Airline passenger news and views

High temperatures but not extreme. Long days by the swimming pool. Short trips to the nearest beach: if there is a popular destination for British holidaymakers, it is Tenerife.

The biggest of the Canary Islands, so far away from Spain that many ignore the fact that they belong to that country, it attracted more than 1.3 million Britons in 2010, according to the island's tourism agency.

Flying there is easier than ever, since two new flights had been recently added to the large amount of direct ones from the UK: a non-stop service from Bristol by easyJet and another from Glasgow by Jet2.com.

The problem is that nearly all of the British tourists hardly get to know the island. With a very high probability they would stay the whole vacation in Playa de Las Americas or Los Cristianos: towns where the main difference with an English resort is climate and the price of beer.

If they are lucky enough, they may get a coach and have a trip around the island, stopping only in a few souvenir spots. But there is so much more to see and experiment. So many hidden spots, wild and unspoilt, that it would be a shame only to see some fragments from a bigger picture.

Beaches, for a start: the touristic ones are so bland and common that there is no point in visiting them. The real thing, on the other hand, is in the North of Tenerife. Some are difficult to access, like Los Patos o La Fajana, on the coast of La Orotava and Los Realejos - around a 30-minute hike from the nearest road. But the effort is shortly forgotten when finding endless extensions of coal black sand at the foot of cliffs covered in lush vegetation, washed by the rough side of the Atlantic.

If we move to culture, it is worth finding out about the local festivals. They are called ‘romerias’ and take place from May to September in nearly every town, consisting of locals wearing traditional peasant outfits, eating a drinking throughout a whole day. Everybody is welcome and the experience, although slightly bizarre, is certainly unforgettable and unique. 

Another interesting option would be visiting the little towns scattered all around the abrupt geography of the island: Garachico, Las Aguas, Taganana o El Palmar, to name a few. Peculiar corners, some by the sea, others high in the mountains or hidden in deep forests. Places very different from the inane touristic towns where the vast majority stays.

These are only a few ideas for a start, but the point is getting out of what is given as soon as you land in the airport and discover the true side of Tenerife.

Noel