Tenerife Weather/Activity Question

[Taters]

My husband and I will be on a westboud Transatlantic cruise in December, 2007. We are wondering what the weather might be like in Tenerife, Canary Islands at that time of year, because we'd really love to be able to go to the beach or go sailing when we get there, as we'll have been very busy in five other ports prior to this stop and will be ready for a relaxing day. Is there a nice beach in Tenerife? Are sailing excursions even available through RCI? Is this simply NOT the tme of year for these types of activities?

 

Any and all input is appreciated! Thanks!

 

Taters

[CruisinGerman]

I live in Barcelona and Madrid and my wife and I have been to Tenerife and the rest of the Canaries countless times. Here goes.

 

December should be about 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If you hit a windy and/or cloudy day the temperature will feel on the lower end. If you hit a calm, sunny day, it will feel hotter.

 

The Canaries in general are windy islands. Good for the concept of sailing. However, unlike other islands like Mallorca and the Mediterranean mainland coast, the Canaries really don't have extensive facilities for sailing.

 

Beaches. You Americans who are used to Mexico and the Caribbean are going to find the Canary beaches ugly. The nicest beach, in my opinion, is actually on the island of Gran Canaria (the Maspalomas beach and sand dunes). Tenerife of course has beaches, but most people tend to use the facilities of the waterfront resort hotels and do not use the beach. The Atlantic ocean will be very cold that time of year. The winds in the Canaries usually make beachgoing a little uncomfortable because the sand is easily blown about.

 

Your ship will dock in the capital city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The beach areas are more to the south, and are actually quite a distance from where you will dock.

 

What most people do in Tenerife, because it is a lifetime experience that you will most likely not repeat again, is go to the El Teide Volcanic National Park. El Teide is the highest volcano in Europe (maybe second highest, I don't remember, so don't hold me to it please) and really makes for a beautiful, outdoor excursion.

 

Those of us who live in Spain and Europe go to the Canaries because of its closeness, to get some sun in the winter, to enjoy dirt cheap rates in the summer (which is low season in the Canaries), and to enjoy their natural beauty.

 

While in the last five or ten years some upscale resorts and international chains have been developing there, for the most part the Canaries have traditionally catered to the cheap, low-market package tour crowd from Germany, Britain and the Northern countries. A German or Nordic person, because it is usually so cold in those countries, would be glad to sunbathe in December in January while I, even though I was born in Germany but raised in Spain, would feel that I'm freezing in the same situation.

 

In the Canaries, except for a few new mega resort hotels, most of the tourism infrastructure is of the dated, tacky nature left over from the 70's and early 80's.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions -- I'll try to help.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Taters]

Hello Gunther and Uta:

 

Thanks so much for the information you've provided on Tenerife! Even though I am an Alaskan and 60 to 70 F degree temps are going to feel very warm (it can be 50 F degrees BELOW zero in December in Fairbanks), I think I'll shy away from trying to do any beach type of activities while we are there. It just doesn't sound like this is the place to enjoy those activities. Maybe going to the volcano will be just the thing for us, if I can find a tour that doesn't last all day long.

 

Again, thank you!

 

Taters

[CruisinGerman]

I found this link with photos of Tenerife:

 

http://www.pbase.com/eastcult/tenerife

 

Las Teresitas beach is near or in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. However, I don't really think it will be beach weather that time of year. You will note from the photos that the rest of the beaches are either black or rocky.

 

However, the scenery going to and being at El Teide is beautiful. I think you would enjoy that.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[travelteam]

Gunther, perhaps you know if taxi's are available for daily hire in Tenerife? Will they be available at the pier when we dock. Taters and I are on the same cruise and are looking for ways to see the Island without having to take a ships tour. What can you advise? The volcano sounds great, how would we get there?

 

Your photos are wonderful..........makes me want to see as much of the Island as possible.

 

Travelteam

[CruisinGerman]

The ships dock in the industrial port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is actually quite a distance just to get outside the fence of the port --

 

There will be taxis because Santa Cruz is Tenerife's largest city. I bet if you do an online search you can find one of the large taxi cooperatives from Tenerife city on the Internet and I'm sure they have information about hourly rates for touring.

 

Something else I would consider would be renting a car. It is very inexpensive to rent cars in the Canaries -- bet you could rent a really nice car for about $20 or $30 a day. Apart from Avis, Hertz, Sixt (the multinationals), look for a company called CICAR on the Internet (CICAR I believe stands for Canary Islands Car). I believe you can arrange for the rental company to meet you right at the ship with the car and keys. It is very easy to navigate around the island -- you will have a lot of fun doing so.

 

Also try seeking out the receptive ground services division of the large Spanish tour operators -- Marsans, Halcón, Mundicolor, Viva Tours, etc. Once we were in Tenerife, and they arranged a private guide, private driver and really nice minivan for us. I don't remember if we took a full day tour or a half day tour, but considering it was a driver, a guide and private transportation, it was quite inexpensive.

 

By the way, the photos weren't mine, but rather I link I found on the Internet.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[travelteam]

Joe, I found this thread by doing a search - hope it helps.

 

 

The ships dock in the industrial port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is actually quite a distance just to get outside the fence of the port --

 

There will be taxis because Santa Cruz is Tenerife's largest city. I bet if you do an online search you can find one of the large taxi cooperatives from Tenerife city on the Internet and I'm sure they have information about hourly rates for touring.

 

Something else I would consider would be renting a car. It is very inexpensive to rent cars in the Canaries -- bet you could rent a really nice car for about $20 or $30 a day. Apart from Avis, Hertz, Sixt (the multinationals), look for a company called CICAR on the Internet (CICAR I believe stands for Canary Islands Car). I believe you can arrange for the rental company to meet you right at the ship with the car and keys. It is very easy to navigate around the island -- you will have a lot of fun doing so.

 

Also try seeking out the receptive ground services division of the large Spanish tour operators -- Marsans, Halcón, Mundicolor, Viva Tours, etc. Once we were in Tenerife, and they arranged a private guide, private driver and really nice minivan for us. I don't remember if we took a full day tour or a half day tour, but considering it was a driver, a guide and private transportation, it was quite inexpensive.

 

By the way, the photos weren't mine, but rather I link I found on the Internet.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta