach), but in Garachico you can swim in natural pools that were formed by a volcanic eruption. And there in Garachico is a really nice hotel: boutique hotel San Roque.

Then she instructed me to grab pen and paper and write this down:
Casa de la Miel, Casa de los Balcones, Puerto de la Cruz, Punta del Hidalgo and Icod de los Vinos.

And that at a temperature that lies between 20 and 30 degrees all year round. When we are allowed to go again, I will. And I guess I will stay a little longer than a week. You?