Hidden Tenerife

A L S O AVA IL A B LE

FROM LUSTER PUBLISHERS:

The 500 Hidden Secrets city guides AMSTERDAM | ANTWERP BANGKOK | BARCELONA BERLIN | BRUSSELS BUDAPEST | COPENHAGEN DUB LIN | G HE NT | HAVAN A LISBON | LONDON LOS ANGELES | MADRID MIAMI | NEW YORK PARIS | PR AGUE ROME | ROTTERDAM SAN FRANCISCO

This guidebook is her personal ode to the spot she fell in love with so many years ago and that has never stopped fascinating her.

It takes you off the beaten track to more than 390 beautiful and unexpected locations. The aim of this book is to reveal lesserknown places that will awaken your senses or take your breath away, places that tell an interesting story and that will persuade you to linger. It covers different areas on the island (Santa Cruz, the North, Mount Teide, the South) and an eclectic range of themes, such as —— —— —— —— —— ——

restaurants in breathtaking locations monumental sculptures wonderful natural pools lively bars to go local hikes leading away from it all rural and cosy hideaways

These wonderful locations were photographed by S E R G I O V I L L A L B A . He’s a true ‘Canario’ who migrated and then returned to his roots; as such he has the knowledge and the perspective of an insider as well as the fresh eye of a traveller.

STOCKHOLM | TOK YO

Hidden T E N E R I F E

Hidden B E L G I U M

Hidden TENERIFE

C O N N Y M E L K E B E E K works as an official tourist guide in Tenerife; she has been living on the island for over 25 years.

Hidden TENERIFE

THINGS TO KNOW

CONNY MELKEBEEK

— p. 8

SANTA CRUZ — p. 38

THE NORTH — p. 94

MOUNT TEIDE — p. 162

ISBN 978 94 6058 2219

THE SOUTH — p. 192

www.lusterweb.com

THINGS TO KNOW

With its 2034 square kilometres, Tenerife is the largest of the seven Canary Islands. Although its population is below the one million mark, in recent years the island annually receives around 5,7 million visitors. Many of these guests want to jump into their beachwear as quickly as possible and bask in the sun for the remainder of their stay. Luckily for them the island offers a wide array of beaches, coves, resort pools and natural pools to fully savour the all-year-round warm and sunny days.

On the other hand, those willing to explore the territory will be astounded by the marvels of this beautiful subtropical island.

Not only will you encounter the most dramatic volcanic landscapes, but also the most exclusive and remarkable fauna and flora, traditional little mountain villages where time hasn’t moved on, breathtaking mountain views, singular starry skies, colourful colonial towns exposing centuries of history, world-class museums and bustling markets inviting you to cheerfully linger.

Best of all though are the authentic, warm-hearted, joyful and easy-going Canarian people you will meet. Their acclaimed love for good food and fine wine is considerable and you are in for some extraordinary culinary adventures. On a daily basis Canarios are happy to share their island and their culture, their fiestas, their gastronomy and their general joie-de-vivre. And although you may not speak the lingo, if you offer any Tinerfeño a genuine smile, you are most likely to receive an even bigger one in return.

HIGOS PICOS OR PRICKLY PEARS

EAT

Local

S O U L F O O D —————————————————————————————— 14

Interesting types of The sweetest of

F R U I T ————————————————————————— 16

S W E E T S ——————————————————————————— 18

DRINK

COFFEE

all kinds———————————————————————————————— 19

BEER, WINE

and

R U M —————————————————————————— 21

DISCOVER

The most

S A C R E D ——————————————————————————————— 22

Have fun while you Exceptional

L E A R N ————————————————————————— 24

T R A D I T I O N S ————————————————————————— 27

GOLF

under the sun —————————————————————————————— 29

Unusual

A C T I V I T I E S ———————————————————————————— 30

CULTURE

B I G F I E S T A S —————————————————————————————————— 31

Leading C A N A R I A N A R T I S T S and where to see their work—————————————————————————— 32

RANDOM

Famous

F A C E S —————————————————————————————————— 34

Mysterious H I S T O R I C A L

C H A R A C T E R S ——————————— 35

HOLLYWOOD MOVIES

shot in Tenerife————————————— 36

Local S O U L F O O D

1

COSTILLAS CON PAPAS Y PIÑA

Three main ingredients turn this traditional dish into one of the islanders’ favourites: corn on the cob, potatoes and pork ribs. The secret lies in the slow cooking of the previously desalted ribs, making the meat as tender as lard. Always accompanied by a tasty mojo cilantro (Canarian coriander sauce).

2

POTAJE CANARIO

The southern diet, adapted to hot weather, often differs from the menu in the North where temperatures are lower. But no matter where you are, a hearty plate of potaje Canario always works wonders at feeding the soul. Potaje de berros (thick watercress soup) or potaje de lentejas (thick lentil soup) are both excellent choices.

3

ESCALDÓN DE GOFIO

Gofio is flour made from toasted cereals and prepared sweet as well as savoury. It is eaten on a daily basis in many Canarian households. To make an escaldón, mix the gofio with a rich meat broth and add bits of meat and vegetables to taste. The final touch is a drizzle of green or spicy red mojo sauce on the surface.

14

4

PAPAS ARRUGADAS CON MOJO

The Canary Islands are the only place in Europe where you’ll find a variety of the original ‘Andean potatoes’. Called papas negras or papas bonitas, they’re considered a gastronomical treasure. Cooked in the skin with lots of sea salt makes them arrugadas or wrinkled. Combined with the typical mojo sauces, they are very addictive.

4 PAPAS ARRUGADAS

15

VIEW FROM THE SOUTHWEST

EAT

Eating amongst

V O L C A N O E S —————————————————————170

DISCOVER

Different

ACCESS ROADS

A visit to the Original

driving up to Mt Teide———————172

S U M M I T ————————————————————————————175

W A Y S T O E X P L O R E —————————————————————177

Adventurous

H I K E S ——————————————————————————————178

S T A R G A Z I N G —————————————————————————————————180

Cool

V I S I T O R S ’ C E N T R E S ——————————————————————182

ADRENALIN SPORTS

for the adventurous———————————184

SLEEP

Comfy or rough mountain S L E E P S ———————————————————186

RANDOM

S U R P R I S I N G F A C T S ———————————————————————————187

Extra info for

V O L C A N O L O V E R S —————————————————189

COLOPHON E D I T I N G and COM P OS ING — Conny Melkebeek — connychristine@gmail.com GRA PH I C D ES I G N — Joke Gossé PH OTO G R A P HY — Sergio Villalba — www.sergiovillalba.com COVE R I M AG E — Tensei Tenmoku (secret 238) The addresses in this book have been selected after thorough independent research by the author, in collaboration with Luster Publishers. The selection is solely based on personal evaluation of the business by the author. Nothing in this book was published in exchange for payment or benefits of any kind.

D/2018/12.005/8 I S B N 978 94 6058 2219 N U R 512, 510

© 2018, Luster, Antwerp www.lusterweb.com info@lusterweb.com Printed in Italy by Printer Trento.

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