Canaries Tips

As I mentioned yesterday we returned from Fuerteventura safe and sound. This was our third year in a row enjoying winter sun in the Canaries, the first time we went to Lanzarote and both this year and last we went to Fuerteventura (opposite sides of the island though).

Let's face it most people are not going there for the culture so you can't expect an authentic Canarian or Spanish experience when you are staying in holiday resorts developed with the large tourism markets in mind(especially Germany and Britain). With three small children driving around the island to really discover all of its secrets is just not practical so I will have to discover the authentic Islas Canarias a bit later in my life. For now you gets what you gets. Anyway here are a few tips based on my Canaries experiences:
1) Milk - I don't know if they feed the cows lemons or what but the fresh milk sold in the Canaries tastes mildly sour from opening the carton and it goes quickly downhill from there. As much as I detest UHT milk I have to say that this is the only way to go down there.
2) Canarian Potatoes - There is much fresh fish to be eaten in the Canaries as you might expect and it is often served with Canarian potatoes. These are small potatoes boiled in salty water and steamed wrinkly dry. They are served with mojo sauce and they are only deliciosa as an accompaniment to fish or meat with a nice salad on the side.
3) Chinese - There is a Chinese restaurant on the main drag in Jandía which is one of the best I have ever eaten in. The food is delicious, the service in wonderful and if you are ever in that part of the world don't be shy to pay them a visit.
4) Supermercado - As in every tourist location it pays to walk a little longer to avoid paying the tourist prices. The central supermarkets (one of which is nearly always a Netto) are for the tourist market but the Spanish residents also need to shop. In Jandía a big Spar a short walk away from the main drag was much better value and I actually spoke Spanish to the staff there.
5) Beaches - Jandía has a beautiful beach but it is no good for bathing for children because of the enormous waves (loved body surfing though). Corralejo in the north of Fuerteventura had much calmer waters and that was also our experience at Playa Blanca in Lanzarote.
6) Boxes - The Canarian tourist market has two boxes namely German and English. Locals working in the service industry do not seem to want to recognize the inconvenient truth that very many tourists are not German or English. Don't get annoyed by this, it's laziness, it's not meant as an insult. They are not calling Irish people English, they also want Polish, French, Dutch and Lithuanians to fit in to the boxes. Stay calm, if I can manage it you can.
7) Language - Many people on holidays seem to leave their intelligence at their home airport. We live in a world where monolingual people are in a minority. Nowadays practically every educated European speaks some English and many understand German, French and Spanish. Yes, Dutch people, plenty of people understand you too. Do not assume that you can insult people lying beside you because they do not speak your language. We could not recognize only one language (was it a Finnish dialect?, Hungarian?, why are we hearing some Slavonic words?). My wife spoke to the father in English, it turned out that he was Lithuanian living in the UK and he started speaking to her in Polish when he found out where she is from. Remember your manners, if you want to talk about people do it discreetly, assume that they understand you by default.
8) Children - Holiday resorts have animation and kids clubs. Check that this option is there before booking your resort. They will enjoy doing the activities and you will enjoy some precious parental rest.
9) Drink - House rosé always cheap and good, sangria rarely fails, beer is beer but avoid Tropical (reminds me of Harp).
10) Haggling - Nothing on the market has a price, the only way to find the bottom is to start very low. We had no radio so I bough speakers to connect to my mobile's radio. He started at 40 and then I offered 20 and we ended at 25. I probably overpaid by 15 Euro. I should have started at 10 and maybe paid 15. I hate haggling though and as long as I am not ripped off too much I'm not bothered. I was on holidays after all.