On 8th September myself and Lee flew on our last minute holiday to Tenerife. We had a little hiccup on the way when we realised the hotel we thought we had booked - Riu Palace actually hadn’t been reserved and we had accidentally reserved the Riu Buena Vista instead. After looking the hotel up on trip advisor we were a little apprehensive and disappointed it wasn’t our original choice but we couldn’t switch as the Riu Palace was fully booked. All we could hope that is wasn’t mega busy as some of the reviews had said due to the children going back to school. We flew with easyJet which isn’t how we usually like to go away but as it was only a few hours we didn’t mind too much as it saved us a fortune and we had upgraded to have extra leg room so it was a little more comfortable. Upon arrival at the airport we had to get a taxi to the hotel which took roughly 25 minutes and cost €35 When we got the the hotel we were a little disappointed it wasn’t the same standard as a normal riu hotel.. less bars, no sports bar or swim up pool bar, no optics and full Minibar in the room and the lunch wasn’t all that which wasn’t a great start but the hotel are very accommodating and upgraded our room from a standard double to a nice spacious family room. The family room looked pretty modern with a bathroom, extra toilet room and a double balcony. The bed wasn’t too bad to sleep on, not the usual 2 doubles pushed together you get in a riu but not too uncomfortable, but my pillow was rock hard! I couldn’t even use it the first night and after waking up with a neck ache I had to ask reception to replace my pillow for a softer one. They couldn’t have been more helpful and once replaced it made the world of difference! The customer service was great and the reception even called up to check I received it and then called again the next day to check if it was okay and I was happy with the pillow.
On our first evening we headed down to a local sports bar called Britannia. The drinks were a really reasonable price and the bar had a great atmosphere and lots of people to talk to.
We came down for breakfast which I thought was okay, just a standard breakfast really but edible and much nicer than the lunch we had when we arrived although don’t expect proper sausages as there are only frankfurters available and the bread is always really stale unless you cut the fresh break yourself which is better. I must say the lunch did get a little better as the holiday went on with a few extra bits on some days that I enjoyed and the restaurant by the sea was much nicer than the main buffet. The pool area was busy but we found a sunbed in a good spot right next to the pool - which was a tad chilly to get into! We stuck to this spot the whole holiday and managed to make friends with loads of people! At around 11am on a Sunday and Wednesday sellers come round and set up racks of clothes and wraps for sale. They then put on a fashion show around the pool to show off some of their items which was a little bit random but seemed to keep the men amused!
Throughout the days the entertainment team are on hand to host games and entertain you. They do a brilliant job playing games, hosting water aerobics and water Zumba as well as putting on little poolside dances at points in the day and work extremely hard to keep everyone happy. Dinner was better than the breakfast and lunch. We booked to eat in the Beach front restaurant which was okay.. we had Italian the first night and Canarian the second night. They also do an Asian night but I wouldn’t recommend this. The food was very bland and not enjoyable to eat but edible. We ate dinner on the terrace with a beautiful View as we watched the sun set behind the mountain. We went to the show in the evening but the game show was all done in Spanish so we didn’t have a clue what was going on. They did however have live music outside which was lovely to sit and chill listening too and I must say the sunsets overlooking the infinity pool are beautiful and picturesque! The unlimited amounts of cocktails were also great! They come in slush machines and then the bar staff add the extra ingredients needed such as mint and sugar for a mojito so they are nice and cold and refreshing! I also recommend the rum punch!
There is a free bus service daily that takes you down to las Americas which saves you a fortune in taxis. We only went to grab a Mcdonalds (where we found Lotus Biscoff Milkshakes and loaded wedges!) and have a look in the shops!
We went to check out the riu palace and it was beautiful but very quiet and no all inclusive option by the looks of things as not one person had a wristband on. The beach at the end of the hotel was black sand and little black stones. We had a little stroll along the beach, stopped at a shack for a drink where we could watch paragliders land then headed back to the hotel.
We found a nice little place for breakfast called Purple beach which was a 5 minute walk from the hotel. You could get a full breakfast for €6 English which was soooo much better than the hotel and had real sausages!! We also went back here and I got a toasted aromatic duck wrap that was really nice and on our final night went for dinner where we had a burger with chilli cheese loaded fried and a fillet steak with salad, chips and mushroom sauce. This was delicious and the best meal of the holiday for me! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.. it is owned by an English man who understands what food we like to eat and he’s got the menu bang on!
Down the same strip we found a nice authentic Indian restaurant to stop for dinner. Spice garden was clean and new looking with comfortable chairs and good decor. The food was lovely, a little spicy for me but I told them it was too hot and asked for it mild and they redone my korma for me so that it wasn’t so hot. We ordered 4 popadoms with dips, 2 starters, 2 rice and 3 currys plus 2 half pints and a bottle of corona and the bill came to €73 which was so worth it we even recommended the restaurant to everyone sitting around the pool! Whilst out here we went to Quad Trip Tenerife where we drove quad bikes up Mount Teide for sunset and then watched the stars and looked at the constellations whilst enjoying a glass of prosecco and a packet or two of crisps (we saw Mars, Venus and Jupiter as well as spotting our star signs with the help of an app). This trip was brilliant and so much fun! Our guide Emilio was fantastic and took loads of photos for everyone which we could purchase at the end of the trip for €10 per person. The views up the mountain were incredible but we wished we would have done the day time trip so we could have seen the views from the top of the mountain as it was pitch black by the time we got there. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see the views and the volcano whilst being adventurous!
We also went to the GreenWorld Closing Party at Amarilla Golf Course which was a fun afternoon and evening listing to some top house DJs - such a Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones. The festival was so busy and I think we may have been the only English people there but we had a great time and one too many drinks!
The weather in Tenerife was great and it was a perfect holiday for relaxing and de-stressing. I must admit it is not the best place we’ve ever been but it done the job and we had a nice time overall. If you like shopping the ray bans are also very cheap out here compared to back home along with alcohol and cigarettes.