Day 514

Sunday December 1

It’s an early evening flight to Tenerife followed by an hour long coach journey taking us almost the entire length of the island. We’re sure the views are lovely, but it’s dark and we really don’t get to see anything. This all means we arrive at the Hotel Catalonia Punta del Rey late enough to have missed dinner, so we’re directed to the snack room where we find perfectly serviceable sandwiches. That will do for now. So let’s see what kind of place we have here. Well, maybe not. Late night Sunday seems a bit of a dead spot in the week, or maybe we just don’t quite have the full energy to explore. The bar, off to the far side of reception, is mildly bustling and we can see a door through which there’s the pool area, and apparently another one across the road. Upstairs and we discover our room is on the first floor, has a balcony overlooking a quiet park/garden area, and is almost next to the large main function room. OK, so right next to that part of the action. This is an all inclusive holiday and my own first ever hotel holiday, and certainly my first ever all inclusive Spanish pool hotel holiday, something which amuses Maja greatly. Yeah. This is fully intended to be a hotel pool holiday. This hotel is far from any main local nightlife destinations and that’s just fine. We’re here for the December sun and a relaxing time and that’s about as far as ambitions go right now. So, off to the bar to grab a few post travel drinks. 

Day 515

Monday December 2

We start to get a bit of a better idea of the place. Out past reception and to the pool area here and it really is a large expanse of deckchairs on different levels looking over everything. This everything includes an outdoor bar and a beach volleyball court. We also discover there’s a sports bar downstairs in what doubles as the hotel’s nightclub. OK. This place is already expanding around us. Now to start with breakfast and this is very encouraging. An enormous dining room and so many different buffet options everywhere. Even all your own variations on the full English breakfast if you want. Oh yes. This will do. We find a table next to an inner window which looks out on a mini lagoon scene. A closer look and we see the waterfall pond has a load of turtles ambling and floating about with a cute footbridge overlooking it all. And sun, sun, sun. Oh, and Christmas decorations all out there in the garden. Oh yeah. Christmas. That feels a bit weird now we’ve transplanted ourselves right back into summer again. One might even say it’s a bit incongruous.

There’s an adult pool across the road. I think this means it will be a naked pool, but no, just a place where you can be assured there’ll be no children. Oh, that makes more sense. Another bar over there too. We go across and, really, get our first sight of idyllic Tenerife streetlife. The hotel front looks right out over the sea – well, Tenerife’s a tiny island so almost everywhere looks over the sea to be fair – and we can take that in as well as the mountains each side we look as we cross the road. Now into the private pool area and another vista of sunbeds. We find two next to each other a couple of banks of sunbeds in and settle down. Either side of us the sunbeds are also unoccupied, although clearly taken. Out come our books and towels. The cool waters of the pool can wait for at least a little while, as can the bar for now. 

We’ve been there for about 20 minutes when we’re aware of someone settling down next to us with the words, ‘So you’re our neighbours for today?’ and a sparkling short laugh. And this is how we meet Nikki. Of all the sunbeds of all the pool area. She’s a little older than us, but has all the spirit and fun of a teenager along with an interesting and intriguing depth that can only come from deep experience. We get chatting to her immediately and all of a sudden, our little patch of poolside has been transformed. She’s here on holiday with her friend Rory and we soon meet him too when he emerges from the pool, and it’s with him that we now go and have our first dip. And just like that, we now know people.

Oh, and we’re kind of noticed by the staff as well. This comes first when I get chatting to a receptionist called Pedro. Because I’m chatting to him in Spanish. Not a lot of that about apparently. And apparently, this really goes a long way.

Day 515

Tuesday December 3

I’ve decided we going to cover the rest Tenerife in this one entry here then get ourselves back to London. The Madrid entry has the makings of a small book, possible non Diary things have been rumbling in the background in the early part of the year and as I sit down to write this, it’s already mid April. With that, it feels we’re suddenly more than four months behind. So while Tenerife was wonderfully incident packed, with even Diary related features, yeah, we’re pretty much brushing over it and trying to get back to some semblance of where we actually are. And if there are any callbacks to our time in Tenerife in future Diary adventures, which could possibly happen, we can deal with them then.

So yeah. A kind of listed set of highlights is the way we’ll go with this I think.

First, we discover Nikki is something of a regular here and has built up quite a network of friends over the years who are also regulars. We could have pitched up anywhere at that pool on our first day, indeed could have even pitched up at the other pool altogether. But this massively gratuitous placing gives us a pretty cool instant social scene for the whole week.

We also venture out and get to know a few of the local bars, especially the wonderful and independent Bar Costa Azul where we are immediately welcomed by bargirl Danni. She plays our music over the speakers, absolutely loves it and tells everyone who comes in about us. And given that I speak Spanish, we’re able to have some real Tenerife local hangouts here. 

We have to add that Maja becomes something of a star around the hotel, especially when our new friends, very much led by Cheryl in this regard, ask us to perform our songs for them. We have no guitar, but get shouted and encouraged on to perform a capella. We do, and then this becomes demanded almost as a regular occurrence. At least once a few spoilsports don’t like the ruckus we’re creating and complain and the staff get a bit angry. Where would rockstars be without causing chaos in hotels? I think we’ve fulfilled at least some of our obligations there. 

We have the most incredible guided tour of the volcanic region capped by a visit to Mount Teide, the biggest volcano on the island. A few facts. At 3,715 metres tall, it’s the highest point in Spain and its islands, and the third highest volcano in the world. Our visit to it takes us up ridiculously winding roads and sees us walk around landscapes that make us feel as though we’ve arrived on another planet. 

Another day trip out sees us get the bus to Santa Cruz, the capital city of Tenerife. A wonderful place to visit and damn, it’s got some steep streets. It seems like everywhere you look in Tenerife you see mountainous terrain. The city isn’t quite built on a mountain, but the hilly nature of the island is still very apparent here. Among all this, we’re wonderfully surprised to come across the Mercado Municipal Nuestra Senora de Africa. Basically an indoor market based on the markets of Africa. Well, we are just off the continental coast. Inside we discover a whole square area dedicated to seafood, choosing one of them for an incredible shellfish (and wine) lunch.  

Of course, lots of lazing by the pool, at least one impromptu volleyball session with the hotel staff, and some brilliant hotel bar afternoons and nights with some great shows in the function room basically next door to our room. Where Maja sees her first ever magic show, a truly magical experience in itself.

We leave Tenerife Sunday afternoon feeling wonderful about our time there. We arrive back home in the early hours of Monday.

Day 521

Monday December 9

Some hangover stuff from past few days, physical from volcano trip, and late night and Maja in at work this morning. Not much Tuesday, Wed Thurs either, especially as I get sick Wednesday, just as we might start to think about doing things, and not great Thursday either

Day 530

Wednesday December 18

A bit of a slow week underpinned by us both being a bit under the weather for most of it. Out for the first time tonight since we got back. We decide to go have a quiet drink or two at The Golden Lion, kinda heading out of Camden and closer to Kings Cross. We hang out at the bar and intermittently chat to the barman Joe who we’ve never met before. Behind us to our right, maybe two tables of two people. To our left a big round table with 10 to 12 people sitting round it. Clearly a works thing, possibly a Christmas thing. As they take it in turns to come up and get rounds, we chat to whoever’s buying. Eventually, they learn what we are and ask us to join them and give them a song. Like in Tenerife, no guitar, we have to go a capella. With our own songs. We give them one, they love it. Want another. Then another, then another. This is almost becoming a full show and they’re loving it. A few people give us 10 pound notes, so we’ve made twenty quid out of it. But then we start to get included in all their rounds. For the rest of the night, which has some considerable way to go. And all from going out for a quiet night out to an out of the way bar on a Wednesday night.

Day 531 

Thursday December 19

I think I’ll just say nothing much Diaryable happens for a little while with a wonderful Christmas and New Year happening. Including our first New Year’s Eve out local in Camden Town. so this is us for 2024.