What must we do in Tenerife next week?

October 16, 2009 7:15 AM

What shouldn't we miss in Tenerife Oct. 21 - 28? The very-soon-to-be-Mrs. and I are headed to Adeje for our honeymoon next week. We don't have much planned, and don't want to plan very much, but it would be nice to have a reference list of things we could do while we're there.

At the moment we don't plan on getting a car but I'm not averse to renting one if it's the best way to get across the island to the most awesome thing ever. So, what really interesting things would we regret not seeing or doing while we're there? We like nature, food, shopping, swimming, seeing things we would never see at home...probably lots of other things as well. Just not clubbing.

We pretty much don't speak Spanish - we can read signs or find a doctor in an emergency but fail at anything more than a few broken words and gestures.

posted by dreadpiratesully to Travel & Transportation around Tenerife, Spain (3 answers total)

Best answer: Not speaking Spanish is not a problem. The place gets (literally) 5 million tourists a year and none of them speak Spanish either, so English is spoken absolutely everywhere.

I suspect your question is not getting a lot of answers because it is, well, odd. People generally go to Tenerife for sun, sand, family package holidays centered around the hotel's pool, inappropriate sex and staggering amounts of alcohol. It wouldn't really be a standard honeymoon destination, but as you will be there in mid-season it's entirely possible this will turn out to be a completely pleasant experience. (In the peak summer season, it is... not.)

In other words, while there are any number of undoubtedly marvellous tourist attractions, no doubt outlined in numerous tourist guides, they tend to not be as heavily touristed as the local clubs and bars. You will need a car, but you could do it by the day for specific day trips. I don't know where you're staying, but San Cristóbal de La Laguna is a World Heritage site and would be worth a drive. As this no-nonsense guide points out, the town of La Orotava and the botanical garden at Puerto de la Cruz are also well worth seeing. Avoid Las Americas, which was literally built for tourists, except perhaps for shopping.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:28 AM on October 16, 2009

I say rent a car and head up to the peak of Teide! The highest point in the Atlantic!
posted by mdonley at 2:14 AM on October 17, 2009

Go to Puerto de la Cruz. Black sand! North of the island is nicer than the south in my opinion.
Loro Park
Mt Teide
Not the Eagle park place with the birds of prey, that's horrible.
posted by LyzzyBee at 12:40 PM on October 22, 2009