Entries Tagged 'Tenerife' ↓

House sales in Britain are at a 50-year low with some values being slashed by up to 25 per cent. What is the situation in Tenerife?   

Nexus boss say’s “The crazy boom times have gone, yes. In the past, owners were telling us what they wanted their house to sell for and they were getting it. But that was when the pound was strong. It was like driving through a city at 200 k.m.h without a brake!” Read full article..

Earlier this week Tenerife was revealed to be the most popular location in Spain for those keen on property investment in the country.

Research by business website Global Edge - found that in July this year the island accounted for 13,000 of the 60,000 searches for Spanish property via the Google search engine. Read full article…

Villa Entrance

This fantastic family villa in Tenerife is situated in Los Cordones, near San Isidro. They have nearly completed a new motorway exit before San Isidro, which will give direct access to the TF-1 motorway within just 5 minutes.

Located in a very safe and quiet neighbourhood with very friendly professional, local neighbours. The street running past the house is a no through road so there is very little traffic around.

Gardens

The plot is 1056m2, the current Escritura states 167m2 constructed area, but documentation is available from the Ayuntiamiento (council) for an amplification to add another 60m2 which will make the new Escritura constructed area 227m2. There is a Barranco at the rear of the property so there are no developments to spoil the view in the future. The villa is constructed 1 metre above ground level, so doesn’t have any damp problems.

The Tenerife property has 4 bedrooms - 3 of which have ensuite bathrooms and one guest room which has its own seperate shower room. Master bedroom has purpose built wardrobes; complete entertainment section with plasma screen TV, DVD player and CD stereo system. Dining kitchen, front terrace, rear terrace, established garden and large pool (10m x 5m) newly re-tiled last year (2007). Drive for 3-4 cars with electronic automatic gate entrance plus additional pedestrian gate entrance. Air-conditioning to 3 bedrooms and lounge.

There is an additional room (currently used as a computer room, which could be either a dining room, office/study or 5th bedroom). The separate room outside in the garden is used as an exercise room, but could easily be converted to an office or teenagers den, etc. Ample strorage space is available by the pool pump room plus a shower room and W.C. by the pool with a covered area - which could easily be converted into a granny/studio flat.

Swimming pool

The garden has various established palm trees, shrubs and other fauna with a fully automated watering system installed. The garden also has coloured lights dotted, the main pathway through the garden is lined with wall mounted lights and the pool has it’s own lights resulting in a great night time effect.

The annual rates are around 280 Euros per year. The 3 metre Satellite dish is already fitted for Sky and UK channels. There is a Securitas alarm system installed which connects to a monitoring station, for a monthly fee of around 30 euros and ADSL is also installed.

Shops, garages, commercial centres, notary office, medical centre, schools etc. are 5 minutes away in San Isidro. El Medano´s “European Blue Flag Beach” is 10 minutes away, Reina Sofia, Tenerife’s biggest international airport is just 10 minutes away (But the house is NOT on the flightpath!) and the infamous golfing resort of Golf del Sur is just 5 minutes away. Main commercial centre with all super markets are 10 minutes away at Las Chafiras. Los Cristianos and Las Americas are a comfortable 20 minutes away. Rural country areas are all around within 5-10 minutes drive and Santa Cruz - the capital city is just 35 minutes by car.

Extremely good value for money family home - perfect for any families looking to relocate to a quiet and safe area, within easy reach of all your amenities yet well away from the tourist crowd.

Lounge area

First-night nerves is not something you would expect former Emmerdale actor, Ian Sharrock to suffer from. But when he appeared at The Theatre in San Eugenio a week last Sunday night, it was the first time he had taken to the stage for EIGHT long years. And Ian, who became a very familiar face on our TV screens as heart-throb farmer’s son Jackie Merrick, didn’t set himself an easy task either.

Ian SHARROCK (Emmerdale actor)

There was no cast to support him, not even one fellow actor. For an entire hour, Ian had only himself to rely on as he performed a chilling monologue based on the true story of mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer. “I have never been so scared in my entire life,” he confessed afterwards.  We were scared too. Not for Ian’s debut performance in what could well be a revitalised career but because he played the sinister character so well.

Every twitch of the neck, every strange hand movement, every wipe of the nose and, even more unnerving, the licking of the lips when he spoke about his corpses sent a shiver down our spines.
Ian Sharrock is back to what he does best - acting - and Tenerife holiday-makers and residents can see for themselves how talent has never left him and why they need to see this stunning new show.
Encouraged by his wife Sarrie, Ian has formed the English Live Theatre Company and chose It’s Not Mutton Jeff by Chris Kaoran for the first in a season of four short plays. For the launch party, the performance was complimented afterwards by singer Ian Anderson who performed songs from Broadway and beyond in his Showstoppers set. However, from now on, the show will only include Ian Sharrock’s play which you can see for 15 euros.  

 But why such a macabre topic for this debut, we asked Ian?  ”I was trolling the internet looking for one-man plays and it just seemed to strike a chord,” he explained.

Jeffrey Dahmer was found guilty of 15 counts of murder on February 17, 1992 and was sentenced to 957 years in prison. He only lasted around 18 months, however, as he was killed by a fellow inmate.

It might seem impossible to raise a laugh as Dahmer talks to one of his victims about his childhood, alcoholism, his first homosexual rejection, his parents and hated brother but Ian managed just that. With bitter irony, his character tells us “I didn’t ask to be born” and reveals how he kept a window display dummy in his wardrobe as his “first friend.” He even kept the skulls of some of his corpses, painting one grey so it would look like a hospital specimen just in case his mother popped her head around the door. He kept other parts of his male victims too - too delicate to mention here - which also reminds me that the play does contain a lot of swear words and cursing so it’s definitely not one for the children.

What this play does give you, however, is some cracking drama delivered solely in words with just a stool as a prop. It’s the sort of one-man show you can imagine going down a storm in the smaller theatres of Britain and now Ian has taken the plunge, it could well be the start of something big.
He already has plans for the rest of the season here on Tenerife with the plays chosen and all very different. They will include No 21 which is about a bus. “I get to play eight different characters,” says Ian.

Beginning his acting career at the tender age of eleven, Ian was a professional actor in the UK for more than 28 years and has worked in theatre, TV, film and radio with big names like Jodie Foster, Danny Kaye and David Niven. He has been in mysteries and romances, horror and sci-fi, crimes and comedies.

However, he became a household name when he joined Emmerdale Farm in 1980, playing Jackie Merrick for nine years before being killed off in a shotgun accident. His on-screen father was Jack Sugden, played by Clive Hornby, who would have been delighted to see his old friend back on the stage. Sadly, Clive died just recently.
Ian says he found rehearsing for It’s Not Mutton Jeff quite difficult and different as when on the professional circuit, he would have had the company of others to help and support. Nevertheless, he is grateful to his friends and wife Sarrie for their encouragement and assistance as he learnt his multitude of lines over a period of three weeks. It was the first time Sarrie had seen Ian on stage and when she met him eight years ago, she had never ever seen an episode of Emmerdale! Ian knows he wasn’t word perfect on the opening night but that was nerves, not lack of knowledge, which is understandable after eight years on Tenerife when he and Sarrie became stalwarts of K9 before sadly parting company with the animal rescue charity.

He hopes to take the English Live Theatre Company on the road around Tenerife and would love to hear from any venues who might like to host the show. They do need to have total black-out facilities and be quite happy for the bar to be closed for one hour during the performance. If you might be interested, do ring Ian on 628 616 607.

Similarly, he would be happy to hear from any other professional actors on the island who would like to get involved. It would be his dream, for instance, to set up an Agatha Christie group. The famous crime writer’s stories might be a bit twee but they are still as popular now as ever before.
Meantime, you can catch It’s Not Mutton Jeff, at The Theatre every Sunday night from 8pm, with doors opening at 7.30pm.  

Ian ANDERSON

Tickets are available at a number of selected excursion booths or at The Theatre itself. The Theatre is actually a show bar but has been decorated to look just like an old-fashioned theatre complete with stage, dramatic red drapes and chandeliers. You could easily be in Harrogate, North Yorkshire where Ian Sharrock was born and where, who knows, he might well be performing on its stage sooner rather than later. Rita Sobot 

Source: by kind permission of Nick Johnson of the Tenerife News

Sea lions arrive at Siam Park

Three female sea lions aged 3, 11 and 21 years old have finally arrived in their new home at Siam Park.

It will take several more journeys this week until all 17 sea lions have been moved from Loro Parque to Siam Park, making it one of the most important homes for these mammals in the whole of Spain.

The sea lions are transported with great care, using a special vehicle fitted just for them and accompanied by a vet and five professionals responsible for their welfare.

The sea lions have quickly acclimatised to their new home which has been designed especially for them and which forms a mini water park where they can relax on the beach and rocks in the sunshine or body surf as they catch the waves made by their own wave.
The sea lion pool can be found at the entrance of the park in the plaza. They really set the scene for a day out in Siam Park as they show everyone what a great time can be had playing in and out of the water.  The sea lion pool, with a volume of 1,500m2 of sea water, has its own nursery area where mothers will give their babies swimming lessons and an area where the carers can look after animals individually if they need to separate them. The Thai Tea House has a great view across the sea lion pool, where you can grab a coffee or a bite to eat for breakfast before hitting the attractions. Thanks to the great care the sea lions have received in Loro Parque, over the past few years there have been quite a few additions to the family!  

The “Zalophus Californian” sea lions weight between 61 and 255kg and can reach up to 2m in length. Their diet is made up for fresh fish which they love, squid and cuttlefish, eating up to 9 kilos a day! They are extremely sociable animals and live in groups in and out of the water. With the female sea lions, their pregnancy can last a year, they only have one baby and have a tendency to give birth in June. The male sea lions are much bigger than the females and can weigh up to 400 kg. All the sea lions in Siam Park are still to reach their mature weight.

Source: by kind permission of Nick Johnson of the Tenerife News

Tenerife is to go on a new multi-million euro crusade to promote itself to new markets and safeguard the island’s economy.

But whilst welcoming the campaign, hoteliers and business owners have stressed that to capture and keep any new tourists, our beaches must be substantially improved.  And there was an early set-back to the plan when health experts had to close Los Cristianos beach for a while after finding traces of the potentially deadly e-coli bacteria in the water. 

Holiday-makers said they were absolutely staggered to find “no go” signs along the sea-front during a sweltering weekend when all they wanted to do was take a dip in the ocean and cool off. Others, however, have praised the authorities for carrying out regular checks and say this proves Tenerife puts the health of tourists and local people alike at the top of their priority list.

“At least they bother to do tests,” said one disappointed family. “Some other countries wouldn’t even care. There are some lovely locations around, such as El Duque and Fanabe, and it could only be good news if the Town Hall created more artificial beaches or improved existing ones.”

Cabildo vice-president and tourism advisor, Jose Manuel Bermudez revealed that a new three-year policy has been drawn up to search for new markets, with Northern France and Italy being among the targets. There will be a cash injection of a further two million euros into the 2009 budget to help finance the winter campaign. This, he said, was absolutely essential to retain a strong future for Tenerife.

He said it wasn’t possible to judge the island’s tourism performance on the July figures alone, which were down, as for the whole year, the figure was actually up 3.5 per cent.  However, he did sound a warning over the British market, saying that the value of the pound against the euro was putting them off and they might well choose to seek better value outside the euro zone where it was cheaper, to Tenerife’s detriment.
Nevertheless, he was happy that money spent on advertising and promotions, including the Roland Garros tennis tournament, was proving beneficial and had also generated much TV coverage.

All Tenerife's beaches should look like El Duque

He has also agreed with Ashotel’s stance that many beaches needed to be urgently upgraded and improved, with artificial beaches being created where necessary. President of the employers’ association, Jose Fernando Cabrera said some had not been touched for 20 years.

Tourism accounts for 84 per cent of the island’s economy and there is definitely a changing market. In the last year alone, there has been a 30 per cent increase in Russian visitors and this October, the first of what is expected to be around 20,000 Estonians will begin to arrive up until May because of new routes and more tour operators in their home country. This is ten-fold the number of last year.

A sweepstake of tourists on the beaches in the south revealed that most were happy with the conditions, although some did raise the question of litter and dirt around certain sections of the shoreline at Playa de las Americas and felt it should be swept several times a day. And others visiting from the Santa Cruz area said they felt most of the investment was being made in the south so what about the north of the island?
Comments about tourism on websites also ask what has happened to the American market and that there is still too much “bricks, mortar and cement” around to really impress visitors.

Meantime, the beach at Los Cristianos has now re-opened but there have been problems on other beaches which necessitated the closure of Las Eras and Los Abrigos due to emissions. The Popular Party says it wants to know exactly what happened to cause this situation.

*What do you think of the beaches on Tenerife? Are they key to the island’s future success and what markets should the Town Hall be targetting? Why not write to us at info@tennews.com with your views.

Source: by kind permission of Nick Johnson of the Tenerife News

Can Tenerife recreate the heady party atmosphere of legendary Ibiza?

Fantastic laser shows, top DJs, go-go dancers, hundreds of pairs of hands waving in the air as the waves lap against the shore - it’s not a sight many of us would associate with the changing, more upmarket image, of the Canaries.

But local entertainments company, Live Events Production SL believe there is still a market for such nights, not just on Teneife but on the other islands too.  And they are showing their faith in the new concept by bringing a series of White Weeekenders - or white parties - to the beach-front at Playa de las Americas.
Two Fiestas del Blanco have already been held and another two are scheduled for September 13 and 27, same time, same place, same theme.

Everyone is asked to wear white and the more fasionable the outfit, the better. This is not just for others to admire either. The White Weeekenders are being filmed live and will be later broadcast to some 200 countries around the world, courtesy of Fashion TV. Who knows, you might just get spotted if you are an aspiring young model.

Live Events Production SL are more normally associated with arranging and promoting concerts and don’t see these white parties as being too far removed from a concert in themselves.

Tickets might well cost 20 euros for the beach area and 40 euros for the VIP raised section but the promoters say this is the price most people pay to see a concert and the top DJs being flown over from the mainland and Ibiza themselves are stars. Their shows are described as concerts in their own right and these men, and women, have a huge following across Europe.

 But isn’t Tenerife supposed to be getting away from this party image in favour of a more upmarket, family appeal with upgraded top hotels and fantastic restaurants? Do people really want to see clubbers on the beach with pounding music and laser shows lighting up the skies? One of the answers lies in the actual location. The parties are being held in the Chiringuito beach club next door and part of the five star Villa Cortes hotel which has given its full backing to the events. They don’t see it as clashing with the new ethos of Tenerife but complementing it instead. 

The parties don’t go on all night either. They are scheduled to finish at 1.30am (with a 6pm start) and clubbers can then go on to Liquid just a few hundred yards away to continue their  partying inside.
Live Events also say the appeal is for all ages, not just teens, and there is a strict policy on drugs or alcohol abuse. They also feel that Tenerife doesn’t want to get too refined to the point where only the rich or those who want to relax come here. After all, it takes all sorts to keep the island alive and flourishing and the white parties, as their reputation grows and exposure is given on TV, should encourage people to come here, not put them off.

Plans are already in the pipeline for perhaps one further white party once September 13 and 27 are over and next year, it is hoped to expand the concept to the other Canary Islands too. And Fashion TV might even be tempted to bring one of their party boats to our coast.

Drinks aren’t included in the price so you need to take quite a bit of pocket money but the show on the stage built over the ocean is quite spectacular, not least when the coloured smoke starts to billow.
The event has room for some 2,000 clubbers and although that target hasn’t been hit yet, Live Events say they are pleased with the response so far and believe news of the White Weekenders will soon start to spread. To find out more, you can visit www.whiteweekenders.com 

*What do you think of the concept? Can Tenerife recreate a touch of Ibiza? Let us know by writing to us at info@tennews.com 

Source: by kind permission of Nick Johnson of the Tenerife News
RS

Work is about to begin on transforming the areas around Veronicas and Starco in Playa de las Americas.
The long-awaited project will double the number of parking spaces as well as providing new landscaped areas.
Tourism councillor Angel David Herrera recently met with traders and hotel-keepers to explain what is being done to bring back life to areas which have remained dormant for years.  A wall against the commercial centre at Veronicas is to be reduced to make way for a landscaped slope and the present number of car parking spaces will be doubled to 100.

Las Piteras, by Starco, and the tunnel entrance to Veronicas - both in a dilapidated state - are also to be restored to present a better image to tourists and residents walking through the zone.
The work should already have started as Tenerife News go to press.

Snr Herrera anticipates it will take four months to complete although any unexpected problems could create a delay. The work will also include new landscaped pavements and water channels. Most of the work will be carried out during September and October.

Source: Article supplied by Nick Johnson of the Tenerife News

When you go on holiday, do you stop to think whether it is ethical or not?

It may be a question which never crosses your mind but there are hundreds of establishments and activities across Tenerife which are already leading the way.  It’s just as well. Sustainable travel - or, put simply, how you can go on holiday and avoid harming the environment - is going to be the buzz word over the next few years.

Later this year, the Canaries will again be in the news as it helps to thrust the whole topic into the public eye. A major part of the 2008 Abta convention, being held in Gran Canaria for the first time in October, will be devoted to sustainable travel and the creation of a unique blueprint.

The UK’s big travel companies have already thrust their weight behind a new coalition that will investigate how travel can forge a sustainable future. Tui Travel, Thomas Cook, the Co-operative Travel, British Airways and Carnival UK will work with Abta on Tourism 2023, a 15-year plan for the industry.

It has already been endorsed by the Prince of Wales, The Travel Foundation and sustainable development charity, Foundation for the Future and will be officially launched at the convention.  Abta says the intention is to blow away much of the hot air surrounding the debate on sustainable travel and to offer answers to the questions on how travel shapes its future when faced with challenges such as climate change.

Mike Greenacre, managing director of The Co-operative Travel, said: “The commercial reality is that there is going to be growth in this industry and it’s no good burying our heads in the sand and saying we are going to stop the growth. That would be impossible. But the travel industry is in a position in terms of carbon emissions and if we believe they are damaging the atmosphere, then we ought to be doing something about it. The industry needs to take a lead in this .”

The finished blueprint, which is due to be completed early next year, promises to offer a vision of a more sustainable outbound tourism industry. It will also involve “thinking the unthinkable” - how the industry would cope if restrictions were placed on the number of flights. That day may well come sooner or later but if you feel you could never live without your annual holiday abroad, at least Tenerife is one of the best places to head for.

The island has been thinking green for some time and ecological activities and adventures, as well as accommodation, has a huge presence here. If you can’t avoid a flight, you might find consolation in knowing you aren’t harming the environment when you get here. Simple pastimes like walking, hiking, camping under the stars, staying in an ecological retreat, bike riding or going out on a canoe won’t take their toll on our world and are very enjoyable at the same time.

If you are looking for things to do which are based around eco-tourism, one web site to visit is www.webtenerife.com. You will be surprised at what is on offer and there are ideas which you might never have thought of. You can climb up Mount Teide, join a rambling and adventure club, have a gastronomic tour of the island, study the stars, go bird watching or out on the whale boats where every care is taken and strict standards adhered to.

There are also eco retreats and rural casas set right in the heart of nature, using only ecological products and built with the environment in mind. And no visit to Tenerife would be complete without visiting one of its dedicated National Parks in which you will also find small hotels. If you would like to join one of the regular guided tours organised by the interpretation service, ring 922 290 129. They are free of charge.
There are also a number of companies which are concentrating solely on eco-friendly activities such as kayaking for all abilities in various parts of the island. It’s fun, safe, properly organised and supervised and couldn’t be more green if it tried. Ring 922 12 79 38. The same company also organises snorkelling, hiking, climbing and potholing.

If walking is your penchance, then Arona Natural offers free guided routes and you can make contact on 922 725 180 or email trekking@arona.org

Many of Tenerife’s attractions and hotels have also been going green in recent years, thinking about their electricity and water consumption and, where possible, becoming self-sufficient. You can even choose a travel company which is practising what it preaches. There are several who already encourage their staff to car share or catch the bus to work, recycle all their paper, give eletronic receipts rather than paper ones, support tree planting initiatives and even hold their own green days.

It’s initiatives like these that the Abta Convention will be looking at and the debate promises to be lively, heated and informative.   Abta chief executive, Mark Tanzer says: “Much has been said about the future of travel and tourism. Tourism 2023 is all about doing rather than talking. Many views have been expressed, eyebrows raised and doom-mongering allowed to flourish. Yet most of these dicsussions turn out to be little more than hot air. Tourism 2023 will look at the big picture. It aims to answer the big questions and look at what we can do to future-proof our industry.”

Source: by kind permission of Nick Johnson of the Tenerife News

David Wood former sales and marketing director of Horizon Property Group and Horizon Property Rentals in Tenerife has now launched his own low cost, fixed fee; estate agent service in the Barnsley and Sheffield areas of South Yorkshire. The new company will offer all the normal services that have associated with estate agency at a fraction of the normal cost. The new agency will include an overseas department that will offer property sales and rentals throughout Spain the Canary Islands including property on the Cape Verde Island of Sal and Boa Vista in association with the FM group of Scotland