Elrow Tenerife

With a long experience in events of this nature, Mad Faith Music World, promoter of major events, lands with Elrow for the first time in Tenerife, a festival that will no doubt be repeated in years to come after this first date.

Imagine you’re walking down the street minding your own business when suddenly you get entangled in a throng of rushing people. The next minute you realise you’re on the set of a Bollywood film production called ROWLLYWOOD. You’re surrounded by vivid colours, huge crowds of dancers, veils, saris and silk, incense, kilos of confetti, henna and a procession of cool divine beings. Just be careful not to trip over the sacred cows! This is more than a party. The DJ is no longer the exclusive focus of attention. The public play a fundamental role, being the key piece of this spectacular experience of colour, props and music.

The set one of the best known and most spectacular buildings of the south of Tenerife, the Open Air Terrace of the Magma Art and Congress is promised to be mind-blowing; a spectacular Taj Mahal with a pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses overlooking the fun. And if his carpet doesn’t break down, maybe even Aladdin will fly in from Persia for a bit of partying.

The chosen date is Saturday 25th August – 12: 00h to 00: 00h
Venue: Open Aira Terrace outside of the Magma Art & Congress
Location: Av. Los Pueblos, s / n – 38660 – Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Theme: Rowllywood (Bollywood XXL)
Price tickets: General admission: € 30 (500 until end of stock)
Points of sale: http://www.entertickets.com and http://www.madfaith.com

 

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The Royal Customs House – Puerto de la Cruz

The Royal Customs House is a historic and emblematic civil building, the oldest that is still preserved in Puerto de la Cruz.

Its history dates back to 1620, when it was founded, later  it was handed over to the Royal Treasury in order to establish the offices and administration for Customs, the purpose of which was to monitor maritime traffic and enforce the legal norms of the time. However, as the years passed, the economy and political administration of the island changed, and in 1833, the administration of this department moved to Santa Cruz.

The building has been protected since the early eighteenth century, since due to its location there is a small fortification the famous Batería de Santa Bárbara. This was due to the importance of maritime trade in Puerto de la Cruz. Numerous boats from the remotest corners of the world arrived here, since Spain was a neutral nation for many years.

During the second half of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Puerto de la Cruz declined as a city of commercial impact, only to reinvent itself as a tourist destination. The Royal Customs House survived, partly thanks to its acquisition by a wealthy family who bought it in 1963 and in 1997, it was restored to become what is now: a centre for cultural and artistic events. Now known as the Museum of Contemporary Art Eduardo Westerdhal, it has six rooms, and due to its magnificent location, part of the House Royal Customs is a tourist information centre, and craft store.

The Royal Customs House / Opening Times are Monday through Saturday, from 10 am to 8 pm and it is close to the Plaza del Charco and next to the fishing harbour. Here you can also see the monument to the fisher woman.

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Spanish Potato Omelette (Spanish Tortilla)

I’m not a lover of eggs but because OH adores them, I sometimes make a small Spanish Potato Omelette (Tortilla) for his supper or if friends are visiting, because it is perfect served hot or cold, it is nice to have as part of a selection of tapas, so easy to make and I can avoid!

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 medium-sized potato or 1 per person – diced
1 small onion (or 1 large one if you are serving several people) chopped
1 egg per person
Salt and black pepper to taste.
Bacon lardons (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Fry potatoes and bacon if using, until crispy, golden and tender. Add the onion and fry until transparent. Drain oil.

Beat eggs with salt and pepper to taste

Now you can return the potatoes, bacon and onions to the pan and add the egg mixture to cook. If you choose to do this then every so often, move the eggs around the potatoes to ensure the eggs cook on the bottom. Then place a plate on top of the pan, flip the tortilla onto the plate, then, slide it back into the pan carefully. Keep cooking, gently shaking the pan occasionally, until completely cooked through.

Alternatively put the potatoes, bacon, onions and egg mixture into an ovenproof dish and bake. At 200 degrees this should take between 15 – 20 minutes maximum.

Serve with a salad, or cut into little squares if serving as a tapas.

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Pulling Strings

From time to time I get messages suggesting topics I could possibly write about. The one I received at the weekend was instigated after someone read my recent blog and although it also concerned TripAdvisor, this related to the amount of harassment that takes place on the travel forums.

They said they were clearing out old messages and found one relating to an incident that occurred in mid-2012. They named names and gave specific dates, which I won’t do, not to protect the innocent, as there aren’t any, but because they are irrelevant and it is the under-hand and duplicitous actions that are interesting. However, I believe that the facts as described to me are true.

This person had received an unsolicited message from a Destination Expert (DE). It said how hard they were working in getting a banned member reinstated. The reason for the ban was due to bullying two forum members and was planned to last 3 months. In TA terms that is a serious offence as they rarely ban and when they do it is only for a couple of weeks.

The purpose of the message was to enlist the help of regular forum members and was particularly scathing of another Expert who refused to be involved. The DE said they had a direct link to a TripAdvisor member of staff (TA _ ***_ *) who was described as ‘a special friend‘ and members should contact him direct.

Now TA Staff are supposed to be totally impartial, and we are assured that DEs are no different to any other user so theoretically priority treatment should not occur. Nevertheless, this particular member of staff agreed to let the banned member back on the forum ‘through the back door’ i.e. a change of name and location. Now whether this was due to the “special relationship” or the sway a DE has that ordinary members don’t have, we will never know. TA also changed the name of the lady being bullied and although she posted infrequently, she has not been around since 2014. The man kept his original name and is still posting and still being harassed by the same person 6 years later!

When asked the story told is it took 2 weeks to change the users identity due to receiving nasty PM’s. Obviously the banned one was unaware that the DE had told dozens of people the real reason.  😕

Despite the years between, today’s forums are more like an angry mob, a witches’ brew of undesirable internet traits, rather than the wisdom of the crowd, and as these arguments rage and swirl, we realise that the bullying and chicanery are nothing new.

TripAdvisor grows every day, yet despite its many faults people generally love it and that will not change, although it does seem some are not as gullible as they used to be.

While checking the internet to see if there were other examples of TripAdvisor skulduggery I came across this site which although it is a long read is an eye opener and for anyone who uses TripAdvisor worth a read so they know what to expect.  What you don´t know about TripAdvisor

 

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How I see Arona!

If you are to believe the tabloids and TV programmes, Tenerife has a bit of a reputation as a rather gaudy, lager soaked island that attracts young party-goers in summer and in the winter is a pensioners’ paradise.  I am certainly not the former but admit I am the latter and I hope that I can tell you what Arona is really like for someone who lives there.

Arona, has some of the main holiday resorts on the island. Bordered by Adeje in the west, San Miguel in the east and Vilaflor in the north, it was once a self-sufficient region thriving off fishing and farming that produced cochineal, bananas, tomatoes and potatoes, but since the 1980 ever-expanding tourism has made it one of the island’s wealthiest areas.

Situated a few miles inland in the hills above south Tenerife is the sleepy capital whose original character remains unchanged. The historic quarter contains examples of Canarian architecture, its parish church contains interesting carved images and its lively traditional festivities provide visitors with an insight into the islands’ culture.

Because of its height, Arona, has splendid views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Look up and you see the peak of Teide, look down and you see the coast of Los Cristianos and the neighbouring islands. The municipality also boasts protected natural spaces, such as Montaña de Guaza, and Malpaís de la Rasca.

On the beaches and small coves along the coast, (I’m thinking of Palm Mar, Las Galletas and Costa del Silencio) tranquillity is guaranteed, but if you want non-stop amusement there are the beaches and resorts of Las Américas and Los Cristianos.

Playa Las Vistas is an almost 1km long half-circle with golden sand, imported from the Sahara. The calm clear waters, make it ideal for swimming and it is fully accessible for people with mobility issues. It has plenty of services and facilities on offer, including showers, parasols and deckchairs to hire. It also has a beautiful promenade backed by shops, cafes and restaurants with terraces that overlook the beach.

Playa de las Americas is well known for its lively party scene, a reputation that rests on a tiny area Veronica’s Strip, the rest has somehow remained free from the taint that tabloids claim and should not be tarred with the same brush. It is a modern purpose built resort and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It offers what most are looking for from a holiday in the sun – world-class water parks, child-friendly attractions, well priced restaurants, bars and pavement cafes overlooking the ocean where you can enjoy what is on offer both day and night. Depending on what floats your boat, at the end of your stay you will have had a wonderfully memorable holiday or a holiday from hell.

Despite being a popular resort, Los Cristianos feels cosy and you can still see signs of the tiny fishing village that was originally there before the tourists arrived. You do however need to know where to look. By the beach you will find an endless flow of tourists, souvenir shops and places to eat offering menus to suit all tastes and budgets. Behind these and away from the coast is where local families live, shop, visit the cafes to sip their coffees and beer and dine in a couple of reasonably priced Canarian restaurants. You won’t find the late night discos offered by Las Americas, but you will find Latino Clubs if you want to merengue or bachata like a local.

While Los Cristianos doesn’t feel like a historical town, you can watch the fishermen land their daily catch by the harbour just as they have done for centuries. In a surreal way the town offers everything a tourist wants plus a little bit of the rhythm of daily life in the Canaries.

Check Queenie’s Daily Snippets for Tenerife news & for daily weather updates