Canary islands where to stay: A holiday guide to the Canary Islands | Canary Islands holidays
Canary Islands hotel offers shelter to migrants in need
By RENATA BRITOApril 13, 2021 GMT
PUERTO RICO DE GRAN CANARIA, Spain (AP) — When hotel director Calvin Lucock and restaurant owner Unn Tove Saetran said goodbye to one of the last groups of migrants staying in one of the seaside resorts they manage in Spain’s Canary Islands, the British-Norwegian couple didn’t know when they would have guests again.
They had initially lost their tourism clientele to the coronavirus pandemic, but then things had taken an unexpected turn.
A humanitarian crisis was unfolding on the archipelago where tens of thousands of African men, women and children were arriving on rudimentary boats. The Spanish government — struggling to accommodate 23,000 people who disembarked on the islands in 2020 — contracted hundreds of hotel rooms left empty due to the coronavirus travel restrictions.
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The deal not only helped migrants and asylum-seekers have a place to sleep, it also allowed Lucock to keep most of his hotel staff employed.
But the contract ended in February and thousands of people were transferred out of the hotels and into newly built large-scale migrant camps. Or so they thought.
“We realized that we had a queue of people standing outside when we closed the doors,” said Saetran, a former teacher, in a recent interview with The Associated Press at the Holiday Club Puerto Calma in southern Gran Canaria.
Some of the “boys,” as she calls them, had ended up on the streets after being expelled from government-funded reception centers. Others had chosen to leave the official system fearing overcrowded camps and forced returns to the countries they fled from. With the rooms still empty, Saetran said she couldn’t sleep knowing the migrants would be left on the street.
So they reopened the hotel doors again, this time at their own expense.
“They were very scared, they didn’t have anywhere to go, and there wasn’t any other solution,” said Saetran who has lived in the Canary Islands with Lucock since the ’90s and has a Spanish-born daughter.
Today, the family, with the help of some of the hotel staff and other volunteers, provide food through Saetran’s restaurant, shelter through the hotel and care to 58 young men, including eight unaccompanied minors, mainly from Morocco and Senegal as well as other West African countries, who fell out of the official migrant reception and integration system for one reason or another.
One of them is Fode Top, a 28-year-old Senegalese fisherman who left his country in search of better work in Europe last November. The fish in Senegal, he says, have disappeared from the ocean following years of industrial fishing by Chinese and European vessels. Nowadays one can hardly make a living being a fisherman.
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To make matters worse, Top’s 3-year-old son needed life-saving and expensive heart surgery. To pay medical bills, Top borrowed money he wasn’t able to pay back, resulting in threats.
“If I return to Senegal I will have problems. Many problems,” Top said.
The official camps have also been plagued with problems, with reports of overcrowding, insufficient food, unsanitary conditions and lack of legal and medical assistance. Most recently, police intervened with rubber bullets in the largest camp on the island of Tenerife after a fight broke out between two groups of residents.
The Canary Islands and their year-round sunny beaches normally attract millions of northern European tourists each year. But for the migrants at Puerto Calma, staying in the hotel is no vacation. The islands were just meant to be a stepping stone toward stability, security and employment in continental Europe, not their final destination. Today, it is a place of limbo for thousands who were denied access to the Spanish peninsula and live in waiting, unable to work and send money back to their families.
“They’ve come here looking for a better life, one of the reasons I came to Spain,” said 47-year-old Lucock. There’s only one difference: “They are not born with a European passport so they can’t travel in the same way I can.
”
On a recent evening, as they ate dinner, Saetran got a text message: Six young men, including alleged minors, had been sleeping in the streets of Las Palmas for days. She looked at her husband, who runs the hotel, for approval. He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.
The next day, the six boys arrived at the hotel carrying their belongings in plastic bags. Saetran and Lucock welcomed them and gave them two rooms. Both of them know the hotel won’t be able to shelter migrants forever, but for now they have a place to sleep.
“If we can play a small part in making them feel safe and secure while they are here, then I feel like we’ve achieved something,” Lucock said.
As the men wait month after month to either move north or be returned south, Lucock and Saetran try to keep them busy. Volunteers come three times a week to give English and Spanish classes. The athletic ones play soccer on the beach or run up the mountain with locals. There’s also a lot of checkers and card games.
The couple says they hope to continue helping young migrants even after tourism kicks off again, and are setting up a charity.
“In our culture we have so much that we forget to appreciate the small things,” Saetran said.
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“One Good Thing” is a series that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard times — stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. Read the collection of stories at https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing.
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Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
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The fortunate isles, a paradise in the Atlantic
Each one of the seven islands which comprise the Canary Islands are a natural wonder.
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A volcanic landscape surrounded by peace
The Teide is undoubtedly the roof of the Canary Islands, but all the islands have a volcanic landscape that creates an atmosphere which is unique in Spain.
Unique beaches, waters you will never forget
Among the Canarian beaches are some of the most beautiful beaches in Spain. Their volcanic landscape, their rocks and cliffs attract many tourists who can enjoy a relaxing swim in the Atlantic ocean.
The Canary Islands are much more than fine weather and beaches
Besides having amazing beaches with the best all-inclusive hotels in the Canary Islands, the islands have a very wide cultural and entertainment offer that will help you enjoy a dream holiday with your partner or your family.
Our apartments in Playa Chica will offer you the perfect environment for it.
The towns from the interior of the islands, a heritage treasure
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Holidays in the Canary Islands with children: we are going to the islands of eternal spring
First, let’s debunk some very popular myths about holidays in the Canary Islands in general and holidays with children in particular.
Myth one: it is very expensive. Not true. Or rather, not the whole truth. A well-developed tourism infrastructure allows you to choose both expensive and very budget options for recreation.
Myth two: warm regions require acclimatization. In the case of the Canary Islands, this is not at all the case. Their climate, especially if you chose not a hot summer, but autumn or spring, does not require acclimatization. nine0003
Myth three: there is nothing for children to do there. This is a vacation for adults. Complete, dear ones! Your kids will be there, perhaps, even more interesting than you. In addition, holidays in the Canary Islands can be extremely beneficial for children suffering from chronic lung diseases and allergies.
But, first things first.
Where are we going, where is it better to stay
The fact is that when talking about the Canary Islands, most of us automatically mean Tenerife. If you look, it’s quite a logical point of view.
There are excellent beaches, hotels, well-developed recreation infrastructure. However, if you don’t like crowds, it is quite possible to pay attention to, say, El Hierro, if you love history – to La Gomera, where Christopher Columbus himself lived for some time. Ecotourism lovers will love La Palma. However, if you have time, it is quite possible, by staying in Tenerife, to visit all or almost all the islands of the archipelago. Local travel companies can provide this opportunity. nine0003
So we decided to stay in Tenerife. When choosing a hotel, decide what requirements you place on the hotel where you decide to stay with your children: the level of service, catering, location. Well, the price per room, of course. The choice here is quite large. We can only recommend a few that deserve special attention.
For example, the five-star Iberostar Grand Hotel Anthelia will offer you, in addition to the standard set of services, a children’s pool with heated fresh water, a playground and a playroom, a baby cot, special clubs for children from 4 to 7, 8-12 years old and for teenagers , as well as other pleasant additions in the form of entertainment programs, discos and sporting events.
For the little ones, you can even hire a nanny right at the hotel. nine0003
The Mediterranean Palace Hotel offers its guests, in addition to everything listed above, also excursions to the most interesting places in Tenerife and a special children’s menu.
By the way, about the menu. In the Canary Islands, in pursuit of vacationers, more and more hotels offer such a service as “all inclusive”. A good example is the Meliá Jardines del Teide. In other words, families with children will not have to think about where, how and what to eat. Moreover, in some cases, hotels offer a specialized children’s menu for their little guests. nine0003
And one more thing. Quite good reviews are received not only about fashionable, but also rather modest hotels. Apartamentos Amazonas, for example, or Tenerife Ving. So, in some cases, you should not chase the stars, it is better to evaluate the services offered and make your own choice.
Activities for children in the Canary Islands
This fertile region provides your children with many opportunities for recreation.
In addition to a purely beach one, without which, however, it is also impossible, you can actively go in for sports, get acquainted with the history, culture and life of local residents, try different new goodies every day, or even see a real jousting tournament. Boat trips are very popular, which can be done both on an ordinary ship and a real submarine. And also surfing, diving, fishing, golf. Not to mention the discos and all kinds of holidays that take place here almost constantly. You will be especially lucky if you find yourself in the Canary Islands in February. The city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife will host the festival, which is said to be in second place in terms of scale after the Brazilian one. Children here are just as full participants as adults. nine0003
The Canary Islands are the perfect place to celebrate Christmas or New Year. And on January 6, a special children’s holiday is held here.
What to visit with children
First of all, of course, Loro Park.
The most “promoted” and popular among tourists place in Tenerife. It is in the north of the island, in Puerto de la Cruz. Works all year round. Known primarily for the world’s largest collection of parrots. And here you can also see unique families of penguins, collections of orchids, admire the gorgeous shows of dolphins, killer whales and other marine life. Something, in a word, a cross between a zoo, a dolphinarium and a botanical garden. You can walk around the park all day, moving from one show to another, from playgrounds to attractions, from “free access” parrots to monkeys or flamingos. nine0003
With Siam Park here in Tenerife, the situation is a bit more complicated. The place, no doubt, is iconic. There are not very many attractions in this water park, but each of them is thought out and designed so that your adrenaline will whip over the edge. Preschoolers on them, how to put it mildly, should be very careful. By ourselves “break away” – yes. Teenagers are fine. But with kids it is better to go to Aqualand, located right there, nearby.
This is also a water park, but more traditional and more suitable for children from 3 to 5 years old. There, the slides are lower, and the parents will be calmer. nine0003
The next object of the “children’s excursion” is the Monkey Park. This is the real home of lemurs and their other relatives. It is curious that many of the inhabitants of the park live almost in freedom and you can easily communicate with them.
Next to the monkey park is the eagle park. Or “Jungle Park”, as it is also called. The second name is more accurate. If earlier eagles were indeed demonstrated in the park, now you can see sea lions, leopards and jaguars, raccoons and crocodiles here. nine0003
Of course, this is not a complete list of places worth visiting if you come to the Canary Islands with children. Someone will like climbing a volcano, someone will prefer to ride a camel. Well, and so on. Options, we have already said, a lot.
Useful information
Be prepared to be asked to show what you are carrying when you enter the monkey park.