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Writer's pictureMagdalena Chauca

SPAIN: Part One

Alicante>Tegueste>Costa Teguise


Okay, so Alicante. We arrived from London at 10pm on Saturday. Lovely spot, stayed in a nice little flat with a good view and comfortable set up for working remotely. The few complaints we had about the apartment were being able to occasionally hear neighbours and wind being quite strong while staying so close and up a few levels from the sea. This just meant the windows in the lounge shuddered quite loudly every night, but it didn't affect us too much.



I found a large Aldi supermarket quite close to where we were staying, so I got some snacks and ingredients for the week there. While it can be cheaper shopping and the bigger chain supermarkets, I've worked out it's really best to go to the local supermercados and fruit/vege marts for a more authentic local experience (and larger array of authentically spanish brands and options available). However, I did manage to get some lovely tomatoes!


We went a few little walks around the local beach, which was lovely after such a long time in the dark and rainy weather of the UK. Getting into town was really straight forward, so we went in about 3 times over the course of the week. I had to get a root canal done (it was easier to get an appointment in Alicante a week in advance than anywhere in London, cheaper too)! That same night we went out for dinner and a cocktail as luckily, the root canal went well and most of the numbness had worn off by what is considered dinner time in Spain!


We booked a taxi with a local driver through Whatsapp to get back to Alicante airport for our next flight. I was glad he showed up (ahead of time even), as I never feel sure when there's not too much communication. But he was a great driver and we got to the airport in good time for our afternoon flight to Tenerife North on Friday.


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Tegueste is a sleepy little town near the mountains of Tenerife North. I picked heading here because there was some cheap accommodation on offer, we'd never been to North Tenerife before, and we both tend to like smaller areas rather than larger resort towns.


Costa Teguise has some interesting local walks around for seeing Cacti and plant life that are robust enough to survive the drought Tenerife and the Canary Islands have been experiencing. We hiked along a few tracks. I can't say it musters quite the same feeling in me as walking along some of the mountain and river trails in New Zealand seems to bring up, but it's nice change from being in a city.



Our accommodation was a bit of a let down, unfortunately. We had a major roof leak occur in the kitchen on our second day, a Saturday, making it impossible for a handyman to come around. We'd just gotten ingredients from a local market, so the use of our cooking facilities was a bit of a mission that day.

I did manage to spy these in the Supermarket though:


While the hotel/lodge tried their best to clean up the puddles and make another room available on Monday, there was still an issue of terrible soundproofing in the complex. You could hear other guests walking past your room, and multiple workmen were present on the grounds every single day. It was quite distracting when you wanted to use the guest lounge or outdoor areas to work in. Clearly, the off-season was being used to update the facilities for those staying over the summer months.


Our burgers at a local restaurant definitely stood-out, though I can safely say too much dressing and salt seems to be a commonality in Spain... so I'm opting for dressing on the side at all times from now on!


Tegueste is the place where we were introduced to what I think may just be one of the best things to come out of the Canary islands: Zaperoco. In other parts of Spain and the Canaries, it's often called Barraquito. I'd say it's likely we'll be making sure we ask for this in any and all coffee shops and bars we go to in Spain.



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Lanzarote is a volcanic resort island northeast of Tenerife. It's high concentration of volcanic rock due to multiple aged eruptions gives it a bit of unique charm, and it's architecture makes me think more of many of the Grecian Islands I've seen in films, rather than the Spanish towns I've walked through and seen pictures of.

Our first day we definitely noticed the increase in temperature compared to where we'd been, even just in North Tenerife near the mountains, so I switched into a summer dress from my wardrobe almost instantly. We picked up an electric car from a rental company, which worked great for us with it being quite a small island and us not having to fork out anymore money to spend on fuel!


The beaches are quite beautiful and it's a good little island if you're wanting to do a trip to see some volcanic landscapes!


To sum up:


Alicante is a nice little part of Spain to Holiday, but I think it's an area that would suit an older demographic long-term. It's got a high concentration of retirees with a few things still going on, making it a good place for a bit of a busy-city break.


Tegueste... I think if you want to do a holiday including some longer walks between towns in North Tenerife, then this would probably make a good base. We had a pretty good week overall and it was nice to stay in a quieter area of Tenerife, but I can't say it always had quite the peaceful and relaxing ambiance I'd been expecting. I still vote Tenerife South near Playa de las Americas over the North, myself.


Lanzarote was an odd holiday destination if I'm honest. We had a nice time and it was good to finally get some sun rays strong enough to make you desire a swim, but Lanzarote itself is a strange little island. The large amount of holiday-makers sort of swallowed up quite a bit of the local charm, but it was also hard to figure out the exact demographic of who the holiday-makers were. Fine for a little holiday, and the volcanic landscapes were cool to see, but Tenerife South still takes the cake out of these two destinations!


Next up: London>Málaga

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