So in the winter of 2011/2012 my personal life underwent a few big changes in a relatively short amount of time. Anyone that knows me, will know I don't do change well and so I felt quite lost for a long time. But with my friends understanding this, it was suggested by Jill that we follow through on going on a girlie holiday with our friend Jeannette as we'd spoken about doing for a couple of years.

So with Jill making calls to sweet talk her way into the best possible price and me pouring the alcohol, we were soon booked to go to Tenerife for a week of sun, fun and antics!

I was the only one in our group who had never visited Tenerife before. Jill had been to Santa Cruz on her first cruise and Jeannette was there the previous summer with her granddaughter staying in the southern resorts. After not loving Gran Canaria a few years before I admit I was skeptical about the Island but we had a great time and now I always recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap sun holiday without too much fly time.

This was the first time we had all vacationed together despite all of us having been away with each of the others at some point. I had thought when Jill and I were away the previous year that she was the ultimate light packer but to this day I'm still unsure how Jeannette seemed to have twice as many clothes as Jill and I and yet had a tiny little suitcase that probably would have passed as hand luggage... Talk about a Mary Poppins bag!

Anyway we bypassed the main resort areas in the south and instead stayed in Puerto de Santiago a rocky hillside town which has all the bars/restaurants you could want as well as easy access to the bigger resorts, while staying fairly peaceful itself.

Of course after finding our way to our apartment one of our first stops was to go looking for supplies... and I can safely say that we never went 'thirsty'

During our week we explored the nearby towns of Los Gigantes and Playa de la Arena and Jill and I did a dolphin watching trip along the giant cliffs of Los Gigantes from which the town took its name.

Another day we took the bus to Masca Valley with its beautiful little village at the foot of the Teno Mountains. From here there's a hike down to the Bay of Masca (said to have been a pirate hideaway) where you can then catch a boat to Los Gigantes.

While Jill and Jeannette got a drink - and call me slow but I didn't realize until afterwards that it would be an alcoholic one - I did maybe 2/5ths of the hike and learnt why so many people only go down the valley... It was much more differcult coming back up! Once at the top I found my friends and we got something to eat before catching the bus home... something that I think Jeannettes still not forgiven us for given the twisty roads and the sheer drops either side.... She really didn't want to get back on that bus!

One day we all split up with Jill heading north towards the Santa Cruz area while Jeannette went south jumping off the bus and exploring when she felt like it. Meanwhile I did a tour to the still active volcano, Mount Teide. Also considered the highest peak in Spain with its summit being over 12,000 ft high, it made for a good day.

And towards the end of the week we all took the bus south to the main resorts areas and visited a market where we brought all kinds of bits and bobs before wandering the towns some. Jeannette and Jill making friends along the way as always

This holiday was just what we needed and it was just a shame that we were eventually given permission to cross French airspace while their workers were on strike. For awhile there it really looked like we would be stranded a little longer in sunny Tenerife....a girl can dream right?

''You had me at Vacation''