Spring Break in London and the Canary Islands (Tenerife)
Crossing The Pond seems to be getting easier as I get older. It was a ten-hour flight from San Francisco to Heathrow, but it went very quickly both ways. I guess computer programming has prepared me well for sitting in one position for hours on end. It wasn’t just me though. The kids had an easy time too. We’ve started traveling during the day and avoiding nighttime flights. It’s working for us.
One word of advice when traveling to London: avoid bank holidays. Easter resulted in about four days of reduced work hours and complete shutdowns. It was sometimes tough to get to small stores and even The Tube was partially closed. In comparison, we were in Puerto Rico last Easter and the most devout Catholics only seemed to be out of commission for about a day.
We stayed at the Sommerset Bayswater Apartment Hotel while in London. This was a fantastic location with easy access to transportation and shopping. Whitely’s Mall was right down the street and I took my son to a movie while the girls were out watching Agatha Christie’s play, The Mousetrap. The hotel was clean and the room was spacious. I think the Sommerset is struggling with the hotel vs. apartment identity. We weren’t always sure what level of service to expect and a couple of times we were out-of-synch with our expectations of the housekeeping. (Call us crazy — We expected the toilet paper to be replaced.) However, if something was missing, the helpful desk staff brought it up for us eventually.
We hit all of the touristy sites and spent some great times just walking the streets and taking the bus to the outskirts of town. Although we had a little drizzle, I can honestly say that I had to go to London to leave the rain in San Francisco.
The four-hour flight to the island of Tenerife (TENUREEF) in the Canary Islands went well too. Although Tenerife is part of Spain, it caters to the English and German tourists. American tourists are rare, though. The island is a little arid for my taste, but the black sand beach was pretty cool. My son and I spent hours in the waves. There was a little English boy playing in the waves with us, and he was cracking me up. Everytime a wave came, he would say very softly, “Oh, Dear,” in his little Michael-from-Peter-Pan-accent.
German and English tourists do not seem to have the same body-image issues that we have in America. Okay, I work out some, but it didn’t really matter in Tenerife. You could be fat, thin, bald, topless; it just didn’t matter. It was a very relaxed feeling.
You would think once we got back that we’d be sated, but I think we just want to travel more. My wife is already sending away for brochures for our next trip…the Galapagos, perhaps?
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We stayed in the Gloria Palace Royal Hotel in the Canary Islands Puerto Rico… i just have to say, The hotel is stunning, great large rooms with walk in shower, all have sea view. I went myself for massages, to relax & use the Spa – I was not disappointed at all. I was all inclusive & the food is also great – such a variety.
A definite must if you are looking for a luxury treat of pampering & relaxation.
i found the deal here http://holidaystocanaryislands.suncrestholidays.co.uk …. had a great time
thanks
helen