May/June 2026 Newsletter – Palm-Mar, Tenerife, Spain

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Steve and I have reached the end of our twelve-week stay in Tenerife. We are blessed to have been able to spend this time in one of our favorite places, but boy, did it go by quickly.

A three-month stay anywhere means we aren’t going to be on the go every day, and that’s okay. We’re just happy to be here. In Palm-Mar, that means the weather is (almost) always perfect, the skies are often clear and blue, and the vibe is laid-back (unless we’re desperately trying not to take a wrong turn). More on that below.

All money is in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in this two-bedroom Airbnb in Palm-Mar, a resort town with just 2,600 residents. It is just a 15-minute drive to the larger, better-known areas of Los Cristianos and Las Americas. It was spacious, comfortable, and peaceful, but not as convenient to stores and attractions as we would have liked.

What We’ve Been Doing

Spending time with our daughters

The highlight of our last two months was an eleven-day visit from our daughters, Steph and Laura. Both of them had been working hard and were looking forward to relaxing. I think we made that happen, but maybe not as much as they would have liked. This was our third time in the Canary Islands and our second time in Tenerife, so there was a lot we wanted to share with them.

I think we’d all agree that the best days revolved around water. We had three beach days, one day at Lago Martianez, and several hours at Aqua Club Thermal.

Our visit to Lago Martianez was part of an overnight trip to the north of the island. We stayed at Hotel Las Aguilas Tenerife, a resort with three pools, attractive gardens, and nightly shows. We were all too worn out from our day in the sun to stay up for the show, so after a wonderful buffet dinner, we all hit the hay.

Another highlight was seeing the History Show at the Pyramid, which is billed as a three-hour musical journey from Mozart to modern music. It wasn’t up to Broadway standards (IMO), but we all enjoyed it more than we had expected to.

Steve and I love the volcanic landscape. Steph and Laura were less impressed. We convinced Laura to hike the Malpais de la Rasca. The trail is just a short walk from our apartment. It’s flat, runs along the coast, and is full of interesting rock formations.

It was obvious that Laura didn’t share our love of the landscape, at least not on foot. But at least we had a quirky surprise when we came across a pet cemetery.

The four of us took a trip to Mt. Teide. The volcanic mountain is the highest in Spain and the centerpiece of the Mt. Teide National Park.

Apple Maps took us off our preferred route, and by the time we arrived at the park, all the parking spaces close to the visitors’ center were full. We had to park way down the road and hike back to the center.

Steve and I would have loved this hike. I never tire of seeing the rock formations and the plants, but neither Steph nor Laura shares this trait with me. They are too polite to say so, but I think they would have been happy to skip this attraction.

In between the above, there was shopping, trying various restaurants (we loved Sushi Amore in Los Americas), and seeing a few places in La Orotava.

Checking out another spa

It’s a tough gig, but we’re willing to make the sacrifice. We had noticed a sign for a spa called Xoam. It’s part of the 5-star Hotel Villa Cortez in Las Americas.

There wasn’t much info online, so we decided to see it for ourselves. It was so different than any other spa experience we’ve had. First off, it is not a thermal spa, and the water was not very hot. Second, it is small. There are three pools, a jacuzzi, a steam room, and a sauna. Third, we were the only people there for our entire two-hour visit.

Was it worth the 29 euros ($33) per person it cost us? I don’t think so. It was the most boring spa we’ve been to.

Mini-golfing

Since we arrived in Tenerife, I’ve been wanting to play mini golf at Minigolf Santiago in Las Americas. The course is full of beautiful plants and some whimsical sculptures.

We didn’t manage to get there with Steph and Laura, but Steve and I played 18 holes one morning.

Discovering our restaurant

We haven’t been blown away by the restaurants here. I loved Sushi Amore, but it isn’t Steve’s favorite.

We ate at Don Quijote in Los Cristianos several times in 2024. We were addicted to their paella. Even better, they had very attractive specials and happy hours. I couldn’t wait to get back there. The sad news is that it has changed hands. They no longer serve paella, and their ratings have dropped.

Since we weren’t falling in love with any restaurants, we ate at home a lot. Then we found it – Wok Chinatown in Las Chafiras. We were just going to grab a light bite while running errands, and based on the setting, I wasn’t expecting much. I was wrong.

It is all you can eat for 18 euros ($20). You can choose from over 100 items, and unlike a buffet, everything is made to order. I wish we’d found this while Steph and Laura were here.

Becoming beach bums

Steve and I have always said that we love being by a beach, but we had no desire to spend hours lying on one. That all changed in Tenerife, thanks to Steph and Laura.

We first went to the mid-sized Playa del Camison Beach in Las Americas. You can rent two sun beds and an umbrella for the whole day for 12 euros (about $14).

By the time we arrived, we could only find three sun beds. We learned that you must be there early, preferably by 9:30 am, to get a bed. Despite this, we enjoyed the day so much that we did it two more times.

One of those visits was to Playa Las Vistas in Los Cristianos. This is a much larger beach, so it was easier to get sun beds. It is only a two-minute drive or an eleven-minute walk between these two beaches.

After Steph and Laura left, Steve and I discovered an even better beach – Playa del Duque in Costa Adeje, just a little bit north of Las Americas. The rentals here are more expensive, 19 euros ($22) for two people, but the area is more upscale. Interestingly, parking was cheaper here.

Quirky Tenerife

Driving in Tenerife

First, let me say that overall, the roads are in good shape, traffic was seldom heavy, and we didn’t see many crazy drivers. Despite this, I think Tenerife is a difficult place to drive in as a tourist.

Instead of cross streets with traffic lights and stop signs, there are winding roads teeming with roundabouts. If you miss your exit, you can expect to travel a bit before you can turn around or be rerouted. More than once, Steve and I would be just minutes from our destination when we missed our exit. We would then see 5 minutes or more added to our travel time. The worst I remember was 9 minutes out of our way.

On top of that, you are usually at your exit when you see the sign for it. We found it soooooo easy to take the wrong exit.

We also learned that Google Maps, which we used, was better than Apple Maps.

Non-Existant Restaurants

Twice, we found restaurants online that were listed as being open but didn’t exist, at least where the map said they should be. I don’t mean that they were closed or out of business. I mean, there was no sign that a restaurant had ever been there. One location was a gas station. Given that we were hoping for sushi, we didn’t even bother stopping.

Another problem with restaurants that we have seen throughout our travels, but especially here, is that they don’t keep their websites updated. I was looking forward to a special breakfast after Steve and I had blood drawn one morning. As we passed the restaurant on the way to the doctor’s office, we were disappointed to see it was closed. The sign informed us that the owners were on vacation for three weeks.

What’s New on the Website

In May, I published our April newsletter and a recap of our costs for our twelve-week stay in Lima, Peru.

Where to Next?

We’ll be in Tenerife until July 2nd, then we’re off to Flic en Flac, Mauritius, where we’ll spend four weeks. Mauritius is a small island 1,200 miles or 2,000 km off the southeast coast of mainland Africa.

Then we head to Bali, Indonesia, for 8 weeks. While there, we’ll take side trips to Singapore and Komodo National Park, home of the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest living lizard.

After that, we’ll head to Japan for about one month. We’re in the middle of planning that, and it is the most intense planning we’ve ever had to do. Japan is not a location where you can just wing it. Many attractions require advance registration, transportation options need to be studied, and the culture is rule-heavy. Basically, each day needs to be planned, so as you can imagine, planning for a month is a lot.

The amount of medication, cosmetics, contact lenses, and medical equipment you are allowed to bring into the country is strictly limited. Because of this, we will fly from Bali to Kuala Lumpur, store some of our possessions there, spend the night, and fly to Tokyo the next day.

After Japan, we’ll have two months left in 2026 before we return to Europe and start searching for a place to settle for at least a year. We thought we’d spend those two months on Da Nang’s beaches, but discovered that it is too rainy at that time of year. A shorter stop in the Maldives is a possibility as we head back to Europe. So right now, those two months are a giant unknown.

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Until Next Time

I hope you enjoyed this update. If you’ve been to the Canary Islands, please share your experiences and your favorite island and places. And for all, may all your summer days be days at the beach.

Happy traveling,
Linda

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