Personally, I don’t mind January. It’s a quiet-ish month with no expectations, and none of the social pressures of December. Everyone seems to mind their own business and just get on with things. The diary is clear and there’s nothing major happening.
Apart from Sam’s birthday, of course! He isn’t a big fan of celebrating, so I’ve tried to make it special for him since we’ve been together. I decided to take him to Tenerife for sun, fun and a bit of relaxation. I say a bit of relaxation because we both can’t sit still. We always have to be doing something!
I’ve never been before but Sam has so I booked Playa las Americas, as he recommended. Normally, I’d stay away from ‘nightlife’ hotspots but as it was January, I didn’t think we’d have much trouble with noise or partygoers. Thank goodness!
Accommodation
I chose in Vanilla Garden Boutique Hotel as it was adults only, with a gym, jacuzzi, a decent sized pool and lots of positive reviews on Trip Advisor. It was also in a central location and 5 minutes’ walk to the beach.
The weather was great. Mostly cloudy but at least 22 degrees every day and there was full sun on a couple of occasions. It certainly beat Welsh weather – what a treat not to have rain for a whole week!
What we got up to
Normally, we have jam-packed itineraries when we’re away. But I didn’t plan too much as we were still recovering from our last few trips and Christmas. However, I did book Siam Park in advance for Sam’s actual birthday. I knew he’d love it!
We also played mini-golf (a classic!), went on a jet-ski, a buggy safari, bowling, swimming and of course, the waterpark. And we walked every day. I forgot my Apple watch so I couldn’t track my activity properly but according to Sam’s Garmin, we seemed get the steps in.
Admittedly, I do like sitting in the sun with a book but a day or so was enough. I’d feel like I was wasting the holiday if I did it every day! It worked out well though as Sam had Zoom meetings anyway. Remote working has serious perks.
Thoughts
The main thing was that Sam enjoyed. He loved the warmer weather, the food and being able to jump in the pool straight after a meeting. As for me, I’d definitely go back again. Especially around this time of year. It was the perfect escape from the cold and something to look forward to after the festive season. Birkenstocks in January? Si, por favor!
