You may have noticed that we are currently adding some translations to the main website in Spanish, Russian and Finnish. Next to follow will be German. We’ll do our best to finish translating the site as accurately as possible. If you should notice any mistakes or things that don’t work as exptected, we’d be grateful if you let us know of any problems you encounter. Thank you!
We mostly dine in the North of Tenerife, so this list is somewhat biased. I’m sure there are loads of recommendations for restaurants in the South of Tenerife. If you have any helpful suggestions or referrals, please post them in the comments below!
Also worth mentioning:
El Monasterio has traditionally been one of the most visited restaurants by tourists. It’s worth a visit but while I’ve found the surroundings to be very inviting, I’ve never found the food itself to be spot on.
Here’s a map I put together highlighting the different zones for bars & restaurants in Puerto de la Cruz.
There was an important quote by Lance Armstrong regarding chefs, masseurs and chiropractors, but I thought in light of recent events I’d skip over it. Let’s just say that massage has become an intrinsic part of multi-stage races. Not only does it hasten muscle recovery but it also relaxes the riders. And we all know that this world is ever-more stressful.
I had a great, authentic Thai massage yesteray as a gift for my 35th birthday. I came out feeling 5 years younger and about 5cm taller.
First a note about Thai massages. They are given while you are fully clothed, long pants and long shirt. Just so we know, I’m into innocent relaxing massages, not of the erotic variety. There’s nothing to be ashamed of here.
The hour long massage was nothing short of amazing. It’s as if the masseur worships your body. It’s very hard to describe their technique, but I’ll try. The scientist in me is compelled to say that “pressure comes in the form of carefully modulated, overlapping waves”. [Read more →]
My favourite band the past year or so is without a doubt Cog, an Australian alternative rock band originating from Bondi, Australia. As soon as I heard the track “sharing space”, I was instantly hooked on their entire album. It varies, but my favourite song this past month has been the fast-paced “Town of Lincoln”. Other awesome tracks are “Bird of Feather”, “No Other Way” (especially the first and last thirds of the song), the slower track entitled “Bitter Pills” and “Problem Reaction Solution” (which is one of those progressive long tracks at 9:16, but it grows on you. I especially like the part from 6:10 – 7:00).
Probably one of their better videos however is this one, entitled “Are You Interested?”
By the way, all these tracks are from the same album, sharing space. Worth paying for (and I did).
Here’s the original ad:
(if you love dogs, and especially grehounds, you need to see this!)
And here’s a cool ‘making of video’, how managed to film it all:
(with english subitles)
Yesterday I attended a brief seminar entitled “nuevos desafÃos en la comercialización turÃstica” which translates as “new challenges in tourist commercialisation”. It was held in Casa Lercaro, La Orotava, Tenerife, orginised by Turisfera and made aware to be via Turismo Tenerife. I found the first two talks to be of great interest, but I found the one on mobile commerce to be of particular interest & will no doubt apply some of the things I learned there. Thanks to everyone who organised this event!
It all started when I was in the local hardware store (Leroy Merlin) the other day, feeling rather bored. I love walking in there as it opens up so many possibilities for new projects. I’m the type of guy that always has to be occupied doing something, be it maintaining, modifiying existing components so they perform better than they did in their original state, or inventing something completely new.
Anyway, I walked down a new aisle called “alternative energy”. I was quickly impressed by how easy it looked to hook up all the energy & controller modules. I soon walked out of there with a 2W “solar battery charger” – better than nothing I thought, while I do some research on the other systems offered. I got home, promptly connected the solar charger to my motorcycle’s flat battery. My 8 year old neice in law had no idea what this new device was, further solidifying my belief that it was good to be emitting these new green vibes. I had it sitting there in the late afternoon for a few hours and it had still not generated enough juice to start the motor! Just a few turns of the starter motor was all I got. Somewhat disappointed, but thinking: for €24.95, what did I really expect? That’s a pretty lame foray into the world of solar.
Somewhat miffed, I just reminded myself that “more power” is the obvious way to go with solar panels. So I went back to Leroy Merlin the next day and sized up the different options. There were solar panels of all sizes, rigid, flexible, long and short. Even though there wasn’t much there to choose from, I walked away, scared by it all. Not just because of the initial cost, but the stigma attached to it all. Mulling it all over, I wondered: what are people going to think of someone who is paying €360 for a pair of 14W photovoltaic arrays? Aren’t I going to look like a dickhead, when a lot of the appliances I use are well over 500W? I hesitated and procrastinated so much, the security guys were starting to take notice! I looped around the store and got a basket and some other things first.
Then I noticed people wandering around, half of them lost, the remainder buying up all this stuff (with some restraint due to the financial crisis here in Spain). Who knows whether they really needed it or not. Meanwhile, I was facing some kind of reality shock. See, when I was in my early twenties, I decided my goal in life was to have a “minimum impact on the environment”. And here I am, a decade later, not doing anything even remotely green. Okay, for sure I turn off all the lights whenever possible (and there are no tungsten bulbs anywhere in my house or car), but so what? That’s the least you can do. Otherwise, you’re a bit of a moron, right?
My aim for this project was to light the back of my new van so that when I deliver a bike in the dark, there is ample light to do any adjustments, change pedals, etc. Street light is pretty feeble and it just doesn’t look like a very professional setup when you can’t even show people the best bike routes on a map because it’s too dark. The plan is to install some flexible solar panels on van’s roof, where there’s plenty of stray light already going to waste (reflections, heat and whatnot). I am also planning to at least recharge my mobile phone, laptop, credit card reader and possibly a few other devices like my cordless drill, etc. At least it’s a start. Because it’s modular, I can always add to the system – I’ve calculated that the roof of the Renault Trafic will fit up to 6 solar panels, giving a total power generation of 84W. That’s something to look forward to. If it all goes well, eventually we’ll get the desktop computer off the grid too.
"In just one hour, the Sun transmits more energy to the surface of the Earth than what humanity consumes in one year"
This was my moment of self truth. A little fatter now than I used to be and about to commit to this new diesel van for work purposes, I felt environmentally obliged to invest in something good for the planet for once. Like someone was watching over me, something akin to the Truman show (how long does it take this member of society to buck the trend; we’ve made it so accesible for him?). Can I really afford four or five hundred Euros? Not really. Can I afford not to do it? No freakin’ way! [Read more →]
There are many apartments and villas in Tenerife – needless to say- but not all of them are what they say they are. So after 5 years of delivering bikes all over Tenerife and having seen a lot of different properties ourselves in the flesh, we decided to write this list of what we consider as the best apartments, rural houses & private villas. We’ve included links as some of these places are not easy to find online otherwise. Here’s the link to the top ten hotels in Tenerife.
This is without a doubt one of the most exclusive villas in Tenerife and also has a long heritage. Villa Preciosa has recently been totally renovated and the attention to detail is amazing. Here you can relax in your very own private bar, pool (heated if you desire), and surrounds. Even the bathrooms exude luxury!
The owner is your typical Mr Fixit, so everything works. It’s a very cute little house which has a charming rustic theme. Worth mentioning that the owners are into recycling & ecological gardening.
consistently has the highest tripadvisor ratings of any property in Tenerife, regardless of location or status.
One of the best modern hotel/apartments in the Puerto de la Cruz zone. Also has a great kitchen and bar, so in that sense it’s more like a hotel.
This place probably has the best vantage point on the island, located atop a true 300m cliff with views out over neighbouring island La Palma and the Atlantic ocean.
Located in a very secluded spot in La Romantica, Los Relejos; nevertheless, it’s right on the coast and is a great place to stay if you’re looking for peace and quiet.
Located in Los Cristianos, it’s just like the website shows…
Also located in Los Cristianos, it is clean and well-maintained.
This is just a quick note to say that apart from other green measures we are taking, it’s worth noting that the Tenerife Training website is also hosted by a green server. What the hell does that mean? Well, it means that the people who host all our files use wind energy instead of energy derived from oil or nuclear sources. In simple terms, it means that when other people see our website, the information that we provide 24 hours a day to the world is accessed through the use of green energy.
These are the three projects we have chosen to support with CajaCanarias:
With 276 km² and more than 10000 inhabitants, El Hierro is the smallest island of the Canary archipelago ( Spain ). The island has its own electricity grid; it is totally isolated as the significant sea depths make any interconnection impossible. Till a little time ago , the electricity demand, which accounts for about 65% of the internal energy consumption, was mainly covered by a conventional thermal power station (10MW diesel-fired system). The contribution of renewable energies to the electricity grid was
less than 5% and came from two wind turbines installed close to the main town (100 kW and 180 kW).
El Hierro, the smallest island of the Canaries, is staging one of the most ambitious island projects regarding energy self-sufficiency through the use of renewable energies. In a few years, El Hierro will become one of the first islands in the world to meet its energy demand using RES (Renewable Energy Sources). Considered as one of the most audacious actions of the strategy established in the European Commission White Paper on Renewable Energies, the project is already a reference for other islands, such as Crete and Madeira…
More than a year ago, a topic about Tenerife and the environment came up on the Sun4Free forum. I’ve had this article lying around as draft version, so I thought rather than delete it, I’d publish “as is”.
Lets assume that you’re absolutely correct in your statements. What do you suggest that we do to stop the emissions of CO2 in Tenerife? Stop encouraging visitors to the Island? Ban all tourism? BIG savings on emissions with no aircraft coming in. Stop all unnecessary activity on the Island? No pleasure trips by car, bus motorcycle or bicycle?Â
Here’s what I managed to dig up:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates aviation contributes just 3% to total global emissions of CO2, compared with the 25% pumped out by power stations.
So since I was asked directly, here is what I would introduce:
In the short term (6 – 18 months)
offer small loans & grants
In the medium term (2 – 3 years)
In the long term (5 years +)
Hi Leslie!
We aro so sorry
We should put off our arrival till summer because its a crisis here
my friend lost work
so…its changed all our plans
but i hope we will do smth to change the situation and make it better for ourselves
thanks a lot for your efforts
and hope to visit Tenerife in summer or next year!
Hello,
Don’t worry – there is a crisis all over the world … it’s global … for example one of the weeks in January I had just one bicycle rented! Normally I have 5-10 or more bikes rented then, if not more. Luckily last month [February] was okay.
My Spanish partner also worked for Iberia and her work contract expired early and is now unemployed. Unfortunately she isn’t entitled to unemployment benefits because she hasn’t worked more than 365 days… incredible! Where I am from -Australia- the goverment automatically helps us when we don’t have enough work.
Anyway, that’s one of the reasons I sent the last newsletter – it’s times like these that we have to work harder than ever, especially if individuals & businesses want to survive. Instead of complaining about the crisis and wondering about why the economic situation is the way it is, I always try to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude for the future and keep working to find new clients. I’ve found that it certainly helps if you have clearly identifiable and reachable goal.
Thanks for your email & hope to see you one day in the future training in Tenerife!
-Leslie
Spirulina is a microscopic freshwater plant that grows in America, Mexico and Central Africa. Spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source.
It contains more bio-chelated organic iron than any other whole-food. Bio-chelated means that the iron will easily be assimilated into the body. Spirulina has 58 times the iron of raw spinach and 28 times that of raw beef liver. [Read more →]
Kukuxumusu is one of my favourite Spanish designers, founded by Mikel Urmeneta their zany creative director. The name “kukuxumusu” meaning “flea’s kiss” in the Basque language. His cartoon designs are incredibly bold, colourful and original and are not that well known outside of Spain.
Kukuxumusu prints almost always feature a stylised animal with themes most often about Spanish culture; raising humanitarian & ecological awareness with simple messages; mountain expeditions; humorous cartoons displaying the animal’s own unique perspective; animals interacting with one another; sex and drugs; violence is never represented in the images. There are even a few references to Mt Teide and the Canary Islands.
By far the most prominent character is the iconic blue cow; sheep also appear regularly as well as other easily identifiable animals such as: bulls, primates, monkeys, donkeys, camels, polar bears, penguins, whales, birds, amphibians, lizards, chameleons, mosquitos, grasshoppers and other insects, etc. Love hearts and fried eggs are also common.
I guess they are similar in approach to Mambo graphics in Australia but these are a lot cuter and a little more subtle. You can support them by buying any of their clothes and accessories online at www.kukuxumusu.com. There’s also a shop selling some Kukuxumusu stuff here in La Orotava if you happen to be in the area. Alternatively, you can even contract them to make a custom design for your business or charity organisation!
I hope you enjoy the following slideshow gallery images:
Leontien Zijlaard van Moorsel is one of the most successful and versatile female cyclists of modern times, competing in both track and road racing events. She was born in Boekel, the Netherlands in 1970. One of the best looking female riders both on the velodrome and in the peloton, she is well known for her make-up, lipstick and painted nails.
Between 1990 and 1993, she won 4 world championships. During that time she also won the French Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin” twice before suffering from depression and anorexia nervosa in 2004. She then made a comeback in the late 90′s overcoming her mental ill-health to win a further 5 world championship races between 1998 and 2003. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics she was one of the most victorious athletes, winning three gold medals and one silver in various cycling disciplines. [Read more →]
One of my goals when I was a teenager was that I never wanted to wear a suit and tie. I resented the very idea. It was too conformist. Too conventional. Illogical & impractical I also used to think. In that sense, I’m living my dream by never having worn one, although financially speaking, this was definitely not the wisest career move. As far as finances go, I’ve since realised it’s much easier said than done to make your own money.
It goes without saying that I like to make my own choices. I choose what my priorities are, when and how I perform tasks. I am my own boss. What I do not like in the feeling of insecurity. I’m living alright, but the dream has not come easily. In fact, I’m not 100% convinced that it’s even arrived!
When I was younger I got suckered into starting a Ph.D. Worse still, I was persuaded to continue until the end. It took 5 rather miserable years to finish. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my undergraduate Materials Science degree immensely, but I liken the Doctorate to being tortured in prison. I needed a change.
“Have you ever attempted to be yourself
when everybody wants you to be someone else?” – Powderfinger
How to lose fitness:
I don’t know what happened to me in the last year. I seemed to lose all motivation for riding my road bike. It’s the same old story: you turn 30 and your belly starts to accrete fat molecules like an asteroid belt orbiting a big planet. So here’s a little spur-of-the-moment article I’ve put together that can possibly help loads of people.
I was so busy with www.Tenerife-Training.net & www.BikeNode.com, I didn’t get out as much & gained at least 5kg body mass in the last year (and none of it was muscle). Probably it was more like 7-10 kg, but I conveniently forgot what my starting weight was (~67kg?). All I know is that, suddenly one day I hopped on the scales and the little dial moved in a manner in which I’d never previously witnessed: it lurched forward and then backward and then forward again, swinging like the pendulum of a miniature grandfather clock, giving me enough time to realise that I’d definitely gained too much weight. By the time it settled I wasn’t happy about the decision to weigh myself. At this point, I could only imagine the level of guilt truly obese people feel. [Read more →]
