The Titsa

The 'Titsa,' in case you were wondering, is the name of the bus company in Tenerife.
You see the Titsa buses everywhere, very distinctive in green and white and if you arrive in Tenerife en route to La Palma for your holiday, then these buses will come in very useful.

You see, the interesting thing about Tenerife is that it has two airports, the Reina Sofia airport in the south and Los Rodeos in the north.  Most international flights arrive/depart using the south airport and inter-island flights almost always use the north airport.  So ... if you come to La Palma via Tenerife, the chances are you will need to change airports.
It's quite simple really - but here are a few tips ...
From the south airport, there are several buses that you can take:
the number 343 is the express bus between the airports
the number 111 bus is the next best alternative and goes to Santa Cruz leaving the south airport every half hour on the hour/half hour.  It takes fifty minutes to get to Santa Cruz (the bus station/terminus) from where you can catch the number 102 bus to the north airport.  
And that's it!  Just sit back and enjoy your tour of Tenerife courtesy of Titsa.

To laptop or not?

I think we can all agree that security at airports has changed in recent years. And not only that but it seems to change every year and at every airport.

It can certainly be frustrating but the more you are aware of the latest requirements, the easier it is to comply - and still stay in that happy holiday frame of mind!

My latest finding was at Manchester airport. Not only was it a case of belts off and liquids out - see the rules on liquids here - but also laptops have to be taken out of the cabin luggage. Not easy when they are packed safe and sound in a rucksack or carry-on!

However, if you do decide to bring a laptop or similar, then you will find that some holiday homes and apartments offer WiFi. Here at the finca in Franceses, we have been offering free WiFi for some time and have seen an increasing number of people wanting or needing to connect to the internet. So if you do think it's worth bringing your laptop - keep it handy in your cabin luggage when coming through security!

If you are not sure what other regulations apply to what you can take on a plane, either in the hold or cabin luggage, you can check here.

Cheap Flights

 It seems that the UK has been having some excellent sunny weather of late and even brilliant weather for Easter.  What's going on! 

So if you are getting rather hooked on warmer weather and thinking about a holiday to La Palma or cheap flights to the Canary Islands in general, there are some seriously stunning deals about.

And of course it's not a bad idea to get in there before the hiked-up prices for the school holidays. So - how about Doncaster to Tenerife at ₤15 incuding taxes? That really is a stunner!  

OK, so most flights are rather more than that but it's still worth searching for these little nuggets as there are plenty of flights about for less than ₤50 including taxes and not just with airlines that are considered to be budget.  For example, Monarch are offering ₤50 off flights at the moment. That manages to bring the price down from 'a good buy' to 'a really good buy.'  If you are looking for flights from Manchester or Gatwick to Tenerife then one worth considering is 31st May - 7th June at ₤128 including taxes, return. 

And just in case you are wondering - there are daily flights between Tenerife and La Palma with both Binter and Islas Airways, plus the daily Fred Olsen ferry.   

That just leaves accommodation ..... if you are looking for a hotel, apartment or house to rent on La Palma, just drop us a line!

Getting away from it all

Holidays are all about getting away from it all.  Aren't they?  Well OK, except for people with an endless zeal for crowded bars and crowded beaches, there are a lot of other people out there trying to escape the maddening crowd.  And where could be better than a holiday on La Palma, whether it be a walking holiday, exploring the historic capital city, a laze on the beach or holiday home patio or maybe something a little more active such as SCUBA diving or paragliding?
But no matter what type of holiday, there is one thing that none of us want to get away from for longer than is necessary and that is - our LUGGAGE!
So here is my number one holiday tip:-
when packing, make sure that you keep a few essentials in your hand luggage that will keep you a 'sweeter' person to be with for the next 24 hours after checking-in at the airport. I'm talking here about basic items of personal hygiene and clothing - things that you would really appreciate if you and your luggage didn't meet up again until the following day. 
This holds good for any trip abroad and not just holidays on La Palma.  Be Prepared and you won't be caught out!

Anything to declare?

I was recently asked about Duty Free shopping in La Palma, where to buy it and the permitted allowance.  Well, the allowance is an interesting one because the Canary Islands - La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote - are not actually a part of the EC, although Spain is.  Confusing!  
But the good news is that duty free type goods, for example, wines, spirits and tobacco are laughably cheap here on La Palma and readily available not just in the airport shop but in all grocery shops such as the good old Spar supermarket.
While you are enjoying your holiday on La Palma, I suggest you take the opportunity to try the excellent La Palma wines.  There is a great variety of both red and white wines including Vitega, El Tendal, Teneguia, Oro de Risco, Vega Norte, Traviesa, and the sweet Malvasia wine which is produced in the vineyards in the south of La Palma with its volcanic-rich land.  The wines are of extremely high quality and in fact La Palma produces around half a million litres of wine annualy.  Not a lot of people know that. But then you can't take half a million litres back home with you. 

Just for your interest, we keep a selection of La Palma wines in our own bodega here on the finca in Franceses for guests of both the self-catering cottage and bed and breakfast accommodation to enjoy.   What could be nicer than a romantic candlelight dinner and a glass of La Palma wine without having to leave 'home?'

And don't forget to try the local rum while you are here.  Ron y cola is quite a popular drink, especailly at fiestas. 

Here are the duty free allowances if taking goods back from La Palma and the rest of the Canary Islands to other EU/EC countries:-

Cigarettes

200

Cigarillos

100

Cigars

50

Smoking Tobacco

250gms

Spirits

1 litres

Wine

2 litres

Fortified Wine ( port or sherry)

2 litres

Perfume

60cc/ml

Toilet Water

250cc/ml

Value of goods, gifts and souvenirs

€200

Insured to Go!

Holiday insurance is one of those areas where people sometimes try and make a little saving.  Such as not taking one out!  But really, they are so cheap to pick up especially when weighed against the cost of things going wrong while you are on holiday, or even before you go on holiday. 
But which company?  You can search the inernet for a good price or take out a policy with one of the major supermarkets or high street banks or building societies.  Monarch have also got a good offer on at the moment with policies starting from just 10.55 pound for 7 nights if you use their promotional code.   Some specialist activities, such as snorkelling, horse riding, cycling, fishing, etc, are included in that price and children under two are covered for free.   You can check out their website here. 
Put in the promotional code 'COVERME20' and away you go! 

TAXI !

Whether or not to hire a car for your holiday on La Palma can be a tricky decision.  Doubtless a car gives you independance and freedom of movement to explore the very many nooks and crannies of La Palma.  But not everyone fancies driving themselves around the bend - in the very nicest possible way of course.

That leaves the bus, taxi and Shank's pony (this is weird English-speak for 'on foot.').  

Well, the excellent bus service got a mention in the last post and walking on La Palma has its very own blog at www.gr130-lapalma.blogspot.com so I won't tread on my own toes there.

But the ocassional taxi can be a great option.  No parking.  No driving. No worries!  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

And don't worry, even if the taxi 'office' in rural Garafia is reminiscent of glorious days gone by, the taxis are rather more modern.
I'll give you an idea of some costs, all prices being current as of the date of this post and starting from the airport -

To the capital, Santa Cruz de la Palma - 9 km, cost 11.19 euros

To Puerto Naos - 42km, cost 46.17 euros

to Los Cancajos - 5 km, cost 6.95 euros

So, as you can see, it works out at just over one euro per kilometre although there is a small surcharge between 22.00hrs and 06.00 hrs, public holidays and weekends. 

You can have a look for yourself on taxis La Palma

 It's a great website with lots of ideas for walking tours on La Palma (in a group or otherwise), cycling tours, tours direct from the cruise liners, private tours of La Palma - for example to the Roque de Muchachos, Los Tilos laurasilva forest, La Tosca, the volcanoes, see tobacco being hand-made ... and more.  

 In fact, even if you have no intention of taking a taxi on La Palma, the website is still worth looking at as it has some lovely photos and lots of information.  And you might just feel inspired to call out 'TAXI !'