Image courtesy Jose Bordon Tejera, a resident of El Pinar, El Hierro

Well, things are hotting up in El Hierro… if you’ll excuse the pun. From my perch on the western hills of Tenerife, I can see nothing but a dim outline of the island 60 miles away. No sign of any volcanic activity, no impressive funnel of steam and cloud reaching skywards, and no post-bonfire night sparks lighting up the November nights.

All that might be about to change though.

As is usual in this neck of the woods, forthcoming information has been ‘mixed’ to say the least. Naturally, those charged with the responsibility of juggling minimal panic and personal safety while ensuring economic stability while for the island and islanders have been a little reticent to say a fully fledged volcanic eruption is about to take place.

Others take a more prophetic view, some going as far to say that 11/11/11 is the day New Yorkers and their eastern seaboard bretheren should take a step or two away from the coast as a mighty tsunami is America-bound courtesy of a substantial chunk of El Hierro plopping into the sea.

Truth is, nobody’s really sure what is going to happen, although I believe El Hierro resident Raymond Matabosch might have it just about right on his blog post over at earthquake report.

Either way, the next few days should be very interesting and I’ll report back if our tiniest island starts throwing out the big stuff.

Binter - a proper airline

Just had the fortune to take to the skies with one airline that I actually enjoy flying with – Binter Canarias. This little island-hopper takes me back to the days when passengers weren’t considered to be a disturbance in the routines of cabin crew, a thorn in the arse of check-in staff and generally herded around like particularly dumb cattle. So why do I like them?

1. They make an effort to make the (short) flight an enjoyable experience
2. The cabin crew don’t treat the passengers like unwelcome gatecrashers at some insider party
3. Although you’re only in the air for a short while, they still have time to hand out chocolate wafers, sweets and water
4. Call me sexist but all the crew are attractive and make an effort with their appearance (unlike some other airline crews who could do with more than a bucketful of slappy

Shame they don’t do UK flights as I’m pretty darned sick of being treated with disdain by the likes of the infamous no-frills airlines. If they carry on the way they are doing, and keep winning the award… who knows, perhaps they will expand their routes and more people can see how airlines should treat their passengers… and get free chocolate wafers.

Well done Binter.

HolidayExtras.com Customers Awards 2010

Call me a geek but I’m always intrigued by travel awards. I think it takes the pulse of the current culture and economic climate. Take the recent HolidayExtras.com Customers’ Awards 2010. What does that tell us about the nation? That we’re not fooled by hot air publicity guff by certain airlines and we prefer our travel programmes presented fresh and conversationally rather than in scripted BBC tones. Anyways, to the awards…

There was probably not a dry eye in the house when the airline gongs were doled out, especially from Ryanair – self-professed world’s favourite, or not as it seems. Having said that, Aer Lingus won ‘Best Airline’, of which 29.4% is owned by Ryanair, so I guess Mr. O’Leary will be claiming 29.4% of that title. And why not, he seems to claim everything else.

Another of the industry’s more outspoken characters also did well amongst the flyers, with Virgin Atlantic picking up Silver in the category above and Gold in ‘Best Airline Cabin Crew’.

I can personally vouch for the winner of ‘Most Family Friendly Hotel’. A night at Liverpool’s Hampton by Hilton was thoroughly enjoyed by all the Cawley clan, especially 5-year-old Sam who not only had ‘the bestest spaghetti bolognaise ever’, but also spent half the night peering out of the window mesmerised by the to-ings and fro-ings of John Lennon Airport.

I was also glad to see Julia Bradbury picking up ‘Travel Personality of the Year’, sitting atop Michael Palin and Stephen Fry… so to speak. This is what she had to say:

Full list of runners and riders:

Best Airline – Aer Lingus
Best Airline Silver Award – Virgin Atlantic
Best Airline Bronze Award – Continental Airlines

Best Airline Cabin Crew – Virgin Atlantic
Best Airline Cabin Crew Silver Award – easyJet
Best Airline Cabin Crew Bronze Award – Jet2.com

Best Airline for Value for Money – easyJet
Best Airline for Value for Money Silver Award – Jet2.com
Best Airline for Value for Money Bronze Award – Continental Airlines

Best Airport – Belfast International
Best Airport Silver Award – Newcastle
Best Airport Bronze Award – Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield

Best Airport Car Park – Heathrow Official Valet Parking
Best Airport Car Park Silver Award – Birmingham Short and Medium Stay
Best Airport Car Park Bronze Award – Newcastle Meet and Greet

Best Airport Hotel – Gatwick Courtyard by Marriott
Best Airport Hotel Silver Award – Sofitel London Gatwick
Best Airport Hotel Bronze Award – Manchester Hilton

Best Airport Hotel Restaurant -Sofitel London Gatwick
Best Airport Hotel Restaurant Silver Award – Bewley’s Hotel Manchester Airport
Best Airport Hotel Restaurant Bronze Award – East Midlands Thistle Hotel

Best Airport Lounge – Newcastle Servisair
Best Airport Lounge Silver Award – Heathrow T1 Servisair
Best Airport Lounge Bronze Award – Edinburgh Servisair

Most Family-Friendly Hotel – Liverpool Hampton by Hilton
Most Family-Friendly Hotel Silver Award – Heathrow Premier Inn
Most Family-Friendly Hotel Bronze Award – Heathrow Park Inn

Best Airline for Travelling with Babies – SWISS
Best Airline for Travelling with Babies Silver Award – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Best Airline for Travelling with Babies Bronze Award – Thai Airways

Best Airline for Travellers with a Disability – Air Canada
Best Airline for Travellers with a Disability Silver Award – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Best Airline for Travellers with a Disability Bronze Award – SWISS

Travel Personality of the Year – Julia Bradbury
Travel Personality of the Year Silver award – Michael Palin
Travel Personality of the Year Bronze award – Stephen Fry

More Ketchup than Salsa: Confessions of a Tenerife Barman

Well that’s nice. An email out of the blue from a production company asking if film rights are still available for my book, More Ketchup than Salsa: Confessions of a Tenerife Barman.

“Yes,” I replied tentatively, my brain scanning the voice for tell-tale tones of a friend on a wind-up.

But no, genuine interest! Blimey.

Two emails and a phone conversation later and I’m looking at flights back from Tenerife to Blighty to meet with said production company and hopefully get the ball rolling. Or at least inflated.

Either way – impending celluloid stardom or just a popped dream – I shall keep you informed over the next few weeks.

101 Honeymoon Ideas

Good to see the ‘city’ of Abama listed in Mark Hodson’s 101 Honeymoon Ideas site. For those that don’t know the Abama Hotel in Tenerife, it’s an immense resort colouring the west coast with a huge splash of green and a skyline of dusty rose.

I’m sure those looking for a post-nuptials ‘bash with a splash’ would appreciate the two-storey spa, championship golf course, ‘private’ beach and opulent accommodation.

Just looking at the pics reminds me I need to get married one day…

For info call Freefone Tenerife Tourism: 00800 100 101 00 in English, German, French and Spanish.
The Spanish Airport Authority also has a helpline 902 404 704 & 00 34 91 321 1000 with information about upcoming flight cancellations.

Anyhows, check out this page (I’m at the bottom) on hotels recommended by travel writers, to see which hotel I did recommend – and it’s not on Tenerife.

In the wake of yesterday’s news of the collapse of Globespan and its low cost airline Flyglobespan, Turismo de Tenerife is liaising closely with Ashotel (Tenerife Hoteliers Association) , Aena, (Spanish Aviation Authority),  APAV (Provincial Association of Travel Agents ),  the company itself and tour operators who operate with it in order to ensure that any affected passengers who are currently holidaying in Tenerife will be able to enjoy their holiday to the full before returning to the UK.

Globespan flights scheduled from Tenerife Sur are as follows: one today Thursday [17 December] and a further three for Saturday [19], bound for the Scottish cities of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.  All these passengers will be offered accommodation at special ‘contingency rates’, independent of any agreements they may reach with Globespan for their return to the United Kingdom.

The island councillor for tourism Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, stresses: “This is unexpected news but we believe that the number of seats, which amounts to around one per cent of the total airline capacity from the UK to the island , will be covered in the near future by other airlines operating to Tenerife.

“As well as the action being implemented by Turismo de Tenerife, companies like Easyjet and Ryanair have already offered special prices for these passengers, so we are confident that they will be all able to fly home in the next few days.”

There is a customer helpline 0044 141  332 3233, and an official statement with useful information on their web: www.flyglobespan.com.  Passengers affected by Globespan’s failure can also check out the British Civil Aviation Authority’s web: www.caa.co.uk

Locally, the Spanish Aviation Authority AENA at Tenerife Sur airport has activated a customer helpline for stranded passengers: 922 759 027 or 922 759 028, where they can get information on extending their stay until they have been able to make alternative travel arrangements.

Oh! Those nice people at Sands Beach Resort in Lanzarote are offering the chance to win a free holiday for up to 4 people just by becoming a fan of the marvellous new online wonder that is Tenerife Magazine. As they say in the cheesiest of cheese shop competitions, ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it’, so hop along now to the Tenerife Magazine Facebook page and where it says ‘become a fan’… well, click it and become a fan, pronto… if not pronto-er.

You still here?

Away with you. Now.

Red Island, Istria

One of the questions you get asked a lot when you live in a tourist destination like Tenerife is, ‘Where do you go on holiday?’ Sensible question seeing as we’re all enjoying a permanent holiday on the rock. Or so people seem to think. Usually the answer is “back to Blighty”, followed by, “but it’s not really a holiday”. Well this year, the Cawley clan decided to do it different. We went to Istria. That’s the heart-shaped bit at the top of Croatia, for all the geographically bewildered. And man, was that a good decision.

Istria is a land of simple pleasures – which is just as well, as we’re just simple folk. No scream-inducing theme parks; no mammoth beaches awash with hip-to-hip Brits; and no Olde English Pubbes baying for your trade with laminated images of egg and chips. It’s all good, clean, natural fun in Istria.

The Cawley clan in Istria

For the first week we stayed on Red Island, near the medieval ‘damn-that’s-pretty’ town of Rovinj. The whole island (all 1.5 kilometres of it) is just a big park surrounded by the clearest sea imaginable. Pines, poplars and olive trees shade grassy knolls and Mediterranean flora sprouts from almost every orifice (the island’s, not mine!). Another even smaller island was reached by rocky walkway.

We ate grilled squid and drank one too many frosty beers at the islet’s only restaurant, before adventuring off-path and gorging on wild blackberries. Suitably juice-faced, we took a quick dip in the Adriatic to shed the red, and escape the heat. The water was around 25 degrees, ideal sea temp to get refreshed without risking heart stoppage.

The result of one frosty beer too many

Daytimes were mostly spent mithering the sea life with snorkels and masks, or long lazy lunches while the Molly and Sam ran amok in a timber play park. We thought we might make use of the kids club, but our two were totally content chasing butterflies, lizards and splashing around in the pool and sea.

Rovinj

Most nights we’d venture aboard the free boat taking us 10 minutes across the bay to the mainland and the buzz of Rovinj – a town with more seafood restaurants than you can shake a knife and fork at. As you’d expect from a medieval town, the lanes are small, cobbled and lead to the most unexpected of places. We had a near miss when we trailed an alley that led to a sudden 20ft drop into the briny.

The second week was spent further north, within walking distance of the town of Porec, another historical settlement albeit on a tinier scale. All of the hotels along this stretch of coastline are cloaked in pine forests. It’s like someone moved the Lake District to the shore. Energised by the proliferation of good food, foliage and sunshine, we were even so bold as to rent bikes for half a day – though why we envisioned we had such energy is still a mystery. Cycling along the coastal path with Sam strapped to my back, was certainly a scenic way of seeing the forests and coves of Istria, and an even more certain way of shedding several kilos (and years off my life) in the process.

After two weeks, we returned to Tenerife with newfound love of creamy truffle pasta, Istrian Merlot and vows to go back and explore some more of Croatia’s 1200 islands and Istria’s green and pleasant heartland. Think I may lay off the biking next time though.