In June 1995 I gave way to that urge of my life in partner to spend a vacation on Teneriffa. He had been there before and strongly wanted to go again. Besides he wanted to spend a beach vacation without much sightseeing.

As favourable it proved that we could start from our local airport. The 4 hours 45 minutes flying time we spent in the Hapag Lloyd aircraft with very narrow seating and we were glad, when we landed finally in south Teneriffe at the international airport. Since we had unfortunately booked no rental car (a total error!), we were dependent on the organized bus transfer to the hotel. Here the mass tourism already greeted to my horror!

After nearly 2 hours of travel over the motorway to the north, direction Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and from there to the north coast, we reached our booked hotel, the Maritime. It was fully and completely adjusted to the German tourism. The hotel turned out as a better tourist hotel (4 *) and our room was somehow prettily but however small.

Since we did not have a transport facility and later on this could also not be rented there, we had to spent the entire vacation in Puerto de la Cruz. Since the Maritime lays outside the city centre and it was very hot, we went only sometime by foot to the city center. The other times we went with the hotel-own bus shuttle or a taxi.

On the way to the city center we passed the black beach of Puerto de la Cruz, the adjacent gardens are called Playa Jardin, i.e. garden beach. Here we got an impression of the rich vegetation of the island, with the most diverse cacti, flowering flowers and banana plants. From a place on the beach promenade one had also a beautiful view of the Pico de Teide, with over 3700 m hightest mountain of Tenerife and snow-covered also the summer.

If one approaches Puerto from the western side, as we always did, one comes first into the old part of town from the 17. century. According to their age the roads are frequently very narrow and therefore usually one-way streets. Driving is adventurous in the city and it is much more advisable to walk.

The beautiful historical balconies, many houses are remarkably decorated with sumptuous planting, for example with Bougainvillea, Strelizia or other tropical plants.

The center of the city is the Plaza del Charco de los Camarones, meeting place of locals and tourists equally. The place is surrounded with old laurel trees, numerous bars and cafés. Here the routistic life awakes particularly in the evening. The place attracts numerous road artists, who produce themselves here in front of the public.

Nearby the Plaza del Charco is the main church of Puerto, Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia. The building was begun 1697 and is not finished until today. In front of the church is a small place, from which one can watch the busy life on the by passing road. This road, like also some others in the city centre, are a pedestrian zone. Here also business lines up to business, fashion shop to fashion shop. All offers are unfortunately completely adjusted to the (mass -) touristic taste...

Prettily in the old part of town to look at is also the small fishing port, on the tiny beach the multicolored painted fishingboats ly.

East the church is the "new city", consisting of uninteresting land development. Here are also numerous clothing stores as well as most of the cafés, restaurants with dance, night club and discos. The beach promenade of San Telmo, which is on the northern end of the new city, is prettily made. Here is also the very large open-air swimming pool of the same name. Very nicely is the further walk over the promenade Calle de Aguilar to the bank and from there to the open-air swimming pool.

Since we did not have large desire to eat in our hotel (there the primarily German holiday-makers always already waited half an hour before the opening in front of the dining room) we searched to a good restaurant in Puerto and environment. Unfortunately we were bitterly disappointed. Even two restaurants, which were praised as "secret tips" and a beautiful one situated outside of Puertos could not convince us. As fish eaters we ordered fish, finally we were on an island in the middle in the Atlantic! Again and again it was served to us in the same preparation: Dorade in a ceramic dished plate, in which hot fat and garlic. Poor fish...

Result of this trip to Tenerife: On the greater island I cannot judge, because simply I saw nothing of it. It was an enormous error to rent no car because only with a rented car one is mobile and gets a better impression of the island. Puerto de la Cruz is a nice old small town, which is however fully in the grasp of mass tourism. It goes on my nerves when being in a foreign country I`m given menues in German and addressed in German. What for I did learn Spanish?? 14 days were definitely too long to just spent in Puerto. On the nerves also went the ongoing in the hotel: reserving pool chairs with towels, wating for the opening of the dining room, the battle at the cold buffet... I do not need to have this!