Christmas in Tenerife, 2007

We felt we needed a break for Christmas 2007, but faffed to such a level that we would be shoo-ins to represent the North East in any nationwide Faff-off, so much so that we'd be worth an outside bet for the paired dithering and coxless prevarication events. In the end, we got a good deal on a week's half-board 3* flight-and-hotel in Puerto de la Cruz, in the north of Tenerife, the opposite end to the all-the-steak-and-chips-you-can-eat-24-hours-a-day-and-would-sir-like-a-dodgy-timeshare-with-that? horror of Playa de las Americas.

In the hotel room, on the last night in our best tops!

We flew out on Christmas Day, and I was half-expecting to see Jeremy Beadle waiting by the revolving doors at Newcastle Airport ready to ask, "it's Christmas Day ya pillock, who flies on Christmas Day?!" But, no - the Thomson staff were at check-in, thinking of the overtime premium no doubt. Then the pilot walked in wearing a Santa hat, which didn't quite give off the 'cool, detached professionalism' vibe you look for in someone in charge of one hundred tons of aircraft sheduled to carry you and your next of kin across a body of ocean.

But he got us there, and we stayed at the Hotel Florida, with - as you can see - a decent sea view and of mount Teide, replete with festive snow. It served its purpose as a hotel, nothing special.

And we had a great time: 22 degrees every day, the beach (black sand, but clean) only two blocks down the road, and a hotel pool - though not heated, so dips were bracing rather than relaxing. Still, Liam loved it in there.

Here are some pics of Liam having fun variously the plane on the way over, in the pool, in the hotel's and the town's centre playgrounds, and on the beach at Playa Martinez. Readers who venture beyond this point may see me in just my swim shorts. You have been warned...






































































He also loved the Outdoor Chess set, despite his - er - rudimentary grasp of the rules and strategies (see what we think is a very funny film somewhere near here):





The great tourist attraction of Puerto de la Cruz is Tenerife's excellent Loro Parque zoo. It's walkable from the hotels, and has a tremendous collection of animals, including - as you can see below and hereabouts - crocodiles, gorillas, killer whales and dolphins, penguins, seals, and monkeys.

As we walked around, Liam asked me to make a Plasticine figure of whichever animal we were viewing, and he's holding my attempt at a penguin in one of the pictures below.(It's possible you can't quite tell from the picture, but take it from me, it was uncanny. Aardman Animations, I'm waiting for the call...)