Bulging red and white carrier bags with the Sal2 logo on them showed it was mission accomplished in Santa Cruz. The thronging streets and plazas were further proof that the second annual initiative to boost small and medium sized businesses was a hit with families.

Early in the day the marching band tuned up near the African Market, inflatable castles were pumped into life and free parking ensured that all roads led to the capital city. Of the 120 shops joining in, 64 took the chance to invade the streets and expand onto makeshift stalls, 15 artists took pitches around Teatro Guimera, and 32 restaurants drew up special offer menus for the day. Last year 70,000 people flocked to the event and the Sociedad Desarrollo (development society) were taking no chances this year installing temporary toilets around the main venues. Police and Unipol officers kept a high visibility but I even saw some of them smiling and laughing.

Plaza del Principe was the magnet for toddlers, they had more bouncy castles than you could shake a stick at (not a sharp one of course) and even a live puppet show. There has to be music in all things in Tenerife and they did us proud with 14 groups gracing the large stage in Plaza del Candelaria just up from the port. The quirky Tizas En Las Botas went down well, Amatista with their very young and very good singers wowed the parents, Ledesma hit the rap target but Beat Tripper stole the show with their Beatles tribute. Not only were they visually and vocally like the originals, their costume quick change took the band through three stages of the Fab Four’s career. Most of all they were great fun and got the crowd rolling back the years, a passing local drunk dancer was just rolling, and during the encores two of the band ventured out among the shoppers to get them dancing.

The marching band had a tiring day patrolling the edges of the shopping areas hammering out a rhythm to drive shoppers from one section of stalls to another but it worked and even those in the smaller back streets heard their rusty tills ping into action. Cafes and bars were heaving, well it’s thirsty and hungry work shopping. The stretch by Plaza del Principe was the most densely packed with stalls and at times it was almost like a Carnaval afternoon with so many people flowing slowly. There are already plans to do similar events in some of the outskirts of Santa Cruz to give them a well needed pick up. These are testing times for the retail trade but at least it’s forcing the business community to come up with some new ideas.

With luggage allowances at a premium, why waste space on fake watches that will stop the minute your aircraft wheels leave the runway? Here’s our pick of the best buys to squeeze into the suitcase at the end of your holidays to Tenerife …

1. Tobacco. If there’s one place where hoping to give up smoking while on holiday is probably a non-starter, it’s Tenerife. As a VAT-free island, the dreaded weed is a fraction of UK prices. Don’t wait until you get to the airport to stock up, you’ll pay way more than in any local supermarket or in resort shops.

2. Alcohol. That absence of VAT on Tenerife means that all the vices are at irresistibly affordable prices and with supermarkets allocating as many aisles to alcohol as they do to food, readily available in all flavours and sizes. Opt for the local brands if you really want to win the cheapskate prize but be prepared to pay a dividend in hangovers.

3. Perfume. There’s that “we’re a tax-free island” bonus raising its pretty head again…without which the price of wafting Dior, Chanel and Versace in your wake falls distinctly into the affordable bracket. Again, don’t wait until you get to the airport to buy, you can test to your heart’s content in any number of hyper stores and leave everyone in close proximity with a headache and a slightly nauseous feeling.

4. Cheese. Tenerife produces award winning goat’s cheeses and it’s worth testing out a few during your stay and bagging a block to take home. You can buy fresco (fresh), ahumado (smoked), semi-curado and curado (cured) with fresco being the mildest and curado having definite cheese attitude. The biggest trophy cabinet belongs to Arico smoked which is considered one of the top twelve cheeses in the world by people who know about these things – presumably Wallace and Gromit.

5. Shoes. Leather has always been a good buy in Spanish territories and Tenerife is no exception. With eternal summer on the beaches, it’s a great place to stock up on your summer sandal collection. If you really want to play Carrie Bradshaw to your friends at home, check out the nearest branch of Pécas for incredible styles that you won’t find in the UK.

6. Honey. Look for the ‘Miel de Tenerife’ label and grab yourself a jar of Winnie The Pooh’s favourite supper. Mobile hives are transported to allow their little furry workers to feast on such delicacies as avocado blossom and tajinaste which results in some 15 varieties of truly excellent honey.

7. Miel de Palma/Palm Honey. Okay, I know it’s technically honey but… it’s derived from an entirely different source and it tastes more like toffee syrup, so it’s getting a separate listing – bite me. Produced from the sap of Gomeran date palms and distilled into a rich, dark syrup, Miel de Palma has been produced for over 500 years. Completely natural, filled with minerals and high in nutritional value, drizzle it to turn a bowl of vanilla ice cream into a dessert to die for; Greek yoghurt into the food of the Gods and goat’s cheese into seventh heaven.

8. Mojos. Having spent your holiday dipping your papas arrugadas into the delicious tangy red and green mojos that are served in Canarian restaurants, you can buy lots of little sets to take home and smear on your chips.

9. Coffee. Extremely good value compared to UK prices, the Spanish addiction to strong coffee translates into dozens of varieties, some of which have packaging that will get you arrested by the political correctness party just for having it in your suitcase.

10. Turrón. Made from a base of almonds and honey and available in a dizzying range of flavours, the enduring favourite is yema tostada. A seasonal goodie, turrón is only on sale  a couple of months either side of Christmas so if you see it, grab a slab and when you’re back home, pop a slice onto the saucer and turn your morning coffee break into a Tenerife daydream.

Tenerife may be one of the world’s most popular winter sun getaways, but when the novelty of lying half naked on the beach while the folks back home are shivering in their boots wears off, where can you go to see something more than sun, sand, sea and theme parks? Our advice is to sort yourself out some Tenerife car hire and check out these fabulous days out…

1. Teide National Park – if the only place you’ve seen Mount Teide is through the window of your aircraft as you arrive and depart the island, then you’re missing one of the most spectacular landscapes on earth.

2. Masca – whatever you’ve read in the brochures or heard from the tour reps, it still won’t prepare you for the wow factor you’ll experience as you enter this lost paradise nestling  amongst colossal peaks on the edge of the world.

3. Garachico – the little town that fought its way out from under a volcanic eruption to provide amazing rock pools where you can swim with tropical fish, the prettiest plaza on Tenerife and more picturesque scenes than you can point a camera at.

4. La Orotava – stretch the thigh muscles on a stroll around Tenerife’s most aristocratic town to uncover stunning island architecture, beautiful parks and gardens and excellent souvenir shopping in the town that gives us streets paved with petals.

5. Candelaria – the spiritual heart of the Canary Islands, pilgrims travel on foot and on their knees to worship at the feet of the Black Madonna. Luckily, buses also run from all over the island to transport you to the bronze icons of a forgotten era.

6. Santa Cruz – When its streets aren’t filled with the semi-naked women, drag queens and Maquinería bands of Carnaval, they’re home to museums, art galleries, splendid architecture and pretty plazas spread around the island’s best shopping and bordering a busy cruise liner port.

7. Santiago del Teide – travel into the rural heartland for a Tenerife a million miles away from its popular travel brochure image. Riding stables, picnics under the eucalyptus trees, a beautifully restored country house and unspoilt beauty await.

8. La Laguna – pack an umbrella and goad the rain gods with a trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tenerife’s former capital city. Beautifully restored mansions and monasteries span five centuries and they have one of the best farmer’s markets on the island.

9. Icod de los Vinos – with a pedestrianised street lined with pavement cafes and boutiques, a splendid church square and a butterfly farm, there’s more to Icod than just dragon trees, volcanic tubes and Jackass antics.

10. Vilaflor – climb up into the pine forest where thermal spas and fir trees create a landscape more akin to an alpine village than Spain’s highest, and try to resist the urge to yodel.

Pinolere is one of the biggest and most enchanting  craft fairs on Tenerife and is located on the slopes of a hill so steep that just getting from the car to the pavement requires steely thighs and a supply of oxygen.

On the first weekend of September over 230 craftspeople from Tenerife, the other Canary Islands and mainland Spain laid out their wares on stalls and in the shade of the thatched huts that for the rest of the year are part of the Pinolere Ethnological Museum in the highlands of La Orotava.

Under blue skies and with views to die for as a backdrop over 30,000 people turned up to get in some early Christmas shopping.

This is shopping with a difference. Stalls are spread over a series of levels but with vistas like Pinolere’s it can be difficult to take your eyes off the scenery to check out the goodies on sale.

Crafts range from the traditional, such as these wicker baskets…

…to those that you might as well sellotape straight on to your stomach.

And then there are the more contemporary works like these cheeky designs.

Or Canarian classics – hand rolled cigars from La Palma; as good as Cuban cigars…so the people from La Palma will tell you.

As well as hundreds of delightfully unique crafts on sale, the fair has art & craft making exhibitions, live music, rabbits and birds to coo over, demonstrations of traditional life in the hills , these wonderful huts and loads of secret corners to explore…and all for a €2.50 entrance fee.

If you missed Pinolere this year, don’t fret there are other craft fairs and markets around Tenerife, just not in such a spectacular location. Keep an eye on our ‘Happenings’ page for news of a fair in October featuring crafts from South America, Africa and the Canary Islands.

Charleston Charm

The heat’s rising on Tenerife’s beaches and the sales are in full swing; it’s the perfect time to bag a bargain summer outfit and dress it up with some of Bijou Brigitte’s eye-catching new jewellery collection.

Ooh-La-La!

If you haven’t already discovered Bijou Brigitte, you’re in for a treat. With branches all over Tenerife, this little treasure trove of trinkets is packed with enticing earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, brooches, hair bands and more – all colour co-ordinated to make it easy to find exactly the shade you’re looking for.
It’s a great little shop in which to buy gifts for the jewellery lovers in your life too with prices ranging from piggy-bank friendly to lavish gesture. It’s always an early stop for me on the Christmas shopping trip.

The new Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 collection evokes memories of foreign travel and secret romance in vintage retro mode. Think Casablanca and Brief Encounter – cassis, champagne and smoky crystal shades in 1920′s style.
Paris provides the inspiration for the new season’s fun accessories in bright, primary colours; an Eiffel Tower pendant, charm watches, pretty polka-dot bows and hooped earrings.

The Jet Set

Or fast forward to the 21st Century and team up satin and chiffon with polished jet and rhinestone chandelier earrings and lace gloves to show off the summer tan on El Faro’s rooftop bar.

This is fashion jewellery at its best for me – great value for money; a huge selection of styles and colour co-ordinated displays so you simply find the shade you want and settle in to enjoy the spoilt-for-choice experience.

Torviscas (Thursdays and Saturdays 9am to 2pm, opposite the Costa Adeje Gran Hotel)
One of the biggest markets in the South; clothes, jewellery, handbags, shoes, souvenirs, books…and even a fashion show. There are bargains to be had as long as you can tell The Real Thing from The Pretenders.

Los Cristianos (Sunday mornings 9am to 2pm, next to the Arona Gran Hotel)
Probably the largest market in the South with extensive stalls selling everything from crafts to clothing. Expect to be elbow to elbow with fellow browsers and feel free to practice your bartering skills.

Santa Cruz Rastro (Sunday mornings 9am to 1.30pm, around the African Market)
If you can sell it, you can buy it at the Sunday Rastro in Santa Cruz. By far, the biggest market on Tenerife. From African drums to Zinnia plants; browse the hundreds of stalls in air perfumed with patchouli oil and hot dogs. Not so much a market as a retail experience. Top shopping.

Tegueste (Saturdays & Sundays 8am to 2pm, Mercadillo del Agricultor – behind the PCAN station)
Fruit and vegetables straight from the farmer’s fork (often with soil still attached); mouth-watering home-made cakes and bread; hand crafted models and ornaments and best of all, local wine – all accompanied by Latino music. You may need to book a room, or at very least, salsa lessons.

El Médano (Saturdays 9am to 2pm – Plaza de Principe)
Neo-hippies and cool dudes selling handmade jewellery, clothing, African artefacts and all things Bohemian. Probably the coolest market on Tenerife; wear your best shades.

Los Abrigos (Tuesdays 5pm to 9pm, top of the harbour)
Tenerife’s only regular night market. CDs, DVDs, clothing, jewellery, belts and more, all a short stroll from the best fish restaurants in the south and perfectly timed to examine your purchases over a plate of seabass and a glass of white.

La Laguna (Every day to 2pm, Plaza del Cristo)
Air thick with the smell of spices, cut flowers and salt fish – La Laguna market is the most comprehensive food market on Tenerife. Whether it’s meat, fish or fowl, you’ll find it here; as well as cheeses, cakes, sauces, wines, plants, flowers…a foodie’s paradise.

Tacoronte (Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 2pm, Tacoronte – Tejina road)
One of the largest agricultural markets on Tenerife with over 100 stalls of produce. Cakes, pastries, wines, cheeses and herbs – trash the diet sheet before you go.

Flea Market, Puerto de la Cruz (Saturdays 9am to 2pm, outside Supermercado Municipal)
A colourful local market with a mix of new and second hand goods. Antiques, books, clothes, ornaments and lots of excellent crafts. Inside the mercado on the first floor is a really good farmers’ market too – that’s two markets for the price of one, ladies and gentlemen.

Feria Recinto (Avenida de la Constitución, Santa Cruz)
From cars to Christmas and babies to brides, the 40,000 square metres of Institución Ferial de Tenerife is THE place for trade fairs. This coming weekend (19th -21st March) is weddings. Check their website for details.
As markets go – this one’s MASSIVE.