Tenerife’s capital city hosts the popular Carnival every February, with a different main theme picked year-on-year. Recent themes have included horror movies, pirates, Hollywood musicals, and magic. The variety of themes ensures a new and unique experience at every visit, with the planning period for the weekend’s main festivities far-reaching.

Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain by Prefeitura de Olinda / License: Creative Commons

Floats and dance routines are planned months in advance; this is by no means an improvised mess – Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a celebration which would more accurately be described as organised chaos and genuine excitement for the exotic exuberance such a celebration brings. The official Carnival contains meticulously planned flair and routine, while the street Carnival is based around the everyday revelers joining in with their own celebrations and costumes. The streets are awash with colour as homemade costumes come out to join the festivities in whichever way they seem fit.

While the Carnival is widely viewed as a weekend event, there are in fact many events on the days building up to the weekend as well as in the days after. The party in fact continues up to the beginning of Lent – with Shrove Tuesday marking the official end of the Carnival, with a sardine-themed day following on Ash Wednesday – an experience which has to be seen to be believed!

The party atmosphere explodes onto the streets in a flash of colour and music, drawing visitors from the world over. Inhibitions are let go as revelers celebrate over many days. Whether you want to visit the officially organised events or go wild at the street carnival, the party continues long into every night and resumes the next morning with renewed enthusiasm.

The Carnival Queen is the undisputed star of the entire event, with the prestigious honour handed out to the most beautiful of the year’s contestants on the Wednesday before Carnival weekend. She becomes the icon of the year’s festival, representing the island and all Carnival related activities. Voting and campaigning for the position of Carnival Queen begins well in advance of the festivities, with the contestants usually acquiring sponsorship from large corporations in order to promote their candidacy. Dresses can weigh on average up to 200lb and stand at over 20ft tall, making them extremely difficult to wear and expensive to make. The coronation is broadcast for the entire country to enjoy live, with a panel of judges and a text vote determining the winner.

For those who want to experience the Carnival atmosphere but do not wish to make the arduous journey to Brazil, the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife provides the perfect alternative. Once you experience the non-stop partying the locals of Santa Cruz provide with open arms for tourists, you might just find yourself a regular visitor.

Fernando Navas is a native to the Canary Islands and always returns home for Carnival.  He recommends experiencing the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife at least once and searching for cheap holidays to Tenerife to provides the perfect party opportunity.

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Playa De Las Americas, Tenerife, Spain by Mate Marschalko

At the top of the list is a resort located in Tenerife. The magnificent Abama Golf & Spa Resort is a privately owned estate in the prosperous Guia de Isora area. One can enjoy breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean from this prime location. It provides a wide range of sumptuous facilities which include swimming pools, restaurants, theme bars and a well equipped wellness and spa center. Other facilities include a kids’ club, an extensive lush golf course and Jacuzzi.

Located on the Eastern coast of Lanzarote is the remarkable Sandy Beach Resort. As the name suggests this hotel is situated right on the beach. It is equipped with some of the most modern and technical entertainment amenities available today. Among its facilities are swimming pools, an exclusively private lagoon, numerous wading pools, restaurants and an expansive fitness center. The sandy beach Resort is a great place especially for family vacations.

The Mare Nostrum Resort is close to the famous Beach Of Playa De Las Americas and celebrated as one of the biggest resorts in Europe. It comprises of a couple of 5-star hotels that deliver superlative services to the entire family. Due to its size it can offer a large selection of facilities such as, conference facilities, live shows, casino, and outdoor tennis courts. In addition guests can spend time in hair salons, boutiques, or enjoy snorkeling and diving activities.

Papagayo beach, Lanzarote, Spain by Luc Viatour

Sitting calmly on a private estate along the Mediterranean coastline, the Blau Porto Petro Beach Resort & Spa is a scenic and very beautiful place for tourists to relax and enjoy the many amenities it offers. The most unique feature of this resort is that it has breathtaking views of the luxuriant forest and vegetation surrounding it and extensive sandy beaches. This is a beautiful facility that can meet even the most whimsical desires that anyone could have.

Right at the seafront is the Iberostar Grand Hotel Anthelia. It has countless engaging and relaxing activities that are bound to capture any guest’s interests. This hotel is renowned for its scrumptious meals that are served in a peaceful and relaxed environment that is hard to match. For guests who are after being pampering and taken care of, they are more than accommodated in the hotel’s spa and wellness center.

Spain is truly a land of many beaches, and prides itself with having one of the best summer experiences for the tourists. That is one of the main reasons why its hospitality industry has been growing in leaps and bounds over the years.

Author Bio: Boris Dzhingarov is experienced traveler. He loves writing about his travel experience. He recommends you if you want to find summer vacation (interesting is that the Danish term is find sommerferie) deals to browse on the web.

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