Why not escape the post Christmas 'winter blues' and join us for five nights in Santa Cruz de Tenerife with some great food, relaxation and wonderful music including a gala concert of works by Rossini & Donizetti with world superstar 'bel-canto tenor Juan Diego Flórez.
THIS FESTIVAL IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR EIGHT NIGHTS WITH THREE CONCERTS INCLUDED - SEE SEPARATE LISTING
Stay for five nights at the beautifully restored 5* Grand Hotel Mencey, voted #1 hotel in Tenerife by Tripadvisor and set back from the ‘Rambla’ de Santa Cruz. The hotel is an oasis of calm and tranquility – ideal for a winter break – and has a wonderful swimming pool. Across the Rambla is the beautiful Parque Garcia Sanabria from which the mainly pedestrianised ‘Calle’ and ‘Pasaje’ wind through the historic centre of the capital.
For 2016 all of our rooms are Deluxe Garden View category with balcony or terrace.
Santa Cruz, Capital of the Canary Islands, is very much the ‘secret’ Tenerife. 90% of guests arriving at the airport turn left and head for the concrete jungle of the south coast. Those few that head north are rewarded with a charming city that retains an ‘old town’ feel yet is full of life, excellent restaurants and plenty of shopping. The city has the old port area (which is now a mix of shops, cafes, galleries etc) and set behind the old town (in a semi circle from the left side to the right side of town) is the Rambla of Santa Cruz. This was the avenue of the smart and aristocratic set high above the port and today is a mix of old money villas and home to the Grand Hotel Mencey.
Santa Cruz has it's own 'white sand' beach (imported from the Spanish Sahara!) with excellent fish restaurants just fifteen minutes from the centre of town on the local bus. The modern tram takes you all the way to the old capital of La Laguna which is a really lovely town and interesting to explore.
A marvel of modern Spain are the new concert halls and opera houses that have appeared since the turn of the millennium. Santiago Calatrava's magnificent 'Auditorio de Tenerife' opened in 2003. The Canary Islands Festival is well establised as one of the premiere classical music festivals of Europe and one of the few that takes place in the Winter.
During your stay you will have two half day walking tours of Santa Cruz and La Laguna and one excursion by private coach, either visiting some of the beautiful gardens of the island (including the luxuriant Botanical Gardens and the Jardin des Orquideas in Puerto de la Cruz) -or- traversing the island to the moon-like Mount Teide National Park. The journey from Santa Cruz to Mount Teide is one of the great drives of the world as you climb first through semi-tropical vegetation, then through a beautiful pine forest emerging from the ‘Corona Forrestal’ around 5,000ft and continuing along the spine of the mountain, occasionally above the cloud!. The drive affords wonderful views to both sides of the island.
Both of the above tours are included in our 8 night stay and one will be included in this holiday. The decision as to which excursion will take place on the Wednesday will depend on local weather conditions.
One dinner and two lunches are also included during our stay in addition to buffet breakfast each morning. The holiday is escorted throughout except for the return journey to the UK.
flight times are as follows:
Saturday 09 January Manchester - Tenerife depart 1350 arrive 1830 - Monarch
Thursday 14 January Tenerife - Manchester depart 1435 arrive 2015 - Monarch (unescorted)
The holiday includes two concerts and the full musical programme is shown below:
10th January London Philharmonic Orchestra
Andres Orozco Estrada conducting Denis Matsuev, Piano
Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1 “Titan”
11th January London Philharmonic Orchestra
Massimo Zanetti conducting Juan Diego Flórez, Tenor
Lyric Opera Gala - Donizetti & Rossini arias for bel canto tenor
