"Autumn in Tenerife " a Isla de Tenerife Travel Page by SabrinaSummerville

Feeling exhausted after a difficult summmer with poor health, not to mention a particularly wet Irish Summer, I decided it was time to take drastic action and head off in search of some sunshine. Mum had also been ill, so we wanted something rather close to home. I ruled out the Mediterranean, as I didn't dare risk poor weather, and almost reluctantly opted for ten days in Tenerife. I say reluctantly because, until recently, this island has had a rather unfortunate reputation for attracting the fish and chip lager lout types.

Luckily for us, Tenerife is in the throes of a renaissance, and my search for something in the luxury market revealed a wealth of new high-end five star and five star grand luxe properties. Indeed, the guide on one of our day tours informed us that there is currently a planning ban on any new hotel that is not at least five star.

Now on a visit to this beautiful island one is more likely to encounter the Financial Times reader on the beach (see pic) than the lager lout.

I was determined to see as much of the island as I could. Unfortunately for me, I discovered that there is far more to Tenerife than I could ever have imagined. It begs a return visit.

This was my fifth trip to the island and I am quite sure that I saw more on this visit than on all my other visits combined. It made me sad that I had, for so long, closed my eyes to its beauty and relied on the sun sea and sand idea of the Tenerife vacation.

Did you know that:-
* Tenerife has over 400 volcanos.
* The Island has 21 different micro climates.
* Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton built the first luxury holiday house on the island, and established the first hotel there.
* Not realising that Taylor is English and Burton is Welsh, the islanders named Playa de las Americas after these "American" movie stars.
* The infamous Veronicas Strip was named after Taylor, whose middle name is Veronica.