A guide to Santa Cruz de La Palma Airport

As airports go, Santa Cruz de La Palma airport - airport code SPC - is quite user friendly in that you can't get too lost. Ah yes, I have 'done' Madrid airport a couple of times and think I have earned the sticker it deserves. And been lost of course. But at least La Palma airport only has one terminal and that obviously helps. However, as it is laid out over several levels, it can initially be difficult to understand the layout ... hence this blog post.

But first of all, where is La Palma airport? Some years back, the airport was located inland above the capital of Santa Cruz. Now however, it's located at sea level, just 9km south of Santa Cruz, the historic capital of La Palma. Incidentally, in between the two, lies the small resort of Los Cancajos with a selection of hotels, apartments and three excellent beaches.

The small and charismatic airport served La Palma very well, but a couple of years ago it was replaced by a larger airport with underground parking as opposed to outdoor parking. This is certainly an improvement although it does lead to confusion over which level your car is parked on or where you should go to collect your hire car. But once you get an understanding of what's where, it's quite straightforward.

The main entrance is the ground floor (Floor 0 in the lift) and this is where you will find the following:
Check-in desks
Arrivals and baggage re-claim (4 carousels)
Shopping (pharmacy and Jerónimo (funky clothes and gifts:)
Airport information desk (sometimes with free bananas)
Flight information offices for Iberia, Condor, Air Berlin and Binter where you can make enquiries, buy tickets and make a late check-in if your gate is closed (not a popular move by the way).
Car hire offices - we highly recommend booking your car hire in advance because otherwise you will have to queue up just to ask the price as prices are not displayed. (Or you can just book a rental car with us and you will be met with your car in the airport car park on the S2 level.)

The 1st floor (floor 1 in the lift) is departures.

Once through control (no photos please ... oops, sorry about that) there is also a snack bar and vending machines. From here there are flights to fourteen destinations - London Gatwick, Manchester (winter only), Stuttgart, Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Bonn, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam, Tenerife North and Gran Canaria.

The three subterranean levels are reached either by escalator or a glass-sided lift. Actually the lifts, two of them at the side of the escalators, is a bit difficult to spot, simply because they are glass sided. These are the basement levels:
Level S 0 is the entrance to the car park where you collect your ticket
Level S1 is staff parking and for certain hire cars
Level S2 is public parking, and the main bulk of hire cars
Level S3 is to the small sea pools set in the rocks by the waters edge.

 Taxis are available immediately outside of the airport building or you can pre-book a taxi here - www.taxilapalma.com. The website also has a very useful list of prices and guided tours of La Palma.
There is also a regular bus service, the number 500 bus, between the airport and Santa Cruz de La Palma. Generally, it runs every 30 minutes except weekends and fiestas when it is every hour - except for the big fiestas such as the Los Indianos fiesta when it runs more frequently. Here is the bus website.
If you're keen to find out more information about La Palma airport itself, here is the website:  La Palma Airport website.
Happy travels! 

Transport between Tenerife South Airport and Tenerife North Airport

Here I am, just off the trail between the UK and La Palma. And of course, there's nothing quite like a recent journey by train, air and bus to make you notice the little foibles along the way that can derail even the simplest journey.
Not that I am claiming flying to La Palma via Tenerife is an entirely simple journey. But if the direct flights to La Palma, currently from London Gatwick, Manchester (winter only), Gran Canaria, Madrid, Germany, Holland and Belgium don't suit, then Tenerife can be a good, cheap option.
However, like all seemingly easy options or good buys, there's usually a catch of varying proportions and in the case of flying via Tenerife it's that you'll need to change airports from the south international airport to the north inter-island airport, except in the case of flights via Madrid. Which means going via the Santa Cruz bus station in the north of Tenerife.

I have of course posted a blog about this before, probably several times (!) because it can seem incredibly daunting. But in fact it is easier than you might think.
So whilst I have done this journey between the two airports many times, I have to confess to almost being de-railed this time - not by anything major such as a delayed flight, snow on the road (as if!) or other such calamity. No, this time it was a lack of change for the bus.
You see, normally I use the Bono Card which is a pre-payed card to the value of 15€, or more for frequent bus users. But this time, I hadn't got a card and was quite resigned contented to use cash, even though it is a couple of euros more expensive. And since the half-hourly bus to Santa Cruz de Tenerife main bus station had just arrived at the front of the airport terminal, I was pretty keen to catch it and so certainly wasn't going to wonder off and buy a Bono Card.

I thought I had got the change situation covered to be honest, after all I had a hand full of change and a five euro note. But I hadn't quite taken into account the 9€ bus fare for the 50 minute journey up to Santa Cruz and so was just short of the right money. And my 50€ note was not accepted. No change!
The alternative then was to go back into the airport terminal and get some change and then take the next bus. Luckily, a kind fellow passenger took pity on me and changed the 50€ note for me. Phew! Thank you kind person.
So the moral is, either take plenty of change, small denomination notes or get a Bono Card. Then you can sit back on the bus and enjoy the Tenerife scenery. Enjoy!

Canary Island Ferries

For those that are planning an island hopping holiday in the Canaries, there are some excellent deals about at the moment.
For example, you can travel between La Gomera and La Palma with Fred Olsen ferries for just 54€ for two adults. And if you want to take a car, it's only 6€ more! But do remember that if you have a hire car, normally they are not allowed to be taken off the island from where it was originally hired except when it is a large car hire company with branches in different islands. Best just check with the car rental company before you sail off with their car!

 I remember the time though when we went from La Palma to Tenerife by ferry, complete with in-laws and vehicle, one Christmas time. This was a bit of a mission as it was a five hour night-time crossing in those days and whilst it was far from being what I hoped for as our first Christmas in La Palma, ie to spend it in Tenerife, there were some family friends holding a festive get-together which couldn't be missed.

Having agreed to the trip, I was pretty determined to put my stamp on it by keeping costs to a minimum. Of course four seats on the ferry would be fine! This would practically be a luxury especially when I brought to mind the time I tried to sleep on an overnight ferry whilst on the floor under a set of stairs, thinking that even if I didn't get much sleep, at least I wouldn't get stood on. (Of course that was the exact effect it had on me - no sleep and I might as well have been stood on.) And since I am a child of cruise-loving parents, I've also had my fair share of great cabins too. No, seats were the answer and so I booked four 'butacas,' the comfortable reclining armchair seats and looked forward to falling asleep listening to the soft lull of the boat's engines.
When I arrived home with the tickets, the first question I was asked was, 'You did get a cabin, didn't you?' Erm, no. And with that I was dispatched back again to the ferry terminal in Santa Cruz to get a cabin for the four of us. Oh no, think of the cost!

 Having eventually managed to locate the office girl, who turned out to be an office man sat at the bar having a coffee, I explained that I would like to change the four seats for a cabin.
With a smile (could that have been a knowing smile?), he took the tickets from me, studied them and then set about entering details in the computer. (Did this mean we might be getting a cabin?) And moments later, four new tickets shot out of a machine.
Somewhat curiously, on top of the tickets sat a 5€ note and so I questioned what this was for. Apparently that was the difference in price between the cabin (complete with washbasin and wardrobe) and the seats - 5€ cheaper!
Incidentally, the crossing time between Tenerife and La Palma is now much faster and so you won't be needing a cabin, but you can enjoy the very comfortable butacas - and the low price too!

To Have or to Hold

We all have our little quirky ways when it comes to packing – what to pack, how and what in.

For me, I will do almost whatever it takes to travel with hand luggage only. As it happens, most of my flights these days involve flying from La Palma to the UK to stay with family where there’s no element of dressing up or a different outfit every day so my packing, whilst carefully thought out to maximise options, is minimal. Although, that said there have been a couple of notable occasions when I've still managed to get away with just hand luggage when the odds were clearly stacked against it – one being a three week trip to China a couple of years ago and the other last year to my son’s wedding. I must admit that I did get a few people worried that the mother of the groom was going to turn up in shorts and t-shirt!  

But of course there is method to my madness in just having carry-on luggage and that is a phobia of 1) waiting for luggage 2) lost luggage.

I realise that this minimal approach doesn't suit everyone but what I do strongly suggest to those who are checking in luggage is that you have a survival supply in your hand luggage that will last you two-days should you and your hold luggage not arrive at your destination together.

And for those of you with close connections, heck, any connections, where your luggage is supposed to be transferred from one plane to the next for you, it might be best to treat it as a foregone conclusion that you won’t be arriving together. I speak from other people’s experience! (Especially those flying to La Palma via Madrid and other hub airports around the world)

I leave it to you to decide what you can’t live without for two days but I would give it some serious thought. To have your luggage with you or put it in the hold, that is the question. 

What Time is it, Mr. Wolf?

As a kid, I used to love that game - What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf. For those who don't know how it goes, basically you have a Wolf (a chosen individual) and a bunch of sheep (children). The idea is to touch the Wolf who keeps his back to the sheep as they edge forward and call out 'What time is it Mr. Wolf?'
Mr. Wolf makes up any old time - one o'clock, five o'clock or whatever - as the children edge closer and closer asking what time it is. When the wolf thinks they are closer enough, he screams out 'Dinner Time!' and turns to touch the nearest child. Of course if he mis-times it and the children aren't close enough, he can't catch them and the game starts again. On the other hand, if the wolf leaves it too late, then one of the children can touch him and he is out of the game.

You probably wonder, justifiably, what has set me off on this track and how it could possibly be classed as a hint or tip on traveling to La Palma. Let me explain.
At five thirty this morning, I received a text from someone looking for accommodation on La Palma. They were already on the island but had a problem with their current accommodation and could I possibly find them another place. And would it be too early to ring and see what I suggest?
I must hastily explain that I had not had any contact whatsoever with this person before and had nothing to do with the current accommodation they were staying in.
As it happens, I didn't read the message until just before seven a.m. which is when said person rang.
So, as ever with a mind to writing blogs, I thought it was perhaps timely that I wrote and explained about the time on La Palma and the time in the Canaries in general.

You might be relieved to know that this does not require any lengthy explanation whatsoever - it's GMT. Yep, it is exactly the same time as it is in the UK - the clocks go forward an hour in Spring (spring forward) and go back an hour in autumn or what is called Fall in America (fall back). Thank you America for your help with that one.
I am actually giving the benefit of the doubt to my caller that he didn't know the time and perhaps thought it was an hour later than it was - although I didn't quiz him on this - and he was very apologetic. But it's an easy mistake to make and it's not the first time. In fact, we have had people staying with us who have been on the 'wrong time' all week and even two people who only just managed to get to the airport in time due to being in the 'wrong time.'
So if you are wondering What Time It Is in the Canaries, now you know! And it's probably best if you let Mr. Wolf sleep until at least 07.30 hrs. That's Greenwich Mean Time.

I am Sailing across the Waters

Ah, a mini-cruise ... I don't know about you, but my mind seems to work in pictures and images and right at this moment, I am kicking off my shoes and relaxing back into a sun lounger on the deck of my cruise liner, strawberry milkshake in hand.  In my mind at least. And whilst I've no idea where the image of a strawberry milkshakes comes from, I can tell you about the cruise liner.
Well, to be more accurate, what I had in mind when I started talking about this was a ferry but who cares, even if that means they don't actually have sun loungers on the deck! It's a three and a half hour crossing on the Naviera Armas ferry which costs just 16€, around £14. Or an even smaller price of 8€ for residents in the Canaries.
So how do you get in on this amazing deal? It's easy - just go direct to the ferry Naviera Armas website and choose the Tenerife Los Cristianos to La Palma option and there you go.
This is all well and good, I hear you cry, if you are already in Tenerife. Find me a cheap flight to Tenerife! Oh that doesn't scare me one bit - after all, I've just spend a fair bit of the weekend searching for a reasonable flight from Edinburgh to La Palma during the October half-term. Aargh, those prices! With options such as via London Heathrow or Gatwick and then direct to Madrid or Tenerife and then onto La Palma or from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Tenerife or Gran Canaria and then on to La Palma, the options are many. Oh and I almost forgot to mention the obvious one - direct flights from Manchester or Gatwick to La Palma.
Now my first port of call when I'm searching for a cheap flight, or any flight to the Canary Islands for that matter, is Skyscanner. What Skyscanner does is to provide a free, unbiased and comprehensive travel comparison between major airlines such as British Airways, Iberia, Jet2, Ryanair, Monarch, Brussles Airlines, Flybe, Lufthansa, Thomas Cook, Thomsons, Vueling, KLM and so the list goes on.
You can either search by the whole month to get an idea of best prices for a range of dates or search by a specific date. I think it's a brilliant flight-finder and not just for flights to the Canary Islands - it might not be quite100% comprehensive but it's pretty close!
For me, school holiday times aside, I'd choose a cheap flight to Tenerife and then a cruise liner ferry to La Palma.  There might not be sun loungers but I can almost feel the warm wood of the deck on my bare feet.

Flight options to La Palma

Through reading our blogs on La Palma, I hope by now that you have an idea where I'm coming from - or at least I hope you soon will. To give you a few clues (well, the relevant ones anyway), I'm passionate about La Palma - its majestic beauty, its tranquillity, its quirkiness and its amazing ability to surprise. And that's probably why I'm also passionate about finding you guys cheap travel to the Canaries and doing everything I can to encourage you to come and see this great island yourself.
Low-cost flights to La Palma is probably one of the better ways.

 Let me start (again) with flights to Santa Cruz de La Palma, airport code SPC. I was reading a Tenerife forum thread recently in which a poster asked, 'Is it possible to get direct flights to La Palma?' Ooh, this is going to be great, I thought. This is a chance for somebody to enlighten the poster about the direct flights from Gatwick and Manchester to the island. Yes, you guessed it but I have to admit I really was dumbfounded when the reply came, 'No, you can't get direct flights, you'll have to fly via Tenerife or go by ferry.'
I was of course by now hopping up and down in my seat. What! There have been direct flights between the UK and La Palma for eleven years that I personally now about. So please, come one, let's fly the flag and let a few more people know about it.
Let me explain a little more though because there is something else which those looking for direct flights to La Palma might need to know about, especially if searching a site such as Skyscanner, a personal favourite of mine. During the summer months, Thomsons do not always offer direct flights from Manchester although the flights from Gatwick continue. And that means, if you search for flights between Manchester and La Palma, you'll come up with a big fat zero. But that's not to say that there aren't direct flights from Gatwick!
However, if flying from Gatwick to La Palma isn't convenient for you then definitely consider flying via Tenerife or Madrid airport. Not only can you choose what day of the week to fly, especially when flying via Tenerife, but you can often pick up cheap flights that way and even, if you're crafty, fit in a mini-holiday at either end of your holiday on La Palma.
Personally, I usually travel via either Tenerife or Gran Canaria which tends to fit in better with my chosen destination airport in the UK which, these days is either Edinburgh, Glasgow or Manchester.
Hey look, this is me flying to Tenerife from La Palma in January this year!

All in all, we like to think we know a bit about travelling from the UK to the western islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma in particular, so don't hesitate to ask for advice or information. That also extends to finding accommodation on the Canary Islands - watch out for our hotel and apartment reviews coming soon.
And above all, we hope that you too get to enjoy a holiday visiting the magical Islas Canarias!

A tour of the Canary Islands

From time to time, we are asked if it is possible to have an island hopping holiday in the Canary Islands, travelling by plane or ferry in between each one. It's a lovely idea and what a wonderful journey that would be. Unfortunately, it's not quite that easy because the islands are not in a close cluster as one might imagine. If travelling from, for example, the airport in El Hierro in the south west of the Canaries to the airport in Lanzarote in the north east, the distance is approximately 430 miles. But at least, every single one of the islands has its own ferry port and airport - in fact, Tenerife has two airports!

So with options of both flights and ferries, it really is worth doing a little exhaustive checking to find not just the right method of transport on the right day but also the right price.
Now it might not be on your mind to travel between the islands. Maybe your aim is to holiday on La Palma, La Isla Bonita, and you want to get there are quickly and easily as possible. I can't say I blame you with the snowy northern European weather at the moment. Oh yes, I've tried it and can fully understand the appeal of enjoying some winter sun in the Canary Islands!

However, if the direct flights to La Palma don't quite suit you then it might be well worth considering travelling via Tenerife - especially as Naviera Armas ferries are offering tickets between Los Cristianos in the south of Tenerife and La Palma for just 16€ each way. Very handy for the south international airport of Reina Sofia and a bit of a cruise thrown in!
Mm, at that price, I could perhaps consider a little island hoping ...

To Tip or not to Tip on Holiday

Whether to tip or not to tip on holiday - that is the question. And it's a question I am asked from time to time, about whether tipping on La Palma is the norm.
Well, let me be frank from the very start, I am not a good tipper. A waiter is unlikely to find a 5€ note from me at the end of a lavish meal - mainly because I try not to involve myself in lavish meals! Sometimes I do of course leave a tip although probably in the past I have been guilty of those times being fairly few and far between. But over recent years, my view has come to change somewhat.
I think it is because living on La Palma I have become aware that many people in the service industry here are a) on low pay if employed or b) are under-charging if self-employed and c) are far too kind and generous of spirit that they will readily go the extra mile to help you or give a good service.
Under those conditions, I am fiercely adamant that not to give a tip can almost amount to an insult.
Of course, each case has to be weighed up on its own merit. If a meal in a restaurant appears to be expensive for what it is and the service has been mediocre, then a tip is probably not going to happen. If however the meal has been good value with good service then for goodness sakes, let's reward that.

Let me give you another example. A taxi driver arrives at the appointed time, more or less, his car is reasonably clean and he drives you to the destination you asked for. To tip or not to tip is entirely up to you. But what about a taxi driver who goes out of his/her way to help with your bags, shows you points of interest along the way and is generally cheery and helpful. I think we can all spare a little monetary 'thank you' in appreciation of the extra trouble and care that person has taken.

We are all individuals and each situation is different but if you have had care and consideration above the average that made you feel special, then yes, please do tip!

Grab some winter sun!

While many people have been out and about hunting for bargains after Christmas and New Year, there have also been a good few people snapping up last minute flights to the Canary Islands - and who can blame them with the tantalising prospect of some winter sunshine!  So this has been great news for those who were able to take advantage of the cheap flights to La Palma and possibly even better news for the holiday resorts such as Los Cancajos, Puerto Naos and Tazacorte with apartments by the sea!  But whichever way you look at it the result has been that accommodation, whether it be rural house or self-catering apartments have been in high demand. The message as always, book early when possible to get the exact accommodation you are looking for!
However, flights to La Palma remain at low, low prices - for January and February at least although as usual, flights for peak holiday times are unfortunately very high :(
But if you are fortunate enough to be able to take your pick as to when you can fly, then there are some stunning deals. For example, London Gatwick to La Palma return for two weeks - £99!! How crazy is that?

Direct flights from the UK to La Palma are not just from Gatwick though but also Manchester added to which there are direct flight from Germany, the Netherlands, Madrid, Belgium and Sweden and so it's well worth searching for those bargain last minute flights.
Just to whet your appetite, here is a selection of flights from Gatwick to La Palma return with Thomsons:
Friday 25 January - 01 February     £109 (one week)
Friday 25 January - 08 February      £99 (two weeks) * Star buy *
Friday 01 - 08 February                 £129  (one week)
Friday 08 - 15 February                 £169  (one week)
Friday 08 - 22 February                 £149 (two weeks)
Friday 15 February to 01 March    £294 (two weeks)
All flights subject to availability and prices correct at time of writing and remember when booking flights to La Palma, the airport code is SPC!
If you are wondering if there is any last minute accommodation to go with the fights, then that is certainly a possibility especially if there has been a cancellation. Just when I thought there was not a single apartment left at the Puerto de Tazacorte during January, there was a sudden cancellation and one lucky couple struck gold with a great apartment overlooking the sea.

Winter sun - January 2013 - Puerto de Tazacorte

So things do change and I happen to know that there are still a few possibilities for self-catering apartments at Tazacorte during February.
Mm, perfect for a Valentine's treat to remember!