EASYROME

Read about the past and present of the Medano Hotel in Tenerife which was the first hotel to be built in the south of Tenerife, in the traditional fishing village of El Medano.

The site where the Medano Hotel is currently located, was originally used for packing tomatoes which was the most important agricultural produce in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona - a large area which incorporated the land which is currently the location of Reina Sofia [Tenerife South] Airport.

Once the tomatoes were picked and gathered, they made their way by truck to the resort of El Medano where they would be carefully hand sorted and graded by the skilled workers and then carefully packed into small wooden crates and loaded back into the trucks. These trucks would then make the arduous journey to the docks at Santa Cruz de Tenerife - the trucks had first get up a steep hill to Granadilla and then pass safely along narrow roads and round tight bends for a distance of nearly 70km before they reached their destination. Once you were caught behind one of the trucks you either knew you were in for a slow trip, or if you were a local person you would be aware of the code the drivers had of using their indicators to signal to the driver behind that everything was clear for them to pass.

Don Francisco Garcia Feo - known locally as 'Don Frasco' - used to be the owner of the tomato packers and Adalberto Garcia Alonso [his son] took up residence in England around the Canary Wharf area to receive the shipped produce from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Canary Wharf was so named due to the fact that this was the dock into which goods arrived from the Canary Islands]. He would then sell the tomatoes on to the markets at Covent Garden.

However, Don Francisco Garcia Feo had the foresight to recognize that tourism was fast becoming a growth industry in the north of the island - Tenerife at this time had a solitary airport which was in the north of the island [Los Rodeos] which can be found near to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The most popular main resort in the north was Puerto de la Cruz, and the surrounding smaller resorts or La Orotava and Los Realejos. Being conscious of the fact that the southern part of Tenerife had the potential of become a magnet for tourists, he took the decision to extend and transform his tomato packing plant into a hotel and the first 3 star hotel opened in El Medano [and in the south] which offered silver-service to its guests.

From then onwards, the Medano Hotel was always known as a teaching, or training, hotel where members of the hotel staff received training on-the-job and became some of the most highly desirably hotel workers on the island; if you were trained at the Medano Hotel, you were highly sought after. The next hotel to open in the south was in the resort of Playa de las Americas which was approximately 20km away from the Medano Hotel - the 4 Star Gran Tinerfe Hotel. And so, the start of tourism in the south of Tenerife had begun and today the south has become the most popular area on the island - helped enormously by the fact that an airport was built in the south in 1979 [known as Reina Sofia Airport].

What about the Medano Hotel now? It is still very much attracting visitors year-after-year and has retained its popularity as a 3 star hotel offering simply accommodation. It retains much of its original look as an older-style Canarian hotel even though it has seen renovations and extensions over the years [the last renovation being in 2009]. The Medano Hotel is one of the first things you will see when you come into the resort - it is the only hotel located 'on' the beach, with the sundeck built overhanging the sea by 500m2. Here you can take advantage of the large sun terrace by spending time relaxing back on one of the many sun-loungers overlooking the Red Mountain [Montana Roja], sipping a cool drink and listening to the water beneath you. If you decide to go swimming, you have direct access to the water below from the deck. You can also take a leisurely stroll along one of the beaches running either side of the Medano Hotel. Head towards El Cabezo Beach and you should find some wind-surfers or kite-surfers as this is a famouse location for both national and international competitions.

The Medano Hotel has a total of 91 rooms located on 5 floors with the majority of them benefitting from a sea view, with the most popular rooms being located on the top floor with views of the beach]. You can book bed and breakfast or half board. El Medano itself has many restaurants and bars along its promenade and seafront, so if you're not eating at the hotel, you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner in one of the international or Canarian style restaurants, take in a glass of sangria or a few night-caps and generally watch the world go by on your relaxing and laid-back holiday in Tenerife.

The Medano Hotel is an unusual hotel, in a tranquil resort with a unique past.

Gail writes articles on behalf of Corona Holidays who specialise in holidays to Tenerife and to El Medano. You can book with confidence as they hold an ATOL Licence and are TTA members which means that bookings are financially protected. View travel information on destinations and resorts, book hotels, apartments, villas and flights. Take a look at their website at http://www.coronaholidays.co.uk

Article Source: The Medano Hotel In El Medano Makes History