click here to return to the main Newsletter page.

Some Interesting facts about the resort and the island!
 

During February every year Carnival of Tenerife takes place.

Second only to that of Rio de Janeiro and lasting for six days it is an extravaganza of exotic floats, rhythmical tropical music and fireworks in Puerto de la Cruz.


 

Tenerife is no stranger to movie crews having done a wonderful job as backdrop to 1million years BC, starring Raquel Welch.

 The scene in Total Recall - when Arnie slips down the slope & smashes his faceplate in a dream, was filmed on the huge southern wall of the caldera, approx a third of the way down.

The latest movie to be shot on location on the island is Clash of the Titans.
 

Approx 160,000 years ago, the original Mount Teide (could have been 8,000 - 9,000 metres height, could well have been taller than Everest Nepal / China) collapsed leaving a huge caldera , the Caldera del Canadas, the floor of which still stands approx 2,300 metres above sea level.
 

Tenerife has it own pyramids, in Guimar. They are low, stepped sided pyramids, similar to the ones seen in Central and Mesoamerica, as constructed by the Mayans.

It's also known that several of the pyramids have underground chambers beneath them – they were used by the native Guanches people as hiding places when the Spaniards came.

The way the pyramids are arranged may have special astronomical significance.

Tenerife is a volcanic island that was originally formed in the late Terniary Age.

In the centre of the island, the impressive cone of Teide (3.718 m.) (the third largest volcano on Earth), rises up over the Caldera de Las Cañadas, forming the highest point of the island and, indeed, of the whole of Spain.

Tenerife, the largest of the 7 islands that make up the Canary Island archipiélago, is just over 300 Km from the African coast, and about 1.300 Km from the Spanish Mainland. Thick gray dashed lines show the location of rift zones.

Orotava and Guimar formed as large pieces of the island were removed by landslides. The landslides are caused by the gravitational instability of the large island.

El Drago, is about 700 years and is in the town of Icod de los Vinos.

The tree is over 16 meters high, weighs about 140 tonnes, has a diameter of 20 meters and a circumference of 6 feet.

Masca is one of the most picturesque parts of the island and is the tip of the northwest that is covered by the Teno Mountains.

Originally occupied by pirates and they had great views of La Gomera, so they could see all the ships passing between the Islands.

In Candelaria there is a large open square with statues of the ancient 9 kings (Menceyes) who ruled before the Spanish conquest.

 

The Romans called the Canaries the Fortunate Islands because of their excellent weather.

That Fairways gardens have over 150 types of plants?
We have started a project to name them, so everybody can see what they are.

Next time you are at Fairways have a look around!

That Tenerife has over 400 volcanoes?

That the Island has 21 different micro climates?

 That Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton built the first luxury holiday house on the island, and established the first hotel here.

Not realizing that Taylor is English and Burton is Welsh, the islanders named Playa de Las Americas after these "American" movie stars.

The infamous Veronicas Strip was named after Taylor, whose middle name is Veronica.

That the export of locally grown bananas was the economic mainstay of Tenerife between 1870 and 1914 until the First World War and the British blockade robbed the island of its international markets? Although the banana no longer plays a pivotal role in the island’s economy it is still cultivated extensively for export.

That Admiral Nelson lost his right arm in Tenerife, thanks to a cannon ball? It's sort of his own fault - he'd launched an attack on the island.

Did you know that Mount Teide casts the largest sea shadow in the world? And while we are on the subject of being high...you can catch the cable car right to the top of Teide...you might have to queue, but not for long!

Did you know that scholars still debate the origins of indigenous Canarians, called "Guanches". One theory is that Greek and Roman sailors brought North African prisoners to the island and abandoned them here, and that those prisoners, in turn, became what we consider "pre-hispanic" Canarians.

back to top