The restaurants of Tenerife will have to close their doors at midnight with Tenerife's move to covid to level 4. However, their capacities will remain as they have been so far: 33% indoors and 75% outdoors. This way, the Government plans to limit "the movement of citizens" as the virus spreads unchecked on the island while hoping to avoid "effects on economic activity".

In general, the capacities related to hospitality and activities in the Canary Islands are set at 33% indoors and 50% outdoors. However, there will be some sectors that will enjoy improvements regarding this limit. This is the case of the cultural industry, which will continue operating at 55% indoors and 75% outdoors. The hotel and catering industry will maintain its terraces at 75%. The limit of six people meeting together remains. There is no restriction on entering or leaving the island.

The Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, explained the easing of level 4 restrictions is because the current situation is not as bad as experienced in summer, essentially because 80% of the population is vaccinated. Trujillo also highlighted that many activities and premises must request a covid certificate as an entry requirement; this measure is compulsory for levels 3 and 4, while voluntary for levels 1 and 2.

The changes will come into effect at midnight on Monday 10th January 2022.

El Dia

The Orchid Gardens of Sitio Litre

The garden of Sitio Litre hosts a collection of almost 200 Orchids, always fresh and in flower, and is the most extensive collection on the island. The garden is a charming combination of English formal garden design and a host of colourful, beautiful tropical and sub-tropical plants. As well as its orchid collection, Sitio Litre is also famous for its Dragon tree, which is believed to be up to 600 years old. However, this specimen is not the oldest dragon tree on the island. That honour belongs to a tree in Icod de los Vinos. The Sitio Litre dragon tree is believed to have existed before the Spanish conquest in 1494. The original croquet lawn also survives.

History Of Sitio Litre

The mansion of Sitio Litre was built in the 1730s and bought by John Paisley, a Scottish wine merchant from Dumfries, in 1756. John Paisley was a successful businessman living in Lisbon exporting wine from Portugal, but when Lisbon was totally destroyed by the 'Great Lisbon Earthquake' of 1755, he decided to leave and moved to Tenerife. He worked exporting wines from Tenerife for many years.

In 1774 John Paisley's two nephews, Archibald and James Little, came to Tenerife to help with the wine export business and moved into the house. The house then passed to Archibald Little, where the name of the place comes from. The locals had problems pronouncing 'Little'; it was a bit of a tongue twister, so they changed it to 'litre'. Sitio Litre, Little's Place. The Little family held on to the house throughout the French revolutionary wars when England and Spain were at war. Archibald and James returned to Dumfries in Scotland in 1820.

The house was sold to Charles Smith in 1856; the Little family first planned the English garden and was added to by the Smith family, who owned the house for the next 140 years until 1996.

Famous Visitors To Sitio Litre

Many famous people stayed in Sitio Litre as guests in the house or at the many garden parties, including Oscar Wilde's father, William Wild, Marianne North, the botanical painter and Agatha Christie. The first British envoy to China, Lord Macartney, spent a few days at the home in 1792 along with HMS Lion and HMS Hindostan officers on the first British diplomatic mission to China. In those days, there was no Suez Canal, so the ships had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope and stopped at Santa Cruz de Tenerife to take on supplies.

Alexander von Humboldt, the famous German geologist, scientist and adventurer, visited Sitio Litre on the 23rd of June 1799 as the guest of honour to a garden party held for him. He stopped at Tenerife for a week on his way to South America on a commission for the Spanish government to document unknown animal and plant species in the new world and spent a week on the island.

Alexander von Humboldt, the famous German geologist, scientist and adventurer, visited Sitio Litre on the 23rd of June 1799 as the guest of honour to a garden party held for him. He stopped at Tenerife for a week on his way to South America on a commission for the Spanish government to document unknown animal and plant species in the new world and spent a week on the island.

The next visitor of note is Dr William Wild, nose, throat and ear specialist to Queen Victoria and the father of the author Oscar Wild. He came to Tenerife in 1837 and spent about three months living in Sitio Litre.

In 1856 the astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth and his wife Jessica came to Tenerife and were invited to Sitio Litre, where he stayed for about 10 days. Piazzi Smyth was Astronomer Royal for Scotland and pioneered placing telescopes at high altitudes to enjoy the best observing conditions. He climbed up Mount Teide and set up camp to test telescopes at high altitudes. Jessica Smyth brought with her the first-ever photographic camera to come to Tenerife. Some of the earliest photos ever taken on Tenerife were taken in the garden of Sitio Litre. It is due to the pioneering work of Piazzi Smyth that the Tiede Observatory in Izaña at 2390 meters is used today to study the sun.

Sir Richard Burton, a famous explorer, visited Tenerife in 1860 and 1863. He 'discovered' Lake Tanganyika and translated three erotic books of the east into English and wrote of his Tenerife visit in his book 'To The Gold Coast For Gold Vol 1'.

Marianne North, the famous botanical painter, stayed in the house for two months in 1875. She painted 27 pictures of Tenerife, 7 of which were painted in the garden of Sitio Litre. Some of the trees she painted in the garden still survive, including the 600 years old Dragon tree reputed to be the oldest in Puerto de la Cruz. Marianne painted over 800 pictures worldwide, all of which are on display at Kew Gardens in London.

Agatha Cristie visited the garden with her daughter whilst on holiday in Puerto de la Cruz in 1927. In her book, 'The Misterious Mr Quin' of ten short stories, one of the short stories 'The Man From The Sea', the plot is based in Puerto de la Cruz.

The house is still privately owned. In 1996 the current owner, John Lucas, bought the house opening the garden to the public the same year. After someone researched his family tree, John discovered his great, great, great, great grandmother, Jane Little, was the niece of Archibald Little. It was a great surprise, as he had bought the house without realising he was directly related to the original owners, the Little family.

The orchid garden of Puerto de la Cruz is the oldest surviving garden in Tenerife at over 240 years old and has been owned by British families continuously since 1730.

Also onsite is a café and a shop specialising in local products, serving brunch, afternoon teas and tapas.

Taoro Park is located on the Taoro mountain, formerly called Monte Miseria, because it was 'badlands' (malpais), some of which remains preserved today. With a panoramic view of the city of Puerto de la Cruz in north Tenerife, comprising about 100,000 square metres (24.7 acres) of gardens, paths, lookout points, illuminated fountains and waterfalls. It also features a children's playground, a bandstand with a restaurant, a bar and a terrace area.

There is a car park here and a stairway up the mountain from the town for the more energetic.

Taoro Park is divided into three main areas: La Atalaya (meaning The Watchtower), the Camino de La Sortija path and the Taoro Gardens. La Atalaya houses the Dulce Maria Loynaz lookout point. The area of La Sortija is very popular among people who like to exercise out of doors. Taoro Park also houses what used to be the Gran Hotel Taoro and the English Anglican Church. The hotel opened in 1890 and was one of the Island's most important establishments, accommodating such renowned guests as Agatha Christie.

Close by are other places of interest, such as the English Library, established in 1903 and the home to over 10,000 books and over 4,000 DVDs, where British ex-pats, residents and visitors meet regularly.

The Anglican Church of All Saints, an early English gothic style building built in 1891, is in Parque Taoro. Being over 130 years old, it is the oldest Anglican church in Spain. In the church grounds is a memorial rose garden dedicated to the 146 passengers and crew who lost their lives on 25th April 1980 when Dan-Air flight 1008 from Manchester to Tenerife North airport of Los Rodeos crashed nearby in the forest of La Esperanza. On the first Saturday of each month, a flea market is held there, attracting many people eager to find curious objects.

Parque de la Sortija was created as leisure facilities for the Hotel Taoro guests but is now a 40.000ms public park with themed garden areas such as the French Garden and the Canary Islands Garden, including different varieties of palm trees, Indian laurels, tabaibas and dragon trees. The park is named after the 'Camino de la Sortija' (Road of the Rings), which owes its name to the old horse ring races that used to be organised there. There is also a bar-cafeteria with a children's play area.

The gardens of La Atalaya form the lushest and best-kept part of the park, with pleasant paths and stairways surrounded by palm trees, gardens and subtropical plants, with fountains and waterfalls, as well as the "Dulce María Loynaz" viewpoint, children's playgrounds, terraces and ceramic murals. At the top is the Taoro Bar Restuarant, where you can enjoy a drink, lunch and diner overlooking Puerto de la Cruz.

Read our Puerto de la Cruz review

Penelope Cruz, the Hollywood actress, is currently on Tenerife filming for her latest movie Ma Ma. The film is being shot on the streets of Granadilla de Abona and also in the hospital in Candelaria on the north eastern coast of the island.

The Spanish born actress won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Woody Allen comedy-drama film ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ in 2008, and was again nominated in 2009 for her performance in ‘Nine’. She has also been rumoured to be appearing in the next James Bond movie.

Penelope has brought her family with her so they can enjoy a holiday together on the island while she is filming, including her Oscar winning husband a Javier Bardem and her two children. Her Sister Monica Cruz is also on Tenerife to visit Penelope,  both been seen on the beaches of Tenerife this week with their families.
They have been staying at the luxury 5 star hotel The Ritz-Carlton Abama, where the world renowned physicist Stephen Hawkins is to give a Keynote speech at the Starmus festival hosted on Tenerife, in September along with many other speakers including Brain May the guitarist from the rock group Queen, and Apollo astronauts.

 

These lovely rural houses located in the hills above La Orotava in north Tenerife are a world away from the bustling tourist resorts on the coasts of the island. Situated 1500 meters above sea level the gardens are peaceful and lush, with nothing but the sound of the birds for company.

The new Hard Rock Cafe in Playa de las Americas is now open, the long awaited official opening day was 29th December when the doors were opened to the first customers, and is Tenerife's first and only Hard Rock Cafe.

If you fancy going to this iconic restaurant, the cafe is located on the ‘Golden Mile’ in Playa de las Americas at the Mare Nostrum Resort, Piramide de Arona, where the La Piramide Restaurant used to be, right next door to the ‘Magic Lounge’ and opposite the Safari Shopping Centre where Harry’s Bar is located. (see map below)

Hard Rock Cafe Tenerife

The cafe is on two floors with two terraces looking out over the town, and with over 100 pieces of rock memorabilia on display. Next door is the new ‘Rock Shop’, selling tee shirts and other Hard rock café souvenirs to remember your visit.

The Hard Rock Hotel on Tenerife has now opened in Playa Paraiso, you can read more about or book the Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife here.

Rock Shop, Hard Rock Cafe, Tenerife

Tenerife Hard Rock Cafe Address:

Avenida De Las Americas
S/N. Piramide De Arona
Playa de las Americas
38660 Arona
Santa Cruz De Tenerife

Tenerife Hard Rock Cafe email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tenerife Hard Rock Cafe phone number: +34 922 055 022

Buenavista del Norte in the north of Tenerife is not a resort at all. Still, as it has the luxury 5-star Hacienda del Conde Hotel, and is being promoted as a holiday destination.

Buenavista is a small town in north Tenerife making no concessions to tourism at all. The town centre has a pleasant plaza with a tapas bar, bar-cafeteria and a bandstand with bar café. Local men gather in the plaza to put the world to rights in traditional Spanish fashion. The plaza is also home to the most important historical buildings in Buenavista, including the 16th-century church, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Los Remedio.

The town is very typical of the Tenerife style and clearly has its roots in Andalucia, where the first settlers came from. There are only a couple of restaurants in the town, and you will find they are not open every day. In fact, the ones we saw were shut Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The options for dining are limited in Buenavista, but if you have a car, you can drive to nearby towns for more dining options.

The excellent restaurant El Burgado, on the seafront just down the lane from the luxury 5-star Hacienda del Conde Hotel, is built on the shorelines rugged rocks. It is a perfect location to have lunch, dinner, or simply have a drink watching the huge waves crashing on to the rocks just yards away. This restaurant closes at 9pm though, so no late-night dining.

Places to Stay in Buenavista

Where is Buenavista?

Buenavista is located on the northwestern coast of Tenerife at the foot of the Teno Massif Mountains. You can see the location of Buenavista on Tenerife on the map.

Buenavista Beaches

The small beach, Playa de las Arenas, is a lovely black volcanic sand beach which gets very busy at the weekends during the summer. The weather is too cold generally to use the beach during the winter. The sea can also get very rough this time of year, so it is not suitable for bathing at times. In the summer months though, the beach can get very busy as the locals like to bathe here.

There also some tiny coves with rock pools and small black sand beaches along the coastal footpath to discover. Be warned though, access to these is via rugged terrain and steps.

The only facility at the beach is a kiosk selling ice-cream, drinks and snacks. There are no toilet or restaurant facilities at this beach.

Buenavista Attractions

The area is perfect for golfers with an 18 hole, 72 par golf course designed by Seve Ballesteros opened in 2003, with well-kept greens and a luxury Hotel. The hotel itself is a lovely and well-kept 5 star and stands right on the Buenavista Golf course uphill from the ocean.

The municipality of Buenavista includes most of the Teno Rural Park which has been declared a protected area. The scenery is here is very dramatic, green and beautiful, with the backdrop of the Teno Massif Mountains, and the rugged coastline where waves crash into the lava formed rocks. There is a lovely coastal footpath that runs from the town, down past the golf course and on past Punta del Roque Negro.

The area is home to the Punta del Teno, a wild and windswept place at the foot of the Teno Mountains, and one of the places that you really must visit while on Tenerife. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the Canary Islands.

The historic towns of Garachico and Los Silos are a short drive away.

Buenavista Weather

Also, you should be aware that Buenavista is in the north of Tenerife. As such, the weather can be unpredictable at times. In the winter months, the sky can be overcast, and with a stiff breeze coming off the Atlantic, it can be positively cold in the evenings with a chance of rain. So if you are particularly looking for some winter sun, our advice is to look elsewhere and head somewhere on the south of the island.

Having said that, this part of Tenerife is stunning, and we really love it. The best time to visit Buenavista for the best weather is in September when the warm summer sun is most evident in this part of the island.

Buenavista Nightlife

Nightlife in Buenavista is non-existent save for the few bars used by the locals in the town.

If your idea of a break is doing very little in a non-tourist area, you will enjoy it here. It is also an excellent place to explore the Teno massif mountains. If you don't fancy an extended stay here, it worth considering a two or three-night visit to have a look around. The area is lovely, and we like it a lot.

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A plane landing at Tenerife north airport, Los Rodeos, skidded off the run way on Wednesday evening after landing. The aircraft experienced trouble after landing in heavy rain and had difficulty stopping due to the flooded runway.

USP Hospital Costa Adeje

Urb. San Eugenio. Edf. Garajonay, s/n 38660 Adeje

Tel. 0034 922 27 07 00

Fax. 0034 922 75 22 21

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Hospital Services

Preventive Medicine
Outpatients clinic
Accidents and Emergencies
Hospital Admissions
Intensive Care
Clinical analysis laboratory
Radiology
Physiotherapy Unit
Home visiting service with independent telephone number

Other services

Fleet of ambulances
Laboratory and blood bank
Diagnosis by image
Pharmacy
Dental clinic
Ophthalmic clinic
Interpreters
Restaurant and café
Marketing and business department
Other details

English translators and interpreters available

More info about Costa Adeje

Phone numbers for the emergency and security services on Tenerife. The emergency services on Tenerife are fully intergrated and complete.

Emergencies (Police, Ambulance and Fire)
Tel.: 112
 
Policía Nacional (National Police)
Tel.: 091
 
Guardia Civil (Civil Guard)
Tel.: 062
 
Guardia Civil de Tráfico (Traffic Police)
Tel.: 922 283 157
 
Civil Protection
Tel.: 922 256 344
 
Toxicologic Information
Tel.: 915 620 420
 
Emergencies at Sea
Tel.: 900 202 202