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PUERTO DE LA CRUZ - SPAIN
Located on the north coast of Tenerife, within
the Orotava Valley, Puerto de la Cruz is the principle tourist centre of the
island. A cosmopolitan, old colonial town known to tourists from all over
Europe and beyond. For North Europeans it is the place to escape to from
long cold winter nights. For South Americans a more pleasant climate than
the harsh summer back home. For Peninsular Spanish a place to escape to from
the harsh summer sun in Mainland Spain.
Although no longer seen as an exotic location, Puerto de la Cruz still
manages to attract some 900,000 visitors each year.
Unlike too many
Spanish resorts, Puerto de la Cruz is no concrete jungle, though it does
have an ugly modern part. It has its own long history as a major port for
the Orotava Valley and as fishermen's haven. The old part, the core of the
old colonial town, is a network of tree lined avenidas, narrow winding
calles, shady plazas and steps running from one level to another. Many of
the fine old houses with their distinctive Canarian balconies have survived.
La Paz, the most recent development on the outskirts of town, is an example
of what can be done with a new development.
The importance of Puerto de la Cruz as a major tourist resort dates from
long before the late 20th century boom in mass tourism. 19th century
physicians, especially those in England and the Netherlands recommended to
their patients that they spent the winter here for the good of their health.
Several of the resort's oldest hotels date from this earlier tourist
industry.
The port of Puerto de la Cruz, together with that of Garachico, were the two
main ports of the island. The port was principally used for the export of
wine and as a fishing port. The local fisherman still use the harbour.
Garachico lost its port, and most of the town during a volcanic eruption.
The main shipping port for the island is now Santa Cruz, a main port of call
for ocean liners.
The town is a shoppers paradise. The "free port status" which the island
enjoys allows imports from all over the world. A very large variety of goods
are available from many hundreds of shops, often at good prices. Especially
cheap are electronic items of every description, photographic gear, perfumes
and alcohol. The shopper should though always be on their guard as cheap is
often cheap and tacky.
Shoppers should take note of the tendency of many Taiwanese companies of
naming and packaging their products in a manner that bears a striking
similarity to well known Japanese brands. When buying always ensure that you
have an international guarantee.
Shoppers and visitors should also be very wary of the touts on the streets.
What they are offering is not a bargain and contrary to the claims made as
to the authentic nature of their goods what is being hawked is usually cheap
tacky imitations. The time share sharks are also to be avoided. Never attend
a meeting organised by timeshare touts, no matter what prize it is claimed
you have won. If you want to buy a property visit one of the estate agents
to be found in town, and consult a lawyer. Visitors come to Puerto de la
Cruz to relax, not to be harassed by bums on the street. More needs to be
done to clear this scum of the streets.
Spain has refused to implement EU directives on time share, Tenerife and the
Canary Islands have introduced regulations that are a weaker version of the
EU directives. The advice of the British Government is simple: Do not buy
timeshare in Spain.
In recent years muggings and other street crimes have started to become a
problem. It is not of the scale of Playas las Americas, or cities in
Northern Europe. It is still safe to walk the streets, even late at night
and in the early hours of the morning, but visitors should take sensible
precautions like keeping a firm grip on their bags and other belongings and
not flaunting valuable possessions. Thefts from cars, especially cars left
overnight and cars left in what appear to deserted scenic locations, have
become a major problem. Do not temp fate and leave anything of value in an
unoccupied car.
As to be expected for a major tourist location the town contains a large
number of hotels. The standard, in particular the level of service and the
quality of the meals is often poor by International standards. In too many
hotels client satisfaction appears to be an alien concept. The rare
exceptions are the privately owned and managed hotels where the hoteliers
take immense pride in their hotels. The poor quality of many of the hotels
in particular the hotel management has been officially recognised and
improvements form part of the overall Tourist Development Plan for the
Orotava Valley.
The independent OAG Agent's Gazetteer 1998 gives an idea of what to expect:
Accommodation: Weighting in favour of hotels rather than apartments, most of
them in the middle range of quality, some of the 4-stars are are not worthy
of their rank.
In contrast to the hotels the many restaurants in Puerto de la Cruz serve
excellent meals. The owners and staff take a great pride in their dishes and
the quality of service. Outside of Puerto de la Cruz the food in any bar is
usually excellent.
All hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants hold an official complaints book,
hoja de reclamaciones, they are also required to display a prominent notice
to that effect. Both are legal requirements. If you have a complaint,
request the book, actually a set of loose leaf pages. Once filled out, a
copy is retained by the establishment, a copy goes to an official agency
that will investigate the complaint, and the third copy is kept by the
person lodging the complaint. The very act of requesting the book can often
work wonders, but do not be deterred from filing a complaint.
Puerto de la Cruz hosts a major international festival - La Carnaval. A
smaller version of its big brother in Santa Cruz, but on a more human and
friendlier scale. The whole town comes alive every night. People are on the
street until the early hours of the morning. Everyone is in fancy dress. A
group of friends or a family will pick a theme, the theme changes every
night. The middle of the carnival coincides with Ash Wednesday, in Puerto de
la Cruz this is the night of the Funeral of the Sardine. A large figure of a
sardine is carried through the town to be burnt on a funeral pyre in the
harbour, followed by a spectacular fireworks display. The girls are dressed
in black, their faces daubed in ash, a posy of white flowers in their hands.
It can be a frightening spectacle as they roam wailing through the streets.
La Carnaval opens with a procession on one weekend, and closes with a large
procession on the following weekend. For the closing procession everyone
takes part. Before the start of the carnival a competition is held to find
the best dressed participants and to elect a Carnival Queen. Every night
various South American Salsa bands play in Plaza del Charco. Around the
square and lining the side-streets are to be found booths selling food,
drinks trinkets. Loud music blasting from the booths, each one playing a
different tune. One night of rest. This is when everyone decamps to Santa
Cruz to watch and participate in the big event.
You have not lived until you have danced the night away at La Carnaval.
Besides La Carnaval there are several other festivities. One of the
strangest is 'the Night of the Tin', that takes place on St Andrew's Night,
29th of November. St Andrew's Night, is the night that the cellars are
traditionally opened and the new wine sampled. On this night the young of
the town run around like crazy dragging behind them bits of tin on a string.
These bits of tin, can be anything from a few Coke cans, a tin bath, to a
car door. The racket generated is horrendous. The significance of this event
I have never been able to discover.
Apart from the festivities associated with the various carnivals, Puerto de
la Cruz also plays host to a major international ecological film festival.
Outside of carnival time the town is by no means dead, though it can seem
that way when La Carnaval has just ended. There are a large number of bars,
discos and night clubs of sufficient number and variety to suite all tastes
and perversions.
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