A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Dear Leslie:

Thank you very, very much for your help.

I was wondering whether we would be better off staying in Santa Cruz de Tenerife since we will have a car to get us out of the city and to any of the rides we would be taking. Would the variety of choices for night life and restaurants etc. be worth the hassle of staying in the city ?

We were also thinking of going to Gran Caneria and possibly La Gomera and maybe even La Palma. Do you have any opinions regarding the bicycling and/or nightlife on those islands ? If so we’d really appreciate the benefit of anything you are able to share with us.

Depending upon the baggage allowances and the cost of excess we may opt for not bringing our bikes and instead just bring our saddles, pedals, shoes and aero bars and rent from you. I am in the process of trying to find out the various weight allowance of the various airlines and charges for excess.

If we were there between 23 February and 23 March would you have a 58cm frame available for me and a 53 cm frame available for my wife both in a road configuration ?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Hello,

Great to hear from you again,

Truth be told, I haven’t really fully explored the night life of Santa Cruz. I think if you don’t speak Spanish you might find it a bit awkward outside the main centres with the language difficulty (but that could also be part of the fun!). Firstly, don’t miss Calle Castillo and Avenida 3 de Mayo for shopping in central Santa Cruz. There are quite a few [expensive] places to eat along the sea front between Plaza España and La Rambla. You should also check out the trendy area they call «la Noria» (located towards the lower end of calle Ramon y Cajal).

Regarding cycling, I’ve actually been meaning to include a new ride for cyclists in Santa Cruz on the main website. Santa Cruz has a nice coastal route which is popular among local cyclists since it is totally flat. It’d also be nice to ride along the central part of La Rambla…

The old town of La Laguna is probably a better bet if you’re into Culture + Architecture, etc… although it’s all too easy to get lost walking/cycling around there. The main shopping zone (at least for window shopping) are the two parallel pedestrian-only streets Calle Herradores and Calle Obispo Rey Redondo. If you’re looking for some real night life action, look no further than «El Cuadrilátero» in La Laguna. Right next door to the local University, the density of discos/bars around here is just about higher than anywhere else in the world. Think crazy, young Spanish uni students with absolutely no sense of tomorrow… there’s no such thing as «too late» around the cuadrilátero. It peaks during the summer months just after (and even slightly before) the exam period!

I can’t comment on the life in La Gomera as I’ve only been there (twice) during the day; it looks like an excellent blace for biking though. I haven’t been to La Palma yet, but it’s far less touristy that the other islands. Also fantastic for cycling I imagine – but be warned that the roads are said to be a lot steeper than Tenerife.

I’m not sure why you are so keen to stay in the capital city… Puerto de la Cruz has more restaurants than anywhere in the North which are open until relatively late. Well after 12pm into the night… in fact they’re probably more likely to shut everything sooner in La Laguna & Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is more spread out, and, well, uglier in my opinion. For that reason I find it a bit depressing sometimes, so I tend to stay away. Theft of bikes is also more of a problem in the cities.

I can definitely provide some suitable road bikes then; please send me your heights (or else further frame measurements, eg top tube length) for a better size match. How long where you thinking of hiring the bikes for? I can provide cheaper rates for extended bike rentals…

Hope to hear from you soon,
Best wishes for the new year!
Les.

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