San Jose De Los Llanos – Tenerife (Mar 24)
Several years have passed since my last trip here, an island I had spent so much time visiting in a previous life.
Returning to a place that holds so many memories was a little daunting at first, but I needn’t have worried, it turned out to be magical.
It was especially nice to be able to share local knowledge with Emma, and to do some exploring and hiking in places I hadn’t been before.
After a post flight lunch at El Medano beach, and a leg stretch at Los Gigantes, we headed for our remote cabin way up in the hills at a tiny place called San Jose De Los Llanos. It has always been my favourite corner of the island and ideally located to explore the more unspoiled and quiet corners the North-West and the island’s centre. It’s also not too far from the South airport (about 45 minutes), so a great place to have as a base. Sandwiched in between Sandiago del Teide and El Tanque the scenery here is beyond lush.
Dense forests and rugged mountains stretch for miles with hundreds of foot paths to trek and countless views to see. The roads here are a pleasure to drive – even if they look a tad scary with huge drops into deep ravines.
The cabin we stayed was just perfect, full of Spanish charm and old-world character.
Five star opulence it’s not, but it is really comfortable with everything needed for a pleasant stay. From the resident cat, to the large open fires, tiled floors and dark wood windows – it just screams out rustica!
Moss clings to the cobblestones between the main buildings and views of Mount Teide greet you in the morning, that is if the clouds haven’t rolled over already. After all, we are high in the mountains and this area has a different weather system to the more popular resorts of the south.
I don’t know the history of this place, but I’m guessing it must have once been a working farm or stables. The buildings don’t look like they’ve changed in centuries, so it stops you in your tracks as you enter.
There are log burners in each room, along with warm fluffy blankets to keep you cosy at night. Both are needed here as the temperatures drop a little in the evening and the air outside is often moist, given the cloud cover that hugs the region. For those who don’t know it, Tenerife is an island of two halves, the South East which is sunny, dry and arid, with its big hotels and huge tourist draw, and the North West which is lush, less sunny and with a sub-tropical feel to it. I’ve always loved the North having visited here annually for almost two decades (in another life).
The staff here at “Caserio Los Partidos” are wonderful, their English is as good as my Spanish… so the “google translate” app did the trick – they really couldn’t have been any more attentive. They also replenished our wood supplies daily so there was no worrying about fuel for the log burner.
As soon as I saw this place online I knew it was going to be perfect for us, and we really couldn’t fault it in any way. Its hearty complementary breakfast was more than adequate and the optional three course evening meal was perfect, plentiful, home cooked and full of goodness. The menus are obviously designed to replace the calories burned hiking during the day. From the look of its clientele and their clothing, they appear mostly to be mountain bikers or hikers so appreciative of the food.
Each night we’d head back and after a good meal retire to our cabin, light the log burner and relax with a glass or three of wine. We even ended up getting more sleep here than we’d usually get at home.
It’s hard to pick out a single day or moment that stands out – every day was perfect, bringing something special to the trip. But if I were to be forced to highlight an area that stood out, it would be the isolated hikes we took in the upper edges of the Corona forest, particularly on the morning that we woke to the sound of rain and zero visibility – our accommodation was literally in the clouds. Driving out of the rain and above the clouds, we found ourselves in the dense high forest, along route TF38. I spied a large volcanic mound which appeared to have the most ideal views of Mount Teide from its summit – so that’s were we headed!
We parked the car in an empty picnic spot and headed off in its general direction for a couple of hours. As we had just climbed out of the rain clouds, the blue sky looked even more amazing than usual and colours more vibrant. We took our time hiking and luckily found the tiniest of footpaths created by a few others who had the same idea in the past. We were glad of the path after attempting to scramble up a near 45% gradient beforehand. What could possibly go wrong! On reaching the summit we were rewarded by some pretty spectacular views. Other top moments included the hikes and trips to from the many footpaths at the base of Mount Teide, away from the crowds as most trippers seem to park their car, take a photo and leave! We found amazing views in isolated spots not far at all.
The day before wasn’t too bad either when we explored the local region close to our base. The “Park Rural de Tena” has THE most amazingly spectacular winding road (TF-436) that links Santiago del Teide with Buenavista del Norte.
If you come here this road is a must do! So many places to stop and stretch your legs before hitting the northern coastline. One day I “will” complete the walk from Masca to the beach nearby of the same name. It’s a seven hour round-trip hike so we will need to get up early. I’ve been there by boat before and have always wanted to hike it – next time when we have more time perhaps!
We were going to head for a restaurant I know (and would recommend) called Burgado which is at Buenavista del Norte, for a coffee or bite to eat but it was too early and hadn’t opened, so we pushed on to Garachico where we spent a few hours exploring. The sea water swimming pools that this place was famous for appear to be closed now, but regardless, it’s full of charm and a must see location on this coastline.
Later we headed for Puerto de la Cruz, and wandered the streets taking in the sights wondering what “might-have-been” for this region had the south not taken over as the tourist hotspot of this island… Puerto has still got a lot going for it and I for one have always liked it more than the two busier hotspots of Los Christianos and Las Americas in the more popular south.
Whilst here I took Emma to visit one of my all time favourite beaches, “Bollullo”. My kids have all spent many hours here and it’s a lush beach that requires a little effort to get to. I discovered that it now has a swanky restaurant at the top of the cliffs, so some serious investment having taken place since my last visit here. So of course we headed there a few times to watch the sun set over the Atlantic.
The last few days we spent visiting a few beaches in the far north in Bajamar and Teresitas; they are on opposite sides of a dividing mountain range, and close to the capital, Santa Cruz. The former is even quieter than Puerto, with the latter having a huge expanse of white sand and safe swimming area.
On our final day we headed back to El Medina, which is only about ten minutes from the airport and has a hazy bohemian feel to it. It’s where we started our trip a few days ago, so it was fitting that we’d end it here too. There are some quaint restaurants right on the water’s edge where you can grab a table, well priced too. It’s always worth a look in as a first or last port of call on these islands. It always appears to be sunny here too, and the place is a Mecca for windsurfers. I tried out kite surfing once – maybe I’ll try it again when I’m younger!
For those who’ve known me a long time, you will be aware I used to travel here a LOT, often once or twice a year for almost two decades to visit my son’s grandparents who had a large organic farm (or finca) in El Rincon. In 2017, when I was last here, I spent three, possibly four months in total working on the farm, helping to manage the crops and prepare it for sale after my ex father-in-law sadly passed away. If I’m honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever want to return, but easyJet helped to make the decision with a ridiculously low air fare. On the route to Bollullo we drove past the old finca; although its name has now changed nothing will alter the fantastic memories I have of that time.
Bodegas Reverón
Oh and finally a mention of a special visit on our final day en-route to the airport… We popped in to Bodegas Reverón and said hi to Diego and Donna who run the vineyard that Diego’s father established in 1947.
I know Donna from my early childhood, she’s the cousin of Julie, a friend who lived six doors down from me when I lived in Hillingdon (West London). Donna used to visit regularly especially over the summer. It’s my second visit to the vineyard over the years so it was wonderful to catch up.
So, all in all, an amazing time spent travelling the island and exploring new and old places. The map below has a link to google maps which will provide the exact co-ordinates of the places visited.
CLICK HERE or MAP – for link to google maps
And below are a few random photos of various places on the island.
We will be back again, hopefully to visit another island in the region.
Another absolutely fabulous post – you always find the most amazing places to visit ! Looks like another gem to add to my list . X
Looks lush, glad you had a wonderful time. I like the map feature too- how useful! X