It’s that time of year when we all feel a little guilty about overdoing the food and drink over the festive season. Exercise is a great way to fight back, Wimpen resorts offer lots of facilities but Tenerife can be like a huge outdoor gym with weather that makes getting fit a pleasure.

There are some wonderful bracing trails around Tenerife and Arona council has announced a series of free guided walks that unlock the history and culture of the south of the island. Arona covers Los Cristianos and part of Playa de Las Americas but move inland and up into the hills and it’s another world filled with nature at its best.

Starting on 17th January the walks begin at 9am and set off from Valle San Lorenzo, Arona town and other key points from around the municipality. The groups are limited to 25 people and the guides are fluent in English, Spanish, and German and have good local knowledge of history, culture, and nature. Initially there are eight routes for January but when the scheme ran a few years ago it carried on for several months and added extra walks to meet demand.

• Tuesday 17th – Valle San Lorenzo to Casas Altas
• Thursday 19th – Arona to Tunez
• Saturday 21st – Valle San Lorenzo to San Miguel
• Tuesday 24th – Montaña Guaza
• Wednesday 25th – Arona Casco to Altavista
• Thursday 25th – Barranco Chijas
• Saturday 28th – Arona to Ifonche
• Tuesday 31st – Malpais de Rasca

It’s important to register using your local details, or passport if your visiting Tenerife, this will then cover you for insurance. The Tourist Information Centres in Arona have full details and booking forms, or you can call 922761600 or use the website www.arona.travel The pace is leisurely and the walks around medium difficulty but the views and experience are very rewarding.

In the UK it’s the Queens Speech, out here in Spain it’s the Kings Speech, we might not be quite that high up but would still like to send you all our best wishes for the festive season. It’s a family time and at Wimpen our staff will be enjoying some quality time with the nearest and dearest.

If you are staying with us in Tenerife, Lanzarote, or Costa Del Sol we will look forward to sharing this special time (and lovely weather) with you. For those back in the UK we hope  your thoughts are already turning to pools, beaches, and sunshine in 2012. We will be keeping things ticking over nicely until you return.

WimPen Leisure would like to wish all of the owners and clients a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo.

There are some notable differences, Christmas Eve tends to be a family thing with shops closing mid afternoon but by Christmas Day afternoon most Canarian bars and restaurants will be open, and  there is even a normal Sunday service on the public buses. Boxing Day doesn’t exist on the Canarian calendar but off course home traditions are celebrated with great enthusiasm among the ex pat community, the happy mix of cultures is one of the big attractions of Tenerife life. Wimpen staff will be throwing themselves into the festivities and the poolside is a wonderful alternative to the sofa after a filling christmas dinner.

New Year is a massive event centred around the main plaza like in Los Gigantes, or down at the beach like in Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas. If your in a dancing mood prepare to keep going long into the early hours. The firework displays seen at New Year are always spectacular and last for ages, it’s a great night for everyone. That still leaves the big day Reyes-Kings Day on 6 January when Canarians exchange their presents, again a very family oriented day but the evening before is one of the biggest events of the year as the three kings arrive in all cities and towns.

The three kings are Balthasar, Mechior, and Caspar, the three wise men that arrived at the stable. They arrive on camels showering the crowds with sweets before taking their thrones to give out presents to children, in Adeje they arrive by helicopter into the local football ground. As Reyes is the big day, late night christmas shopping goes on until then, some of the big department stores in Santa Cruz open until midnight on 5 January.

However much you want to mix and match traditions there is plenty to see and church services including midnight mass are open to all worshippers. The major events for Adeje, Arona and Santiago del Teide are pulled together on this listing. Have a great Christmas, New Year, and Reyes.

THE VILLAGE LEISURE HOTEL

Dolomite Avenue, Coventry Business Park, Coventry CV4 9GZ

Sueno Azul – Saturday 3rd December at 10.30am

El Marques – Saturday 3rd December at 1.30pm

Las Casitas – Sunday 4th December at 10.00am

Las Brisas – Sunday 4th December at 1.30pm

Saturday 15th October saw Santiago Del Teide Lions Club celebrating their President´s Night, with a  magnificent Buffet Dinner and Cabaret evening at El Marques in Puerto Santiago.

Invited guests were Deputy Mayor Inocencio Doble and his wife Remedios and Legal Advisor to the Council, Antonio Espinosa and his wife Alexandra. The evening was a huge success, with 89 guests in attendance.

Entertainment was provided by showman Gavin Nicholas, who had many of the audience in tears of laughter and music to get everyone dancing came from the superb saxophonist, guitarist and singer, Stu McCoy.

Departing President, Steve Gilbert handed the reins to incoming President, Ken Ward. All were thanked for giving us such fantastic support and Inocencio Doble was pleased to announce, that after the 20th November General Election in Spain, the Ayuntamiento will be giving the Lions Club use of a local in Puerto Santiago.

This will be set up as a store where people can donate unwanted items, that can then be sold on to generate more income to assist many local families experiencing difficulty in these harsh economic times. It was announced the Lions Club has raised 5,600 euros to put into their Food Voucher Scheme. It is hoped that with this new source of generating income, we will be able to support many more local people in need.

The next event, which is scheduled to be Charter Night on 25th February 2012 at El Marques. Ana Martin, Resort Manager for EL marques, was warmly thanked for the excellent service of all her staff in making this evening such a success and once again demonstrated that this venue provides a superb setting for this type of occasion.

Tenerife had one of the most famous eruptions in Chinyero in October 1909, the lava famously stopped just short of El Calvario plaza after the statue of the virgin was pushed out to head it off. Now visitors can walk over the lava flow (top pic) and witness all the stunning trees and plants that have flourished around it. Even the majestic cliffs of Los Gigantes owe their creation to the powerful forces that have shaped Tenerife.
Of course our best wishes go out to the people of El Hierro, hopefully the excitement and seismic activity will
recede again, most of the islands 10,000 inhabitants are already carrying on as normal, the way they always have done. For our guests at Wimpen homes take a long sip of that cool drink by the pool and look out to sea and enjoy the wonders that made the Canary Islands such an amazing destination.

Taken by Owner : Rachael Bareham

It was nearly a year ago that a ceremony was held to herald the start of work on the beach, Playa Ajabo, the projected time scale was around seven months but things do tend to go at their own pace in Tenerife. However large piles of new sand have now been deposited on the old shingle beach, walkways down from the main road are laid and landscaping has added flower beds and plant areas, all now filled with soil.

One of the most impressive aspects is the new round block at the rear of the beach, downstairs will house toilets and changing rooms while upstairs the circular patio will be home to a snack and drink kiosk with room for seating to survey the beach and the Atlantic gently lapping at the shore.

Comments have been made recently in the local press about work grinding to a halt but fiestas and the arrival of some abnormally high tides may well account for the break. The beach area came through the high tides unscathed, a testament to natures design of this stretch of coast which sees the beach sheltered in a natural bay. Having seen previous beach upgrades race on in the final stages, let’s be brave and look to christmas 2011 for the opening of the main facilities of this new addition to Callao Salvaje.