This is a guest post about Tenerife by Sam Whiteside, Port Presenter with P&O Cruises. You can find out more about Sam at the end of this article. 

As the largest, most populous and most visited Canary Island, Tenerife is the ultimate holiday destination. If you want beaches, it has them. If you want scenery, it has it. If you want activities, you can find them all. And if you want food, there is plenty to keep your taste buds excited. Around 5 million tourists visit the island every year, making it one of the most important tourist destinations in Spain. It is the economic and cultural heart of the Canary Islands, with several UNESCO World Heritage sites including Teide National Park. The latter is the highest mountain in all of Spain, and is the third largest volcano in the world.

With two airports serving both the south and the north of the island, it is an easy location to get to. For those visiting on a cruise ship, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the main gateway and is the capital of the Canary Islands, a title shared with Las Palmas on Gran Canaria. It includes the city of La Laguna, which was the first capital of the island before Santa Cruz replaced it.

When docking in Santa Cruz, I would advise first time visitors to head away from the city and explore some element of the island. For example, it is a great destination for families due to the number of attractions it has. These include the world’s best water park (according to TripAdvisor), Siam Park in Los Cristianos, and also the famed parrot and animal park Loro Parque in Puerto de La Cruz.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Home to approximately 200,000 people, Santa Cruz is the commercial heart of the island and the seat of the island council. The heart of the city spreads out from the Plaza Espana which is the first place you come to from the port area. It is where the island council building is located and you will find the main shopping streets, tapas bars and cafés branching off in all directions.

If you take a stroll from Plaza Espana you will discover the Auditorio de Tenerife, possibly the most photographed location in the city. Designed by famed futurist architect Santiago Calatrava, this cultural centre is located next to the sea and was opened in 2003. The majestic profile of the auditorium has become an architectural symbol of the city. It is also regarded as the finest modern building in the Canary Islands and is one of the most emblematic buildings of Spanish architecture. From the port of Santa Cruz it is approximately a 20-minute walk along the new pedestrianised zone next to the harbour of Santa Cruz. This is easily reached by following the painted blue line on the pavement from the cruise area.

After a wonderful four weeks on Ventura, we are now travelling on her sister ship Azura. It’s been lovely to join the ship and see lots of familiar faces from my time working at sea. Over the next two months we’ll be taking in the sights of the Baltic region, Iceland, the UK and the Canary Islands. I am particularly looking forward to returning to one of my favourite ports – St. Petersburg.

Today’s stop was the pretty city of Funchal on the island of Madeira. I have spent a lot of time here over the years and the island’s beauty never disappoints. From the stunning botanical gardens and dizzying heights of the cable car to the traditional toboggan ride, I’ve been lucky to visit most of Funchal’s attractions.

The city has a lively centre with a good selection of high street shops and independent stores. Be prepared to do a bit of walking though, as the shopping district is not restricted to one main street. However, the entrance to the cable car is centrally located and is easily accessible from the main tourist area. With a vast array of cafés and restaurants, there’s never a shortage of places to sit and relax in the sun.

While on the subject of food, I mentioned that Madeira is famed for its steak on a stone. This is as simple as it sounds. Raw steak is served on a very hot lava rock and customers then cook the meat to their taste. This is often served with fries and other sides such as garlic bread. In Funchal, Kon Tiki is one of the better-known steak restaurants and it specialises in fillet steak. Personally, we like to go to O Solar de Santola, which is about a fifteen minute walk from the ship. With great views across the harbour, excellent service and several different types of sangria, lunch there is never a disappointment.

Today I just decided to go for a bit of a walk and a spot of lunch. After a bit of window shopping, I walked back through the picturesque Santa Catarina Park (located close to La Vie Shopping Centre). Spanning 36,000 square metres, this pretty park overlooks Funchal harbour and boasts a pretty lake with water fountains in its centre. Other features include a monument to Christopher Columbus, numerous walkways and varying types of flora and fauna. It is around a fifteen minute walk back to the ship from the park.

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