This is a new one on me. Tenerife’s black volcanic sands can burn like a branding iron and some man-made beaches such as Playa de las Teresitas feel like being at the centre of a Saharan sand storm at the first suggestion of a breeze, but they are usually soft on the soles. With every step, Del Duque’s harsh pale grains nip at my feet with the ferocity of miniscule terriers.

After being mugged by the sand, the next objective is to find a spot to lay out my beach mat. In front of me is a wall of straw umbrellas and beyond that, hugging the shoreline, is another wall of rainbow coloured parasols. It’s a sizzling hot Saturday morning in August and Spanish mainlanders are on the beach en masse occupying their favourite playa position right beside the water’s edge. They seem to instinctively know the surf’s limitations, their towels inches from where the waves teasingly lap the sand.

As a sufferer of beach claustrophobia, I stretch out on the empty expanse just behind the sunloungers and soak up the surroundings.

Lying at the western end of Costa Adeje, Playa del Duque is separated from the rest of the resort by a large rock formation jutting far out into the sea which acts as a natural curtain lending the beach an air of detached exclusivity. The Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque dominates the backdrop to the beach. Its palatial main buildings and mock Canarian beach-side architecture makes the area feel like one giant film set. Del Duque’s  St Tropez style beach huts and a white restaurant on stilts, straight out of the Caribbean add to the Hollywood feel of the place. With its movie star looks, golden sand and powder blue seas, it’s a beautiful looking beach for sure.

The feeling of being on a film set is enhanced by the fascinating beach opera being performed all around me – a beach opera starring Del Duque’s colourful hawkers. The score is provided by fruit vendors carrying baskets filled with melons, pineapples and coconuts who sing ‘Tooty fruiteee, veetameen, cocos-nuts’ as they parade between the bronzed audience.

The dancing comes courtesy of a couple of svelte, sarong sellers demonstrating their wares by weaving amongst the sun beds, swirling and twirling bright sarongs with the grace and sensuality of harem dancers. Finally, preparing the extras for the shoot, are the South East Asian masseurs; gently kneading sunbathers’ muscles that are, let’s face already pretty damned relaxed.

Then the villains of the piece appear in the form of a police car at the back of the beach; the singers fall quiet and the dancers, with practiced perfection, drop their sarongs to reveal bikinis. As the sarongs fall to the ground covering the rest of their stock the two girls follow suit, lying atop the bright cloths like any other sunbather…and Act 1 of ‘Scene at Playa del Duque’ comes to a close.

After broiling nicely for an hour and a half in 30C+ temperatures, my flesh feels cooked enough to slide easily onto a kebab skewer. Common sense dictates a change of scene. I make my way across the harsh sand to the cool shade and even cooler décor of the stylish beachfront bars at the rear of the playa, order a frosty beer and settle back to see what Act 2 brings.

When it comes to restaurant settings, there’s something unerringly romantic about a waterside location.
Positioned alongside the fabulous rooftop swimming pools of the Costa Adeje Gran Hotel is the cool, stylish La Laja restaurant.
Taking a table in the window, we watched the sun turn the façades of the elegant hotel gold and cast palm silhouettes into the still surface of the pools before it dyed the heavens scarlet and disappeared into the night.

When you enter the a la carte restaurant of a five star hotel in Costa Adeje, you expect that you’re going to be paying a premium, but the menu prices were no higher than the menus of many sea front restaurants.
Taking the advice of restaurant manager Rodriguez, we opted to start with the warm goat’s cheese salad with tomato and pine nut vinaigrette and the foie terrine with caramelized onions and apple purée.
For main course we chose fresh fish baked on its back served with a Bilbaine sauce and duck Magret with onion purée, sweet potato crisps and port coulis.

Freshly baked rolls and a selection of flavoured butters arrived, followed by complimentary hors-d’oeuvres of deliciously smokey salmon in teppanyaki sauce served on a bed of polenta.

As the sun bade goodnight, the first course arrived. Two perfect slices of foie terrine lay on a slate board alongside a fresh salad topped with a flower of caramelized onion, surrounded by ribbons of apple purée and finished with a generous sprinkling of rock salt. The terrine was a perfect texture and melted in the mouth with a fusion of flavours; the onions were sweet and tangy and the purée complemented them both beautifully. The only flaw was the rock salt decoration which had to be carefully worked around so as not to pickle everything.

The warm goat’s cheese lay on a fresh salad, topped with a piquant vinaigrette of pine nuts and tomato and drizzled with honey. The lightly grilled French goat’s cheese was rich, tangy and creamy with a slight saltiness which combined with the honey to send the taste-buds into euphoria.

For main course, the fish was a fresh dorada (bream) which was cut lengthways, grilled and served with a mild onion purée and tasty sauce of tomato and mushrooms. Cooked to perfection, the flesh was moist and flaky with good flavour and texture.
But the culinary masterpiece of the evening was Chef Pablo Aznar’s duck Magret which was succulent,  tender and melted in the mouth. Served with the onion purée and light tangy crisps of sweet potato, this was a gastronomic triumph.

To finish, we chose home made apple pie served with vanilla cream and the chocolate surprise which we were warned would take 10 minutes to prepare.
The time was well spent watching the moonlight dance on the water and the guests of the hotel dance at the Pool Chill Out party while we finished a soft, full bodied Lomo red.

The apple pie was delicious but the chocolate surprise was out of this world. A lightly baked outer sponge concealed a sensuous centre of hot, dark chocolate sauce – this was a sweet that belonged in the grown-ups section of the menu.

Where, when and how:
Restaurant La Laja, Costa Adeje Gran Hotel, Avenida de Bruselas, 16, Costa Adeje; the restaurant has its own entrance on Avenida de Bruselas just along from the hotel. Open evenings only 19.00  – 22.30, closed Weds & Thurs; reservations – (0034) 922 71 94 21

Prices:
Starters average €8; main courses average €9.50; sweets average €4.20
A good selection of Canarian and Spanish wines range from €9 to €40

Open to:
Residents and non-residents. Guests in suites at the hotel dine in La Laja and guests on half or full board can upgrade for a modest supplement.

Tenerife Magazine was there capture this little northern Tenerife town’s hearts

They might not be big enough to carry the hearts yet, but the children in Tejina are involved in the fiesta from a very early age.

Groups of traditional musicians (parrandas) accompany each of the hearts.

Shortly after midday the hearts receive a blessing in front of the church.

Then it’s a race to see which of the three streets involved can get their heart erected first.

The winners go on a tour of the other hearts, mocking them mercilessly for not being as quick…and not being as good.

In truth all hearts are fabulous creations; constructed with fruit so perfect that it looks like wax and elaborate pastries depicting traditional and mythical scenes.

Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife

Come on Baby, Don’t Light My Fire
The irony regarding the spate of heatwaves that have characterised what seems to be nearly every week this summer on Tenerife is that the unusually hot weather that visitors are lapping up is turning Tenerife into a tinderbox.
Hats off to the fire fighters and forestry workers who have battled fires throughout the week to prevent a replay of the devastating fires of 2007. Two of the worst occurred yesterday (Sunday 29th August) near Tacoronte and El Sauzal where some residents were advised to evacuate their homes as a precaution. The fires were brought under control at about 7pm after damaging 10 hectares of land in El Sauzal and 1500 square metres in Tacoronte.
Neither area receives many British visitors, but that probably won’t stop certain British tabloids if they get wind of the story from reporting that tourists had to flee Tenerife’s beaches to escape the fires .

Green Tenerife
All those people who think that Tenerife is just a hot, dry rock might be surprised to discover that up to 40% of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife region is carpeted by forests according to a study conducted by MARM (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino).
The areas which have the most forest coverage in Spain include Barcelona and Girona with between 51 to 63% forest cover. The most arid spots with less than 16% are Almeria and Valladolid.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife falls in the middle…above neighbours Las Palmas de Gran Canaria which only has between 18 and 30% of its countryside covered by forests – that should give them something to pine about.

Good News and Bad for Los Gigantes Beach
The good news is that Juan Damián Gorrín, mayor of Santiago del Teide, announced last week that from October work should begin to make Los Guíos beach safe again for sunbathers. The bad news it will be at least five months before the first sunbathers will be able to lay out their towels. The worse news is that there isn’t enough money to make the whole beach safe from rock falls, so only half of the beach will be opened to the public after work has been completed. In this case life might well be a bitch, but for Los Gigantes, it isn’t a beach.

Something to Fume About
Members of El Club de Fumadores (Smokers’ Club) were out and about in Santa Cruz collecting signatures against proposed new smoking laws in Spain. A spokesperson for the organisation said that a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants would force smokers into the streets, which would subsequently create a lot more noise and disturb residents. Wait a minute? This is Tenerife with its year round temperate climate where most life takes place…on the streets. It wasn’t really a strong argument for a pavement café society. Members of the club handed out ear plugs to passers by, presumably to protect them from smokers bitchin’ noisily about having to sit outside. Much better if they purchased some very dark sunglasses – then as well as not being able to hear, they could also avoid seeing the writing on the wall.

Train of Thought
It wasn’t much of a story, but it set the alarm bells ringing. Environmental group Ecologistas en Acción submitted a report to Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias (TSJC) about concerns over an agreement to allow the proposed southern train to pass through Montaña Guaza, a natural monument. It looks as though the TSJC took the right action and nullified the license to rape an important part of Tenerife’s countryside. The big concern is why on earth was it allowed to pass in the first place? We’ll ruin the scenery, but hey we’ll have a nice shiny new train to show for it. Boys and their toys…

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to… the owner of an abandoned monkey.

When a friend asks you to look after their pet monkey while they go traveling for a few weeks how can you refuse them? They’re cute, cuddly and probably a lot of fun. Unfortunately for a woman in Alcalá who found herself looking after a friend’s titi monkey, the owner failed to return from his travels. Subsequently she did what a lot of people on Tenerife do when they find themselves with unwanted pets, she released him into the wilds earning herself and the original owner the TIT of the week award; or in this case, titi of the week.

Plot: Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is part spy, part thief, but the bank vaults he sneaks around in are the corridors of the mind – Cobb invades people’s dreams to steal ideas which he then sells to unscrupulous corporations. The stakes are raised when Cobb is forced to go a step further to enter unknown territory to invade a target’s mind to try to plant an idea instead of stealing one. With imagination as a battlefield anything can happen.

9/10 – Two factors should give audiences the heads-up that Inception is going to be something special. It stars Leo DiCaprio and anything Leo stars in is pretty much guaranteed to be watchable. Secondly, and more importantly, it’s directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight). When Nolan’s at the helm, audiences can expect something original, dark and thought provoking and Inception doesn’t disappoint. Using the strangest corners of the mind as locations for this hi-concept and unique thriller, Inception is a complex movie that’ll have you clinging to its coat tails to keep up with the plot developments and action.

Original cinema can be an exhilarating experience and Inception’s multi-layered plot is superbly aided and abetted by a class act of a cast which includes Michael Caine, the wonderful Ellen Page and Ken Watanabe.

Inception may not ring the bell of fans of Jason Statham type action movies. But for those who were wowed by the originality and style of the first Matrix movie, this is a truly fresh mindblower that will have you debating its clever storytelling for weeks. Unmissable.

Screening Times: 5.40pm daily.

Tickets: €6.50 Buy YourTickets Here

Loro Parque’s well oiled publicity machine grabs most family’s imaginations as soon as they touch down in Tenerife and based on my past visits, I never hesitate to fuel their interest further. As we arrived at the grand entrance to this animal themed box of delights, I tried to share the first impressions of my guests and to see if it lived up to its billing as a family favourite. Estate agents would call it kerb appeal, and Loro Parque scores early with the imposing pagoda entrance backed by large metal parrot statues and even hedges trimmed into the shape of a pack of elephants linked trunk to tail.
On a very hot and busy day we spilled inside delayed slightly by the huge multi coloured Koi Carp as we were funnelled over the lake bridge and snapped with two pretty polly’s on the way into the main body of the park. With three good women to organise me we set our sights on ticking off the four big shows first and headed for the performing birds at the Loro Show in a tall central hall. With 10 minutes to the start of the show we got some of the last seats and barely had time to appreciate the standing room behind us that allowed child buggies good parking spots. With a whoosh multi-coloured parrots swooped overhead and landed on their stage perches below to perform counting tricks, bell ringing and other cute turns. Amy and Chloe were engrossed and even slightly bird phobic Sarah was won over.

Twenty minutes later we were back on our mission and heading for the Sea Lions’ show. Their small amphitheatre was stocking up well as one large, shiny, whiskered star was draped lazily over the performance area. Quite a few late-comers were kept at bay by a rope but as the park staff shuffled people to fill any gaps, we again had a good view, this time standing at the back. The music struck up, the trainers and the other sea lions slithered out and we were all caught up in a whirl of slipping and sliding as the sleek stars clapped, dived, rolled over and kissed their way into everyone’s hearts. The girls’ smiles confirmed the general feeling, another hit.
Next stop the dolphins. Although baking hot the park is designed with plenty of shady paths linking the attractions, Amy and Chloe led the charge as we did our best to keep up with their youthful enthusiasm. The venues were getting bigger now but the demand still called for sensitive stewarding. As new arrivals were fed up to the higher seats the front rows were filled with buggies and their eager passengers. The animation girls kept the mood light as they built the anticipation with competitive clapping between the various sections.

The dolphins wowed everyone with high leaps and general playfulness and one lucky child was selected for a close encounter at the pool side, that special memory of stroking a dolphin will stay in her memory for years to come. The only disappointment of the day for Amy and Chloe was not getting soaked at the Orca Whale show, we sat a few rows behind their places at the edge of the splash zone. After a build up of catchy music and cheeky video close ups of the crowd, the whales announced their arrival with a few jumps and tail flips to send waves lapping over the pool side. Even those who had bought 3 euro plastic coveralls had a refreshing wash and Amy and Chloe giggled as their legs got sprayed. The creatures and the thrills don’t come much larger than the Orcas, their size contrasted by their intelligence and sheer beauty.
Regrouping in a café, expect captive audience prices, we took a vote on the next stop, luckily Planet Penguin got the thumbs up, saving me from stamping my feet and having a bawling fit. I’m a penguin addict and was glad to see the girls also delighted in their waddling on ice antics and majestic gliding under the ice and water floes of their huge snow dome.
Always leave them wanting more would be a good motto for Loro Parque, there is so much to cram in, the second visit 10 euros ticket is a good idea. We flitted by many of the enclosures ogling otters, admiring apes and treasuring tigers before heading for home. It was tough trying to get the girls to name a favourite, they loved everything but Amy was smitten by the penguins and Chloe chose the dolphins and whales. When it comes to family appeal Loro Parque is still serving up enough holiday memories to cram Noahs Ark.

FACT FILE

• Loro Parque – Puerto de la Cruz
• Website – www.loroparque.com
• Open daily 8.30 am to 6.45 pm
• Adults 32 euros, residents 19.50 euros – includes all shows
• Children (ages 6 to 11) 21 euros , residents 13 euros
• FREE trains from Plaza Reyes Catolicos, Puerto de la Cruz seafront

In the second of our series going undercover of the night to check Tenerife’s nightlife, Tenerife Magazine went bar hopping in Costa Adeje.

With the sun casting a golden glow over the land, I knew the perfect place to begin investigating Costa Adeje’s nightlife. Lighthouses usually act as a warning to steer clear, but the one at Faro Chill Art Bar is a beacon attracting the effortlessly cool, beautiful people…well, them and me.

Faro Chill Art Bar – Part One
Über-chic and then some, Faro Chill Art is the type of bar that deserves to be frequented by Hollywood stars. The décor oozes such style and imagination that even if I’d been wearing a carnival queen’s costume I’d have felt dull and conservative by comparison. After being tempted by the Zen terrace and the Mediterranean blue cushions of the Greek terrace, I ordered a glass of vino and climbed to the Ítaca terrace to enjoy the sunset from the rooftop. Drink prices at Faro are higher than average, but a visit is an experience not to be missed – and guys you have to try the bathroom. Feeling like I was being adulterous by simply visiting the loo was a unique experience.

By 10pm, it was time to stop chilling and start rocking.

In & Out
In & Out’s typically beach side tables and chairs can’t match Faro’s style. But you don’t need style when you’ve got heavy metal heroes, Soundchaser wowing the crowds night after night. I’d read rave reviews about Soundchaser, but was still blown away by how good they were. Note-perfect covers of Hendrix, Zeppelin, Dream Theater and Cream classics as well as their own compositions had old and new rockers in the crowd head-banging in ecstasy. Lead singer, Marcos Rodriguez possesses bucket loads of charisma and his witty asides pumped up the entertainment factor; at one point casting his eyes heavenwards in disgust as a woeful version of Sailing drifted down from a karaoke bar above. Again prices were a bit higher than average (€3.50 for a pint of lager, €8 for a spirit and mixer), but good value with a quality band like Soundchaser in the mix.

Captivated by Soundchaser’s demonic spell I’d lingered longer than I’d planned; reluctantly I tore myself away to seek out other forms of nightlife.

I paused outside Moonlight Bar, but strains of Engelbert Humberdinck emanating from inside had me quickening my step again. Following Soundchaser with music that was outdated when I was a teenager just didn’t do it for me. Similarly AJ’s Bar None lacked the buzz I sought and I wondered if I’d been spoiled by Soundchaser. Then the sound of soft reggae weaved its way through the night and I instantly knew my next stop.

Lisboa Bar
An unassuming bar whose mock Tudor beams seemed unusual for somewhere with a Portuguese name. It turned out that it was under new ownership and had only been open in its current incarnation for two months. There was nothing particularly special about the bar except that Grinder Circus, the two guitar playing musicians who formed the bar’s band, were creating some damn fine music; a quasi-acoustic mix of reggae and hip-swaying Cuban sounds with some U2 thrown in for good measure. It was simply a friendly bar in which to knock back a beer (€2).

Eleven thirty and time for pastures new. Onwards and upwards took me past Harley’s. Having a cocktail in the back of an open topped Cadillac looked fun, but I was seeking something livelier. A few steps more and I found it.

St Eugene’s
The perfect holiday bar, St Eugene’s (or Eugen’s – the website has two different spellings) was a revelation. An attractive bar with soft lighting and greenery giving it a warm and welcoming ambience. It was packed with people who weren’t just having a good time; they were having a party. Eugene’s was buzzing and that set it apart from bars I’d body swerved. This was clearly helped by the act, IS who kept the dance floor filled with crowd pleasing tunes ranging from Mowtown favourites to the Black Eyed Peas and Kings of Leon (note to other bars churning out Please Release Me & Little Old Wine Drinker Me – everyone from 16 to 60 year olds sang along to The Kings of Leon). Bar service was quick (just as well as the table service wasn’t) and prices were reasonable given the entertainment (€3 a pint of lager). The atmosphere in Eugene’s was such good fun that I was sorry when IS finished their set.

By 1am bars seemed to be winding down and I was about to call it a night when I noticed that cars were streaming into the area.

Faro Chill Art Bar – Part Two
A botellón (open air party) was in full flow in the plaza outside Faro and hundreds of young Canarios downed JD’s and Coke before joining a massive queue snaking towards the entrance to Faro.

The queues were too long and I felt way too old to re-enter Faro’s world at this point anyway. So, as bars aimed at visitors wound down and those aimed at Canarios filled up, I decided I’d hopped my last bar and it was time for a meeting with the sandman.

Factfile:  All bars featured are located in the area around and above Puerto Colón. Soundchaser perform nightly from 9.30pm at In & Out: There are different acts each night at St Eugene’s from 10pm: Faro Chill Art also regularly features theme nights and live music – keep an eye on their website for details

The eye-catching mustard tower and traditional Canarian, wooden balconied frontage of the Hotel Isabel belie the cornucopia of amenities and leisure space that lie beyond. It’s like stepping into a wardrobe and finding yourself in Narnia.

Newly arrived for the weekend, I wander down leafy avenidas between neat rows of Canarian-style villas; around a tree lined Plaza de las Palmeras in whose centre a stone fountain plays and across wooden walkways above enclosed courtyards surrounded by red tiled roofs.

I could be in the old quarter of La Laguna or La Orotava if it wasn’t for the perfectly manicured landscaping and the endless array of boredom-bashing activities that beckon.
In the lobby a group of boys are half way through a World Cup qualifier match on the big screen video game while alongside, a teenager’s surfing the net in the Cybercafé and in the bar area his dad’s taking advantage of the free WiFi to check his emails.  All around the expansive rooms and grounds, tots to teens are lining up cues on pool tables, clearing the net on table tennis, scoring goals on table football and climbing frames in playgrounds. Centre stage in the courtyard, I inadvertently wander through rehearsals for Harry Potter where the animation team are coaching wide eyed starlets in spell casting skills.

Tiptoeing around Voldemort, I wander past the massage and beauty parlour; the tattooist and the gymnasium to discover the gaily painted windows of the Mini Club from which tiny voices are singing. Next door, a diving school waits to take me on underwater voyages of discovery.
Just when I was wondering how many activities you could possibly fit into one hotel, I find myself in the sports area where tennis, basketball and football courts flank a volleyball sand court, an outdoor gym and a kiddies’ adventure playground with a mini climbing wall.

Feeling exhausted just from the thought of all that energy expenditure, I retrace my steps to the busy swimming pools and sunbathing terraces bedecked with glistening, prone bodies.  Sitting in the irresistible shade of the laid back pool bar terrace with the Adeje Mountains shimmering in the heat haze above the bougainvillea lined gardens of the villas, I give my biceps a work out with a long, cool drink and wonder if I should have booked a week.

Hotel A. Isabel, Family Hotel, Costa Adeje – The Essentials

Location: Alongside commercial centres and restaurants in the heart of Costa Adeje, a 10 minute stroll from Fañabe Beach and 20 minutes from Puerto Colon.

Rooms: Accommodation is in apartments in low-rise blocks or Canarian style bungalows and villas laid out like a village along landscaped streets. Plenty of space to spread out with good kitchen facilities, living room, bedroom, en suite bathroom and large terrace or private garden. Apartments are clean, bright and nicely decorated but lacking any wow factor.

Service: Everyone we dealt with was friendly and professional from the cleaning staff to the animation team. Check-in was quick and efficient with multi-lingual staff and no queues. Dining room staff were fast and efficient so, despite the hotel being at capacity, tables were cleared and re-set with minimum of fuss.

Food: Meals were buffet style in the large dining rooms and if you preferred,  breakfast could be taken on the outside terrace. Pasta and pizza corner, a grilled meats section and a fresh fruit table joined an already overwhelming selection of meat, fish and salad dishes to keep everyone from the fussiest toddler to the family veggie happy. Despite the hotel being full, food was hot, fresh and constantly topped up and there was no waiting for tables.

Entertainment: With the hotel’s family high season in full swing, entertainment was naturally geared towards the younger ones and the animation team had their work cut out keeping kids of all ages and mixed nationalities entertained from breakfast to bedtime. Rising valiantly to the challenge, music, singing and dancing kept Plaza Canaria buzzing until the midnight hour. For those of us who were occupying a child-free zone, Costa Adeje’s nightlife was just a stroll away.

Overall: An excellent family hotel in a central Costa Adeje location offering good value for money and non-stop fun and entertainment to keep kids happy while Mum and Dad relax.

Hotel A Isabel; 4 Star; Avenida de Bruselas 4-6, Costa Adeje; ; (0034) 922 74 70 00; email for reservations

Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife

Franco? Nope, Never Heard of Him
The fate of the statue dedicated to Franco in Santa Cruz,  Ángel de la Victoria by Juan de Avalos, has come under threat following the removal of the last statue of Generalissimo Franco in the Spanish city of Melilla in North Africa. The political movement ‘Si se puede Tenerife’ says that its presence isn’t in compliance with the Ley 52/2007 de la Memoria Histórica. This law basically recognises the rights of those who suffered persecution during the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship. Part of the law involves the right to withdraw monuments which commemorate Franco.
‘Si se puede’ argues that it isn’t appropriate that this icon of Franco’s dictatorship welcomes visitors to Santa Cruz. They suggest that it should be put in the Military Museum and replaced with something more suitable.
The trouble with sweeping unpleasant aspects of history under the carpet is that there is always a danger that they may be forgotten. Franco’s statues may be a constant reminder of a dark period of Spanish history, but isn’t that an argument for keeping them?

Paying the Price for Devotion
Every year the authorities on Tenerife prohibit people from walking along the TF1 motorway during the annual pilgrimage to Candelaria to honour the Black Madonna…and every year pilgrims ignore it. Nearly 100,000 people made the pilgrimage this year, most sticking to the official routes. However, 14 of those who defied the prohibition found themselves facing Guardia Civil officers and an eighty euro fine. It might seem a hefty amount for simply wanting to demonstrate devotion, but after walking on the TF1 they should think themselves lucky that the price they had to pay wasn’t something much, much higher.

2009 – A Good Year for Wine
It might not have been a good year for tourism on Tenerife, but it looks like 2009 was an excellent year for wine in the Ycoden Daute Isora region in the north west of Tenerife. The white wines of the area especially have been given the thumbs up for taste and quality and 390,000 litres have been bottled ready for our pleasure. Of course they’re going to tell us that their wine is excellent, so in the name of research and performing a valuable public service, Tenerife Magazine promises to try a few bottles…just to make sure that it’s as good as they claim.

Is this the End of Arico Cheese?
It’s good news, bad news time. The tragic news is that from later this month the factory that produces the delicious Arico cheese, winner of the best cheese in the world title at the World Cheese Awards in 2008, will close.
The good news for cheese lovers, if not for the employees at the factory in Arico, is that the delicious award winning cheese will continue to be produced in Benijos in La Orotava. Wallace & Gromit can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

The Images on My TV are Garbled
At least a thousand people in the El Tanque area are still unable to receive a decent TDT signal. Residents in Erjos, San José de los Llanos, Tierra del Trigo and Ruigómez have complained that they’ve only been able to view garbled images since the switch from analogue television earlier this year. After hearing about this it was rumoured that thousands of people called out engineers, also complaining of garbled images and programmes disappearing suddenly from their screens – to be told by  ‘the signal’s fine, you’re receiving Spanish TV perfectly.’

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to… the organisers of the Romantic Bolero Nights Festival in Los Cristianos

Supposed to be an invitation to hear music under the moonlight, the festival turned out to be a catalogue of disastrous and misguided organisation, exhibiting some of the most frustrating aspects of trying to positively promote Tenerife. On the Friday night of the festival, the power went off for at least twenty minutes during the set; the band Clave de Son who were supposed to heat up Saturday afternoon with Cuban vibes at 3.30pm didn’t perform till 5pm; on Saturday night the music still hadn’t started 45 minutes after it was supposed to and then security bizarrely stopped official press from taking photographs. More unromantic bols-up than romantic bolero and a perfect example of how not to run a music festival.

The support band B For Team from Los Cristianos and Granadilla had some local fans moshing away near the front and at one stage even the police glided by on their mopeds to see what the fuss was all about. B For Team, did a good job of pulling in a few curious listeners and the young female lead singer impressed with her strong voice.
Four piece The Replay were preparing in a small marquee and replaced the openers after a few respectful handshakes and some tuning up. You know you’re getting old when bands look younger, but The Replay are young guns; three 14 year olds Jack Boyce on drums, Scott Parker lead singer and rhythm guitar and Carlos Hernandez on bass, plus the 17 year old Luke Boyce on guitar and also the band’s song writer. The bands’ influences were clear in the covers they mixed with their own tunes, The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys featured in their set as well as the considerably older Kinks classic You Really Got Me and a well worked up tempo cover of Britney’s Hit Me Baby One More Time.The B For Team fans were soon converted and an appreciative audience grew as passers by recognised the musical skills and delivery beyond the band’s years.

After an hour The Replay signed off and found that rock bands at any age always attract keen young female fans. After the boys had posed for photos and swapped a few numbers with their new fans I grabbed a few words. Carlos explained how the Tenerife connection came about “I have family here in Tenerife and my uncle spoke to Arona council and they kindly invited us over to play here and another concert in Cabo Blanco.”

Sounding like veterans of the music scene and making me feel like an old dinosaur Luke ran through a bit of their history. “We all met at school and formed the band two years ago, I have been writing songs since I was 13” at this point brother Jack chipped in that he too was now penning a few songs. Playing clubs and bars around the Glasgow area, 20 miles from Cumbernauld, hasn’t been easy. “It’s tough fitting it in with school and our age means that some places can’t let us play but we have a good following, have a CD out soon and a few dates supporting rising band The Law.”
So make a note of the name The Replay these boys are determined to be taken seriously as musicians and have plenty of hunger for success. You can follow them at www.bebo.com/thereplay