# The Canary Islands and your experiences



## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

Hi everyone,

I was wondering what experiences people have had in the Canary Islands. 

What islands have you visited or lived in, or would consider living in, and why ?


Regards, Dave


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

SunnySpain said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I was wondering what experiences people have had in the Canary Islands.
> 
> ...


Hi Dave,
I spent best part of 10 year in the Canaries and really enjoyed and loved it.
I think you will probably know the basics,such as the climate being generally much better than mainland without such extremes of temp.etc
In addition the Western isles have their own micro climates and it is almost always possible to find a comfortable spot on any given day.
I much prefer the 4 Western isles,TF.Gomera,El Hierro and La Palma,all now connected with daily ferry services.
All 4 have much natural beauty and their own individuality.
Tenerife is a much underated isle with very much of interest when you get out and about.
Unfortunately most ppl.only see the developed S.Resorts plus maybe an odd day trip.
G.C.is also connected to TF with daily ferries,and is similar in some ways to TF but without so much natural beauty and maybe not quite so friendly.
Fuerteventura is the only one I would not care to go back to,very desert like with much sand and dust constantly blowing about in the prevailing wind and very little greenery.
Lanzarote is OK for a week or two but not enough to attract me to stay there for long and being most Northerly not a good base to see the other isles.
I think TF is a good base to look around the other isles.
Most ferries go from Los Cris which used to be quite pleasant but now along with Las Americas has been overdeveloped somewhat.
If I can help with anything in partic.just let me know,and will try to oblige.


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## EP GAZZ (Aug 26, 2008)

Never lived there but have travelled there often as we had family member living near Playa Blanca.

Firtsly my view is that unless you are going to retire there, have a role that allows you complete freedom to work where you like or conduct your occupation there they would feel remote.

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura we have been to a lot and both are pleasant places if obviously arid and somewhat stark in landscape terms.

Developments in certain parts of both islands are I believe more upscale obviously Del Carmen and Corrajelo are much more 'kiss me quick hat' type places.

Have also visted Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma.

La Palma I liked the most as a place.

Having visted Tenerife and Gran Canaria they strike me far more as the sort of place you could work and live if you need to work.

Las Palmas and Santa Cruz are moderate sized cities and thus also have more going on.

Its observational from a visitors point of view.

My choice out of all or them would be a quiet spot on Lanzarote.


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

EP GAZZ said:


> Never lived there but have travelled there often as we had family member living near Playa Blanca.
> 
> Firtsly my view is that unless you are going to retire there, have a role that allows you complete freedom to work where you like or conduct your occupation there they would feel remote.
> 
> ...


Agree with most of what you say Gazz except your final choice.
During my years on the Canaries I never felt cut off.
It was usually possible to walk into the airport and hop straight on a half empty flight at that time for little more than the cost of a taxi to the airport.
However times have changed very much in that respect,one of the main reasons I moved on.
Another being I thought it time to get around more and see other places, going on to lastly choosing a pleasant mainland location ideally placed to travel easily by car in many directions.


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## EP GAZZ (Aug 26, 2008)

littleredrooster said:


> Agree with most of what you say Gazz except your final choice.
> During my years on the Canaries I never felt cut off.
> It was usually possible to walk into the airport and hop straight on a half empty flight at that time for little more than the cost of a taxi to the airport.
> However times have changed very much in that respect,one of the main reasons I moved on.
> Another being I thought it time to get around more and see other places, going on to lastly choosing a pleasant mainland location ideally placed to travel easily by car in many directions.


I suppose they would fel like West Undershirt Nebraska to me as I have always been in and around cities.
Never realised it was so cheap to fly.
Where are you near Valencia I have my posting coming to Spain next year and Murcia,Valencia regions high on my list.


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

EP GAZZ said:


> I suppose they would fel like West Undershirt Nebraska to me as I have always been in and around cities.
> Never realised it was so cheap to fly.
> Where are you near Valencia I have my posting coming to Spain next year and Murcia,Valencia regions high on my list.



About 20km sw of Val.in some pretty countryside.
I am very much a country boy so it suits me fine, also the locals are very friendly, although at present I am in Sweden away from the midsummer heat.
Its a good spot for getting about from, with the North/South M way close by plus the M way West to Madrid and a new Mway over the hills to Rioja area and Zaragosa and on to the N.coast of Spain or S.W.France.


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## sirtokealot (Sep 6, 2008)

i lived in tenerife for 2 year as a teenager in 2000, working as a PR. i had the best time of my life out there. however i have heard many shocking stories of abduction and orginised crime being rife, especially in las americas. didnt stop me havin a good time


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

sirtokealot said:


> i lived in tenerife for 2 year as a teenager in 2000, working as a PR. i had the best time of my life out there. however i have heard many shocking stories of abduction and orginised crime being rife, especially in las americas. didnt stop me havin a good time


It goes back a long time before that,and also those nasty time share scams on the old folk for which one guy got time.
Most of the problems relate to the big development areas on the South coast and those organising the scams.
Other parts were much the same as anywhere else while I was there,and I did not see too much to worry about on most of the island.


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## PDPD (Jan 26, 2008)

Hi, I intend to go and live in Gran Canaria within the next 12/18 months. We are both 48 and have been there for many holidays, plus my daughter lives there. We love the cleanliness, the different nationalities, ie Brits, Germans, Norwegians, Swedes. The canarians are lovely people too. I need to learn the language but as my daughter has a language school that should not be too difficult to learn the basics. We love GC for many reasons including the different landscapes, and the fact its one of the healthiest places for clean air. Tourism is down(as throughout many European countries due to the economic climate, so I would suggest you ask yourself what you intend doing as a job. If you are self employed then you should be OK, unless you have a specific trade, career in mind. Ask others about the job situation in your field before you commit. Im sure this will apply to all the islands but I can only speak from experience. And my husband and I love it.


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

PDPD said:


> Hi, I intend to go and live in Gran Canaria within the next 12/18 months. We are both 48 and have been there for many holidays, plus my daughter lives there. We love the cleanliness, the different nationalities, ie Brits, Germans, Norwegians, Swedes. The canarians are lovely people too. I need to learn the language but as my daughter has a language school that should not be too difficult to learn the basics. We love GC for many reasons including the different landscapes, and the fact its one of the healthiest places for clean air. Tourism is down(as throughout many European countries due to the economic climate, so I would suggest you ask yourself what you intend doing as a job. If you are self employed then you should be OK, unless you have a specific trade, career in mind. Ask others about the job situation in your field before you commit. Im sure this will apply to all the islands but I can only speak from experience. And my husband and I love it.


Hi there and thank you for your reply,

I am self employed, so I don't to find work, but do require a decent internet connection, which can sometimes be the reason for not moving to a property.

We don't know GC, but it sounds lovely.

What part of GC would you recommend for living ?

Also, has anyone been to the 3 Ilsands to the West, La Palma et cetera ?

Regards, Dave


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## tammie1703 (Sep 4, 2008)

SunnySpain said:


> Hi there and thank you for your reply,
> 
> I am self employed, so I don't to find work, but do require a decent internet connection, which can sometimes be the reason for not moving to a property.
> 
> ...


pm'd you


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

SunnySpain said:


> Hi there and thank you for your reply,
> 
> I am self employed, so I don't to find work, but do require a decent internet connection, which can sometimes be the reason for not moving to a property.
> 
> ...


HI Dave,
Just thought I would try and help with a little more info.although I admit its not up to date so I have no knowledge of internet connections etc.
The three islands were lovely and unspoilt and I think development on them is very limited as large areas are protected as national parks.
There are fantastic walks through the rain forests on the high centre parts of the isles, yet strangely rain is fairly unusual.
The quietest was El Hierro,small but interesting,the west side probably the best as the capital Valverde on the East is high up and subject to misty conditions.
I used to drive of the evening ferry to the nearest hostel and just pick a room,nobody there,same next morning,look for the owner in a bar to pay him before moving on.Cars were parked with windows and doors open and keys in the ignition.Maybe not now,I dont know,but crime did not seem to exist at that time.

La Gomera,capital is San Sebastion on the east where the ferry docks and they are developing a yacht marina.Quite a bit of history being Columbus last port before sailing to the new world,and interesting buildings relating to him.
On the west after a spectacular drive over the mountain is Valle Gran Rey a smallish Spanish resort with small beach and harbour for small boats,quite a nice spot.
On the South is a small purpose built resort,mainly German.Apart from that just a few small places to the North,mostly very pleasant with superb walking areas in the central rain forest.

La Palma,capital S.Cruz de la P.main port quite pleasant and interesting.Across the centre over the lowest ridge through a tunnel is El Paso,possibly a good place to live,quite nice.Various small places around the coast all very nice,except one development on the west where they try to concentrate the tourists,mostly German.


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

I would take Tenerife against G.C.anytime.
People may be put of by the yob element in Las Americas area,but it is a big island with many beautiful and really unusual areas and things of interest far away from that.
There are lots nice of places to live well away from the touristy S.Resorts.
The capital Santa Cruz,a big place with lots going on and many nice areas.
The historic interesting town of La Laguna close by,or Puerto a bit further West,very nice,gets a bit of cloud but always warm and comfortable, also quite a few other pleasant towns in this region and in the extreme North a rain forest and superb scenery.
The central ridge from Los Rodeos along to Teide a nice run and also some really interesting historic towns on the West coast.

G.C. has the big city of Las Palmas to the N.E. I was not crazy about it.
Not much down the E.side until the main resorts Playa del Ingles,a bit disjointed and trashy and Maspalomas with its area of sand dunes,was standing room only for hordes of Germans last time I saw it.
Then further round the S.corner ,quite a few smaller resorts,some a bit cramped and overcrowded,or on steep hills,maybe pleasant in the quiet season if there is one.
Much of the West was inaccessible and a road up through the central greener area was not too bad,with a few small towns towards the N.W.where a port connects with TF, but I did not find this area very welcoming at all.
Many more Germans in G.C. than TF,also many more Morrocans.
It was more expensive than TF at that time and I dont think anything like as friendly or anywhere close as pretty.
However thats only my personal opinion and no doubt other ppl.will see it differently.


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## PDPD (Jan 26, 2008)

*Gran Canaria*



SunnySpain said:


> Hi there and thank you for your reply,
> 
> I am self employed, so I don't to find work, but do require a decent internet connection, which can sometimes be the reason for not moving to a property.
> 
> ...


If you like the sun then definitely in the south of the island. we love Mogan, (Town not fishing village) - a picturesque valley, Montana Le Data, (up in the mountains) and Tauro (near to the golf course and many with sea views). It depends if you like being away from the crowds (which we do). Many ex pats live in Arguinegan and Puerto Rico but they are too built up for us.
It really is an island worth doing your homework on and considering moving to. To me its Paradise on earth. If you drive from one end of the island to the other, you go through the mountains and you will pass unbelievable scenery. After travelling through Norway and Italy by Car, and having seen some beautiful scenery, GC has it all and more. One minute you are in Pine Forests, the next in what looks like the Caribbean, the next you are in volcanic scenery. One friend compared it to scenery in Canada in one part we passed. Then you have the beaches and the mountains. What more could you ask for. It is great that all you need is the internet. I couldnt recommend a better place to live. Its not called the little continent for nothing! PS Sign up for the RTN newspaper online for Gran Canaria. Just type RTN Gran Canaria and you will find their web page. It is the local newspaper for the English and gives you up to date news on the island.


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## SunnySpain (Jul 30, 2008)

Excellent, thank you everyone for all your help, very informative.

We will definitely be considering Tenerife and La Palma as possible future moves,
but for not we may stay on the mainland and just move South, so at least its easier to get over to the Islands.

Regards, Dave


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## Sutty18 (Oct 2, 2008)

As a former Holiday rep for a large Tour operator, i used to live and work in Tenerife, in Costa adeje in the south of the island. I've also visited/worked Lanzarote in Costa Tiguise.

My View is that Tenerife is the better of the two island's to relocate too, i cant speak of the other canaries as i have no knowledge on.
Like most Holiday resorts, most available jobs are bar work, pr's, chef's, Touts, etc. So its generally low skilled work. 
However there are plenty of other jobs available too, hotels, Coach drivers, taxi drivers, however in my experience, it was a very very low percentage of which were non canarian workers.

Learning spanish will help so much, but again is no guarntee of work. 

I will be moving back to Tenerife in a few years, going to save up some money and work hard in the uk and then move hopefully once the housing market as recovered here and can make some profit on my house.

Living arrangements, living in an holiday resort like Playa de las Americas/ Los Cristianos/ Costa Adeje this will prove a lot more expensive, but there are plenty of villages out of these were accom is a lot cheaper, but this will take you of a British community.

Hope this helps


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## Donnabx (Dec 11, 2008)

*Thinking of relocating*

Hi Dave as I said i AM thinking of relocating could you give me any advice on paperwork etc that I may need and appartment rentals etc 
QUOTE=littleredrooster;51447]Hi Dave,

I spent best part of 10 year in the Canaries and really enjoyed and loved it.
I think you will probably know the basics,such as the climate being generally much better than mainland without such extremes of temp.etc
In addition the Western isles have their own micro climates and it is almost always possible to find a comfortable spot on any given day.
I much prefer the 4 Western isles,TF.Gomera,El Hierro and La Palma,all now connected with daily ferry services.
All 4 have much natural beauty and their own individuality.
Tenerife is a much underated isle with very much of interest when you get out and about.
Unfortunately most ppl.only see the developed S.Resorts plus maybe an odd day trip.
G.C.is also connected to TF with daily ferries,and is similar in some ways to TF but without so much natural beauty and maybe not quite so friendly.
Fuerteventura is the only one I would not care to go back to,very desert like with much sand and dust constantly blowing about in the prevailing wind and very little greenery.
Lanzarote is OK for a week or two but not enough to attract me to stay there for long and being most Northerly not a good base to see the other isles.
I think TF is a good base to look around the other isles.
Most ferries go from Los Cris which used to be quite pleasant but now along with Las Americas has been overdeveloped somewhat.
If I can help with anything in partic.just let me know,and will try to oblige.[/QUOTE]


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## PDPD (Jan 26, 2008)

*Tax on Personal Effects*



littleredrooster said:


> Hi Dave,
> I spent best part of 10 year in the Canaries and really enjoyed and loved it.
> I think you will probably know the basics,such as the climate being generally much better than mainland without such extremes of temp.etc
> In addition the Western isles have their own micro climates and it is almost always possible to find a comfortable spot on any given day.
> ...


Hi
We are going to live in the Gran Canaria and have just heard we have to pay 5%tax on our personal effects. ie used furniture, household goods etc. Did you have this problem or do you know if this is correct. many thanks


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## zeebo (Nov 15, 2009)

Have been to a few of the islands and just remember the horrible seaside places that i can only describe as "council estates on-sea", lookey-lookey men... 4rs3hole English people and old people. Kind of a mix between Bournemouth, Mile end and Africa but with none of the history class or culture


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

zeebo said:


> Have been to a few of the islands and just remember the horrible seaside places that i can only describe as "council estates on-sea", lookey-lookey men... 4rs3hole English people and old people. Kind of a mix between Bournemouth, Mile end and Africa but with none of the history class or culture



mmm now what can we do about that?

Shall we get rid of all the council estates and the people who live in them so that their "look" cannot be exported?
Old people.... shall we shoot them or push them into the sea?

Many a good person was born and raised on a council estate on sea.
Many a good person hopes to be old one day.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

zeebo said:


> Have been to a few of the islands and just remember the horrible seaside places that i can only describe as "council estates on-sea", lookey-lookey men... 4rs3hole English people and old people. Kind of a mix between Bournemouth, Mile end and Africa but with none of the history class or culture



You obviously werent popular there then - best you avoid another visit!!!

Jo


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> mmm now what can we do about that?
> 
> Shall we get rid of all the council estates and the people who live in them so that their "look" cannot be exported?
> Old people.... shall we shoot them or push them into the sea?
> ...


a _*lookey-lookey man*_ (or woman) is a (usually African) person who walks up & down the beach & seafront bars saying 'lookey lookey' selling rip off goods such as CDs, watches & DVDs & cheap lighters & so on


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> a _*lookey-lookey man*_ (or woman) is a (usually African) person who walks up & down the beach & seafront bars saying 'lookey lookey' selling rip off goods such as CDs, watches & DVDs & cheap lighters & so on



They're a bloody nuisance too! We were in a seafront cafe in Fuengirola yesterday and in the hour we were sat there we were approached 13 times and some of them wont take no for an answer!!! 

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> They're a bloody nuisance too! We were in a seafront cafe in Fuengirola yesterday and in the hour we were sat there we were approached 13 times and some of them wont take no for an answer!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


swear at them.........................

really? are they that aggressive?

the ones here are usually really polite & will go if you say no


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> swear at them.........................
> 
> really? are they that aggressive?
> 
> the ones here are usually really polite & will go if you say no


Some were polite, some were funny and chatty and some just wouldnt go away I had to "raise my voice"!!!!!

My son says that they pay a lot of money to come over here and that they have terrible lives here, but are still happy that they have escaped their own country??

Jo xxx


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