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?

'grand canaria' 😬

Well clearly you are free to think what you like.

But basing your entire opinion on one trip as a teenager - so presumably some years ago - seems very close minded and silly. I don't have much time for people who write off an entire country or island group based on not very much knowledge at all, it just makes them seem quite thick.

FWIW we have been to Fuerteventura a couple of times and liked it very much, looked at Tenerife and decided not to book as it seemed more high-rise and developed that we'd like, and decided Gran Canaria would be hit and miss depending on the resort. Lanzarote appears a similar vibe to Fuerteventura.

I’m assuming that you haven’t studied the spectacular history of Tunisia? That you feel superior dismissing a whole ancient and sophisticated culture based on your only knowledge of a few grotty all inclusive beach hotels? You’ve missed the rest? Oh dear.

It’s obviously an autocorrect typo on my phone 🙄

Have you tried going outside of the resort areas? Didn't think so.

No where is a tacky destination. That is the fault of humans making it so, just as there is no bad country, just humans screwing things up as usual.

If you book a package deal, then yes these are likely to be in the soulless 'egg- and-chips-english bars- all day on a sun- lounger' resorts which are catered for Brits who just want to fly and flop. There are some truly outstanding areas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of my favourite cities of all time, La Gomera is incredible for hiking and has some beautiful beaches, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a fascinating and historic city and there are some incredible yoga retreats on Fuerteventura. You will need to do some research rather than just going for a package deal though. Definitely worth a second look.

Cringe!

the canaries are lovely and like very where, there are different places and vibes depending on what you want.

you can stay in some lovely city hotels with live classical music shows and michelin restaurants if thats more your vibe. there are nature and golf resorts, health spa hotels with sunset pools.

i was there recently and every sunset was was a gorgeous pinky orange, it was like being in dune.

We honeymooned in Lanzarote (late October wedding). We mainly stayed in our hotel as all inclusive and just wanted to chill by the pool/in the spa etc. but we did venture out and saw some lovely places. Yeah there’s places like you describe but also lovely parts.

Everywhere has its lovely places and everywhere has it’s overly touristy places

I’ve been to Tenerife twice, never on a package deal, never drunk a pint of beer, had a curry, or a full English in all my time there. It’s perfectly possible to avoid those areas.

the hiking and the scenery is amazing. Masca gorge, rainforest, anaga national park, Teide, barrenco del inferneo, whale watching. Great paragliding venue too.

In reality, every destination is what you make of it and each of these 'tacky' places will have alternatives that showcase the true culture of the place, whether it be national parks, trails, mountains, beaches, old towns, volcanoes etc. It's so easy to research nowadays so for me personally, nothing is off the table until I have done a bit of digging into what a place can offer me that I may enjoy.

There's obviously a huge market for what you describe as 'tacky' or it wouldn't exist. Some people want familiarity in a hot place, hence the pubs, the full english etc. Nothing wrong with that and easy enough to avoid if it doesn't rock your boat.

Yes they are absolutely 100% tacky, but also one of the best holidays we've ever had 😁

I’m sitting by a pool in 28°C…I’ll take tacky and own it….along with the 3 hours extra daylight which Carrie’s me over the worst of SAD in the winter 😂

If you scale up the OP you can see how ridiculous it is:

"I'd never go back to the USA again as it's all just tacky casinos, drunk stag parties and Elvis impersonators"

I second this, Tenerife and Gran Canaria are a lot more than the AI resorts. We always spend a few days with a car going out seeing the island and doing some walking in the mountains.
You also don't need to stay in the main tourist spots, there are quieter locations.
I love all the Canary Islands for different reasons, we try and stay either in one of the less busy towns or if in a busy one we try and get a hotel on the edge so away from the bars etc.

Or, "I'd never go back to Italy because I don't like pasta" 🤣🤣

The Canaries are not like Benidorm. They have stunning landscape and scenery. Some, like Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have strict laws governing building so all the hotels are low rise and white to fit in with the traditional architecture. Some of my best holidays have been in the Canaries

I've been to Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria & Fueteventura over the years & they all have resorts/areas that are quite British/tacky/whatever you want to call it. They also have quieter, more Spanish areas & lovely scenery & most importantly the weather! A winter break in Fueteventura is my absolute favourite 😍

Tacky Tenerife with no culture...

Except for the street festivals where children slide down hills on teatrays and run through the streets with homemade pull along toys whilst the adults drink wine and eat chestnuts...

Except for the beautiful green landscapes and beautiful buildings...

Ive never been but I assume they were all much lovelier places before they became British tourist hotspots full of Brits wanting "English" food and moaning about any local that cant speak English etc.

Except for the beautiful beaches where you can do adventure sports (or watch people nuts enough to do them and all the wonderful colours)...

Except for the incredible moon like landscapes of Mount Teide...

Except for the incredible gardens in the Capital...

Except for incredible coastal villages and historic habours...

Except for the adventurous mountain roads that wind around...

Yeah except for, those Tenerife is a heap of shit I'd never ever want to return to.

You are being judgy. I have been to fuerteventura and I would definitely go to other Canary Islands in the future. They have a great range of activities, kayaking is great on fuerteventura, the walking is supposed to be fantastic on La Gomera, and Lanzarote seems to be the place to go for triathlon training. I think with many of these places you find what you are looking for. If you want a fry up, I'm sure you can find it, but you can also find other things.