Christmas in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

A special Christmas, that’s what everybody wants for their family and friends. The most importance of this time is to have enough time to celebrate it with family and friends. To celebrate a special Christmas, it is important to have an idea or theme to organize an authentic Christmas holiday.

Our suggestion, is to celebrate the Christmas holidays in a warm destination, where you can enjoy a few days of December on the beach, with a swim in the sea and sunbathe under the "winter" sun. Well, all this is possible in the Canary Islands, the preferred destination for many central European tourists at this time of year.

Usually, if you do not celebrate the holidays at home, we usually choose a destination that is more “Christmas” in spirit, as could be London or Berlin. A different alternative, that is gaining more an more followers is to celebrate Christmas in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 

It is a unique destination with a pleasant climate, with extremely friendly people and first class services. There are different proposals for spending this time of year on the island, but a sure bet is  to choose a gastronomic hotel in Tenerife. The Iberostar Grand Hotel Mencey is, without doubts, the most well known in the Canary Islands.

Also, it has one of the best restaurants in Tenerife, the restaurant of Los Menceyes, with the Canarian chef Juan Carlos Clemente heading the kitchen. The hotel has in turn a Cookery Classroom where they hold weekly cooking classes, Master Classes with Michelin star chefs, events and presentations, private classes… The best advice is to check the hotel’s website or their Facebook page, to find out about their latest offers.

The hotel is preparing a very special Christmas dinner, with a menu created for the occasion with featured wines, live music and a bar service after dinner. For the 25th of December, the hotel is offering a delicious Christmas buffet, very Spanish.

Protected areas to visit in Fuerteventura

The Canary Islands with their spectacular variety of scenery is one of the Spanish territories where most protected areas are concentrated.  Both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have been declared Biosphere Reserves due to the beauty of such marvelous places as Los Hervideros, the natural monument of the Tindaya mountain or the famous Corralejo sand dunes.

Fuerteventura has in total more than ten natural spaces specifically protected and through which we can travel from north to south and completely cover the whole island.

You can start from Wolfs' island which faces Lanzarote and the Natural Park of the Corralejo Sand Dunes as far as the Natural Park of Jandia, the largest of the island which covers almost the whole of the peninsula of the same name and is situated in the extreme south of Fuerteventura.

The southern area is traditionally a place for quiet tourism that fits perfectly with the natural environment where the hotels are situated.  Here you will find some of the best hotels in Fuerteventura such as the Iberostar Playa Gaviotas and the Playa Gaviotas Park, two of the most well maintained establishments that the Iberostar group have in the Canary Islands.  However, in the first phase that we are covering today, we start the journey in the well known Corralejo Park.

Corralejo as well as Jandia, is one of those places in Fuerteventura where the spectacular sand dunes have learnt to live with an excellent touristic infrastructure which highlights the level of hotels such as the Barcelo Corralejo Bay or the establishments of the Atlantis chain: Dunapark, the Grand Hotel Atlantis Bahia Real and the Suite Hotel Fuerteventura Resort, all of which are just a few meters from the Natural Park.

Belonging to the municipality of La Oliva, with a large network of trails, throughout the park, the area called Grandes Playas, the playa de Piedra Playa and monuments like the Church of Saint John the Baptist and others have been declared a Property of Cultural Interest.  These areas are interesting for those who wish to practice water sports and above all, hiking.

If we leave behind the Corralejo dunes and make our way more to the north of Fuerteventura and continue to the interior of the island we will find one of the most beautiful natural monuments of Fuerteventura, the Volcan de la Arena.

Situated just between Villaverde, La Oliva and Lajares, the landscape is volcanic with its own vegetation and characteristics (Malpais). You are allowed to climb to the top of the volcano (420 meters high) and it is well worth the journey and in particular the views you will contemplate from the top: the whole of the northern coast of Fuerteventura including Lanzarote.

Best Beach Hotels in Es Canar

Today we travel to Ibiza to make a short review of the best accommodations that currently exist in the area of ​​Es Canar, not only on the beach itself of Es Canar, but in the coves around it, where you can enjoy the charm of Ibiza with less people and with services equally good.

Famous for its hippie market, held in Punta Arab, and being quite a family destination, with coves with crystal clear waters and first class restaurants, Es Canar is a reference for the rest of the world with respect to beach hotels. Although many hotels offer the same as years before, the majority have committed to modernising the hotel and provide specialised services for the different segments that visit Ibiza every year to enjoy the Mediterranean.

Traveling with Kids

One of our favourites, if traveling with children, is the emblematic Fiesta Cala Nova, a family hotel in Cala Nova, a beautiful quiet beach only 1 km from Es Canar, valued for the quality of its waters, fine sand and the camping area in the area. The hotel is the only one on the beach frontline, perfectly integrated in this area with a relaxed atmosphere and hardly any constructions. It stands out for its mini club and Junior Club (until 14 years of age), swimming pools with water games, transfer to the airport and a buffet with interesting night themes.

Between Es Canar and Ses Pedrisses, we find another of the recommended hotels for children in Ibiza, on the coast of Santa Eularia des Riu, the hotel Intertur Miami Ibiza. Located on the beach frontline and it includes mini club, children’s swimming pool and a very complete all-inclusive service. It stands out for its international atmosphere and the personalised service.

For couples’ escapades

Although not strictly on the beach of Es Canar, just between this beach and the relaxing Cala Martina, this hotel for adults only, part of the hotel chain Fergus Hotels, deserves a special mention as they have managed to create a perfect space for those travelling to Ibiza as a couple. Romantic, but without losing the comfort that beach hotels offer in Ibiza, the Fergus Paraiso Beach stands out for its personalised attention, its complete common areas and the garden that surrounds it. It offers an all-inclusive service, without surprises.

Finally, very close to the previous, a few meters from the beach of Es Canar and the area of Punta Arabi where every Wednesday the famous hippy market is held, we find the Marina Panorama, a classic hotel for couples escapade to Ibiza. It is a hotel with a careful design, with typical services of a beach resort but specialised in adult clients, that include relaxation areas, fully equipped solarium areas, swimming pools, outdoor Jacuzzi... It stands out for its price extremely competitive for the area.

Confortel Islantilla Hotel: the origins of a destination

Today's story has a unique protagonist, the Confortel Islantilla hotel, a hotel in Huelva, in the heart of the Costa de la Luz, which was the beginning of one of the luxury destinations most important in the province of Andalusia, the community of municipalities of Islantilla.

This sun and beach holiday accommodation of the hotel chain Confortel Hotels is one of the great classics of the coast of Huelva, a high standard 4 star hotel that has helped shape the area around it. The hotel was completed in 1992 on the beach frontline, from where it overlooks this exclusive destination next to a 27 holes golf course and a large shopping centre.

Islantilla, is a luxury beach destination, awarded the European Blue Flag for the quality of its services and the waters off the coast. Its territory is divided between the municipalities that saw it grow, Lepe and Isla Cristina.

The hotel is the core of a renewal spirit that was successfully implemented in an area where the rain and sea prevented it from farming and, at present, it stretches between two unique natural spaces in the Golf of Cadiz, the marshlands of Isla Cristina and Rio Piedras and La Flecha del Rompido, an exclusive area where 3,000 people reside throughout the year.

The Confortel Islantilla is a symbol for this area and, at the same time, it is one of the jewels of the hotel chain that also has urban hotels in Madrid, like the Atrium Hotel near Barajas, and in Barcelona, as well as in other Spanish capitals from the likes of Seville and Valencia.

With a privileged location in the centre of Islantilla and facing the beach, the hotel offers quality services that differentiate it from other hotels, in terms of service and quality: free WiFi, well looked after gardens that surround the property, large outdoor swimming pool, spa, gym, paddle court, tennis, restaurant... and all kinds of special features for those travelling with children.

The design of the rooms is one of its key points: spacious areas with soft and functional lines, light colours, large windows and high quality furniture. They are designed for all types of guests, from couples traveling alone to those searching for a holiday destination for the whole family. It also offers rooms adapted for disabled people and special amenities.

Key points of the Confortel Islantilla hotel:

• Free Wi-Fi.

• Spa area.

• An emblematic hotel in Islantilla.