To think the canary isles are tacky?

[YaWeeFurryBastard]

Lighthearted and I’m definitely open to having my mind changed!

I’ve been to what my family call Lanza-grotty as a teenager and there were some nice volcanic bits. I did notice there was a lot of places serving full English/curry etc. and a very brits abroad vibe. I get the distinct impression that Tenerife/grand canaria are even worse and when people I know go there, they seem to be aiming to max out on the beer/all inclusive and return to the same place every year. There doesn’t seem to be much culture or things to do that aren’t very geared towards British tourists (banana boats etc.)

In my mind I group the canaries in with Benidorm/Tunisia/Cape Verde I.e. places I would not want to go. However I can see how they’d be good for an off-season bit of sun and now we have a baby on the way it’s going to be more challenging to go long haul in winter.

Am I being a judgy bitch and actually missing out on a perfectly nice destination?

We've been on a few holidays to these "tacky" places. It's very much what you make of it. We avoid the bars and tat shops. We go on walks and in the sea.

I love people watching especially drunk people. I'm quite happy to sit round the pool of an all inclusive and watch stag/hen dos and couples who have one too many. I'm far too old and boring sensible to join in.

Haha maybe they are as it sounds like they chose a not great area to stay in and were just following what most others do.

La Gomera is spectacular.

No-one here gives a shiny shite where you go on holiday or if you 'have your mind changed'.

It's the nastiness and pure snobbery in your OP that's unnecessary but you know that.

You just don't like being called out on it.

Drinking beer and spending tacky time is a personal choice.

We chose an area friendly for mid-length natural hikes and enjoy them a lot, be it green hilltops at Gigantes in Tenerife or deserts of Fuerteventura.

And, we tend to end up in hotels with German speaking guests, not that it really matters.

If you go to the Playa- type places aimed at a certain type of Brit, then yes very tacky. Places aimed at Spanish locals and holiday makers (Puerto de la Cruz and Garachico in Tenerife, Aldea San Nicolas and Las Palmas in Gran Canaria for example) lovely and traditional and not tacky in the slightest.

If people don’t give a shiny shite they are free not to post, but actually I’ve had lots of helpful responses pointing out there’s lots of nice areas/things to see and do. Plus a few delights like yourself who’ve taken enormous offence at someone having an opinion you don’t like on a holiday destination, as if I’ve insulted someone’s family line!

Interesting how when people post about Florida there’s an immediate pile on about how tacky/naff it is and how their children must be uneducated if they enjoy it, yet apparently that’s fine?

There are tacky bits and there are lovely bits. I love the Canaries tbh. Lanzarote has some beautiful scenery - I love the bleakness of the volcanic landscape, and the colours as you fly in are just amazing. It's not as high rise as some other bits of the Canaries as that sort of building was put a stop to years ago. But Fuerteventura and Tenerife (not been to the others) are mainly lovely too. Yeah, the towns can be a bit Brits-on-the-piss but they've also got loads going on, decent beaches, and nice restaurants and bars. Personally I've never had a bad holiday to the Canaries, like others say, you just need to get out of the touristy bits and explore.

@TimeForATerf How so? Born and bred Northerner here, not sure why reference to Black Pudding should offend me? It's not something I've ever considered especially / exclusively Northern? Unless you're referencing the War of the Roses black pudding throwing legend, which is a pretty niche string to pull at.

Don't restrict yourself OP, do you not want to write off the whole of Bali, Yucatan peninsula, Amsterdam, the Black Sea Coast and southern Turkey as well while you're at it?

I think what you’re saying is that “the British have ruined the Canary Islands”.

Tenerife is awesome! Loads of variety so you don't have to do the Brits abroad thing if you don't want to.

Go to fuerteventura - benidorm and tenerife are my idea of hell but north fuerte is amazing (avoid caleta de fuste though)

Tenerife is one of my favourite places

Some people are happy to go just for the sun, to relax, have fun and take life a bit easier. Not everyone uses every holiday for culture and exploring especially when you have children tagging along.

This. The Canaries are gorgeous. Beautiful landscapes, food and culture. Just don't stay in the tacky bits.

Agree with this. The idea that 'going nice' is expensive is wrong. Some of the best places we've stayed over the years have been cheap but quirky. You have to hunt for them but it's worthwhile. One of my favourite things to do on holiday is to go to the local supermarket - we generally do breakfast / lunch like this to keep costs down. And I'm loathe to paying entry to anywhere unless it's somewhere particular special. So I hunt down as much to do for free as possible. This usually involves doing a lot of walking! A holiday with me is often 20000 steps a day as a result... Which I totally get isn't everyones cup of tea. But if you want to do culture then walking really is the best way to get the vibe of somewhere.

Even with 'upmarket' destination staying in the best known locations is rarely the best option - the best restaurants aren't on the biggest/busiest street. They are usually cheaper than the tourist trap restaurants that are. People are lazy and don't wander just a street away unless the know the place, do their research or are curious.

I would say I wished more people were curious but then it would ruin my lovely experience. So I'm quite happy for Brits to be Brits Abroad as long as I can avoid that as it actually works in my favour!

No it's not fine.

Fine is asking for recommendations without being sad enough to try and make yourself look as though you're above others.

But you're never going to admit your post is nasty anyway, so I'm not sure why you're asking if you're 'being a judgy bitch' when you can't accept the answer.

Tenerife is a stunning and very diverse island when you step away from the touristy towns.

You've got Masca in the NW (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ku7SN3x6nH9piDbT8)
Natural pools in Garachico (https://maps.app.goo.gl/QE1SqX1jdcMpTe3K6)
Anaga mountains and forest in the NE (https://maps.app.goo.gl/kwfkNXYX2unfLPry5)
Forests and wonderful views leading up to Teide
The lunar landscape of the lava fields (https://maps.app.goo.gl/bqJd6wzSdU3YSNNf6)
And of course Teide (https://maps.app.goo.gl/6CEnbApjbbjJmppE8)

I think I must have been to Tenerife about 10 times over the years and we always rent a car and drive around the island. It's just beautiful. Fantastic star gazing up at the volcano too. We did a private stargazing tour that started before sunset, so we had a bottle of bubbly, overlooking the fantastic scenery (we were above the clouds), watched a gorgeous sunset, then when it was dark went back to our guide, who'd set up a professional telescope so we could look at Saturn and Jupiter and a real close up of the moon.

There's a fantastic eco marine tour too that takes no more than 8 people out to look for whales and dolphins. They use a hydrophone so you can hear them underwater too (https://www.atlanticecoexperience.com/)

The hotels tend to be really good because there's so much competition. We normally stay in Adeje. If you are having a resort day, there's a promenade walk along the front all the way from Adeje through to Los Cristianos. Yes, there's some touristy / chavvy stuff, but no worse than any British seaside town IMO.

I'd take Tenerife over Dubai any day!

Lanzarote and Gran Canaria are fine and have some nice places to see but Tenerife has a lot more diverse landscapes.

Who cares? People go to these places as they're fun for children, accessible, and affordable. To pass judgement on this is very classist. It's the same as people judging caravan holidays. Also, some people want to eat their home cuisine. Plenty of Chinese tourists come to the UK and only eat Asian food. There is literally no issue with this.

I love travel and enjoy going off the beaten track. I enjoy visiting cities and cultural sites. I love learning about other cultures. But equally sometimes I'm happy visiting Lanzarote, eating a Full English, lounging in the sun, and drinking Sangria by the pool. I don't want or need every holiday to involve me rushing around hiking to different points of interest.

It's snobbery and fuelled by capitalism to think that all holidays need to be enriching or educational. Life is such a slog that sometimes people want to laze around in the sun.

These holidays are associated with the working classes, therefore are labelled tacky. It's not on really.

See, we did Fuerteventura on a port day on a cruise last year and I would not return. I felt we saw the whole island in half a day and exhausted it.

Sure the sand dunes are pretty and some of the scenery was nice, but there's nothing there to keep me there for 7 days, unlike Tenerife.

Who is Georgie Lanzarote?

Went to Tenerife 25 years ago - was awful. Tacky as shite.

However, all the middle class mummies locally rave about it these days!

Exactly! The place is absolutely beautiful, with a lot of charming small towns and great food markets (in Teguise for example). You need to go to places that don't have big resorts type of hotels and you will find a lot of restaurants serving local food, rather than fish & chips.

You will have a lovely time. Look up all the Cesar Manrique sights, especially Jameos del Agua, Cueva del los Verdes, Timanfaya, Mirador del Norte, Green Lagoon, Valley of the 10,000 palm trees, etc. Any Top 10 book or website will give you the info. Puerto del Carmen is the Brits Abroad bit but Puerto Colon in Playa Blanca is classy.