Lanzarote/Tenerife et al.Is it all beer and chips

montrose5

Have seen some really good last minute deals to the likes of Faro, Lanzarote and the like. Looking to go last week of March or first week of April (just me and the missus).
They always have the image of non-stop drinking, chips etc. I'm sure it can't be like that all the time and in all of the places.
Has anyone tried these last minute deals and enjoyed/regretted it.

berrybabe

In these places if you wan't to just eat beer and chips they will have places to cater to you but of course it isn't all like that! Just maybe go off the beaten track a bit and find places recommended by locals?

I go to portugal every year and love it! Have never ate a british meal there, but of course I do like beer But it is sagres, portuguese beer...

FD24

We've just returned from Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote and we really enjoyed it (family holiday). We also booked last minute, but I had time to look up the tripadvisor reports on the hotels and areas before booking.
Where we stayed, there were NO fish and chips shops!!! (I did slightly miss that actually!). But there was plenty of variety and loads of Irish pubs and bars.
We went to Tenerife 2 years ago and found that to be more geared towards British families, more familiar foods etc.
Enjoy your holiday wherever you stay.

montrose5

I'm hoping to find somewhere which is 'local' rather than the 'British' pubs/clubs and food but none seem to have the same sort of deals

sassysar

We have just returned from playa blanca in lanzarote and it was lovely . Im similar in as much as I like to eat local fish/meat and not see mc donalds in a resort. I think puerto del carmen is the main town and probably more busy so if you like local and little avoid that one.

cubegame

Tenerife is probably one of the most beautiful places in Europe and it's a travesty that the hundreds of thousands of British people who go there never get further than getting rat-arsed in Los Christianos.

If you can avoid the South at all costs the central volcanic mountain range and the Anaga mountains to the north of Santa Cruz are stunning.

If you do a google search for Tenerife rural you will see plenty of options. There are also plenty of accomdation options in Santa Cruz which is not so touristy. If you're looking to keep the cost down and stay in a resort, avoid the south at all costs; Puerto De La Cruz is probably the least irritating large resort.

I also quite frequently recommend Madeira on these forums as many people overlook it. It's equally as stunning as the Canary Islands and is much much less commercial. Good deals to there can be found. It may be more expensive to get there (although the other half and me had 10 nights including flights there in April for £500 in total) but it's much cheaper to eat out etc.

HoofeHearted

montrose5 wrote: »

I'm hoping to find somewhere which is 'local' rather than the 'British' pubs/clubs and food but none seem to have the same sort of deals

I don't know about Portugal/Madeira but in Spain/Canaries, every restaurant is required, by law, to have available a Menu del Dia (Menu of the day). This goes back many years when there had to be a meal that was affordable by the local workers.

If you go out of the tourist areas you will see the Menu del Dia displayed outside the restaurants. In the tourist areas they are very rarely displayed, so just ask and they will tell you what is on offer that day.:beer:

Additional info:- http://gospain.about.com/od/restaurants/tp/menu_del_dia.htm

travelgran

Places like the Canaries are what you make them. Hire a car or use public transport and you can find places as local as you like. The resort need only be a place to lay your head.

London50

Hi
I can vouch for the north part of Tenerife as we have stayed many times in Puerto de la Cruz. It is a lovely traditional town with a good choice of restuerants and bars but unlike the sourthen resorts you do not get the "tea like mum makes" places. It is very popular with Spanish, German and the "slightly older" British tourist. The beach is black volcanic sand, there are shops to suit all ages and you feel safe walking around any time of the day or night. Getting around the town is very easy but if you want a taxi it is not more than 3/4 Euros to get you back to your hotel. Over the many years we have been going {both summer and winter} I can count on one hand the wet days we have had and would {and do} highly reccomend Puerto to anyone wanting a relaxing break away

scubaangel

I agree with people recommending North Tenerife, I visit the island regularly, staying at a family apartment on the west coast I almost always spend most of my time hopping on and off the bus routes around the north - at some point I'm going to be brave enough to spend a few days mooching around the north without coming 'home' every night, lol. Although I do tend to go in to Las Americas/Los Christianos to visit friends I prefer by far the north.

lolarentt

Playa Blanca in Lanzarote is fine - nice little town, plenty of (duty free) shops and restaurants, harbour with ferries across to Fuertaventura. We go over a couple of times a year and stay at the 'Timanfaya Palace' (an H10 Hotel about a 15 minute walk along the coast path). Fair mix of holidaymakers - British, German, Scandinavian in roughly equal proportions.

I'd avoid Puerto del Carmen unless you want a Brit-packed, Mable's bar, English Breakfast, Sky TV laden sort of break.