Tenerife is a world famous Spanish Island renowned as a tourist hot spot. It`s a wonderful place to escape from the rat race and develop a tan. Tenerife is the biggest of all seven Canary Islands which are located in the warm waters of the Atlantic. As well as being a tourist hotspot, Tenerife is also populated by more citizens than any of the other Canary Islands or Regions of Spain.
The Island`s bustling capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife is an enormous draw for tourists and it`s where the council officials and many prominent businesses are situated. Historically, between 1833 and 1927 Santa Cruz was actually the capital of all seven of the Canary Islands. Since then it has continued to prosper and it is both a commercial and business hub.
Buying and Letting in Tenerife
A Tenerife Estate Agent, Tenerife Royale recently published an article online which said research suggested a 35% increase in the number of Britons that were buying properties with a view to living on the island. A high percentage of the Britons who purchase property on the sunny Island are retired and choose to immigrate there because of the warm weather and relaxed lifestyle that Tenerife offers, additionally, however, many villas are buy-to-lets.
Approximately five million commercial tourists visit the Island each year and the majority of these come from the UK. As English speaking tourists find it easier to communicate with English landlords, they may prefer holiday lets from an English landlord over those from a Spaniard. This provides a business opportunity for British investors and has resulted in more Britons buying property in Tenerife in order to rent it out over the past 20 years than ever before.
These types of property purchases can be a strong return on investment. In the region of 20,000 residents in Tenerife are from the UK and some figures report around 40,000 properties currently owned by British buyers. Spain has not been as heavily affected by the recent economic crisis as other countries and the Spanish bank Santander has actually bought out many British banks, so the Island`s financial health is also good.
Getting there and Where to Stay
The easiest way to get to Tenerife is by plane, although it is possible to board ferries from the mainland and drive. Tenerife is the only one of the Canary Islands that has two separate airports. The Northern Airport, Los Rodeos is popular with cheap commercial airlines while the Southern Airport, Tenerife South-Reina Sofia Airport is a better choice for those visiting areas in the south of the Island.
There are superb hotels and hundreds of small guest houses on the Island and it is easy to find one which suits your taste and budget. However, it`s advisable to look online and read reviews before finalising a booking. Alternatively, you could book a cheap holiday in Playa de las Americas via package deal which would include flights, accommodation and with `inclusive` package holidays also you could add food and drink to the included items.
“It’s just not like that,” pressed Phil.
Back in the south, we decided that renting a villa in Tenerife had been the right choice. Not only did it give us the freedom to do what we wanted when we wanted, it also provided a comfortable launch pad for island exploration and a relaxing home-from-home when we returned. Plus the year-round sunshine made villa rental in Tenerife a very appealing prospect for any time of the year.