In December 2005 we made the decision to move to Tenerife and we have to say how fortunate we were to choose Horizon as our estate agents. We feel that a letter is the only way to relay the worlds biggest THANK YOU to a lady by the name of JANET ANSCOMBE, who, without her invaluable help and assistance we would most probably have given up on our dream of living here in Tenerife. It’s difficult to know where to start but here goes, after exchanging emails it was arranged for us to meet up with Janet at our hotel the day after we arrived. Then followed a few days of viewing properties we may be interested in purchasing, the information Janet gave us was and has been so very helpful, luckily we found a house in Los Menores and have since purchased it and made the life changing move to wonderful sunny Tenerife.

Janet has been there for us every step of the way and even helped us this week with a problem, we would have to make up a word to describe this wonderful,warm lady (as there isn’t one in existence that we could find) who has shown us that nothing is too much trouble, and we now consider her to be a great friend. A big thank you to Margarita and Nikki in your Los Cristianos office who have also been extremely helpful. So thank you HORIZON for employing such great staff.

A TASTE OF: La Torre del Mirador

“To give service, food, ambience and atmosphere and remember that the most important thing here is the client”

Cristobal has been providing all of the above and more at this fantastic, stylish restaurant in Fañabe for the past three years. “When I first told my friends what I was going to do they all told me I was crazy, but I believe that if you work very hard you can make things come true. You cannot run a good restaurant simply for the money; you have to really enjoy people. I wake up every morning and think about what is going to happen today, I enjoy going to work and so do my staff, some of those, like Ged, have been working with me for years, they like coming to work too. I like to think of my guests as friends and I try to make everyone feel welcome at my restaurant. I am very well treated when I go to, say, England or Germany so I like to look after people when they come and see me”.

The décor in this beautiful restaurant is gorgeous, all twinkling fairy lights and, because of its fabulous location, amazing sea views. This really is a restaurant to die for. Many of us have been less than impressed with some of the waiter service supplied on our Islands, but not here, they actually look as if they are having a really good time, when they ask if there is anything you need, they really do mean it! Wow, other restaurants, take note!

Ann and Jo from La Caletta ate in the downstairs restaurant and were guests of Cristobal for the evening and extremely impressed with what he and his staff had to offer. “It is so different, what with all the little dining rooms, you would never know from the outside, it is incredible, really different from any other restaurant here” clearly Jo was impressed. “It is warm and inviting and totally relaxed but still has a wonderful feeling of opulence. It is a place you can feel you can relax in but where you can dress up, it is not a shorts and t-shirt restaurant, but other than that, anything goes”, was Ann’s first impression.

The first courses arrived very quickly and it was a good job they were hungry as a veritable feast arrived comprising of Tomato Bread, Pulpo (Octopus) with potato, Deep Fried Squid, Jamon, Garlic Prawns and Peppers Padron (Deep fried Chilli Peppers). “Jo makes his own garlic prawns and is very good so I know when they are good and these are Very Good, the jamon was the best I have ever tasted, really melts in your mouth and the Pulpo was beautiful”.

“The Squid was cooked to perfection, the Peppers were lovely, absolutely spot on, and just a little bit hot which was good because when they are hot, they are really hot”! Jo clearly a happy bunny with his first course then!

For their main courses Ann chose fish, Lubina, and Jo opted for Solomillo. “The fish was beautifully presented, partially filleted which made it ridiculously easy to eat, the vegetables served were amazing, we had potatoes cooked with a light cheese sauce, carrots, broccoli, red peppers and mushrooms, again all served beautifully”. Jo, usually a hard man to please when it comes to food declared “The steak was so nice you didn’t want to eat it, you just wanted to chew it for ages”! A compliment, I think, though it doesn’t bear thinking about too much! Also served was a Leg of Lamb which was probably the best I have ever tasted, cooked to perfection, succulent and full of flavour. It will be a while before I cook lamb in my kitchen again, it will never taste that good!

Now deserts are always a problem. You know you shouldn’t really have any, but most places have something that you really can’t resist, not that you would want to. Cristobal served up a wicked and evil selection of cakes and ice cream, probably about a million calories per mouthful! This is not a place to go if you are on a diet, Jo declared desert as “Unexplainable, a tutti-frutti plate to die for” Ann doesn’t usually like Spanish cakes but… “That was a party on a plate”! Ok, so desert was obviously quite good then!!

Coffee and Brandy ended the very successful meal, but then the fun really started. Throughout the meal Ged Roberts provides really, really good music. Not your usual bland background white noise, but songs that you really want to listen too. And guess what, he can sing, properly, not your usual pub singer nonsense we all know and, er, love. Not. This is a place to come and celebrate. Anything. Whilst we were there, one couple was celebrating their joint 80th birthday, as was another gentleman who took it upon himself to sing to as all Karaoke style. And he could sing as well!! Result!! Although there is no actual dance floor, there is plenty of space to dance, as demonstrated by four sisters doing line dancing with style. A number of couples took to the floor during smoochy numbers as well as a good few who were bopping with the best of them. The things men get up to with their wives when their mates aren’t watching!!

As Ann says “It was like being at a family wedding, everyone talking to each other and dancing, it was brilliant”. Jo thought “The service was brilliant, I feel so relaxed, usually when you go to a restaurant all they do is serve you. Here the staff are having a laugh and enjoying your company, I would definitely come here again, it is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in over sixteen years on Tenerife. I would bring a group and eat downstairs ‘cos the atmosphere is brilliant”. Praise indeed from a Sunderland lad!!

It is also nice that Cristobal doesn’t consider himself so exclusive that you have to eat. You can just come here for a drink and enjoy the atmosphere, although it would be a crime not to try his menu out. It really is a place to dine, not just to eat and run. Whatever you decide to do, Cristobal will serve you exactly the same be you a Prince or a Pauper- as a valued friend.

CC El Mirador

Playa del Duque

Costa Adeje

922 73 22 09

Open from 11am ‘til midnight

Menus in English, Spanish, German, French and Russian.

Childrens menu available

Main meals from €15

Private Dining Rooms available for 3 to 30 people

If you would like information about buying a property in the Canary Islands, please click here: www.horizonpropertygroup.com

So You Wanna Try Water Sports….

Brothers Gary and Jo (Jo man) Mather run Premier Watersports S.L., Playa El Camison, Las Americas, just behind The Mediterranean Palace Hotel in Tenerife. They assured me that they are the best looking lads in Tenerife, although you will have to judge for yourselves from the pictures. Also a special mention has to go out to Gizmo, a 12-year-old dog of indeterminate breed, who has to win the prize for the ugliest dog in Tenerife. He will guard your belonging whilst you are out and about, and eat any food you are foolish enough to leave lying around!

Jo man, 56 years young, has 2 kids, originally from Sunderland has been on Tenerife for 15 years. He came over to find a future.
Gary, 42, married with 2 kids, has been here for 13 years. He came out to spend a week’s holiday with Jo man and forgot to go home!!
Katie Bates is an Administrator, married for 23 years to Peter. They have two kids, Chris 17 and Ali 14. They came to Tenerife 4 years ago for a better life.

Whoever said a day on the beach was boring? They obviously never tried a day out of some serious playtime. Gary and Jo man have opened what is probably the best venue for water sport in Tenerife. Both have loads of experience in the tourism industry which is reflected in the way they look after you, as Gary said “We understand what the customers want and need, so will go the extra mile to help make their holiday really special”.

Somewhat daunted, cos I don’t do water, I recruited the Bates family to go and try out what the Mather brothers had to offer. We decided to go for the Parascending first and packed off the kids to brave the elements. After an hour of wondering if they would indeed be drowned and lost for ever, they returned. With classic understatement you expect from a 17-year-old English boy, Chris said, “It was really good, it was classy”. He then became a bit more animated and added, “Flying over the waves was brilliant, I would definitely do it again, and I’ll be back”. Ali, his sister was a bit more forthcoming, “It was well cool; really eerie cos you feel like you are floating and you can see for miles and check out all the beaches”. The verdict was that they would both definitely do it again, although not after a night out!! Quite what these two know about nights out remains unclear!

The Banana Boat was next on the agenda and, after some gentle bullying of Katie, who insisted she had to look after the bags, she and Ali were dispatched onto a gentle run. Gentle purely because there was a small boy included in the group. We found a convert!!! Katie was absolutely bowled over by the experience, “Oh My God, that was fantastic, the most fun I have had in a lifejacket!!?? I thought it would be really frightening, but the ride was really smooth though I mistook the banana for a horse and hung on like grim death with my thighs! The boat speeded up after a few minutes and it was fantastic whooshing through the waves, it is better than sex - with apologies to Peter, who has obviously been doing it all wrong for 23 years!!”

Ali was far more laid back with “That was really Phat” For those of you without the benefit of a teenage dictionary, this is apparently very good! “It was amazing.” Final Verdict: “Absolutely 5 stars, with no hesitation in doing it again”. Indeed, Katie wanted too, but we ran out of day!

After so much excitement, the grown ups decided that it was time was for serious relaxing so Katie, Ali and friend Ann summoned the services of a peddle boat. A couple of glasses (Oh, all right, plastic cups) of wine were arranged, purely for the adults, sorry Ali, and away they went. Whilst the girls seemed to be in complete control, watching the antics of two teenage boys pedaling for all their worth, in the wrong direction was hilarious! Upon their return our intrepid ladies had this to say, “It was really nice to be away from the bustle of the beach and take in the sights. It was really tranquil and very relaxing”. Ali on the other hand stated that it was far more fun crashing into the waves and would have made it to La Gomera if she could have got away with it!! This would appear to be a great way for the adults to escape for and hour away from the kids. Gary and JoMan assured us that crèche facilities could be arranged if required, prices to be negotiated!! – Although your precious little darlings may greet you with Sunderland accents!

By now Chris was getting seriously itchy feet and demanded a go on the Jet Ski. Parental consent was duly obtained from mum, and off he trotted. Unfortunately he was taken far out so we couldn’t see what he was getting up to, which was probably a good thing; just the occasional spray of water we had to assume was him! Upon his return, he was grinning from ear to ear “That was a 10!” Wow, praise indeed. “Yeah it was really good, the best thing all day, it was great jumping over the waves. We started with instructions on how to drive, stop and start and told to keep within the buoys, and how not to crash!! The course was really big and a guy was trying to race me, so I turned the throttle and covered him with spray”. Perhaps for Katie’s sake, ignorance would have been bliss!!

The sum total of the day…. It is a fantastic day out with something for everyone to enjoy and a great way of wearing out the kids, they were no trouble at all for the rest of the day apparently. For that fact alone this is not a way of spending money, it is an investment!!

Bookings can be made either at the kiosk or by telephone on 638 742 508, or just turn up
Life Jackets MUST be worn for all activities.

Parascending: Single 40€, double 60€. 10 mins flying about 1 hour trip. No age criteria. Early bird special – 1st flight of the day, 10.00 am, 50€ for 2

Banana Boat: 10€ for 10-15 minutes

Jet Ski: Single 40€, double 50€ for 20 mins. Parental consent required for under 18’s. 1500cc engines all Skis are brand new.

Pedal Boat: 10€ for 30 mins. 15€ for 60 mins.

Special A: All 4 activities 60€ per person. Do not have to do all 4 in 1 day.

Special B: Jet Ski, Parascending & Banana Boat 50€ per person

If you would like information about buying property in Tenerife, please click on www.horizonpropertygroup.com