Pic by lilinhah

Low in Funds

I received an email from Jill who wants to stay a bit longer in Tenerife but whose funds are running low. After her contract expired Jill looked around to find cheaper accommodation but the best she found was an €18 a night B & B in Los Cristianos. That’s daylight robbery!

My neighbour’s comfortable two bed/2 bath with terrace and garden has been reduced to €450 a month from it’s previous rate of €550 because of the crisis which makes it cheaper to rent for the month than one measly room in a hostel.

Of course, you can’t get long-term rates on short-term stays and neither is anyone likely to hand you the keys to their pad unless you are in gainful employment and have both a down payment and a deposit in hand. So what can you do?

Hunting for Flat Shares in Tenerife

Well, look for a flat share is the answer. You will still really be paying for one room plus use of the flat’s facilities but you’ll get a much better price and who knows you and your new flattie may just get on like a house on fire. Er… maybe that’s not such a great idea!

Anyway, where to find these fabulous flats shares in Tenerife?

A good place to look is the notice boards in any Cultural Centre or some of the supermarkets.

As it was on my mind I cast an eye over the notice board in Las Galletas Cultural Centre and found three possibilities right away.

Flats to Share

1. Rent of one room in a two bedroom apartment in Guargacho. €180 per month. Tel: xxxxxxxxx

2. Flat share in Las Galletas (sea view) €200pm Tel: 922 xxx xxx

3. El Fraile flat share – no price given but it says economico! Tel: xxx xxx xxx

(Contact details have been removed but these are real examples of rates on offer.)

Any of these would be a better bet for a budget-conscious visitor than a pay-by-the-night hostel.

There is a humongous notice board in the Los Cristianos Cultural Centre and if I were looking for a flat share that is where I’d start.

And if anyone reading is looking for a flat mate then you are welcome to say so in a comment below. You never know…

Happy hunting!

Costa Del Silencio is only 10 minutes from Reina Sofia airport in Tenerife South, sitting together with Las Galletas on the coastal corner of on the island before it tips up towards Los Cristianos and Las Americas and on to Los Gigantes on the southwest.

The whole small town has been receiving a bit of a face lift recently with footpaths widened and upgraded and a new one way road system. The new pavements are roomy and pleasant – a vast improvement on the narrow and bumpy kerbside trails that made walking from the Hermusa supermarket down to Las Galletas an ankle-breaking adventure rather than a gentle promenade.

Work has been completed in the stretch of Avenida Jose Antonio Tavio much to the relief of shop and bar-owners in the Chapparal and Tre Bol complexes and also from Ten Bel up Calle Diana as far as Maravilla and Desimar while it has just begun in the area of De La Te just past Club Marino and on past Alondras Park to Coral Mar.

Over the next few months I’d be recommending holiday makers look towards the self catering and hotel complexes of Palia Don Jose and Palia Don Pedro as well as Eureka and Maravilla as these properties are in locations where work is completed or not likely to start for the forseeable future.

Alborada is no longer a tourist option as it has turned 100% residential and discourages holiday letting.

The Feria Flores y Plantas is a regular event in Las Galletas held along the Rambla at the front of the Cultural Centre. It is on  a little earlier this year with the opening at 5.00 pm on Friday 22nd May. The official inauguration is at 7.00 pm followed by a musical performance.

On Saturday 23rd May the flower festival stalls open at 10.00 am with the beautiful plants and flowers available for sale. A photo exhibition called III Maratón Fotográfico de Las Galletas opens at the same time and the children’s play area opens at 10.30.

The  flower arranging class which was very popular last year is at 10.30 and later in the day there is class in Infusions and Canarian Remedies which I bet would be very interesting.

The day is rounded off by another musical performance at 7.30pm.

On Sunday the stalls and kids’ play area open at the same times but this time the 10.30 class is about growing salad vegetables, the musical performance its at 6.00pm and at 7.00 pm there will be a presentation of prizes and certificates for the photography exhibition participants.

Here is a post about the  Las Galletas Flower Festival 2008 .

Well done to the A.M.P.A (parents assoc.) in Las Galletas for organising the 1st Festival Infantil which was held in the schoolyard on Saturday 14th March. Entrance was free to members of the A.M.P.A while non-members were charged only €3 per kid for hours of fun.

The A.M.P.A. organise various after-school activities and charge only €10 per year so this was also an opportunity to top up membership. My two have done clay-modelling classes and what not via this group and its always been very worth the small annual membership fee.

Once through the gate, kids were let loose to jump from one bouncy castle to the next or participate in the Uno, Dos, Tres, Quatro dance animation, have their faces painted by ‘Atty and Friends’, enjoy the drums of the Tambores Urugayo or sit and scream at the clown.

Was it a success? Well the bars and cafes round about certainly thought so. After a couple of hours of ear-shattering kids entertainment, I don’t think there was an adult within a two mile radius that didn’t need a stiff drink to recover. Anyway, the kids definitely enjoyed themselves and that was what it was all about after all:

Kid’s Party Contacts

The giant paella was prepared by the lads from Comidas La Union (mob: 606 52 04 38).

The bouncy castles were provided by
Globo Diversiones (mob: 620 255 150) and I think they supplied the bouncy dance animator too.

Face painting, balloon modelling and other kids activities were provided by Atty and her friends (mob: 649 21 65 58).

What is on this weekend in Tenerife? Well heaven only knows if you wanted to know what was going on locally in Arona the last place you should go is the ayuntamiento website. Take the Feria de Artesania in Las Galletas on 6th and 7th of December. There’s lots of other information on the Arona website including the Christmas and New Year celebration schedules for 2008 (though I defy you to find it) and a teasingly thorough description of all the things you probably missed in 2007 but the only reference I can find to the Feria de Artesania is from 2006.

Well, take my word for it. There is an exhibition of local handicrafts along La Rambla in Las Galletas on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of December. If you have any crafty folk in your family circle this might be just the place to pick up some Christmas goodies.

Despite today’s grey skies the Feria De Flores Y Plantas was a great success. It seemed to me that there were less stalls and more space than in previous years but in a way this may have worked in favour of the vendors because everyone had the space to lay out their wares beautifully. We saw lush succulents, cactii, herbs and a riot of flowers including some stunning orchids.

Given that coming home with me is a sure death sentence for any poor green thing, I restricted myself to two plants only. One is a Basilica – so they tell me – I can’t find any related information on the internet which might help prolong its life. I did however ask the seller if this was a hardy plant and she assured me it was very difficult to kill. The other is a bushy, crinkly thing. Needs much sun and little water apparently so it does stand a fighting chance.

The Feria de Flores y Plantas always includes local handicrafts and produce. There was a honey stall and a mojo and liquor stall and another stand selling beautifully woven baskets. Others sold ceramic pots and vases.

The flower arranging exhibit was a big hit this year and even the kids’ play area was impressive (despite my doubts about that in the previous Feria de Flores post). The festival continues through the day tomorrow with the stalls open for business at 10:30, a musical performance starting at 18:00 hrs, awards and photography session at 19:00 hrs and close of the festival at 21:00.

If you are in the South on 6,7,8th of June you might want to stop by the Flower Festival on La Rambla of Las Galletas. The festival includes flower arranging classes and a kids activity area, a photography section and an evening musical performance.

The last event in Las Galletas which boasted a kids’ activity area was actually a bit of a disappointment as there was not much in the small padded square that would have entertained any kid more than 2 years old for less than a nano-second so don’t rely on popping your kids into the play park and serenely sailing through the stalls of gorgeous blooms. Still, you may pick up some pretty bargains for the garden here as well as (if the festival runs true to history) local handicraft items.