VALENCIA TO TENERIFE: A WEEKEND IN THE TROPICAL CANARY ISLANDS

Did you know that you can fly from Valencia to Tenerife, one of the most beautiful islands in the Canary Islands, for under 90 euros? A weekend filled with poolside lounging, whale watching from a boat, ocean-side dinners, and hikes along volcanoes awaits you!

Travel to & throughout the island

Travelling from Valencia to Tenerife was cheap and easy, but I am going to tell you how to avoid a few easy mistakes. Flying Ryanair allowed me to get to the island for a 50 euros round trip, arriving at the North Airport. Before booking this flight though, you should decide whether you want to stay in the North or the South (I will discuss the differences in the next section), which will determine which airport you fly into.

I stayed in the South of the island but flew into the North. While getting from the North to the South was fairly easy using the Tenerife public bus system, it added about 2 hours of travel onto my already late travel day due to a previously delayed flight.

This being said, using public transportation once on the island is luckily easily accessible and fairly cheap. Large buses can take you nearly anywhere, and you can preload a reusable card (available for purchase outside the airports), or pay €2 by card or cash once on the bus. Taxis and Uber are also available, but they are much more expensive. An Uber from the hotel to the port was between €40 and €50, while a taxi from the hotel to the airport was €35. The hotels can also help you to call a taxi ahead of time, so make sure to take advantage of this if you have an early flight.

Excursions

Once on the island, there is so much to do; you will definitely want to make a few plans ahead of time. You can choose from whale-watching tours, jet skis, private boat rentals, tubing, the famous water park, and more.

Utilizing a smaller budget, I chose to just schedule a whale and dolphin watching tour, booked through Viator. Travel websites such as Viator (https://www.viator.com/Tenerife) and GetYourGuide (https://www.getyourguide.com/tenerife-l350/day-trips) are great options for viewing available excursions on Tenerife.

The boat tour that I booked was 3 hours total and included a boat ride a few miles off the coast of Tenerife to see various whale and dolphin species, a stop at a bay for swimming, unlimited soda and sangria, and a lunch. There are several similar tours available, but I recommend choosing one and booking in advance if this interests you!

Other budget-friendly excursions on the island include hiking Teide National Park, walking along the coast, relaxing on the beaches, or exploring the rocky cliffs. The Northern part of the island is better for hiking and exploring the volcanoes and national park, while the Southern part of the island is best for beaches and nightlife.

Lodging

Because Tenerife hosts tourists year-round, there are plenty of options for lodging on the island. The hotel I stayed in was about 245 euros for three nights, which is quite reasonable for a young traveller with a budget. We had an incredible view of the ocean, and the oceanside pool filled daily with saltwater straight from the ocean. The 3-star hotel was newly renovated on the inside and had a poolside bar that offered drinks and food throughout the day, as well as several beach chairs for relaxing next to the pool on the turf. I recommend using https://www.booking.com/ to search for hotels and compare prices but then book the hotel directly through their website once you find the one that best suits your needs. This often will save you from some of the extra fees on Booking.com. I recommend the hotel I stayed in if you are looking for a budget-friendly place to stay in the South, located right by the ocean and within walking distance from the bus station, linked here: https://www.onahotels.com/en/apart-hotel-alborada-tenerife

Restaurants

There are countless excellent restaurants to choose from in Tenerife, so I will include a few of the ones I visited. When looking for restaurants, I focused on ones with good reviews, views of the ocean, and easily accessible by bus or walking.

Oasis Panaderìa (breakfast)

This restaurant was located in a small side street near my hotel and is best for outdoor seating or takeaway. The prices are very reasonable and they have plenty of delicious pastries and small breakfast items. I ordered a coffee and avocado toast to go, and it was the perfect portion at a great price.

Ibérica Restaurante (brunch)

This restaurant is located in one of the main attraction areas, right outside of the port where the boats and jet skis are docked. I stopped in here for brunch before the boat ride. Prices were very reasonable and the portion sizes were large. If this restaurant isn’t what you’re looking for, there are several other options all along the same area, just pop in to check out the menus!

Magus Gastro Bar (dinner)

Finally, this restaurant is right on the water (literally) and has excellent seafood and tapas options. A bit more pricey than the other restaurants, but for a small kitchen and breathtaking views of the boats, ocean, and volcanoes, you get what you pay for, and will have more of an authentic local experience.

Report by Anna Willerer